Good bye, Africa!

Today my travel through Africa comes to an end. Although a part of my family originates from and still lives in Cape Verde 🇨🇻 - a small archipelago off the coast of Senegal in West Africa - I never had been to the continent.
I visited my family on Cape Verde many times already but I still had no idea what backpacking 🎒in East Africa would be like. Would there be hostels that allowed me to meet fellow travellers? In general, would there be enough of a tourism infrastructure to allow affordable (!) travel 🚌 for multiple weeks? Would it be safe to explore the different parts of the countries? … many questions that I have better answers to today (see below). 😌

Initially, I thought I would spend only a few weeks in Kenya 🇰🇪 and put my focus on Tanzania. Eventually, it was the other way around - 5 weeks in Kenya and only 2 weeks in Tanzania 🇹🇿 This was mainly because Kenya surprised me with many places that were worth visiting. When I arrived in Nairobi, I didn’t have more than a reservation for the first two nights in a hostel in Westlands (the district to be as Kenya first timer) and a departure flight ✈️ from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania roughly 7 weeks later. I had read about a few places in my travel guide and tried to research some additional information ℹ️ on the internet but by no means I had anything remotely resembling a travel itinerary. And unlike in other parts of the world a lot of the travel information was difficult to find or could not be found at all on the internet 🧐 So, I had to talk directly to the locals and other experienced travellers in order to get the valuable travel tips I was after. That being said, with the Jabulani Backpackers Hostel in Nairobi I had chosen the perfect first accommodation since Susan (the knowledgeable owner) prepped me with countless recommendations where to go (and where not to go 🚷). I truly believe that I could not have picked a better starting point and home base (I stayed 4 times there in total) because it also enabled me to create some memorable experiences in and around Nairobi with many travellers who I met there. 😊
It turned out that there are many busses that go around the country and it’s fairly cheap and easy to travel between cities. Depending on how much you are willing to pay, your journey will be more or less comfortable. Nevertheless, traffic is just insane 🤯 and although I knew that after a while I was often stunned how willingly drivers would put the lives of their passengers and their own lives at risk. 😤
I also found a few more hostels in Kenya and Tanzania - at least in the busier and touristy areas. They were nowhere near as abundant as in other parts of the world. Thus, I sometimes found myself in a guesthouse, an airbnb or (when my budget allowed it) a hotel/camp 🏕️ when I was visiting smaller places.
Much of the tourism industry is geared towards multi-day safaris through. Indeed, safaris and hiking tours (like Mt. Kenya or Mt. Kilimanjaro) seem to be the main drivers for the high costs 💰 that are usually associated with a trip to Africa. Accommodation and food prices are actually quite modest - except for a place like Zanzibar that is already expensive by itself. But Kenya still has the better value for money though as prices for comparable (if not better) safaris or hikes 🥾tend to be only half as high as in Tanzania. For example, safaris cost approximately 200 USD per day in Tanzania - depending on the location and your bargaining skills. In Kenya, they were „only“ around 120 USD although prices have dramatically increased after COVID 😌 But it doesn’t stop there. If you decide to go to Uganda instead and participate in some Gorilla trekking 🦍 than you are currently paying 600 USD per day just for the permit to the rainforest - guide, transport and accommodation are not included in that yet! 😮 Hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro costs at least 1000 USD and that is only if you choose to rush it in 4 days. Should you want to give yourself the chance to get used to the high altitude and take a few more days, then that experience will probably set you even back a mere 1500 - 2000 USD. 🤯 Granted - there is a lot of personell involved to support your hike (multiple porters, the guide, the cook) but you get the idea …
However, the East African countries have more to offer than just safaris and hikes. Especially the east coast 🌊 was interesting because it is so different from the „hinterland“ due to its ties and history with the Omanis, Portuguese and British. And of course you can also just enjoy the beaches, go snorkeling & diving 🤿, do kite surfing or whatever you like.

I could probably go on and on about my experiences in Kenya and Tanzania but this post must also end somewhere. So, let me finish with my top 5 🏆 of the past 7 weeks in chronological order:
- Nairobi (Kenya) is just a hell of a city! No wonder I was there so often.
- Naivasha (Kenya) offered many activities 🥾 and I enjoyed being there very much
- Lamu (Kenya) gave me great insight into the East African history and a glimpse into the past
- Arusha (Tanzania) will stay in my mind for its relaxed atmosphere in the Villa Viva and a great place for safaris
- Kendwa (Zanzibar) had arguably the best beach 🏖️ on the East Cost

All in all I had a great time in East Africa and I would be happy to comeback one day to see some more of its amazing beauty. 😎Read more