Getting Around Africa

4 more images

Want to see the natural grandeur of southern Africa and ride in comfort? Ride the Shongololo! So what does the word 'Shongololo' mean? It is a giant African Millipede the length of a man’s boot. Shongololo Express trains are like long Cruise Ships on land. They offer luxury travel that can take all the hassle out of some places in Southern Africa that you really want to visit. They offer luxury cabins, excellent chefs preparing authentic African dishes, local wines and professional staff. Packages range form weekends to 16-day treks. Each train has air-conditioned Mercedes Benz touring vehicles for days out with guides who speak English, German, Dutch and French. Adventures even include scuba diving, hot air ballooning and elephant rides.

The Shongololo travels to nine countries across southern Africa: Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Tanzania.

www.atlas-blue.com is a handy website to be aware as this airline is a budget subsidiary of often rather expensive Royal Air Maroc. Actually since this Atlas Blue seems to have disappeared and Royal Air Maroc have been doing very reasonable, often budget airline beating prices to and from Morocco.
Also handy because they fly to and from Morocco from rather strategic locations around Europe and can be very useful for linking and connecting destinations. They also have one way flights available. Flights include 20 kg of hold baggage and 10 kg of cabin bagage.
From London they fly from both Heathrow and Gatwick to Marrakech, Fes and Tangier.

Easyjet.com is another favourite of mine and they have flights from London Gatwick to Marrakech daily and Agadir twice a week - Wednesdays and Sundays - and also from Madrid to Tangier and Casablanca - book early as possible for cheaper flights or to get in before flights often become horrendously expensive. One way tickets are available which is, along with Atlas Blue, handy for flying in to one airport and out from another if wish, or use along with ferry travel in or out of Morocco, or use different airlines according to price.
Booking online allows choosing to pay extra for hold luggage or flying with only cabin baggage.

AirArabia.com fly from various locations around Europe and Istanbul - not the UK though. Ryanair.com still fly to Marrakech and Fes.

Thomsonfly.com do chartered flights to Agadir.

AirArabia.com now have flights to Morrocco on different days of the week.

I flew with British airways, www.ba.com to Tunis, Tunisia but flights and prices can also be compared with Tunis Air and Air France.
Package tours from the UK are also very good options for budget trips to Tunisia as often a flight along with a weeks accommodation can cost the same, if not less, than just buying return flights.

Flights go to several destinations - Tunis, Sousse, Hammamet

www.travelsupermarket.com is a good site for package offers.

4 more images

When I was planning my road trip across Namibia I had an African road atlas written by a certain company with the initials L and P. What a waste that was! It did not show the nice paved road right across the Caprivi Strip! It is an excellent paved and modern road. I kept seeing this out of date road atlas wherever I went, even in South Africa. The official Namibian Road Map shows this beautiful and fast road. You can drive the strip very easily and build up the speed you need to cover this huge area. Happy driving!

4 more images

Drive? In Africa? Yes. They have car rental companies here and if you avoid the ‘major’ international companies, you cab get a great deal and have a safe car. What usually pushes up the price of any holiday is paying for a bus tour, driver and tour guide. This is where they make their profit. With your own car you go when and where you want to, stay as long/little as you like and you don’t have wasted time picking up other people from their hotels.

Design your own holiday!

I have driven their cars in: Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

The rest of the information is about a fantastic car rental company in South Africa. I got a new car cheaper than from the large companies. I HAVE NOW USED THEM TWICE.

AROUNDABOUTCARS
A bit of a mouthful, but an excellent car rental company. They gave me the cheapest rates and you can take their cars into Zimbabwe. Many companies have stopped letting people go into Zim. Just tell them which countries you want to go to and they will prepare the paperwork.

They have modern cars, loads of locations and couldn't be more helpful and friendly.

After Hours/Weekend: +27(0)84 4224022
**If in Durban, Johannesburg, Nelspruit or Port Elizabeth you may use this number:
0860 4224022

Railways are not specially developed in African countries, in some simply there isn't !!
Most of the railways come from the colonial times, when french and british built them to keep their business going. So expect them to be old, not very well maintained and, of course, delayed.

I have used very little the trains in Africa, except from travelling in Morocco or South Africa where the net is extense and the trains are unusually good. Apart from that, I took the train from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), which is a nice old colonial train, as well as the Lunatic train from Mombassa to Nairobi (Kenya).

Other famous trains in Africa are:
- The Blue train in South Africa
- The Iron train in Mauritania (longest train on earth!!)
- The Mali Express from Dakar to Bamako

Yes we did it in April and it was awesome. We eventually ditched the car rental idea. We flew into Livingstone stayed at Jolleyboys and they are amazing. They organized a day trip for us to Chobe.

Their driver took us to the ferry at the Kazangulu crossing (quick trip of about 5 min across the Chobe) and on the other side a tour operator picked us up for a great drive in Chobe game park and a cruise on the Chobe. Late afternoon the driver picked us up on the other side again.

It was most probably more expensive but trouble free because the driver got us through passport control in minutes, bought the ferry tickets and we were ready to go.

We found a very nice taxi driver in Livingstone that we used for all our other trips. I'm sure they will take you to the border as well.
I have his cell number if anyone is interested.

1 more image

We flew to Burundi with Ethiopian Airlines - their website is very efficient for lookng at their destiinations and flights - especially for linking flights to must see destinations around Ethiopia.
Our flight went to Addis Ababa and then we waited for the connecting flight to Burundi which went via Kigali in Rwanda - this is also a very handy flight to know about and very popular too for travellers - both locals and tourists - to connect the countries.

the flight from Burundi to Rwanda takes about an hour but saves 15 hours on the bus! and is not very expensive.

Ethiopian airlines also have an airmiles scheme.

And a big plus, especially for us and any others who are doing charity work, is the ability to take 46kg per person of hold baggage!