Recently one of the travelers in my Travel Africa Facebook Group, named Megan, posted the sweeeetest message.
“... If you are on the fence to come – I hope you take the leap and go for it!!! And Val Bowden – thank you so much for all of your encouragement and support with this trip! It’s thanks to you that I even saw this as a possibility, and I have to keep pinching myself realizing I’m actually here.
I wanted to share more about her backpacking journey because it pretty much sums up what traveling Africa is like.
1) Everyone is Nervous to Travel Africa
If you know my story, you know that I was petrified to travel Africa before my trip. After helping hundreds of other backpackers take the plunge to Africa, I can assure you that everyone is a bit scared.
I remember getting a message from a seasoned traveler who told me, “I’ve traveled all over the world by myself, but Africa just feels different.”
I get it. It’s scary to decide to travel Africa. Even Megan, who wrote that sweet message above told me before her trip that she was nervous.
However, once you actually get to Africa and start traveling, it’s not that scary. In fact, it’s pretty amazing! I always tell people that I feel safer traveling in Africa than I do when I’m back home in the United States.
2) Cape to Cairo Route
Megan told me that she first heard about the Cape to Cairo route because of me. I heard about it when I was backpacking and met people doing the Cairo to Cape route.
Basically, the Cape to Cairo route starts in Cape Town and weaves you through several countries until you reach Cairo. That means you have essentially backpacked the entire span of the continent.
You can do it in as little as 7 countries, or you can weave in a bunch more along the way and get almost 17 countries.
I love the Cape to Cairo route because it gives you some stability and direction. You have a starting and ending place and always know you are heading north. But it gives you enough flexibility to make the trip your own. Plus, it shows you the diversity of the continent.
This free guide helps you learn more about the Cape to Cairo Route.
3) Start in South Africa
I always recommend people who are new to Africa or new to backpacking to start in South Africa. It’s the easiest country in Africa to travel and there are tons of other travelers and backpackers there.
I also recommend you spend as much time as possible. I stayed 3 weeks and barely saw anything. I have since revisited South Africa, and still, feel like I haven’t seen everything.
Megan spent 2.5 months or about 80 days there. It was longer than she expected, but once you head to South Africa, you will have such a great time. So plan on staying as long as possible or at least 2-3 months.
Also– a lot of people say South Africa is too dangerous. You definitely need to show precaution, but most travelers find it way safer than what the media portrays.
4) So Many Fun Things to Do in South Africa
I can’t stress enough how many fun adventures there are in Africa, especially in South Africa.
Megan posted an epic video of shark diving in my Facebook Group! OMG… I still have nightmares! 😂
But really, there is a lot to do in South Africa. For example, you can climb Table Mountain, go wine tasting in Stellenbosh, see cute little penguins on the ocean, shark dive, surf, eat great food, hiking, horse riding, safaris, bungee jump, and so much more!
5) Traveling Africa During Covid is…. Actually Great!
You can travel Africa during Covid. I highly recommend you get fully vaccinated and follow CDC guidelines though. But I am finding more and more backpackers slowly traveling the continent.
There are less travelers than normal which is kind of a bummer.
But it does mean your travels are more authentic because you can meet more locals.
Plus all the super tourist spots are less crowded. For example, pre-covid, I traveled to both the pyramids in Egypt and the pyramids in Sudan. The ones in Egypt were cool, but way too touristy. I could barely take a photo that didn’t have a tour bus in the background. The ones in Sudan are smaller, but they average one tourist per day. I was the only person there! I literally felt like I went back in time.
So take advantage of the pandemic and visit the spots that are normally touristy, and you’ll have a really special time.
I have heard a few backpacker lodge owners complain because backpackers are asking for discounts. While you won’t get peak prices, I recommend not to barter with lodge owners and just pay the full amount they request. It’s probably not that much, and they have had a roughhhh 2 years with Covid.
In fact, you don’t need to volunteer or donate money to people on the streets. Just be an ethical traveler, pay fair prices, and give good tips, and that alone is amazing for local communities.
What about border crossings?
When Megan gave me an update on her trip, she was about to do her first border crossing to Mozambique. Honestly, the first border crossing is confusing. I mildly panicked. But once you do it once, it becomes the easiest thing in the world. And almost every border in Africa is crossable (unless there is political or ethnic conflict, and then it will be closed).
If you want more information on how to cross borders or backpack Africa, you can join my course on Udemy, “Travel Africa: A practical, how-to, guide to travel Africa.”It will also give you direct access to ask me all the questions you want. Hope to see you there! 🙂
All Photo Credits go to Megan Steiner
