That's what I've been finding.
Which African countries would you visit?
- Thread starter elefante
- Start date
That said Amboseli also has plenty of elephants (with Kilimanjaro as a backdrop.), but the sheer numbers in and around Chobe can't be beaten.
Johannesburg is one of the worst airports in my opinion, Cape Town is very nice and compact though. The problem is that Cape Town is not so much a hub to the places you need to go. Johannesburg is and Delta has a direct flight from Atlanta to Jo'burg. The 2 main problems in Jo'burg are crime, make sure you have no valuables whatsoever in your checked luggage, even a lock won't protect them. And second make sure you have enough time (2 hours at least) to change planes... The areas you are going to are very safe crimewise (though you shouldn't do stupid things), but Jo'burg and its airport are notorious crime hotspots.... I have never had anything stolen yet in Africa, but the only place my lock has been picked was Jo'burg airport and from South African friends this seems a very normal thing to happen.
edited: made a mistake by writing carry-on instead of checked luggage first...
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Carry-on or checked-luggage? Surely the checked luggage would be more vulnerable to thievery than something which is actually on your person?
Sorry, should be checked luggage.... Carry-on is also at risk of thieves in Jo'burg, but not such a huge problem as the checked luggage...
TheEthiopianWolf03
Well-Known Member
I guess I misread the question. Besides that, there are elephants in Ethiopia. The Babile elephant sanctuary in eastern Ethiopia has elephants. Southern Ethiopia has giraffes, buffalo, leopards, and hippos. Cheetahs can be found in Ethiopia as well. The issue with tourism beside the political unrest is that’s other more popular countries like Kenya and Tanzania are just more popular to visit and are famous for the scenery and wildlife to a point where it’s easy to look over Ethiopia. If I had to choose though I would say what @elefante choose is the better option. Namibia is a beautiful country and the wildlife is definitely worth going for.
Babile does have elephants, but any embassy will tell you not to go to that region because of security issues, and though South Omo does see some tourists; wildlife densities are lower than in Eastern and Southern African parks and the infrastructure (and the hassle to get there) make it not a destination for everyone. I wish Ethiopia all the best, but the current state of emergency is just an example of how mismanaged the country unfortunately is. The food is among the best on the continent (though hygiene standards are among the lowest...) and many Ethiopians are very nice. Ethiopia could be a first class combined wildlife + cultural traveling country, but for that the political situation has to ease, wildlife conservation should be taken seriously and it should become known better to mainstream tourists...
I don't know if Ethiopia will ever make my list or not, but Kenya, a more in depth visit to Namibia, Madagascar, and Tanzania are on my list someday. I'd like to visit Uganda to see the gorillas someday, but only if I can lose about 50 pounds and get back in shape.
CZSGOV
Member
I just signed up for an under canvas safari to Kenya with a small group from Brookfield Zoo. Going to Samburu, Mt. Kenya, lake Nakuru National Park, Maasai Mara (including an hot air balloon ride at dawn) and on to Tsavo and Amboseli Park. Hope to see many animals. My kids even got me a pair of bonoculars with a built in video camera.
Those tours look like fun. A little out of my budget at the moment though. Someday. That's nice you found one to Tsavo. That seems hard to find. Are you going to Nairobi National Park as well?
