Hi there

We’re planning to do this route as a self-drive trip. There’ll be six of us, so with a large car—is the drive between Durban and Johannesburg manageable? Thanks for your feedback! Day 2: Cape Town Day 3: Cape of Good Hope Day 4: Hermanus, Cape Agulhas Day 5: Wine Route Day 6: Cape Town → Durban (flight) → St. Lucia Day 7: St. Lucia Day 8: Hluhluwe Day 9: Mlilwane Day 10: Sabi Sand Day 11: Sabi Sand Day 12: Kruger Day 13: Panoramic Route Day 14: Balule → Johannesburg

Hi everyone, We’re seriously considering a two-week trip in August 2026 with our kids, who’ll be 11 and 10 years old. That’s where we’re torn on the destination. For those who’ve been to both, could you share the main differences? I get the impression that in Botswana, the landscapes are a bit samey everywhere, while Namibia offers more diversity? We’re looking for an "off-the-beaten-path" adventure: safaris, meeting local communities, etc., and not too many touristy spots. Thanks for your help! Olivia

hi, We’d like to visit the main sites in northern and central Ethiopia, but we’re reading very different things about the security situation there. Is it safe for tourists to travel there right now? I guess it’s a bit safer with an organized tour, but we don’t want to push our luck. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Hi, I’m heading to Angola for two weeks starting mid-April and I’d like to rent a car to explore the country, but not a 4x4 to keep my budget in check. I plan to mostly stay in the western part and go as far as the Namibian border. Is it possible to drive in Iona Park without a 4x4, or to get to Kalendula or Piedra Negras? Also, is the Lubango–Huambo–Kuito–Malanje route doable in a city car? Lastly, do gas stations accept Visa? Thanks for your feedback and tips!

Hi everyone,

We’re heading out in April 2027 with our 4x4 to explore part of Southern Africa. Right now we’re researching all these beautiful countries and deciding where to ship our vehicle. We’re from Le Havre—has anyone here already shipped from that port to South Africa or East Africa? As for all these countries, is wild camping allowed, tolerated, easy, or difficult? We’ve already visited a few, but you can read just about anything online, so getting tips from real independent travelers is way better :) We’re all ears for any hacks, experiences, or spots you’d recommend. See you on the road with Doddy

Following the post-election chaos this week, read carefully: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/conseils-par-pays-destination/tanzanie/ In particular: "For French travelers needing to take flights from Tanzanian airports, most international flights are canceled until further notice. It’s recommended to go to the airport only if your flight is confirmed by your airline. It’s advised to postpone any travel plans to Tanzania unless absolutely necessary."

...

Hi, I’d like to travel to Ethiopia as a solo 60-year-old woman, backpacking style, between December 2025 and January 2026. I’m wondering about the current state of the country: unrest, safety concerns, etc. Government websites advise against going, saying it’s too dangerous. But I’m skeptical—they tend to be overly cautious. So I’m looking for reliable information, though I’m not sure where to find it. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! My mom (75 years old, in great shape!) and I (40) are planning a trip to Tanzania between October 26th and November 16th (duration: 2 to 3 weeks). Yes, it’s a bit short notice to organize, but we don’t really have a choice :) Here’s the rough idea:

Exploring the country on the go, with a touch of spontaneity and local encounters (not a 100% fixed itinerary). Personally, I’m used to total improvisation when traveling solo, but in this case, I’d prefer to be a bit more informed/structured.

Potentially climbing Kilimanjaro (for me) before ending with a few relaxing days in Zanzibar.

Maybe renting a 4x4 to stay independent?

No luxury requirements: we prioritize authenticity over comfort (as long as it’s at least clean). We’re not opposed to camping either if it lets us do some cool stuff! Not a huge budget, but this time we’re not completely broke either :)

I’m reaching out to you here for:

Ideas for off-the-beaten-path itineraries.

Advice on whether a guide is necessary in certain places or recommendations for reliable and friendly local contacts/tour operators.

If you have any recommendations, experiences, or great tips, we’re all ears! Thanks in advance for your advice and kindness.

See you soon.

Hi, we’re planning to take the scenic route back from Kruger Park (Orpen Gate) but we’ll have our two travel bags in the trunk. In some countries, there’s no rear shelf to hide the trunk. I don’t know how it works in SA—what do you think?

We have the same concern because we’d like to do the Leopard Trail, but we’ll have our stuff with us too. We’re wondering if leaving the car in the parking lot where the trail starts is somewhat monitored or not. Thanks for your feedback!

PS: Is the Kruger section starting from Orpen Gate any good? Thanks a bunch!

Hi everyone, My wife and I are about to finish our trip in Tanzania and would like to head to Egypt via Ethiopia in early 2026. We’re leaving our Citroën 2CV in Dar es Salaam until next year. But we can’t find any recent feedback on whether it’s safe to cross the country, the state of the roads, or how long it might take to travel from southern to northern Ethiopia (road conditions). We have a tent, but I guess it’s useless—so are there decent places to stay along the way? We’re used to Africa, as this will be the 16th country our 2CV has crossed. Of course, we’re also very interested in any must-see spots along the route. Thanks for helping us make this trip happen!

Hi there, We’re currently planning our trip to Tanzania for August 2025. We’re a family with two teens (16 and 14) and we’re used to traveling with our backpacks, using local transport to create authentic exchanges with locals.

We’d like to do a short safari (2 days and 1 night) during our 3-week trip on a small budget.

If we had to choose just one park in Tanzania in August, which one would you recommend?

Is it easy to rent a jeep with a driver in August without going through an agency in Tanzania?

Who can help us decode the rates offered by agencies? - Park entry: how much per person? Does it vary by age? Are the rates different depending on the park? - Cost of the driver and a guide? - Is accommodation in the park taxed? - Do we need to budget for a tip?

Hi there, we’re planning a trip to Namibia this summer and we’d love to know if it’s possible to get around without our own vehicle? Thanks.

hi everyone, we’re just back from 4 weeks in Mozambique. If you need any info—even though the situation’s getting more and more chaotic—just ask!

Hello, We’re a family from Réunion with three kids, used to active holidays: biking, camping, hitchhiking, and finding last-minute accommodations.

This time, we’d like to visit a country in Southern or East Africa (since it’s close to our island—flights to Johannesburg aren’t too expensive). The kids dream of seeing animals, but we don’t want to spend our whole holiday in a 4x4!

My husband and I know West Africa well (we’ve lived for months in Burkina, Benin, and Madagascar), where it’s easy to get around by public transport, get unexpectedly invited into villages, and find food in roadside eateries... But we’re not sure if we can find that same vibe in "safari" countries.

More specific criteria:

- See animals and varied landscapes, but without ending up with 25 4x4s around one elephant... - Not spend 5 hours a day in the car every day - Do some travel by public transport - A holiday focused not just on nature but also on taking time to meet locals - Be able to hike (or even bike, canoe...) - Camp for all or part of the trip

Given all this, which destination would you recommend? South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe? Or Kenya, Tanzania? Or somewhere else?

I’ve read tons of websites and forums but I’m still confused!

This would be for about 3 weeks next July-August.

Thanks for your help!

Hi there,

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the agencies you used to plan your trip to Uganda.

There’s the whole issue of gorilla permits, which need to be booked in advance and involve a significant financial commitment. That’s where I’m at with my trip planning. Between checking lutb.go.ug/ and reading online reviews, it’s hard to move forward with confidence.

I contacted the French Embassy, but they don’t provide any recommendations. I almost booked with an agency that had a really bad review from February specifically about the permit process.

How did you go about choosing your agency? Given the large sum involved, I’m this close to booking through a travel agency in France for this part.

From what I understand, no matter which agency books the permit, you’re ultimately guided by professionals trained for gorilla trekking based on the permit itself? I’m assuming that’s how it works.

Thanks for your feedback, and I’m really happy to see the forum’s new energy—it’s been super helpful to me in the past.

Hey everyone! Heading to Namibia in a few days and I just read that the entry fees for all parks in Namibia have skyrocketed. Increases between 86 and 100%, and this has been in effect since April 1st (no joke). Have any of you heard about this, and if so, do you know if it’s actually being enforced? For example, the fee for Etosha has gone from 150 NAD to 280 NAD per day per person. Thanks in advance!

Namibia raises park fees by 86 to 100 percent

Hi there,

Here’s my feedback after a recent trip to Ethiopia, organized with a local guide.

Despite a signed quote, months of prep exchanges (over eight months!), and phone calls right up to departure day, the guide didn’t honor the commitments we’d agreed on.

Haile Haftu FANUAILE, manager of the agency www.charmethiopiantours.com—who we’d organized everything with—didn’t meet us as promised when we arrived in Addis Ababa. Without any warning, he sent a different guide to accompany us for the entire trip (with a flimsy excuse).

Several parts of the signed quote weren’t respected:

– Services included in the quote but not provided on-site (meals, water), – Hotels we’d chosen, booked, and paid for were swapped for lower-category places, – Visits were canceled because the timing wasn’t calculated properly, – One stop on the itinerary was dropped without any reason or explanation.

We’d paid a deposit for domestic flights, with a promise to refund any overpayment. A month after returning, 150 € per person (there were three of us) still hasn’t been refunded.

I’m sharing this to warn fellow travelers about the importance of solid guarantees to ensure contracts are actually honored. Double-check everything before committing!

Wishing everyone safe and smooth travel prep—Ethiopia is an incredible country!

--- Hello,

Feedback following a recent trip to Ethiopia, organized with a local guide.

Despite a signed quote, numerous preparatory exchanges over eight months, and phone calls right up until the day of departure, the guide did not fulfill his commitments. Haile Haftu FANUAILE, manager of the agency www.charmethiopiantours.com with whom we had organized everything, did not meet us as agreed upon our arrival in Addis Ababa; without warning us, he sent another guide in his place to accompany us throughout the trip (with a bogus excuse).

Several points in the signed quote were not honored: – services included in the quote but not provided on site (meals, water), – hotels chosen, booked, and paid for, replaced by lower-category establishments, – visits canceled due to lack of time, which had not been calculated correctly, – one stop on the itinerary canceled without reason or explanation.

A deposit had been paid for the booking of domestic flights, with a commitment to refund the overpayment. To date, one month after our return, 150 € per person (there were three of us) has still not been refunded.

This testimony is intended to alert travelers to the importance of solid guarantees for contracts that are actually honored, so that everyone can be extra vigilant before committing.

Good luck with your travel preparations, everyone. Ethiopia is an extraordinary country!

Hi there, I’m heading to Kenya in July 2026. I’d like to travel from Nairobi to Mombasa in 5/6 days, passing through Amboseli, Tsavo West and East, and Taita Hills. Unfortunately, I can’t find any group tours for this itinerary—only private options, which makes the prices skyrocket for camping accommodations. I’m realizing it might actually be cheaper to rent an SUV from Hertz and stay in much more luxurious lodges on my own! My partner drove for a month from Cape Town to Johannesburg, so left-hand driving doesn’t scare him, but I’ve seen a lot of warnings about chaotic traffic... Has anyone tried this? And what about safety (fake police checks, carjacking, etc.)? Alternatively, should I take the train and book directly with the lodges? But I’m worried about wasting too much time. Thanks for your help! Gaëlle

Hi there, We’re heading to Zanzibar in early January and I was wondering if it’s really safe given the post-election events that happened earlier this month. We heard there was severe repression during the protests (that’s putting it mildly) and that the internet was shut down. How’s the situation now? What’s the vibe like in Zanzibar? Is it safe to travel there? If any of you are currently there, I’d really appreciate hearing your firsthand experience. Have a great day, Lazurite

I’m just starting to plan our trip for late August 2026, but I’ve read multiple times that campsite bookings need to be made *way* in advance if we want to secure a spot—especially in the parks. Before I get too far into my road book, I’d love to get a sense of what “way in advance” actually means.

That leads to another question: what’s the best *channel* for making these reservations? Can I find a list of campsites online?

From what I’ve gathered, there aren’t any fenced campsites—is wild camping allowed?

I’ll admit, I’m short on time, and reading a few threads here has shown me how quick and helpful the experts are 😉.

We’re a group of 4 and plan to rent a 4x4. Rooftop tents seem like the better option given the wildlife (and, well, *people* roaming freely), especially compared to Namibia (which we visited in 2018).

Thanks in advance to everyone!

Hi there, we’re planning a trip for two couples in October 2025—ideally to Tanzania and Zanzibar for a safari circuit and 2 to 3 nights in Zanzibar. If anyone has already traveled with Tanzanisa Specialist, Comptoir des Voyages, or another agency, we’d love to hear about your experience or any tips you might have.

Thanks everyone!

Hi there,

Seen in various media outlets, a new tax on flight tickets was introduced on Nov. 1 by the Tanzanian government. A tax related to security... !!!??

Amount: around $90 per round-trip flight ticket.....

...

Hello, We’re a group of four seventy-something retirees and we’re planning a 4-week trip to South Africa. We’re seasoned "adventurers" used to multi-week stays (we’ve been to India seven times, Mexico, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Australia, etc.).

For South Africa, we’re thinking of covering most of the trip in a private vehicle and taking flights for inter-state transfers. We’re interested in meeting people, learning about the country’s evolution, exploring major cities, visiting traditional villages, and seeing wildlife.

Here’s the itinerary we’re considering: Johannesburg – 2 days (we’ll pass through again later) Pretoria – 2 days Blyde River Canyon and Graskop – 1 day Acornhoek – 1 day Letaba – 2 days Lobamba – 2 days Johannesburg – 1 day

Flight to Cape Town

Cape Town – 3 days Cape of Good Hope – 1 day Stellenbosch – 1 day Hermanus – 1 day Mossel Bay – 2 days Oudtshoorn Wilderness – 2 days Knysna Port Elizabeth – 2 days Addo Elephant Park

Flight back to Johannesburg

Johannesburg – 1 day

Return to Paris

Could you share your thoughts on this itinerary? We’ll be renting a vehicle to explore both regions. We can easily add 4–5 more days to the trip if needed.

We’re looking at traveling either between April and May 2026 or in October/November 2026.

I’ll follow up later to discuss the best safari options and get a rough budget estimate.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this and share their thoughts!

Hi there,

I’d like to book a few nights at the Ramabanta Trading Post in November, but I’m running into a lot of issues. They don’t work with the usual booking platforms. Their website is flagged as unsafe, but I took the risk and accessed it anyway—after each visit, our server was massively attacked... I’ve sent them several emails and received a response with prices, but no reply or confirmation once I specified my choices. My English isn’t great, so I’m not keen on calling (plus, I prefer having a written record of my bookings). Has anyone been in the area recently and have any info on what’s going on and how to book?

Thanks in advance for your help and tips!

Fabienne

Hi everyone, Before entering Kruger Park, we’re planning a stop in Graskop on the way from Johannesburg, then spending two nights at Hippomoon Lodge. I’ve mapped out the following route for a single day between Graskop and Hippomoon Lodge, but I’m wondering if it’s a bit too packed?😐 Visit the Blyde River Canyon in a full day – approx. 180 km / 2h40 drive, leaving Graskop at 8:30 AM: - Graskop Gorge Lift on the R533 towards Hazyview - The Pinnacle Rock - Lisbon / God’s Window / Berlin Falls - Lunch at The Chubby Pig - Treur River - Bourkes Luck, Farm, Moramelo, Uitspanning (33 km from Graskop Gorge Lift) - Bourke’s Luck Potholes - Three Rondavels viewpoint - ???Hike starting from Blyde Canyon: A Forever Resort / the guinea fowl trail / Lower viewpoint - Entry to Swadini for a Boat Cruise on the Blyde River (boat excursion in the Blyde Canyon) - Blyde Dam boat cruise - Drive to Hippomoon Lodge to arrive around 5:00 PM Thanks in advance for your feedback and experiences!😎

Hi there, From Windhoek to Namaqualand, is it possible to take a route further east than the B1 national road, and are there any points of interest along that way? Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone planning to travel to Kenya with (or without) kids,

Just so you know:

This week, extremely violent protests, met with live ammunition repression, have resulted in many casualties and hundreds of injuries across several Kenyan cities. There’s also been widespread destruction, fires, and looting accompanying these violent scenes...

Check this out: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/conseils-par-pays-destination/kenya/

And also: https://www.corsematin.com/article/francemonde/6837346876811/violent-protests-in-kenya-16-dead-according-to-amnesty-executive-claims-to-have-foiled-a-coup

...

hi, I’m planning to rent a satellite phone starting from Johannesburg for our three-week trip through South Africa and Mozambique. I’ve found two rental companies and was wondering if anyone has used them in South Africa for this kind of service?

They’re SAT 4 RENT and RENT A SAT. RENT A SAT is the cheaper option but only includes 10 minutes of satellite communication—after that, it’s $1.99 USD per additional minute.

Thanks for any feedback you can share!

Hi there! I’m planning to go to Zambia soon. No visa needed for stays under 90 days—that’s great! When I arrive at the airport, what’s the best option for exchanging money? Are there any public transport options to get into the city? Otherwise, can anyone recommend a cheap guesthouse in town? Thanks! Dom

Hi there! 🙂

Once again, I’m back looking for advice

So, here’s the thing: in September, I’m planning a trip to Africa. There’ll be four of us—my husband, my 24-year-old daughter, my 20-year-old son, and me.

I’ve had this idea in my head for a while, but now it’s starting to feel real. The tricky part is that I’m on team "I organize my trip without an agency and handle things on the spot." But here’s the catch—my husband, who’s usually up for anything, doesn’t want to hear about a do-it-yourself trip. From what I’ve gathered, only Namibia allows that if I’m not mistaken. But if it’s possible in Tanzania (or maybe Kenya), I think I could convince him.

Anyway, here’s my first double question—more will probably follow! Can you travel without an agency in Tanzania? If not, which agency would you recommend, given that I live in Belgium?

Thanks so much in advance for your help!