Review of 3-mo Trip from Cape Town to Egypt

My friend and I (2 girls in our 20s) just got back from my 3-month trip from Cape Town to Cairo from December to February and wanted to provide some tips for those of you considering this type of trip in the near future. Feel free to ask questions. I'll try to answer to my best ability.

GENERAL COMMENTS:

Weather-wise, Dec-Feb was a good time to travel south to north. We used public transportation for all of the trip except we flew over Sudan to save on time and visa costs ($330 with Yemenia Airways purchased at bravofly.co.uk from Addis Ababa to Cairo via Sana'a. Good flight with good food, but make sure to reconfirm 3 days ahead or they will cancel your ticket). Btw, stories on this forum regarding obtaining a visa for Sudan are exaggerated. We met at least half a dozen people who had no problems and got their visa within 24-48 hours. They were European or American. There is a possibility of getting a trasit visa which is a bit cheaper, $100 instead of $150 I believe, but it only gives you 2 weeks to cross the country.

We felt public transportation was a good way to get around. We didn't experience any major issues. The hardest parts are the route from Nairobi to the Ethiopia border (36 hours of driving on horrible roads usually on a truck) and in most parts of Ethiopia (very bad roads right now; they're getting them built which will take another 2 years or so). We met many people who bought a car and then hoped to resell it at the end of their trip. This really only makes sense for a group of at least 2 people and it you're traveling for more than 3 months. Be prepared to get a lot less for your car than what you started with too. Also, some countries like Egypt and Sudan have many registration and re-registration requirements for vehicles. Make sure you're aware of them in advance and be prepared to deal with the bureaucracy.

We found that having a tent for camping is helpful in Mozambique, Zambia, and Malawi. Many hostels have camping grounds and it's usually a lot cheaper than a dorm bed. If you're purchasing a tent in Africa, South Africa is the best place to do it (probably a store called Game) - most other countries only have simple tents and sleeping bags, no other accessories, mats, etc. I would strongly recommend buying self-inflating mats too (these are ONLY available in South African Game stores, not Mozambique for example). We ended up purchasing a tent off another traveler when we got to Mozambique and left it on our last stop in Malawi (don't count on selling it unless you have weeks to waste waiting around for someone who may be interested. there just aren't that many travelers in Africa yet to match your selling needs exactly, though there are plenty to be comfortable and meet people).

We used just the big Africa book from Lonely Planet. It's not very detailed and some info is outdated, but it worked just fine for figuring out itineraries and bus schedules. You can easily find out the rest from other travelers you meet. It's better to get a real person's perspective anyway when you're traveling. Don't rely on the book too much. One place I would get separate info on is the Omo Valley in Ethiopia. It's helpful to have info on the tribes so you can decide which parts to visit.

One of the best things you can bring with you on the trip is earplugs. The other absolutely necessary thing is bug spray. We found 2 bottles were necessary. Bring it with you as it's not that easy to buy it in many places. Even in big cities in more developed countries, it was often sold out. In other countries, it's simply not available most of the time. However, we found that mosquito nets are not really necessary to bring with you. We didn't use ours at all. The thing is that most hostels and cheap hotels where it is needed already have one.

If you're American, you'll get asked about Obama pretty much every time you mention it. And about 90% of the time you'll get asked if you work for the Peace Corps. Apparently, there are barely any Americans traveling alone (this doesn't really apply to South Africa or Egypt).

If you're white, you'll get followed around and everyone will want to talk to you (same questions of where you're from, what you do, what you're doing there, etc). Be prepared to have this conversation multiple times per day, every day. If you're a female, you'll get followed even more. If you're a very nice female, you probably won't have any time to yourself at all - everyone is very persistent about having a conversation with you :).

Be prepared to be stern when you don't need help and "help" is being pushed on you. In countries like Ethiopia in particular, everyone will attach themselves to you "helping you" hitch rides that you would have gotten yourself without their help etc and they will want a cut from the driver for "helping you" (i.e. you'll likely end up paying more than without this "help"). Also, be prepared to constantly bargain to get local prices or even something relatively close to it. This is worse in some countries like Ethiopia where "faranji prices" are a pretty standard discriminatory practice now. Most of the time, you can find nice people who are not trying to get as much out of you as humanely possible. So look around. I say choose to support establishments who are decent and at least reasonable in their price hikes (i.e. not 3-4 times the local cost).

Fast Internet is available in South Africa, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and in Egypt. Everywhere else we visited, it was non-existent or very very slow.

Important: Change all local money before you leave each country if possible. It's very hard to change unpopular currency like Malawi Kwacha or Tanzania Shillings once you leave those countries. Most places won't take anything but US dollars, UK pounds, etc. Also, bring as many US dollars as possible with you in cash. That's the main currency everyone will want.

TIPS BY COUNTRY

SOUTH AFRICA:

We started in Cape Town and went along the coast to Durban before heading to Mozambique. Some assume South Africa is more expensive than other countries in Africa because it's more modern, but it's actually one of the cheaper one, especially when it comes to food. Cheapest way to eat is at the deli/prepared food section at the supermarkets. Very very cheap! Hostel dorm beds run around 100 rand right now, so about $10US per night.

Cape Town is fun and lively, but I think a bit overrated, at least if your expectations are very high as some guidebooks will lead you to have. Long Street is the main party street. It's sort of like a mini Burbon St in New Orleans. Long Street Backpackers Hostel has a great location right on it if you want to party non-stop and meet lots of travelers and the rooms and bathrooms are clean. However, it's not quiet. Earplugs are needed if you want to sleep as the noise will go until morning, i.e. 5-6am easily. Also, the management drinks from morning until evening, non-stop. They're helpful, but they're not always in the best state of mind to help and not the friendliest. Others like Ashanti down the street, which is quiet since it's a walk from Long Street.

I recommend getting a group together and renting a car for the coastal trip from Cape Town to Durban. Car rentals in South Africa are extremely cheap, at about $20 per day all insurance and fees included. Your other option is to use the Baz Bus, which is not as convenient as it sounds. We haven't met anybody who loved it. It takes a lot longer to get from town to town via this bus and it's very expensive. If 3 people rent a car like we did, the total cost of car rental and gas was cheaper than the $120 per person or so cost to do the same thing by Baz Bus and took much less time and was a lot more convenient. The Baz Bus makes stops to drop others off at various places along the way and many of these places are very out of the way compared to taking a direct route by car. Plus, you have so much more flexibility to make whatever stops you want when you want with a car, it's not even comparable for the same price.