“You know you are truly alive when you’re living among lions.”
― Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa
There is a long way to go before I can say “I visited Africa”. Yes, it’s true, my feet touched the African continent twice but this is so vast, diverse and multicultural that I don’t feel I have enough knowledge of it yet. Of course, I spent quite a long time in Egypt and Morocco. So I can say I have an expertise in those two countries. However, I never been anywhere else deep in the African continent at the moment to give appropriate tips about it. Moreover, my blog is entirely made of my personal experiences, so you’ll never find a blog post wrote just to have some views but without any personal knowledge.
Kenya, Namibia, Ethiopia and South Africa are high on my list of countries to visit. My long-term dream is that of being able to visit as much as I can of this beautiful continent and its different, amazing places. But for the moment, please refer to this page only for the two countries listed below. As you probably are aware, my blog is divided into geographical areas, therefore it was a natural step building an Africa destination page too.
Some facts about Africa
Africa is the second largest and most populous continent in the world. It covers 20% of Earth’s land area and accounts for 18t% of world’s human population.
Africa counts 54 fully recognised sovereign states, eight cities and islands that are part of non-African states and 2 de facto independent states with limited or no recognition. Moreover, not many people know that Malta and Sicily are geologically part of the African continent (despite not being politically and culturally part of Africa).
The top 3 African largest cities are Cairo in Egypt, Lagos in Nigeria and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It is estimated that the native languages of Africa are between 1,250 and 3,000. Nigeria accounts one of the greatest concentrations of linguistic diversity in the world with over 500 languages spoken.
Traveling to Africa
As I said before, to my opinion, one can’t just say “I have been to Africa”. This because Africa is made of 54 different nations, each of them culturally and geographically different. So, having being to Egypt or to Kenya doesn’t necessarily mean you know Africa. It means that you have been just to Egypt and Kenya.
Traveling to Africa, regardless of where you are going, can be complex due to political issues or external factors influencing your trip. Some nations are “easier to visit” than others and it’s alway better to consult your government guidance before venturing out.
Moreover, weather and seasonality are important according to what destination to pick up in Africa. Whether December to May may be a good period to visit Egypt, it doesn’t mean the same months are good for undertake a safari. Indeed, safari are usually better between June and October (but still depends on the nation as this may vary as well). Therefore, always do good research when picking up your destination in Africa and the type of trip you want to plan.
Do I need some specific vaccinations to travel to Africa?
Yes. But this depends on what location you are visiting. We didn’t need any vaccine for Egypt or Morocco. However, in order to travel safely to certain destinations, particularly in central Africa the following vaccines are recommended:
- Flu
- MMR – measles, mumps and rubella (German measles)
- Polio
- Hepatitis A & B
- DPT – diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus
- Yellow Fever (Compulsory to enter in Kenya, Uganda and Republic of the Congo).
- Malaria prevention
Where I have been in Africa
Africa Travel Guides
