Nightclubs and bars in Africa

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If you would like to go for a nice cold beer and a panoramic view of Addis – this is the place. The bar staff are quick and friendly and they have a good bar/hot snack menu. The Balcony is sometimes used for wedding receptions, but you can still go out for some pictures and a look. They also have CNN on the TV in the bar just inside. Despite all this – do not eat at their restaurant downstairs! It’s the 2nd worst restaurant in Ethiopia! Really really bad!

Dress Code:
Respectable

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Bob Marley still lives! Want an exotic cold drink or just an ice-cold beer. Want to Chill Out? This is the place. The large bar is open on all sides and the bar stools are buried in the sand. Padded benches and tables are also available. Service is friendly and inquisitive. When they ask how your day was, they want details! The guys are superb and will teach you the local board game and tell you anything you want to know about life on Zanzibar. The Reggae music fits well with the tropical weather and creates a mellow atmosphere.

The bar also offers:
A great big hammock
A book Library
Snacks
Cold drinks
Beach side views
The occasional beach fire at night

Enjoy!

Dress Code:
Come as you are. Even if you stay at another hotel, drop in for a drink and then walk the beach back to your room.

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My new friends in Ain Taya kept saying to me ‘lets go for a drink at Charlie Normals!’ I thought this was an odd name, but they told me it was THE place in Ain Taya (a suburb of Algiers with a beach). We arrived at a control parking area and stepped through an arch into a very pleasant garden area with lots of trees, plants and a great atmosphere. Stone tables and reasonable plastic chairs are organised across a large area, so you sometimes have to waive to get service. Outside you can drink alcohol, smoke and enjoy the conversation. The music is at a low volume so you can hear easily and settle in for a night of drinking under the stars. Well except where vegetation hangs down. The whole atmosphere is relaxed, a bit tropical and you are near the beach if you really want to go for a late swim.

They have several choices of beers and a full bar. Not cheap, but no alcohol is cheap in Algeria.

If you are hungry they do have a fantastic restaurant back by the entrance. I enjoyed a great peppercorn steak dish that was awesome. In fact you could even sleep here as its also a hotel.

The real name of this place is Hôtel Le Chalet Normand. But just ask anyone to point to “Charlie Normals” and you can walk here from just about anywhere in Ain Taya.

I ended up have a few pleasant evenings here. In fact this was by far the best bar I saw in Algeria. If you are in Ain Taya – don’t miss out.

Dress Code:
Modest. Even if it is a bar - you are in Algeria.

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Tej is a thick and tart honey wine that actually tastes pretty good. They ferment this stuff for about 1 year. Yep, a year. This Tej House serves 3 varieties:
• Normal
• Strong
• Kick your ass (so my local guide said)
It can be very strong and so tart that you may only want one. It is served in something resembling a laboratory beaker. You hold the neck with your first 2 fingers. Please finish what you order. They really don’t appreciate having to pour away something that took so long to produce. The décor inside is a fascinating mini-museum of Ethiopian life full of musical instruments and native crafts. Worth at least one drink.

Dress Code:
This Ethiopia, so dress smart. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but its quite nice inside.

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The Bikini Tam Tam Beach Club is the best beach bar on Lake Kivu between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is actually more beach than bar, but that is what makes it so good. Essentially it is a beach area with gardens overlooking Lake Kivu and a fantastic place to watch sunsets while enjoying a ‘sundowner’. The ‘restaurant’ part of Bikini Tam Tam is mostly plastic tables and chairs stuck in the sand. Don’t worry, they do have covers they put up if it really starts raining. In addition to food and music on the beach, they also have a (safe) boating and swimming area. You can enjoy a massive (720ml) cold Primus on the beach. In fact you are less than 1 km from where Primus Beer is brewed!

Tam-Tam's are musical gongs from Southeast Asia and no one is quite sure how the bar received its interesting name. This is a great place to unwind and see in beautiful sunsets over the lake.

To add to the excitement you can see the nearby active Nyiragongo Volcano and you are right on the beach of one of only 3 Exploding Lakes in the world. And Nyiragongo destroyed 20% of the twin town of Goma in 2002. You need more than 1 beer!

Weekends are packed, but you can always sit on the steps of the kitchen building or on the sand. They have shower facilities, but bring your own towel.

The restaurant menu is mostly beef burgers and chip (thick French fries, but you can get some steak and seafood dishes. The atmosphere is the real charm here. It’s fun and lively.

They also offer camping in their beautiful gardens underneath the dense trees.

Dress Code:
Anything goes. Visit during the day and bring some swimwear and a towel!

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Chez Ntemba prides itself as an international nightclub of the highest standard. They combine African music with the hottest dance music from across the globe. They have some nights where ladies in bikinis get in for free and get free drinks. Genius! They have loads of events, guest DJ’s and even road shows.

They can be found across Africa in:

ZAMBIA: LUSAKA, KABWE, KAPIRI, NDOLA
DRC: LUBUMBASHI, KINSHASA
RSA: JOHANNESBURG
ZIMBABWE: HARARE
MOZAMBIQUE: MAPUTO
BOTSWANA: GABORONE
TANZANIA: DAR ES SALAAM
SWAZILAND: MANZINI

Also in Brussels Belgium

Dress Code: Please make sure that, if you are a man, you adhere to the proper dress code and conform to the rules.

There is a story here about the owner of the Chez Ntemba in Windhoek Namibia being injured after the security guards of his own club enforced the rules!

CHEZ NTEMBA STORY

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Located at the Unbuntu Residence in Bujumbura; it is actually an upscale apartment/hotel complex. It is also a fantastic place to watch the sunsets over the magnificent lake and towering mountains across the majestic lake. Some nights there are even Hippos to watch in the water. They have an open-air bar next to the swimming pool and tables everywhere. The 2 resident Grey-crowned Cranes will happily join you for a pleasant evening on the massive terrace. If you come early you can use the swimming pool. They do have changing rooms at the poolside. They serve large Primus beers on draft and the staff are attentive, but not in a big hurry. They are renowned for their pizza here you can dine outdoors for a perfect evening.

Dress Code: Anything reasonable, but smart casual for dinner.

In all the years I have been going to Africa, I have seen a Bushbaby exactly once. You can hear their plaintive little cries at night all over Africa. You will hear them if you go outside after it gets dark. Just don’t expect to see one! They are small, nocturnal primates with bulbus little eyes and they gather in groups before dawn to find a place to sleep away the daylight hours. I have included a link below so you can see what they actually look like. Take a good flashlight (electric torch) and you may actually catch one in your beam. Just don’t count on it!