solo backpacking through southern africa

PAUL KUHNE JANUARY 13, 2016 SOHO REI NEW YORK

SOLO BACKPACKING SOUTHERN AFRICA

The Rundown •  Introduc)ons•  ConsideringAfrica•  Planning&Prepara)on•  CountrybyCountry•  Transporta)on•  Accommoda)ons•  GeneralSafety&Health•  CulturalConsidera)ons

HI USA The Mission

“Tohelpall,especiallytheyoung,gaina greater understanding of the worldanditspeoplethroughhostelling.”

Purpose:“HIUSA inspires a genuine understandingof people, places & cultures for a moretolerantworld.”

What is Hostelling? Community │ Travel │ Experience

Community:SupportandconnectthegreatercommunityoftravelersbothinsideandoutsideHI-USA’shostelnetwork.

Travel:Throughthevehicleofhostels,providetravelopportuni)esandeduca)onfortravelerslookingtoexploretheUnitedStatesandbeyond.

Experience:CreatelocalanduniqueexperiencesthatleaveguestswithabeIerunderstandingoftheculturethey’revisi)ng.

About Me •  Thesmartbutspontaneoustraveler

•  WorkforHostellingInterna)onalBoston

•  StudiedAbroadinArgen)na•  Caughtaterminalcaseofthetravelbug

•  Havetraveledto20Countries•  Earlierin2014,spent7weekstravelingthroughAfrica

But, more importantly:

What Brings You Here?

Africa in our Imaginations •  InCinema–  TheLionKing–  Jumanji– HotelRwanda–  LastKingofScotland– AfricanQueen

•  InLiterature– GrahamGreene’s“JourneyWithoutMaps”–  JosephConrad’s“HeartofDarkness”–  ChinuaAchebe’s“ThingsFallApart”

Africa in Reality •  Variedhistory&cultures,country-by-country•  Economicallydiverse•  Hugecon)nent--regionmaIers•  Theimpactofcolonialism•  Tourismv.Off-The-BeatenPath•  Weakinfrastructure•  Sprawled,disorganizedci)es•  Impossiblybeau)fulscenery

Defining the Trip •  Howlongareyougoingfor?•  Wheredoyouwanttogo?•  Areyoulookingforsafari,backpackingorboth?

•  Whatkindofbudgetareyouworkingwith?•  Areyouinterestedinvolunteering?•  Haveyoutraveledtothedevelopingworldbefore?

First & Foremost: Building an Itinerary

•  Choosea)meofyeartotravel– Knowyourdry&rainyseasons

•  Selectyourcountries•  Iden)fyyourpointofentryi.e.Nairobi,DaresSalaam,Kampala,etc.

•  Buildaprojectedlengthoftrip•  Purchaseatleastaoneway)cket,ifnotaround-trip)cket

TravelTip:Forthemoretech-savvy,keepablogandtrackresourcesusingEvernote.Greatwaytoorganizeyourpurpose,tripandresources.

Your Presenter’s Intended Itinerary

Tanzania êMalawi êZambiaêBotswanaêSouthAfrica

Your Presenter’s Actual Itinerary

Tanzania êMalawi êZambiaêSouthAfrica

Planning: Internet vs. Guides

•  Debate:InternetversusGuidebooks•  TheNeedforGuideBooks:– S)llmuchvalueinphysical,up-to-dateguidebook– Frequentinternetaccesswillcostyou

•  TheInternetArgument:– GreatblogsandforumsaroundAfrica– Plentyofpersonalanecdotes– OnthegroundrealityviaTwiIer&Facebook

The Planning Essentials

•  Internet– AfricaTravelResource–  LonelyPlanetTravelForums–  BootsnallTravelGuides– Wikitravel

•  Books–  BradtTravelGuides–  LonelyPlanet–  CoasttoCoastBackpackersGuide

TravelTip:Consultyourcommunity.Great@metoreachouttofriends,colleagues,acquaintancesandmoreforhelpful@psonwheretovisit.

Budgeting: Spreadsheets & Receipts

•  Budgetpreandduringtripexpenses•  Set-upshorttermsavingsaccounttofunnelmoneyaside

•  Usemint.comforPre-tripbudge)ng•  Onthereturn,enterinyouractualexpenses•  TheValueofasmallnotepad– Usedittobudgetontheroad,day-to-daycostsTravelTip:Useyour“DuringTripExpenses”asaformofi@neraryplanningbydocumen@ngplacesandresourcesinthespreadsheet,alongwithprices.

Health & Safety: Before You Leave

•  Getyourshotstwomonthsinadvance–  Includesyellowfever,typhoid,rabies&hepa))s

•  Inves)gateamosquitonetop)on–  RarelyusedminewhileinAfrica,s)llgoodtohave

•  EnsureyouhaveSPF30orSPF50Sunscreen•  PurchaseyourDEETsprayandmalariapills

•  RefertoDoctor’ssugges)ononwhattypeofmalariapilltohave•  Don’tforgetTraveler’sDiarrheapills•  Neutralcoloredclothing(toavoidTetseFlies)•  RegisterwithSTEPontheStateDepartment

–  Knowyourembassiesandrecordnumbersinnotepad

TravelTip:Dependingonyourtrip,youmaywanttopurchaseawaterfiltra@[email protected],affordableop@on.

Packing: The Essentials

•  Passport(withenoughblankpages)•  WorldHealthOrganiza)onVaccina)onCer)ficate

•  Copiesofallcreditcards&IDs(emailthem)– VISACreditCardgoesfurtherthanMastercard

•  AnyCountryVisasyou’vesecuredinadvance•  HIMembershipCard(goodforSouthAfrica)

TravelTip:Explorethevisasofeachcountryyou’regoing—somewillneedyoutoapplyinadvance,othersyoucangetattheborder.Have$USready!

Packing: Clothes •  ThreePairsofShoes– Hiking/walkingshoes,sneakers,flip-flops

•  2-3PairsofCoIonPants&Shorts(andBathingsuit)

•  Sunglassesandhat•  Lightrainjacket•  Breathabletravelunderwear•  Onelongsleeveshirtand5-6T-Shirts

TravelTip:Africahasalotofclothes.MostofyourusedclothingdonatedtocharityendsupinAfrica.Youcanalwaysbuyitemsincountry,forcheap!

Packing: Special Accessories

•  QuickDryTravelTowel•  Flashlight•  Waterprooffirstaidkit•  Specialmoneybelt•  MosquitoNet•  WaterPurifier•  Binoculars•  GlobalPhone(Teles)al)

TravelTip:Checkinwithtravelerswhohavetakenthistripbefore,andaskthemfortheitemstheyfoundindispensable.Lotsofgreatinfothere.

Sidetrack: Phones On The Road

•  Unlockedphonescangoalongway•  GreatforlocalSIMcard– AfricanTelecomcompaniesaresurprisinglygood– PrimarycarriersincludeVodacomandAirtel

•  Allowsforintercon)nentalcommunica)onviaglobalSIMCard

•  Alsocanbeconfiguredforinternet•  Valuedependsonlengthoftrip

TravelTip:Iftripexceedstwomonths,dualSIMglobalphoneviaTeles@[email protected].

Arriving in Africa •  Preparefortheheat•  Englishwillnotbewidelyspokenini)ally•  AirportisaliIlebitcrazy…– HaveVisamoneyanddocumentsprepared

•  Jetlagandgeneralcultureshockwillbepresent

•  Haveatleastafewnightsatyourfirststoptogetoriented

TravelTip:Haveyourtransporta@ontoyourfirstnight’sstayalreadyarranged,andyourfirstnight’saccommoda@onsalreadybooked.

Tanzania: A Brief Look

•  TouristmeccaofEastAfrica•  SitesincludeKilimanjaro,Serenge),NgorongoroCrater,Zanzibar

•  FormerBri)shcolony•  SwahilispokeneverywhereàEnglishnotascommon

•  GreatjumpingoffpointforotherAfricandes)na)ons

Alterna-veDes-na-on:Star@nginKenyacanlenditselftocoveringmoregroundinEastAfrica,andprovidesseamlessaccesstonorthernTanzania.

Tanzania: Dar es Salaam

•  Primaryhubofeconomicac)vityinTanzania

•  StandardstopoverforthoseheadedtoKilimanjaro

•  JumpingoffpointforZanzibar•  AIrac)ons:WhiteSandsBeach,Na)onalMuseum,Kariakoo&MwengeMarkets,ArabQuarter

•  Total)meneeded:2Days

RecommendedA5rac-on:MwengeMarketoffersupaslewofAfricanartandcraWs,whilealsoprovidesyouwiththenewertakeontheAfricanmarket.

Tanzania: Zanzibar

•  TheSpiceIsland•  Beau)fulbeaches,Muslimarchitecture&seafoodcurry

•  EasyaccessviaAzamferry•  Hostelseverywhere•  AIrac)ons:StoneTown,BlueLagoonSnorkeling,FullMoonParty,SpiceTours&Dolphins

•  Total)meneeded:>4Days

RecommendedA5rac-on:Thespicetourissimplynottobemissed,especiallyonbicycleifyou’reupforthechallenge.Guesswhatthatspiceis?

Tanzania: Mikumi National Park

•  4thLargestNa)onalParkinTanzania

•  Elephants,buffalo,impala,giraffes,zebra

•  5HourBus-ridefromDar•  AIrac)ons:Thegiant,Africananimals!

•  Total)meneeded:1-2nights

RecommendedTip:AffordablegamedrivesareofferedfromtheTanSwissLodge—s@lltrytolinkupwithothertravelerstolowerthecostofthetour.

Tanzania: Udzungwa National Park

•  Jungle-mountains&raremonkeyspecies

•  Beau)ful,incrediblewaterfalls

•  2HourBus-ridefromMikumi

•  AIrac)ons:SanjeFalls,Sanje-crestedManjebey

•  Total)meneeded:2-3nightsRecommendedA5rac-on/Tip:Don’tjustdothehikestoseethewaterfalls,buttakeabikeintothevillagestoo.You’llevenseeoneoftheTazararailwaystops.

Into Malawi •  PrimaryfocuswasnorthernMalawi–  LesstouristythansouthernMalawi

•  Tanzanianjumpingoffpoint:Mbeya

•  2HourBus-ridefromMbeyatoTukuyuandthenKusumulu

•  1Mileonfoottoborder@SongweRiverBridge

•  CrossduringthedaybeforenoonRecommendedTip:Bordersareusuallyseedyplaces.Ignorescammersandconar@stsfollowingyouandchangeyourmoneyatWesternUnion.

Malawi: Chitimba & Livingstonia

•  RemoteplacesinMalawi•  Greattohangoutinthelakeorgetsomehikingin

•  AIrac)ons:Villages,thelake,MushroomFarm,Livingstonia,HikestoChombePlateau,highestwaterfallinMalawi

•  TotalTimeNeeded:2-4Nights

RecommendedTip:IfyoustayatHakunaMatatabackpackers,youcanleaveyourlargepackthereandtakeadaypacktoMushroomFarmforeasierhiking.

Malawi: Nkhata Bay •  Backpackersparadise– Alsogenerallyaparadise…

•  Perfectplacetohangonthelake•  EasilyaccessiblefromMzuzu•  AIrac)ons:Snorkeling,cliffjumping,greatbeaches&Africanstylecanoeing

•  TotalTimeNeeded:2-3NightsRecommendedTip:Stayatahostelhereifyou’relookingtomeetpeople.They’llalsogetyouset-upwithstufftodoandplacestoseeinthearea.

Malawi: Mzuzu to Lilongwe

•  Largestnortherncitywithgoodhostels&…Koreanfood?

•  Transporta)ontoLilongwe•  Lilongwe-jumpingoffpointforsouthernMalawi,ZambiaorMozambique

•  AIrac)ons:OldTownMarket,Na)onalParliament,Bookstore


RecommendedTip:Lilongwedoesn’thavealottooffer—it’sasprawly,confusingcitybe\erforspending1-2nightstorecuperateinthanactuallyexplore.

Into Zambia via Lusaka •  Boomingduetolargecopperindustry•  Lusakaaccessedvia–  8-10hourbusridefromLilongwe–  Short1.5hourflightonProflight

•  GerngYourVisa:–  Buyatairportonarrival–  Purchaseinadvanceifcrossingborderoverland

•  GeneralaIrac)onsinclude:– Africa’sbestgamepark:SouthLuangaNa)onalPark–  VictoriaFalls—oneofthesevenwondersoftheworld

RecommendedTip:Zambiacanbedonein4nightsor10nights,dependingonwhatyouwantdosee.ArrangeasafaritoSouthLuangainadvanceifpossible.

Must See: Victoria Falls

•  Oneofthesevenwondersofthenaturalworld

•  Junglemeetsbeau)fulwaterfalls•  AccessedontheZambianorZimbabweside

•  AIrac)ons&Ac)vi)es:VictoriaFalls,BungeeJumping,RiverCruises,Whitewaterrauing,kayaking&more

•  TotalTimeNeeded:2-5NightsRecommendedTip:BecarefulwhenstayingatJollyboysBackpackersbecausethereareatonofac@vi@es,whichcanquicklystarttobreakthebank.

Detours: Zimbabwe & Botswana

•  EasilyaccessiblefromLivingstone•  CrosstheborderbyfoottoZimbabwe

•  BeIerviewsofVictoriaFalls•  ZimbabweAIrac)ons:SeeingVictoriaFalls(falls&town)

•  BotswanaAIrac)on:ChobeNa)onalPark(lotsofelephants)

•  TotalTimeNeeded:Dayeach

RecommendedTip:Duetohyperinfla@on,ZimbabwenowusestheUSDollar.Ifyouhavesparedollars,besuretokeepthemhandytopayforthepark&souvenirs.

Into South Africa •  GoodendpointonyourAfricanadventure– Expectwesterndevelopmentandameni)es–  Incrediblywell-establishedbackpacker’sculture

•  Diversecultureandpainfulhistory•  Canbeenteredbynight-trainfromZimbabwe,busfromBotswanaorplanefromZambia.

•  NoVisanecessaryforentry– YellowFeverCer)ficateismandatory,however

RecommendedTip:Don’tbypassJohannesburg.Peopletalkaboutdangerandviolence,butit’sworththetripandgivesyouauniqueglimpseintoSouthAfrica.

South Africa: Johannesburg

•  Economiccapitalofthecountryandhubofmining

•  Alsocenterofapartheidstruggle

•  AIrac)ons:ApartheidMuseum,CBDGraffirTours,SowetoBikeTours,Pretoria,MineVisits


RecommendedTip:Ifpressedfor@me,u@lizetheRedHop-on,Hop-offbustoseethemajorsitesincludingtheApartheidMuseum,GoldReefCity,andothers.

South Africa: Cape Town

•  CoastalCityontheAtlan)c– FeelslikeSanDiego,sortof

•  Westernized,moderntouristhubofSouthAfrica

•  AIrac)ons:RobbenIsland,TableMountain,Wine,CapePoint,LongStreet,Tradi)onalBraai

•  TotalTimeNeeded:4-7NightsRecommendedTip:Don’tmissthetradi@onalSundayBraaiatMzoli’sinGugulethu,oneofCapeTown’stownships.Themeat,andtheexperienceareincredible.

Detour: The Garden Route

•  Funrouteupthecoast•  Plentyofstopswithplentyofac)vi)esatplentyofhostels

•  AIrac)ons:Sandboarding,Paragliding,Surfing,Canoeing,Shark-cagediving,Hiking&More


RecommendedTip:UsetheBazBustogoupthecoastusinga7daypass.Extremelyconvenient,stopsatallofthehostels,andagreatwaytomeetpeople.

Getting To Africa •  Bemindfuloftheseasonyou’retravelingin

–  Wetvs.DrySeasonsMaIer•  UseSkyscanner.comorKayak.com•  Round-TripsversusOneWays

–  Tanzania•  RTflights:$800to$1,500•  OneWay:$900to$1,000

–  SouthAfrica•  RTflightsrangefrom$1,020to$1,800•  OneWayflightsrangefrom$820to$1,400

•  OptforanAsian-basedairlinecompany–  Turkish,Emirates,Qataror,ifyou’refeelingconfident,Egypt–  Allhaveincredibleameni)esandin-flightservices

TravelTip:TrytoflyonaTuesdayorWednesdaytominimizethecostoftheflights,orturnyourlonglayoverintoadaytrip.

Getting Around Africa

•  LotsofwaystotraverseAfrica•  Havepa)ence!– Mini-bus:Dala-DalasinTanzania–  CoachBus:Mazhandu,AXA,Abood–  Train:TheTazara&Night-Train

– Longerjourneybutagreatwaytoseesights– Airplane:Proflight,Mango,Kulula– Motorcycles…Areeverywhere–  SharedTaxis&Bajajis:Packedbutfun–  Boat:AzamFerriesforZanzibar

TravelTip:Don’tunderes@matethevalueoflocaltransporta@on—thecostofaDalaDalatripwasabout$.30perrideversus$5forataxiride.

Accommodations

•  Hostels($6-14/night)•  Tanzania-SouthAfricaPrices•  LotsofHI-HostelsinSouthAfrica

•  Guesthouses($12-20/night)•  Hotels/Lodges($12-55/night)•  ForestCamps($75/night,includesthreemealsperday)

•  Eco-Lodges($4-8/night)•  Couchsurfing-FREE!

TravelTip:LotsofpricesinplaceslikeTanzaniaareinflux,fromfoodtotransport.Youcannego@atethepriceofahostelbedtoareasonablerate.

Health & Safety: On The Road

•  Waterisabsolutelyessen)al—alwayshaveaboIleortwoavailable

•  Usesunscreen,butacknowledgereality—ifyou’rewhite,youwillfryinaplacelikeZanzibar

•  Becau)ouswithstreetfood&freshfruitinmarkets•  Takeadvantageofhostelswithlockers•  Alwayslockyourvaluablesi.e.passport,extramoney,officialdocuments,etc.

•  Avoidtravelingatnightwherepossible•  Holdontoyourbags,especiallyonbuses

TravelTip:Alwaysaskaboutanylocalillnessesorissues.FromBilharziatoscorpions@ngs,thereisgreatknowledgewithhostelownersandlocals.

Cultural Considerations •  YouaregoingtostandoutasaMizungu(whiteperson)

•  LearnSwahili•  Mambo–Hello!•  HakunaMatata–NoWorries(truly)•  Asantesana–Thankyouverymuch

•  Notalwaysappropriatetotakephotos—alwaysaskfirst

•  Menholdinghandsisasignoffriendshipandsupport—highlycommonTravelTip:Learnhowtobarterandhaveaspine.It’sdifficult,butyouhavetotalkdownpricesforeverything.Haveafriendwho’susedtoit,helpyou.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

A:ThisliIleyellowcardisgiventoyoubyyourdoctorandyou’llneeditwhencrossingtheborderfromcountrytocountry.Q:WorldHealthOrganizaPonVaccinaPonCerPficate

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

A:TheSTEPprogramfromtheStateDepartmentprovidesup-to-dateinforma)ontotravelersthatareincountryandthisiswhatitsacronymstandsfor.Q:SmartTravelerEnrollmentProgram

Thank You!

PaulKuhneRegionalEngagementManager

[email protected]://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog/pauljkuhne/1/tpod.html