Guys

I am planning a six month trip round East and Central Africa some time in 2007 and wanted views on how realistic my current (vague) plans are.

With five out of the six months allocated for pure travel, and with no desire other than to live, eat and move around cheaply, am I likely to be able to get through the following countries: Malawi; Mozambique; Madagascar; Zambia; Zimbabwe; DRC; Burundi; Rwanda; Uganda; Sudan; and Ethiopia?

I envisaged a figure of roughly £5000 for a DIY trip, and having travelled widely in Kenya and Tanzania, feel such a venture would be the next most logical one for me to make. If anyone has any experience of similar travels, or advice/suggestions on the countries mentioned, please let me know. Obviously many are deemed 'unstable' and are subject to unforeseen future events taking a turn for the worst. But I am determined to attempt this trip and would highly appreciate any advice.

Asante sana!

I am not sure about how many days you intend to spend in Kenya, but camping fees in itself will cost you £5 - £10 per day (In your own tent, with your own gear - with no meals included). A couple of years back, Tanzania was much cheaper than Kenya (In terms of cost of living) but I don't know the position today.

i wish you the best of luck in your adventure have fun and pliz post pics.

I think you'll totally enjoy Madagascar. I was there last year to visit a friend in Antannarivo. Prices are very cheap, excellent food and good strong beer. You should know a bit of French or Malagasy to communicate. Not a lot of English spoken. The coast is amazing, Tamatave or Nosy Be are beautiful but the heat and humidity can be overwhelming. Check out the Lemur park in "Tana". They have alot of the endangered and protected species and the park staff will take you behind the scenes and sometimes let you feed the lemurs, very cool. People are very friendly and helpful. I'm jealous, I want to go back as I had a great time... Good luck on your journey.

Thanks shawn. Tell me, what is the best way to get to Madagascar, and from which country?

Great place for travel advice: Lonely Planet Thorntree

Haven't been to Madagascar myself but have heard excellent reports from friends.

TB, my advice is to cut your itinerary. Its ambitious and you'll find your budget being swallowed up quicker than you think. Golden rule of travel: carry half the luggage you think you need and twice as much money as you think you need... I'd say focus on the north or the south - do Malawi/Moz/Mad/Zim/Zam or Ethiopia/Sudan/Ug/Rwanda. If you're keen on the DRC, you're likely going to have to approach it from the Kinshasa side and then explore what you can along the Congo river. But if you tackle DRC you can forget about planning too much! You might not even get anywhere else... and security concerns are paramount there. I knew someone who was trying to find a way to go explore downstream from Kinshasa last year but he was warned off because of rebel activity. Likewise with Burundi, the situation seems quite bad there. Also, the more remote the place, the quicker that £5k is going to be drained.....

The usual entry point into Madagascar is via Jo'burg. I'd say Madagascar and Mozambique might be your most memorable destinations from a pure travel perspective.

I travelled to Madagascar from Kenya. It was around 500$ US for a round trip out of Nairobi via Air Madagascar. One stop in Comoros and about a 4 hour flight. Madagascar is absolutely worth the trip no matter how you get there......

TB , you're trip sounds like a great adventure except for one aspect. I would reconsider driving to DRC. The country is still to far unstable, the roads were bad when i lived there now are unpassable in many areas . War has devastated the country especially in many of the rural areas and there are still pockets of rebel soldiers, bandits thieves where you would be a perfect target. I'm not sure from which direction you would be driving however if you were coming through Zambia to Katanga Province (formerly Shaba) Lubumbashi and planning on driving to Kinshasa it would be nearly impossible.. If you are bent on visiting Zaire then fly in, go to Kinshasa, go listen to the fabulous music, get hooked on the Sebenes and the mellow Rumbas, but don't take needless risks....

That's sound advice Kat. To be honest, I am fascinated by the DRC and my eagerness to visit the place may well obscure the reality of the situation. Please post any accounts and memories you have of there. I know how strange such a question must sound given the size and diversity of the country, but even to spend just a day in Kinshasa and meet people would go some way to satisfying my interest.

This thread has so far proved very valuable for me in getting useful information that enables me to reassess my vague plans. My trip is not for a long time luckily so I can iron out the creases later on.

Toryboy I can give you a name/e-mail of someone to contact in Madagascar for more info if your interested. He and his wife were Peace Corps volunteers with me in Kenya and have lived in Madagascar for about 4 years now. I stayed with them when I was there. They have numerous contacts and are a valuable source of info and extremely knowledgeable about the country/culture, not to mention personal friends of the current president Marc Ravalomanana. Let me know...

I would be very interested indeed. Many thanks!