The Truth About Crime and Safety for Travel in Africa

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”.

I won’t say that Africa is dangerous. Or safe for that matter. It all depends on where you go, what you do there, how you behave and what your guardian angel might think of you that particular day. But there are for sure places in Africa where you are in high risk of getting mugged, no matter how street smart you claim to be. Like that was a secret. And here is the other obvious fact: On an organized tour with a well known reputable safari company, where you are picked up at the airport and delivered at the door of your resort, you are not likely to be mugged. If anything, you are more likely to end up in a car accident, or maybe a kid at the resort will run through your stuff in the hotel room while you’re on a game drive. I will now try to give you some more detailed guidelines on how dangerous or safe it is to travel in Africa. I repeat, this is my own opinion based on personal experience and various literature that I happen to trust.

Risk of Crime for Travelers in Africa

You should be careful in all big cities in Africa, but certain places are worse than others. Two cities that have a lot of tourists going through them are Johannesburg and Nairobi, both with very high crime rates. But as soon as you’re out of the large cities, travel in Africa is surprisingly safe. You just have to be conscious of where you are going and what you are doing. Here are some rules to follow that makes your vacation dramatically safer:

• While in big cities; stay in areas where there are a lot of people and avoid being alone. Especially if you’re out after dark!
• Be careful with where you stop your car, who you let in to your car(!), and for whom you stop your car.
• Don’t openly carry valuables like flashy jewelery, watches, cameras, ipods, etc.
• Listen to advice from locals, hotel staff, bar tenders (good source of honest advice!), etc.
• Carry your spending cash easily available, while passport, credit cards, etc in a hidden money belt.
• If you have bad luck and are mugged; do what they say and give them your spending cash.
• Make friends rather than enemies!

During my six months in Southern Africa, I was never mugged. The only crime I was a victim of was to have my wallet stolen once. But since I followed my own advice from above, the wallet only contained a small amount of cash. No credit cards, no passport, no other valuables. And I don’t think I spent more than ten minutes worrying over this loss. So the moral is: Africa is very safe when you know what you are doing. And if you have a loss, don’t let it ruin your trip!

Safe Transportation in Africa

I once read that the biggest danger with travel in Africa is traffic accidents. I don’t remember what my source is, but I definitely believe it. While parts of Africa have great road standards, other places are only reached by dirt roads. And the standard of the cars is often not what you might be used to from home. It is very hard to protect oneself from traffic accidents, so the only rules to follow are pretty obvious:

• Don’t drink and drive
• Follow the speed limits
• Remember that the overstuffed, run-down minibuses are not as safe as the more expensive coach
• Avoid driving after dark (for several reasons: crime, animals, drunk drivers, etc)
• Stay awake and take breaks, driving through endless deserts can make you tired!

Other Dangers for Africa Travelers

There are some other hazards, like health issues, war zones, scams, etc. However, these are all pretty preventable. Take the necessary immunizations, use condoms, avoid war zones, use your common sense when dealing with people. Following these guidelines should take care of most problems that could occur. Of course you can always have bad luck, you will probably get traveler’s diarrhea or at least an upset stomach at some point, but as I said about the crime: Don’t let it ruin your trip. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, that is certainly true in Africa.