Tips and Advice | The Africa Travel Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Tips and Advice’

Need Your Tips: Self Drive Safari in Okavango & Chobe

November 4th, 2009 by Hakon Kavli

Okavango Delta The past few days I have been thinking about what would be the perfect one week itinerary for a self drive in the Okavango, Chobe and Vic Falls region. The reason I have been thinking about this is, naturally, that I intend to do it. In March next year, my family will come down to South Africa, and I want to take them out on a little African adventure. The problem is that we only have one week to see everything! – A common problem in the travel world..

So this is where you come in! Do you have any tips for us??

Any places we must see in Chobe or Okavango? Safari camps, routes, etc?

Any good rental companies where we can find a reliable 4×4? (It should be based in Livingstone or Maun).

I will keep updating this post with all good tips that come in (either from twitter, email or comments on this post). And if you have a website or twitter, please let me know and I will credit your tips with your links.

Thank you very much!!

Read the rest of this entry »

Photos From Africa – The Best of the Web

October 26th, 2009 by admin

Everyone with a passion for Africa and Travel will always appreciate good photos of the African landscape, cultures, people and wildlife. With a continent so full of amazing beauty, you don’t need to be a professional photographer to take stunning pictures. But of course it helps to have some skills, so instead of making an album out of my own amateur-ish photos, I will rather direct you to my favorite websites for pictures from Africa.

Trek Earth’s Africa Gallery is the first one to have my recommendations! They have great photos from all over Africa, and they have tons of them!

Travellerspoint has a good collection of African travel photos taken by travelers like you and me. But as I said earlier, you don’t need to be a professional to take beautiful pictures in Africa. Here is one of their albums, this one with Travel Pictures from South Africa.

Read the rest of this entry »

Self Drive Safari Tips

October 6th, 2009 by admin

Self drive safaris is a very popular way for travelers to see the wildlife in Africa. And personally I think it is the most fun way too. But I am inclined to attribute that to my still fairly young age. I have the impression that younger travelers prefer the adventurous spirit of self drives, while the more mature and settled traveler will lean towards a guided safari with a driver that knows what he’s doing. Though, I do apologize to all of my senior readers who were offended by my stereotyped categorizing.

So let’s forget about the stereotypes and rather start discussing some advice and essential questions about self drive safaris;

What to bring on a self drive safari?
What to know before I go on a self drive safari?

Read the rest of this entry »

6 Africa Travel Tips

September 16th, 2009 by admin

I decided to make a list of 6 Africa travel tips that I believe will make your trip to Africa even better! The list is based on my personal experience and knowledge, and I encourage everybody who are backpacking or going on tours in Africa to use their own travel skills and common sense, rather than base your luck on a few tips found on the internet. However, sometimes it can be very helpful to learn from other travelers and the tips they share.

My 6 Africa Travel Tips:

Read the rest of this entry »

CNN With Mixed Feelings about South Africa’s Tourist Activities

September 10th, 2009 by admin

It looks like we are not the only ones around with the African travel fever! CNN’s Jarett Bellini is traveling through South Africa right now, and he is sharing his experiences in several articles and videos published on CNN.com the past two days. So if you are considering a trip to South Africa, recently returned from one, or just can’t stop day dreaming about; you will most likely find his travel stories interesting.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tofo – A Backpacker’s Beach Paradise in Mozambique

September 2nd, 2009 by Hakon Kavli

I thought it was time to share a little secret with all of our readers. It is my favorite beach in Africa. It is not overly crowded, but it still has enough people to share the fun with. It’s not great for surfing, but the place is so relaxed that you won’t even feel like surfing in the first place. It is just perfect for what I think a beach in Mozambique should be used for: Forgetting about your regular life and just relax and have fun with friends and other backpackers. The beach is called Tofo, and is located a good day’s drive north of Maputo.

Read the rest of this entry »

Will South Africa be Ready for the World Cup in 2010?

September 1st, 2009 by admin

The People are Ready for the Soccer World Cup!

If you are running a business in South Africa, be it a taxi company, a restaurant, a hotel, a grocery store or a tattoo parlor, I feel comfortable assuming that you have spent the past two years thinking about how you can prepare for the World Cup and how you can use the massive influx of tourists to expand your business. I am also very confident that all other private businesses in South Africa will be overly ready to cater their new wave of customer that hopefully will come storming in by the beginning of June 2010. They will have hired extra staff, stocked up on whatever they supply and be eager to make some money.

The more interesting question is how well the organization and government run part of this event will be prepared? (Oh, by the way, if my talk of the private sector vs the government makes you believe that I am a conservative pro-market anti-government economist, I am happy to inform you that I gave a false impression).

Will South-Africa be ready for the World Cup when it starts in June 2010? How far have they come? Do we even have any reason to worry?

Read the rest of this entry »

The Truth About Crime and Safety for Travel in Africa

August 13th, 2009 by admin

There are a few things to consider when choosing the destination for your summer vacation. Safety is one of them. And surprisingly, safety seems to be a greatly subjective topic. Everybody agrees that the Grand Canyon is stunning (include me, and I haven’t even been there), or that Norway’s fjords are beautiful. But if you ask a person if travel in Africa is safe, you will get a lot of different answers. A racist old Afrikaaner in Jo’burg might say that it’s a hell hole. The identical guy in Texas would agree. But ask a backpacker who has hitchhiked through ten countries in Africa all alone, and he might say it’s as safe as his own home town in Canada. Personally I would avoid giving a clear answer to the question, but stupidly I have already claimed in the headline that I am in possession of the truth. So now that you have already started reading, I will tell you what I really meant; “Here is what I personally think is the truth about crime and safety for travelers in Africa”.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Africa Adventure is Closer to Reality

August 6th, 2009 by Hakon Kavli

View over Cape Town and Lions Head from Table Mountain

Approximately six months ago my girlfriend, Eleyce, asked me what I thought about going back to Cape Town, South Africa, for grad school. This was exactly one year after we left Cape Town last time, and we both felt more than ready to return to our favorite city. So, not surprisingly, I immediately said yes to her suggestion and soon after we applied for our masters programs at the University of Cape Town. And last week I got the message I had been waiting for: I am accepted for admission at School of Economics, UCT. Eleyce was already accepted for the masters program in International Relations, so we could finally start planning our next step in life!

Read the rest of this entry »

Vuvuzelas: WOW! What stunning photos!! Have added this page to my favourites!
cape town accommodation: Cape Town is nice ,amazing place for making fun and staying for a month ,you can enjoy alot...
Jeremiah: Wow! Stunning pictures! Love the rocky backdrop. Always been a fan of large expanses of blue! It’s...
Odry34Ep: Lots of students get know some keys of good term paper creating, but it doesn’t mean they are able...
Afia Aimee: Anytime I read a travel piece I am ready to book a ticket. I’m such a sucker for any cultural...

Recent Comments:

Search the Blog:

Socialize

Africa Blog Roll:

Posts Tagged ‘Tips and Advice’

Need Your Tips: Self Drive Safari in Okavango & Chobe

Photos From Africa – The Best of the Web

Self Drive Safari Tips

6 Africa Travel Tips

My 6 Africa Travel Tips:

CNN With Mixed Feelings about South Africa’s Tourist Activities

Tofo – A Backpacker’s Beach Paradise in Mozambique

Will South Africa be Ready for the World Cup in 2010?

The Truth About Crime and Safety for Travel in Africa

The Africa Adventure is Closer to Reality