Need help picking next backpacking trip!

[msommers]

The travel bug is acting up already and I'm trying to decide where to go next. Earliest I'd be able to leave is probably April 1 and would have at least 3-4 months off. Places are all over the map, and all of them sound extremely interesting. Any input on ease or difficulty of getting around and through borders (places with visas, permits, bribes only etc). Basically I've narrowed it down to three areas:

1) SE Asia, Australia, NZ, maybe China and Japan
- This would be the least structured/most flexible and probably the cheapest (well the SE Asia part anyways). Lot of really interesting culture, scuba diving, insane deep-sea bouldering and the crowd is generally younger. I'm 27 so I feel like I should visit sooner than later. I like to party as much as the next guy but going around the world to party with a bunch of (predominantly) super young retarded aussies is only fun for so long and I've heard they've overrun Thailand and Vietnam. But the biggest thing that worries me is my severe cashew allergy which I know is in a lot of Thai cuisine and likely elsewhere in the region. Given language barriers, it honestly scares me a bit.

2) South America
- My parents came back from SA about a month ago and the pictures and stories really peaked my interest. The Galapagos are a huge attraction but SA has so much wilderness that I really want to see and enjoy. If I went this route, I've scoped out a Spanish school is Quito where I'd stay for about a month then head out as Spanish is so widely spoken it would make life that much easier and I'd have to know only one language.

3) Africa
- Probably the most structured and most expensive. I would be doing some sort of Contiki-like tour for this as they have all the transportation and permits dealt with, I think I'd just need to look more into visas. As far as I know, Africa isn't that backpacker friendly and getting around could be a pain in the butt. Lots of wildlife here which is a big attraction for me, great white shark caging gets me stoked just thinking about it.

I doubt many (if any) have been to all of these but if you've done any of them, shed some light and help a buddy out. Pros/cons, favorite things to see/do, fond memories etc is all I would ask.

Thanks!

[dannie]

What's your budget? Also - I would do Africa again in a heartbeat. If you are planning on doing the diving with great whites, Apex was who we went thru but there are only certain times a year that are great for it... and as I'm typing this, I realized I've probably told you all of that... lol Oops...

[msommers]

You mentioned it before you left but I don't remember hearing about it after!

Budget wise, I'll leave it open. I'm not staying at 5 star hotels, likely hostels and only hoteling when I have to because of solo backpacking :)

[milesmcewing]

My 2 cents;

1: lots to see in all those countries with good infrastructure in all of them. I liked China the best- lots of places and variety and easy to get around. I travelled overland from Hong Kong to Tibet then back up North to Xian and over to Beijing. Happily go again tomorrow. I found that China had a lot less of the backpacker crowd and you were still an oddity around the villages. Really liked Japan and spent 5 weeks moving around, cost was only a bit more than Canada - people said it was super-expensive but we did not find that. I agree with the aussie comment. I want to travel to see the locals, not other tourists.

2:Spent almost a year in South America. I would start in Peru, lots to see lots to do. just avoid the 'sacred valley' for as long as you can it is really the heavy tourist area - you can spend lots of time everywhere else from Jungle to desert to high plains to dramatic mountains and do the valley tour when you want - the Inca trail is overdone, there is a cool trek further North - Choquequirao - same idea no people. Ecuador is fun short term, my wife liked the Galapagos I was tired of turtles and iguanas by the second day. We also stayed on land on the Galapagos and used local boats to island hop. Colombia was fabulous - cool scenery, cool people, better food, lots of variety. Chile is good but a lot more expensive - good scenery in the South -lots of wind though. Bolivia has hard, lots of continuous hassles and problems. Ultimately we liked it best though - because it was hard. Maybe I'm just an idiot.

3: Africa WILL change you - if you are off the beaten path. We did Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal. Never been to the far North and skipped Kenya because it was full of american tourists. Contiki type travel is a good bet, unless you want to rent and drive which we did - great experience. Every extreme is possible - we also spent time in Soweto - where the anti-apartheid rally started. We were there in 2002 it was pretty sketchy back then.

Overall;
Hotels can be cheap everywhere - we found hostels were usually more money and a poorer experience because they were owned by ex-pats as opposed to locals.

I'm happy to have a more in-depth discussion with you if you want.

Cheers
Miles

[dannie]

South Africa wasn't as expensive as I assumed it would be, providing you didn't over do it. Lots of people seem to rent cars and drive around the country, with one piece of advice: when you are driving through some of the townships, they will crowd your car or form a chain across the road to see if you will stop. Fuckin drive. They will move.

The townships and stories of people will change you. The hospitality of people we met was beyond outstanding. Flights are cheap if you don't want to drive and everyone works on their own time.

Apex was the group we did our shark diving with and I would whole heartedly recommend them again. They arrange for a transfer from Cape Town to Simons Town at 530am and then you hop on the boat and spend from 6am-2pm on the boat. Looking back, if I had more time, I would have spent an evening in Simons Town beforehand.

Durban is a party town and was supposedly a blast to hang out at.

From what everyone was saying, Cape Town vs Joburg is no comparison. It's like Malibu vs New York. Very different ways of life and if you speak to someone that loves Cape Town, they hate Joburg.

Don't worry about getting around in SA, it's easily done via car, train or plane. I want to go back and do a proper Safari in Kenya and spend some time in Tanzania.

If you want more info (ie: where we stayed etc, PM me)

[tch7]

April is a great time to hit up Australia & NZ (March is the absolute best), but they're both very expensive right now with the strength of their dollar - I think Africa would probably be cheaper overall. Nonetheless, NZ is fantastic if you're outdoorsy. April is the hottest month in Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam, so they'd be better to visit later in the year. Also consider the Philippines - it doesn't get anywhere near the tourist traffic, and Palawan in particular is amazing.

The only place overrun with young obnoxious aussies in SE Asia is Bali, and even there it's mainly isolated to the Kuta area. Elsewhere in SE Asia you get a much more international mix.

If allergies are a big concern, it's pretty easy to find gringo food where you don't have to worry about nuts, as long as you don't go too far off the beaten path.

I'm in the same boat as you, trying to figure out where to go next April/May. Right now I'm thinking the Philippines or elsewhere in SE Asia that I haven't been for a couple weeks and then Kauai for 7-10 days. Then if finances allow, in November-ish take ~2 months to hit up part of South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Rio).

[msommers]

Thanks for the responses guys!

Miles,

Man I could probably sit all day listening to your adventures and probably talk your ear off in questions. When I was kayaking in Johnstone Strait this year, I met a travel writer and he echoed the same thing about the sacred valley. Did you do Brazil as well? Columbia is high on my list surprisingly.

As for hotels vs hostels, none of my friends can join me for various reasons and I'm a good solo traveller. That said, my nights I've had to stay in hotels were the most boring and I didn't meet a soul so for the social aspect, I prefer hostels.

Dannie,

Were you guys in South Africa only? For how long and what did your itinerary look like? Favorites? I'll definitely take any info you have here or via PM!

Tch7,

I'll pick your brain about SE Asia and area regarding timing. If I flew to NZ, then Aus, then up to SE.A, does the weather cool off in may/june or given its proximity to the equator, does it change that much? Where have you all been? What are your highlights!

[milesmcewing]

We did go to Brazil, but Sao Paulo, Rio and another port I can't remember.

My wife and I got on an italian freighter in Buenos Aires that stopped in Brazil at three ports on the way to Africa (this was last year, not the earlier trip to Africa) - so that part of the trip was not all overland and we only spent a short time at each. In Panama we winched the motorcycle up onto the deck of a sailboat and sailed to Catergena - offloaded to a dinghy and then zipped around trying to find the customs office before the police found us.

The only countries we skipped from here to Argentina were Paraguay, Belize, Surinam and the Guyanas.

I understand your point about the boring hotel part. I have always managed to meet up with other travellers along the way so even though solo - still had company.

Happy to play 20 questions with you. Did we not have some discussion about the west coast trail last year?

Cheers

[tch7]

Originally posted by msommers
I'll pick your brain about SE Asia and area regarding timing. If I flew to NZ, then Aus, then up to SE.A, does the weather cool off in may/june or given its proximity to the equator, does it change that much? Where have you all been? What are your highlights!
Probably doesn't make much difference, but should be a little more mild. Any time of year is hot and humid by Canadian standards. I went later in the year during the "bad" and "rainy" season and it was wonderful.

I didn't spend much time in SE Asia, so I'm not the best source (especially for the areas you mentioned). I was there during August & September 2010 and visited Indonesia (Bali, Lombok, Gili Islands), southern Thailand (Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi), Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Philippines (Palawan), and Hong Kong.

Palawan was easily my favourite. Singapore & Hong Kong are both quite interesting cities, KL not so much. Phi Phi & Krabi were nice, but I'd never go there during high season. Bali is very interesting culturally, but naturally the place has been raped and is filthy. Lombok is cleaner, but less culturally interesting.

To add another consideration into your mix, if you go to Aus/NZ then the south pacific islands become reasonably affordable options with Virgin air, where May & onwards is a good time of year to see them. Fiji in particular has a really good backpacker scene, and I'd rank it right up there with Palawan. American Samoa has practically no tourism infrastructure, but rounds out my top 3 places I travelled that year.

[CanmoreOrLess]

My suggestion is not too exotic, but it would make for one sweet story. By 2020 I am doing the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (boarder of Mexico/New Mexico to Alberta), just need to find four months of free time:

http://www.made-in-england.org/videos/cdt/

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/9203/cdtmap.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/197/cdtmap.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[msommers]

An American roadie is in my mind, plenty of cool places all over western/central america; only Louisiana and new york on the east coast really. It'll have to wait for later, but would/will be sick whenever it happens. You hear about that guy hiking the entire proposed XL Pipeline? Like 2600km!


Originally posted by milesmcewing
Happy to play 20 questions with you. Did we not have some discussion about the west coast trail last year?


I'm sure we did! Went in May this year and it was pretty darn wet but our group was awesome and we made it through.

Since you've been to all, could you do a quick summary of your highlights of each area I mentioned above?


Originally posted by tch7
To add another consideration into your mix, if you go to Aus/NZ then the south pacific islands become reasonably affordable options with Virgin air, where May & onwards is a good time of year to see them. Fiji in particular has a really good backpacker scene, and I'd rank it right up there with Palawan. American Samoa has practically no tourism infrastructure, but rounds out my top 3 places I travelled that year.

I was considering all those islands before I decided to go to the Hawaiian islands for a month earlier this year. Honesetly I'd still love to see them, but I think that particular itinerary is getting stretched out already and I doubt I could add much more.

The one thing I've noticed from previous trips is that I try to cram too much stuff into one trip, I want to see everything! But it's easy to get exhausted (on vacation, it's a hard life) and overwhelmed, forget places things etc so I'm trying to slow it down a bit for this next one!

[davidI]

All great options. I honestly don't think you can go wrong. Africa is incredible and well worth the money in my opinion. That should be a relatively good time of year as well but it depends on what countries you go to (dry season can be preferred for safaris as they head to the watering holes).

April-July assuming a 4 month trip may be tough timing for a lot of SE Asia as it will be the rainy season. It may also be quite cold in New Zealand so unless you're into winter sports it may not be the best time to go. I wouldn't worry about the Aussie party-goers...you can choose or avoid your spots accordingly. That said, I love SE Asia and Japan is certainly and adventure. For 4 months I'd probably limit myself to 4, maximum 5 countries though. One month + can easily be spent in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and you wouldn't see it all. You may be able to get by with a week or two in each of Cambodia and Laos.

I haven't traveled South America much myself yet but it's definitely in the works for the future. I spent a month in Peru and it was great.

I'd do some research into the seasons for the types of activities you want to do and take it from there. I went Shark Diving in RSA in December and it was freezing...I can only imagine what it would be like in July!

[davidI]

Oh, and it is possible to backpack through Africa, but it can be tough for sure. If you can afford it, a tour will make better use of your time. There is a BazBus in South Africa which will get your around rather handily, but the transport arrangments elsewhere can be tough.

I'd highly recommend www.drifters.co.za for tours.

[msommers]

Originally posted by davidI
Oh, and it is possible to backpack through Africa, but it can be tough for sure. If you can afford it, a tour will make better use of your time. There is a BazBus in South Africa which will get your around rather handily, but the transport arrangments elsewhere can be tough.

I'd highly recommend www.drifters.co.za for tours.

Have you had any experience with G (GAP) Adventures? They have the longest trips from what I've come across so far at 54 days.

Good points about NZ. I figure their winter is 5 degrees C at the lowest but would definitely be a better experience at 25 haha. Maybe that'll be a trip of its own.

[davidI]

Originally posted by msommers

Have you had any experience with G (GAP) Adventures? They have the longest trips from what I've come across so far at 54 days.

Good points about NZ. I figure their winter is 5 degrees C at the lowest but would definitely be a better experience at 25 haha. Maybe that'll be a trip of its own.

I've seen people on the GAP Adventures and they looked alright. Definitely a younger crowd so if you want to party a bit more that's probably the way to go.

Drifters has an older crowd but it's pretty fantastic.

There is another company I did a tour with through East Africa and there were people on it who had connected a bunch of tours into a 6 month epic journey. I think it may have been Geckos or Exodus or something?? Check theadventurecenter.ca (formerly Trek Escapes) as they'll lead you in the right direction.

There's nothing wrong with the cold in NZ but unless you're into skiing / mountaineering it makes more sense to get there in the summer when you can take advantage of the hiking, skydiving, bungee jumping etc.

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by CanmoreOrLess
My suggestion is not too exotic, but it would make for one sweet story. By 2020 I am doing the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (boarder of Mexico/New Mexico to Alberta), just need to find four months of free time:

http://www.made-in-england.org/videos/cdt/

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/9203/cdtmap.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/197/cdtmap.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

to do this on a bike, and the Appalachian trail would be a dream

[thrasher22]

If you go to Africa, look into overland tours. South Africa you can easily make your way on your own, but after that there is very little tourist infrastructure. Public transport (private minibuses) are plentiful and cheap, but unpredictable, super crowded and VERY unsafe.
I did a 3 month overland tour from Cape Town to Zanzibar last year and had a great time, they generally cater to backpacker types and focus on nature (most cities in Africa kinda suck). Companies like GAP offer them, but tend to be pretty expensive. Bonus is there are overland trips ranging anywhere from a week to a year (full africa circuit). Most African visa's you can just get enroute. I think Sudan and Ethiopia are the only exceptions (of countries tourists generally go to at least).

If you are looking into tour companies, check out Intrepid. I did a month tour in SE asia with them 4 or so years ago had have nothing but great things to say. Asia is generally pretty easy to get around on your own though. I mostly went with them as I was having a hard time coordinating things in China.

[msommers]

I googled Africa Overland Tours and got a few different hits. Which one specifically did you use/recommend?

Could you share your experiences on SE.A and Africa? Places you loved, things you did, memories etc? Having done both, would you prefer one over the other? Why?

[davidI]

Originally posted by msommers

Could you share your experiences on SE.A and Africa? Places you loved, things you did, memories etc? Having done both, would you prefer one over the other? Why?

A Quick List of My Best Memories / Experiences:

Thailand:
Chilling out in Pai
Muay Thai Training
Scuba Diving
Partying in Koh Tao
Excellent DJs
Lots of hot Scandinavians
Snorkeling around Phi Phi
Living like a Millionaire in Bangkok
Backpacker Watching on Khao San Road
Songkran Water Fights
Ping Pong Show
Food, Beer, Buckets

Cambodia
Exploring the Amazing Temples in Siem Reap
Meeting a Local Family (I still visit / contact regularly)
Getting an epic history lesson in Phnom Penh

Vietnam
Sand Dunes near Mui Ne
Hao Long Bay
Tailors in Hoi An
Hong Kong Bar in Hoi An (owned by a couple in Red Deer)
Hiking in Sapa

Laos
Tubing the Vang Vien
Tubing the Vang Vien
Tubing the Vang Vien

Australia
Surfaris.com
Beaches
Cricket Gabba
Melbourne Cup Horse Race
Chilling / Partying in Byron Bay

New Zealand
Skydiving
Hiking
Scenery

Japan
Everything was an experience. Just a unique place overall.

Kenya
Kilimanjaro
Tea Plantantion Tour

Tanzania
Ngorongoro Crater (Lots of Lions)
Zanzibar - Fishing, Beaches, Relaxing

Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls (Beautiful)
Bungee Jumping Vic Falls (Scary)
Helicopter Ride Vic Falls (Beautiful)
Whitewater Rafting Vic Falls (Fun)

Malawi
Mt. Mulange
Riding Bicycles with Locals
Playing Billiards on a Pool Table from WWI (I think it was WWI? Maybe II)

Mozambique
Beautiful Beaches

Namibia
Jaggermeister Everywhere
Joe's Bierhouse (Amazing Bar/Restaurant)
Watching Rugby
Not wearing shoes for a month
Delicious Meat (steak, kudu, zebra, ostrich etc.)
Sand Dunes

South Africa
Bungee Jumping Bloukrans
Hiking in the Draakensburg Mountains
Wine Tours
Driving to Cape Point
Partying in Cape Town (Long Street)
Robben's Island
Hiking Table Mountain
Exploring the Waterfront
Game Drives

Botswana
Game Drives


My view is that if you think you'll get to both places one day, it's worth checking out SE Asia / Australia / New Zealand now, on your own, while you're young. You can still enjoy a lot of the partying and adrenaline activities. SE Asia appeals to younger backpackers for a reason. I know you said you didn't want to party too much....but I'm 28 and still love it there. More activies by day and more drinking and girls by night.

Most people travel through Africa on tours / overland and it's more expensive so it tends to appeal more to the older crowd. It's a phenomenal experience and I absolutely LOVE traveling in Africa, but to me it's a bit less 'fun' despite being more adventurous and unique.

[msommers]

Sick list, David. Stuff like that helps me do a quick hit-list on google to see if it appeals to me as well so information like that is extremely valuable.

I started throwing together potential itineraries for each area last night and they all sound awesome which is why it's so hard to decide; Japan struck a certain appeal though just from the Lonely Planet photos alone. I also remember how amazing seeing the whales in Johnstone Strait was and most of the group had done Africa and were talking none-stop about it. Basically, I'll likely be picking one area this year, doing another the next and so on. Sout America is looking like a 3rd choice at this point, not sure why. For some reason I get this weird and incorrect impression that it's a lot of the same.

What are the approx. costs of flights to say Jo-burn, SA and Bankok/Tokyo (2K vs 1.3k, respectively?)?

[davidI]

Originally posted by msommers

What are the approx. costs of flights to say Jo-burn, SA and Bankok/Tokyo (2K vs 1.3k, respectively?)?

Flight Center will sort you out quickly for that sort of thing. I imagine flights to South Africa are very expensive from Calgary, though I've never looked. My guess would be in the $25-3500 range. Flights to SE Asia can be had for <$1500.

The other nice thing is that within Asia flights are cheap. You could probably work a stop-over in Japan on your way to Bangkok or Singapore and then just do cheap flights from there.

Key thing with SE Asia is to look into the seasons. Rainy season isn't necessarily all that bad as it's often just an hour or two of rain a day, but I do have friends who have had to be evacuated out of Thailand before because of flooding. Japan / China will probably have good weather in May/June or even July (may get too hot). You could catch Australia or NZ in April and they'd be alright. Indo in April was good to me. I always travel SE Asia in Nov-Feb so can't really comment on them.

[blitz]

You lucky bastard, any of those trips would be awesome. Especially as a photographer.

I'd lean towards S. America or Asia personally.

[msommers]

As of now, I've decided on Africa probably May-June + a couple weeks on one end. The way I look at it (it's pretty silly), if I for some reason couldn't travel anymore, I'd kick myself for not doing Africa.

So with that in mind, I'll take any and all information regarding all things Africa. Permits, Visa, tours you did, Kilimanjaro, Shark Caging, other African countries outside the tour I'm planning on taking. The countries include:

South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, Namibia, Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, Zambia

I'm thinking of Madagascar and maybe Eygpt/Jordan as well depending on how much this other stuff ends up costing.

[davidI]

Nice. I should be able to help you out but it will take a few weeks as I am in an airport on my way to Nicaragua. Make sure you have a high quality zoom lens. My biggest regret was not buying the Canon 100-400L. I just used my 24-105L travel lens but it didn't have the reach for safaris

[e36bmw///]

nm

[milesmcewing]

Sounds like a good plan.

While flights are more expensive to Africa - the in-country costs are so low that it still works out cheap.

Some highlights for me were:

Namibia sand dunes and the wild flower bloom across the desert.

Drving around the cape mountains - we had a book of mountain passes written by the government - we drove 34 of 38 passes around the cape/montagu/outeniqua area. Lots of spectacular scenery.

Cango Caves

Madikwe park - a huge reserve where we saw just about everything you could imagine. One of the best highlights was meeting a veterinarian from Botswana who took us on an insect safari one night - super cool.

Dakar- standing on the jetty where the slave boats shipped nearly every slave off to the 'new world'.

Here is a link to a video made by my friend Tom on their trip around Africa he lives here in Calgary as well and he is happy to share stories and advice.

For the cool driving part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UjVNENanRA&list=UURg6PVKMnyeaBiTWBBDjPHg&index=8&feature=plcp

Some highlights from the whole trip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPKRpg2QrQM&list=UUt_tyF_CjD8Se-4FRrbPf6g&index=12&feature=plcp

I agree with David on the lens. One solution is to rent one locally (the camera store) and then you don't have the huge expense.

I travel with an 18-300 but the extra light and reach from a better lens would have been a great addition.

One country you are missing is Ethiopia, great scenery and some very unique architecture I would do that for sure even if you had to miss somewhere else - Ngorongoro is close (relatively) to there as well, especially if you are planning Kenya or Tanzania.

More of my two cents.

[milesmcewing]

A gratuitous pic for David.

My wife holding the Nicaraguan flag, we were asked by Daniel Ortega to lead his motorcade into Greanda!

We did.......for about 500 metres - then skipped out before being taped on National news leading the revolution into town - not necessarily a good idea!

Have fun!




http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o41/beetlebones/TMMM_20111013_0679.jpg

[msommers]

Looking around at different companies. GAP and Intrepid seem to be big names but the reviews at 50/50. Oasis Overland out of the UK seems to have great reviews, is half the price and offers longer drips than 54 days (looking at the 75 day package). Anyone heard much of these guys? Also looking at Africa Travel Co.

[milesmcewing]

Gap does some sub-contracting to the other guys but most of theirs are their own.

Intrepid is part of the whole - imtrav - dragoman - suntrek - PEAK - bundu - I think they even have money in flight centre.

They are all good companies - you just have to pick the one that suits YOUR demographics and expectations.

The only criticism I have for the tour companies is to try and make sure you have a local-based guide.

The guides are usually all good, but having an indian guide in China isn't going to help you with some 'local' adventures if they know nothing about the language or the insights.

I saw a tour in China being led by a young australian 'party' girl it was great for the guests who just wanted to bar-hop every night. The people who didn't were having a poor experience because she knew nothing about the country itself or the food etc.

In India, I learned a tremendous amount and got a lot of great regional experiences because you could ask - and get answers to a lot of things not many other travellers would see/do. All because our local guide was local.

Bear in mind I tend to avoid the touristy things. In Peru I had already been to about twenty different sites like Macchu Picchu before actually seeing Macchu Picchu itself - Mostly I remember the tourists from there. I'm also not looking for a pizza joint in Cusco - I'm looking for the local hangout. sometimes you do need a pizza though!

In Africa, my advice would be to travel independantly in South Africa and then get an organized tour for somewhere else, quite often in-country and short notice the tours can have some great deals and having a bigger organization removes a lot of border hassle, transportation and hotel finding. You will pay more but then you can spend your time exploring as opposed to pissing around with logistics. that is a huge saving in my opinion.

My 2 cents strikes again.

Do what you wanna do, just make sure to have defined expectations and that the tour operator is aware of them so you get the right kind of tour.

If you are travelling with a girlfriend/wife always let the operator know and request 'matrimonial' for yourselves - that will guarantee you the best rooms in the hotel, at the same price as the three guys jammed in a small room.

Cheers

[msommers]

I've found a bunch of companies and I'm finding it hard to tell if they're actually worthwhile pursuing. I don't mind doing the camping thing, know that food always isn't going to be gourmet (like on my kayaking trip, wow it was awesome) and to expect vehicles to breakdown at some point. But I want a company that has good equipment all around with, I agree with you Miles, either a local guide or something who is actually knowledgeable so if I ask a question about something they'll actually know. If I wanted to learn about a country the boring way I'd just read a friggin book! The Oasis Overland seems the most budget and with that comes young folks (and usually guides) that just wanna party for 2 months straight. I mean sweet but not really, ya know?!

Companies I've looked at in the 2-3 month range:

- G Adventures/Gap
- Intrepid
- Nomad African Adventures
- Oasis Overland
- Dragoman
- African Travel Co.

I have a friend in South Africa who I'm sure could show me around, plus her boyfriend is a helicopter pilot which could work out well! But any tour down south includes SA so I might get a double doseage depending on what exactly happens.

Climbing Kili I've narrowed down to 3 routes: Lemosho, Shira and Rongai.

[msommers]

A buddy just suggested Gecko to me and so far they've already won my heart. Staying in Guesthouses and ONLY local guides. They've basically got my money already haha.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by msommers
A buddy just suggested Gecko to me and so far they've already won my heart. Staying in Guesthouses and ONLY local guides. They've basically got my money already haha.

These guys?

http://www.geckosadventures.com/

I'm just putting here as a placeholder for me as a reminder haha.

[msommers]

The more I research the more I find they're just alright because the guides are hit and miss. To be honest all companies are having some bad reviews but most are OK. African Travel Co. seems to have a higher percentage of successes and better vehicles from what people in other tour groups have witnessed (in one case,anyways). People seem to like Intrepid more than GAP but both are aimed for young and booze heavy (guides too). Gecko is more expensive from what I can gather so far. Not many updated reviews for most companies, and plenty of companies giving themselves a thumbs up on boards...

Wish there was a middle group. Seems like in Africa you do it way over the top and pay for it out the ass (thousands a week at least) or try the lotto with a great or terrible guide wiith a more budget minded tour group (thousands a month).

Plenty of time to drive myself nuts before deciding but I think May-June is when I'll go....if I have any hair left by then haha.

EDIT: I've decided to go with Acacia. They're the best of the worst it seems haha. A lot of reviews seem positive while being realistic of what you're paying for so I'm good to go I think! Pretty stoked :D

[thrasher22]

I forgot to check this thread again! (read: been too busy at work :rofl: )

All of those companies you looked into are supposed to be decent. The company I went with (Odyssey Overland) was great, but doesn't do trips in Africa anymore. One of the problems though was that the majority of the people on my truck were much older than me (retired), and while they were great people, sometimes it made it tough to bond.
I saw quite a few Acacia trucks on my trip and generally remember them mostly being full of people in their mid-20's to 30's. Their trucks also looked above average comfort-wise, which is a HUGE thing ton consider with overlanding. People don't realize how much time they'll spend on the road, as most roads are windy and slow.

I heard the Intrepid and Gap tours were good, but generally quite a bit more expensive.

Your impression of the price-spread with tourists in Africa is 100% accurate. If you want to have a "comfortable" trip, you'll end up paying ridiculous amounts. If you are willing to spend a "bit" more, the majority of campgrounds that you'll stay at overland will have the option to upgrade. The upgrades would vary between $20 a night and $5 a night for a dorm bed, more if there was an option for a real room with AC. The $5 end of the scale were usually thatch roof huts, but those feel like a 5 star hotel after months in a humid tent.

Long story short, I heard of very few that weren't very good. I can't remember the names right now, but if you research even a little they'll stand out.
The only one I'd say to avoid is Tucan. There were no problems with their guides or trips, but they were generally empty. While that foot room would be nice, that takes away half the fun.

When you decide on a final one or two PM me and I'll shoot my guides a message on Facebook and see what they thought about them.

[msommers]

I was between Acacia, Nomads, GAP and intrepid. Going to book with Acacia.

Finding an outfitter for Kili is proving to be a task as well. An incredible amount for that trek, hope it'll be worth it! Decided on the Lemosho route, eithet

[msommers]

Ok, looking for some advice now on Cape Town... :D

My tour will end there and it doesn't look to include much in and around CT. Have a couple things on my must-see list such as shark caging with great whites, table mountain, surfing and Betty's Bay to see the Pengiuns (since Boulder seems like where all the tour groups go). We arrive late afternoon one day so that's kind of a write off. Thinking 3 full days after the tour ends should be enough but not sure on accessibility via tour bus, walking, public transit or easier to rent a car.

[milesmcewing]

Rent a car, get the 'cape mountain passes' book and go for a drive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountain_passes_of_the_Western_Cape

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Romance-Cape-Mountain-Passes/dp/1920289518


Some of the best scenery in the world - Ooteniqua, Montagu Pass, Gamskakloof, Swartbeg, the Great Karoo - my spelling is probably all wrong.

Lots of groovy B+B's along the way - other stuff in the area; Wine country, Cango caves, Ooteniqua steam train.

The penguin colony is a bit of a bust - there are just escaped penguins from a petting zoo and they hang out in the alleys raiding dumpsters! I also thought the 'garden route' was highly overrated.

More of my 2 cents

[thrasher22]

Sorry, wasn't sure if you'd decided on Acacia. Have you booked yet/which specific tour are you doing?

I'd defffffinely give more than 3 days for Cape Town. The weather changes rapidly and can get in the way of a lot of the things you mentioned. There is no point in doing table mountain unless its a nice day (otherwise you're just hanging out in the clouds), and shark cage diving gets cancelled when the water is rough (the reason I wasn't able to go).

If you only have 3 days, skip Betty's Bay, as its a good 2-3 hour drive from CT and would take a whole day. There is a colony right in CT you can see.

Some of my favorite things in/around CT were:
Table Mountain - hike it! You can take the gondola up/down for $10 each way, but its a super fun hike. There is something like 40 species of flowers that only exist on table and the views are amazing. You can take the gondola down. As I mentioned before, try and time the weather, clouds can roll in and ruin the view pretty quickly. Once you're up there, you can go rappelling down the side, which is a blast.

Long Street - The 17th ave of CT. Fun place packed with tons of hostels, fun bars, and good restaurants. Pre-warning, don't go out alone here after mid-night. I met a TON of people who were mugged/pick pocked (including myself).

Chapman's peak - Amazing drive along the peninsula that is the south border of CT. Easy afternoon trip and lots of opportunities to stop at wicked beaches surrounded by million dollar homes.

Boulkran's Bridge bungee - The highest bridge bungee jump in the world (I think in terms of actual height it might be second overall). A good 4 hours from CT but you can book a day trip. Most overland trips make a stop here too.

Hermanus - Super nice little beach town just up the coast for whale watching. You can watch whales jumping in the bay <500m from shore. Great day trip and you can stop at Betty's bay along the way.

Stellenbosch - Ritzy university town just outside CT in the mountains and in the wine growing region. Go wine tasting in the day (vineyards up on the sides of mountains) then hit the town at night. Great nightlife and just packed with beautiful women.

Shameless plug: I volunteered here for 3 months http://www.cheetah.co.za/, and if you're in the area I highly recommend checking it out.

[msommers]

Thanks for the feedback guys. So being realistic, how many days would be 'good enough' to see things? The problem with staying for a longer time is that it gets really expensive because I end up taking time off of work, not so much the trip itself for an additional week or so. And doing kili is looking to be ~10 days from arrival to depature. Thrasher, would you recommend renting a car as well?

The Cheetah link there didn't work. What were you doing?