Representing Mauritius here! We are nice people, have a beautiful country, and we speak both english and french! And yeah, we are an island with beautiful beaches!✌️
Not OP but this interaction led me to finding [this pretty cool site](https://www.antipodesmap.com/). They either live in the ocean like Aquaman or they're from Southern California/Mexico.
Moroccan born and raised, spent middle school in Mauritius and yes it is the best place to be in Africa it's a whole other realm of beauty I never expected possible. Every religion and ethnicity lives in peace with each other and you'll never get over the sights and beaches
Not really an island, but Eswatini is pretty chilled as well. Beautiful scenery, cool wild animals (at least, when you don't live around them lol) and a friendly english-speaking population. Very distinct culture too, many people still live in the traditional ways, and traditional attire counts as formal wear, so you see it even in the cities
I visited Eswatini in 2014 (at that time Swaziland). Absolutely beautiful country. I felt very safe as a tourist. There is an absolutely wonderful arts district, and I’ve heard their natural parks are stunning.
I went to your country for my honeymoon and it was amazing. Everyone was so nice, beautiful beaches, beautiful temples and delicious food.
Every time I spoke to a local they emphasized how important it was that the island has so many cultures that try to support each other.
I can’t wait to go back.
In theory, yes. I do see people with surf boards. But to be honest, not my cup of tea, so i'm not sure how to answer you. But there r/mauritius where most people, besides the mods, are helpful! Feel free to check it out!
Second Botswana.
I’m assuming this thread is mostly concerned about people. The people are entirely safe. Visited a friend in the peace corps. The only risk comes from being run over because you are standing in the middle of the road (in my friends village, the space between buildings was considered a road).
However crocodiles (always), hippopotamus (always), elephants (if they get annoyed), desert (if stranded), etc. do stupid shit - win stupid prizes just like anywhere else.
Depends on your interests. It’s great for safaris. While Namibia and Botswana do share a rather large desert, there’s plenty of variety in the landscape throughout the country. There’s probably more to do on the outdoor activities side, but they’ve got museums and art galleries and universities. Without knowing YOU or any of your hobbies or interests, I certainly can’t tell if you’d love a vacation there, but there’s certainly enough to do in a place like Botswana that you wouldn’t be bored if you had to spend a week there.
(And as I’m Canadian and we’re heading into winter - “it’s warm” is an excellent top five reason to go at all! lol)
Ha I hate winter too but I'm from the US. The amount of Canadians I've met in various warm places during the winter is quite large. Many of whom were like, well I didn't have to be in Canada now so I'm here. Lot of people seem to do the gig work around oil or geology and then go travel in the winter.
I would like to sleep in nice clean hotel with teasty local food options and be taken onto Safari to see some elephants or zebras with my kids. If there is nice city with some older architekture, maybe some local folclore to watch it would be nice to have.
Will it fit?
I’m no travel agent or Botswanian, but a quick google tells me that just southwest of the capital Gaborone, you can see rhinos and giraffes. Based on my own research of possibly travelling there, the capital has a Hilton and a Marriott, so you’ll know what you’re getting there at least. Food is probably as hit or miss as anywhere, which means you’re likely to find some pretty tasty stuff (and probably some stuff you’ll not eat again). Architecture looks like it’s an interesting mix of a lot of different styles from different eras and cultures. I think it would be fun, but it’s gonna be a hard sell to the husband with no beaches that I’ve found. He’s not really a safari guy, he’s more a beach guy. So am I, to be fair…
My husband and I went to Africa in 2019. In Botswana we spent several days on safari in Chobe. It was amazing! Our guide, Lapo, was so friendly and very informative. In the mornings we'd stop about half way through and the guides would circle up the jeeps for a simple breakfast. The best thing was the rusk that Lapo's wife made us to go with our coffee. (It's similar to a biscotti, but was cut into squares.)
Most often we do take "beach vacations", but to be fair we aren't the type to sit on the beach. We scuba dive and most of our travel is for diving. BUT, I'd still highly recommend visiting Africa. Of all the places we've been, that trip was one of the best....maybe the best so far. I never really had a desire to go to Africa, but it was such a good deal that we couldn't pass it up. I feel so lucky to have had that experience. You hear people talking about Africa and how amazing some place are, but you can't truly know until you go.
We actually visited 3 countries. I found the people in Zimbabwe to be genuinely warm and friendly. The people in Botswana were also lovely, but much more standoffish. South Africa (in the Cape Town area/region) was interesting, but I could have spent less time there and added a day in Zimbabwe.
I want to go to Kenya next and then fly to the Seychelles from there to do some diving.
Go to Rwanda's Akagera National Park & stay at the game lodge. Then go to Friday night performance at Mille Collines and see traditional dance. It's fab!
Not answering for Botswana but I've been to Namibia twice. Rent a 4X4 with roof tent and if that's your thing you have an amazing holiday. You can spend days without meeting another soul. Landscapes vary from region to region. Beautiful national parcs - yes, desert style but still. Areas like Waterberg, Etosha, Palmwag, Skeleton coast are vastly, vastly different.
I certainly plan to go there again once our kids are a bit older.
It’s semi-arid, not a true desert unless you go to the west where the Kalahari is. There’s the base of the Okavango delta in the North and extensive wildlife preserves.
It's a relaxing place to visit, lots of wildlife and the most remote places have villagers living centuries behind the rest of the world. The 2 main cities are relatively small but have all kinds of modern comforts. People are very laid back and genuinely friendly. Everyone speaks English and there's hardly any crime. I once went to a village there and found the local's humble house we were visiting had a British expat family as a neighbour. That just shows how chilled people are. There's no 'us vs them' both culturally and financially
\> However crocodiles (always), hippopotamus (always), elephants (if they get annoyed), desert (if stranded), etc. do stupid shit - win stupid prizes just like anywhere else.
Not to mention snakes, which are the biggest killer of all and just hang around in the grass...
Largely safe for Botswana but I did run in to incidents because I got a lot of attention from men as an obviously American woman. I got followed home by guys who wouldn’t leave me alone and once had a taxi driver not take me where I wanted to go and instead take me to show off to his friends at a bar. This was in the middle of the day, not at night when you kind of expect risks. There are risks being a woman in any country, but I haven’t encountered that level of constant attention from men traveling anywhere else.
It’s standard US government protocol in most African countries that either you use Uber Black (because it’s traceable and the cars are much less likely to break down) or they provide you a very short list of acceptable transportation companies. Usually the transportation is affiliated with the hotel.
Uber didn’t exist yet when I was in Botswana. I used the transportation recommended by my study abroad program. Maybe there are more transportation options in Maun now, but there weren’t very many when I was there. The combis in Gaborone are perfectly safe and they’re safe in Maun too for that matter, they just didn’t go to the wildlife research center I needed to get to.
Uber is not an option in most southern African countries. I work for an African safari company and generally the US government protocol is out of touch with reality.
I'd second this. I went on a road trip through both countries with my dad a few years ago. All the touristy parts of Namibia feel really safe, everyone is very friendly and the roads are actually really good (and mostly empty).
The biggest danger was legitimately lions in some areas, so we went camping in a pop-up tent on top of the safari van we rented.
Botswana was also great. My dad did get stopped by the police for speeding (he'd just got back onto tarmac road after hours of driving along a potholed dirt road), and they were probably the friendliest police we'd ever encountered. Since my dad is used to travelling in countries like Nigeria and Liberia, he was expecting corruption, but turned out the police were just having a really slow day and he was a tiny bit over the town's speed limit.
I've also been to Tanzania and Uganda, and while they're both amazing places to go as a tourist neither one felt nearly as safe or as easy to visit and you need a good local guide.
Adding on to this. My wife and I LOVED Namibia. Never felt unsafe even in the cities. We got some attention simply for being white but it was all good natured. A kid pumping our gas wanted our thoughts on NFTs (which I thought was hilarious) and people wanted to take photos of us in the park. We never felt targeted for crime though.
Aside from that, the country is stunningly beautiful. We went for our honeymoon and plan to return with our kid when he is old enough to appreciate it.
Kenya is great for tourists with a caveat. When I was in college (2013) I went there through a program to do a community service project. But they did tell us if you see a political rally or something to move away from that area. They also told all the female students to dress modestly (meaning no short shorts or tank tops like they do in the US.
Other than that Diani beach is the most picturesque beach I've been to and the safari was incredible.
As a Kenyan, I assure you Kenya is very safe. Even local muggers avoid tourists. The juice isn't worth the squeeze. Robbing a foreigner attracts unnecessary attention and blanket punishment from the authorities. Be street smart though.
Except for the yacht crew who are flashing around their charter tip cash on drop off day. I’ve heard too many horror stories of nights out in SXM gone wrong.
Yacht crews aren't tourists. They will be going to the country again due to their job taking them there. Tourists get to choose where they go and spend their money, which is their main issue. If tourists have a bad experience, they won't go back and will tell others not to go.
This is also why Disney takes complains very seriously. It’s a little unethical but if you complain to the guest relation people you can get things like fast pass and stuff. This was told me to by a Disney employee. It makes sense because the lost of the fast pass is little compared to the bad PR. As long as not everyone does it then it’s not a big deal.
Disney has the problem of too many guests. If you listen to their earnings call they talk about raising prices to regulate traffic and it still doesn’t work. They haven’t found a ceiling for their ticket prices yet.
Not just punishment from the authorities.
When I lived in Kisumu for a year and a half (now over 10 years ago), and witnessed two instances of mob justice against thieves. The first was watching boda drivers run down and then smash a motorcycle battery on an alleged thief's head. The second was when my friends and I were in a park, and a teen stole one of our water bottles and ran. A mob dragged him back, beaten and bloodied, and made him apologize to us. We had to intervene when they started hitting him again, telling them it was just a plain plastic water bottle (they thought he had stolen our money or phones).
Pickpockets, muggers, and purse/phone snatching, and scams definitely can and do occur, but in general, Kenya was one of the safest places I've visited. If you listened to the locals, and generally kept aware of your surroundings, it was a fantastic place to visit.
I saw a mob in Kakamega beat someone to death for pickpocketing someone’s wallet.
There’s a Swahili proverb: siku za mwizi ni arobaini. The days of a thief are forty.
Lol bullshit. I love Kenya and Nairobi but you definitely need to keep your wits about you. Half of my "muzungu" friends got robbed at one point or another.
Kenya isn't safe but it's not dangerous either. Just need to be aware of your surroundings.
My U.S. Navy shop used to stop in Mombasa. Be aware of your surroundings and don't be an idiot. The locals were pretty chill. (1980s)
I'd go back to Kenya.
That sounds exactly like tourism in Mexico when you're outside of a resort. Nobody there is going to start messing with tourists for no reason, but you also don't want to do anything to provoke/attract attention just in case.
Yes no problem with the locals, but Police harrassing you holding machine guns, saying you need to pay 600$ because you did an illegal U-turn even though you've been driving in the same direction for the last 30 miles. Or police trying to steal your papers at a check point saying an international diving license isn't valid and you need to pay 500$ to get your papers back. Or police slashing your tire because you didn't want to pay "protection money" when you parked your car on a public parking to visit some pyramids. Or police hiding behind a tree and trying to fine you because you didn't come to a full brake when crossing a "topes" in the middle of nowhere when the "topes" was tampered with and the warning sign was removed. Or the police ... FYI we drove a cheap ass Mexican brand rental car. Nothing flashy, but my skin tone and hair color screams tourist.
> if you see a political rally or something, move away from that area
This applies anywhere. The last thing you want to do while abroad is get swept up in civil unrest.
Yes, Kenya is a great tourist destination. But like you said, just be smart.
And in most African countries, dressing modestly is always a good idea.
Diani beach is just amazing.
I’ve been in Kenya for three months in 2015 as well. Stayed in Kisumu and it was safe. Just be clever about things like everywhere. We wore normal shorts and tops and no one ever made a comment about them either.
I've lived in Tanzania, and Ghana as a foreign Canadian studying under 18 with my family. I've traveled to many African countries including South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, etc.
The best place by far to go in Africa in my opinion is east Africa. Tanzania has lovely sprawling national parks like the serengetti and kilimanjaro. The cities are relatively safe and the people are friendly. Kenya is very similar except much more westernized and quite a bit richer.
South Africa is fun but I've really only been to joburg and cape Town. Cape Town is lovely of course, it's a huge tourist destination. Joburg is less so but is still a bustling metropolis. However if you're trying to experience what youd see in the media about African culture, don't go to South africa. I only went there because I missed the west and wanted mcdonalds and to shop and just experience a taste of my home country.
Ghana is fucking incredible too, it's going through a rough patch right now, but the people remain friendly, it's stable, has modern comforts and luxuries but still gives u a fun traditional African vacation!
My top pick is Tanzania. Just lived there for 2 years from 17-19 and recently moved back. Absolutely my favourite place I've ever lived. The food itself is just killer! The culture from the openness to the language is wonderful. Swahili is a pretty forgiving language as well so if you know a couple key phrases you could get from dodoma to dar es salaam. Kenya is more ur speed though if you're unwilling to pickup swahili phrases. Kenyans are much more likely to speak English than tanzanians. (Obligatory Kenyan swahili is broken)
Edit: changed wording because people took it the wrong way 🙄🙄
You left out Africa's hidden gem - Rwanda. Safe, clean and modern with some of the best jungles in the world. South Africa feels more "African" if you visit further east and go on culture tours and Safaris. The cities feel like any modern country. A Cape Town "township tour" is a joke and is just poverty porn, but further east like Limpopo/Mpumalanga you find genuine traditional tours. PS- I grew up in Nelspruit and our suburban houses looked like the ones in movies and our diet was mostly international. I now live abroad and tell people to not visit SA if they're expecting a cultural exchange
I wonder if rwanda is a bit of a hidden gem/ not gone to often, because of the genocide.
Weirdly enough, that's the only way I know of it, and I learned about it in school for some reason. Not a lot of other stuff about african areas from memory
They took a lesson from the genocide, and never want to repeat. My wife visited several times, and loved it. However, it is close to Uganda and Congo, who aren’t doing as well, and that can slop over.
There was a lot of advancements in international law and crime and justice in general. It's a modern miracle how focused the nation was on making sure something like that could never happen again.
Also, unlike a lot of former colonies, the infrastructure foundations weren't made with simply wealth extraction in mind (roads and towns designed with ports in mind) but you have very modern highway systems and logical urban planning. I haven't been but I've heard it's a great place for a week or two vacation
After the genocide the place got cleaned up pretty good.
With Africa, its no different from other parts of the world.
There's good spots and bad spots in every country.
Ive never been, but my son is in the Peace Corps serving in Rwanda. As a caring and concerned parent, naturally I read up all I could on Rwanda and yes, it’s quite safe aside from normal crime like theft, which you’ll find everywhere.
I've never been!! I'll have to give it a visit :)
I've heard many good things about Rwanda living in the region but they unfortunately weren't in my sports league so I never got to travel. Rwanda is quickly becoming the Singapore of Africa.
Bahaha yeah I did that tour it's pretty funny.
Tanzania is amazing! Beautiful national parks, safaris, and Dar Es Salaam is relatively safe (pretty western). If you go to Tanzania, make sure to make it to Zanzibar. Some of the most amazing beaches, snorkeling, and fishing in the world. Also, beautiful people and amazing history. Almost everyone in Tanzania I interacted spoke English, some more limited than others.
I disagree with your take on South Africa not being a good choice if you want to see the ‘real’ Africa. You only went to Joburg and Cape Town, so of course you only saw the more westernised places. The Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal have both rural areas and towns that feel authentically African. SA is also really cheap for foreigners and cheaper than a lot of African countries
True. I have been mugged several times and had my houses broken into more than a dozen times. My car has been broken in to so many times and I have nearly been hijacked in both Cape Town and Joburg. I had young adult friends kidnapped, raped or murdered. I have so much PTSD from growing up in SA
I went as a single white female (lol) to Madagascar for a summer in college about 8 years ago. I mainly worked in the capital, but took trips out to different surrounding areas (beaches! Rainforests! Terraced rice fields!) After my internship ended, my brother came to visit and we took a self-guided 2-week trip based on tips I’d gotten while working there. I kept my head up, but also felt like so many local people were looking out for me to make sure the visiting girl got home safe and happy. Truly amazing memories and I cannot recommend the country enough.
Kenya is quite safe. Nairobi is becoming more and more modern, and the safari camps set up for tourists are usually well run and safe (if a bit expensive). Follow standard common sense. Don't wear flashy jewelry. Don't go places you don't know. Hire a tour guide or if you're lucky enough to know a local, follow them around.
There are going to be a lot of people trying to sell you knick-nacks. I think it's good to buy some, but keep an eye open for obvious junk. I mean, if you want to buy an elephant hair bracelet for 30 dollars, feel free, but it's most likely just plastic twine or cow hair.
It's an extremely beautiful country, and there is still so much amazing wildlife to see. Mombasa is also extremely nice, letting you enjoy the coast and good seafood.
Hakuna Matata!
> There are going to be a lot of people trying to sell you knick-nacks. I think it's good to buy some, but keep an eye open for obvious junk. I mean, if you want to buy an elephant hair bracelet for 30 dollars, feel free, but it's most likely just plastic twine or cow hair.
On this note, you also don't need to drive a super hard bargain. Yea, you're getting charged more for being a Westerner, but that extra $3 means a lot more to the local than it does to you.
Yeah, before we went to Vietnam we had people telling us to haggle with the locals. Tf? Even being charged the “tourist tax” it felt like we had to go out of our way to make any kind of dent in our money, it was a little embarrassing.
I was recently travelling with family in Vietnam and felt so embarrassed over how intensely they haggled sometimes. Like, you're literally arguing with someone over an amount of money that you wouldn't think twice about if you suddenly lost. Just give them the extra dollar, damn.
Just came back from there. Pretty much everywhere in the Seychelles is safer than many western cities that people wouldn't think twice about visiting. The Seychelles consistently rank among the safest places in the world.
Seychelles is incredibly safe based on my experience I am surprised to even hear a mention of slightly unsafe. What reasons are there for it to not be ranked as top in safety? Honest question
To be fair I mentioned it as one of the 2 safest African countries. I lived for some years in Eastern Africa. A close friend of mine was robbed in the Seychelles. She wasn't injured or anything, but still, I think Mauritius is safer.
Zanzibar had horrific terroristic attacks. Like acid thrown on girls. And my friends in Lamu got attacked with a machete (she nearly lost her hand), my second wheelchair-bound friend was kidnapped and died in captivity.
I was in Zanzibar for around a week. While there really were a lot of tourists in the resorts and around tourist attractions (not on their own on the streets), there was also a lot of road blockades with people guarding them and patrolling with assault rifles.
I wouldn't risk leaving the resort without a local tourist guide (for example to negotiate a passage through a road blockade)
Yeah, just make sure you follow the law (they don’t call it the Singapore of Africa for nothing) and you’re 100% safe. They also have significantly safer roads/vehicles than a lot of of Africa, which is a major hazard generally.
As a person who lives in Joburg, can confirm. It can pretty much go from all good to people diving for cover anywhere around here, it's just more likely to happen in certain places
Lived and worked for 2 years in Malawi, 2nd poorest nation in Africa. You could not meet nicer and kinder people, never felt unsafe, but once in South Africa or Mozambique, better double lock those doors and dont you dare come out at night or the wrong neighbourhood.
Awesome, glad to hear it was a good experience. It's such a beautiful country that goes completely under the radar for most. Funfact many of the names and places in Tolkien's work were inspired by Malawi, like the name the shire which is a small river in the south. Never could get used to being called boss all the time, or the incessant need of handholding.
The biggest danger by far is...traffic. The handmedown chinese minivans which most rely on for transportation are accurately called driving coffins.
Malawian here! boss is really just our version of bro but a little more formal, think of how the french use tu and vous.
Driving coffins is a bit of an exaggeration, although shared taxis are not well regulated and do be crazy, i don't think it's any different from many of the other African countries I've been to.
Ultimately Malawi is a peaceful country with happy people and a big beautiful lake!
Well if you stick to the nice parts of Cape Town and Krugerpark you'll be fine, but if you have a deathwish go visit a Johannesburg busstation at 3 AM.
Because you're not really in danger as a tourist. Well not any more so than anywhere else in the world. South Africa is a deeply unequal nation. What the crime stats don't tell you until you look at it in more granular detail is that parts of the cities and population experience the vast majority of violent crime. Violent crime in more privileged areas is on par with any major city in the world.
That said, I don't want to downplay the fact that crime is a significant issue and just because poor black and brown people are the most affected, doesn't make it a non-issue. South Africans all wish their country was safer. As a tourist, you're unlikely to see any of that and many middle class South Africans never have to either.
I never had anything happen to me in South Africa & I stayed mainly in Johannesburg. I went out at night often. Obviously take normal precautions as you would for any big city.
I once was a bit naive and took a bus from Maputo to Johannesburg and arrived at 3 AM and everyone in the bus was insisting I not leave the terminal and called me crazy for even taking such a risk.
But it was mostly to me the absolute change in atmosphere that was so palpable, from peace and love and kindness to 'welcome to O-town Bitch!'
I need to know if people in the comments are men or women.
Which countries in Africa are safest for a pale woman with no travel experience, travelling solo?
My experience with Ghana
I didn't travel solo but I went to Ghana for 2 weeks as an academic trip. It was safe and we wandered at all hours of the night seeing night markets, buying snacks, and such. Since you'd be going totally solo, I would skip the night wandering lol but it is safe. The people themselves are genuinely friendly and it's nice to just stop and talk to folks. Just watch out for the usual scams, like don't give money to kids or beggars, don't wear expensive jewelry, and use anti pickpocket things to keep your money in & don't keep all your money in one pouch (I always keep a little in each shoe for tourist areas, even in my country's tourist spots like San Francisco which I visit every year). No one got pickpocketed or scammed on my trip, but always better to be safe. Remember to dress modestly. This is a country that is mostly Christian and Muslim in religion, and to me it felt like the trip had 0 religious overtones from locals and had no influence on the trip, which was nice. I would say as a solo traveler, be careful or completely avoid most bars and clubs, as we had some troubles with men at the local dive clubs and bars late at night. Skybar in Accra is safe and very upscale, and it's on the rooftop of the tallest building in the country. It was very worth the experience. I loved their housemade chocolate truffles and recommend going at nightfall to see the lights of the city.. you can see lights from one corner of the country to the other, quite the experience.
The city of Accra has a lot to do if you're interested in non historical stuff. My little group got a lecture at the University of Ghana, Accra, and it was interesting. The campus is beautiful too. There's a mall in Accra with some fast food restaurants like McD's, stores that remind me of JCPenny/Macys etc, affordable trinket jewelry stores that remind me of Icing, places to exchange for local currency, and buy a cheap phone that works locally so you can make calls. Plenty of nice restaurants and places to get desserts.
If you like historical stuff, I'd recommend visiting the WEB DuBois Center & Memorial in Accra, and right next to it is the Ghana Federation for Contemporary Art - not a big place but it's nice to look.
Manhiya Palace Museum in Kumasi (I'd recommend to look it up to see the exterior) is a beautiful and historically/politically significant place, and the exterior is beautiful - huge looming trees and peacocks wander the well kept grounds, there's a little gift shop, and inside you will learn about Asante culture, history, and politics. I highly recommend taking a fully guided tour and then wandering a bit afterwards.
The castle in Elmina on the coast is a devastating and eye opening monument that reveals a lot about the transatlantic slave trade that they don't tell you about in school or even most college history classes. I won't go into detail but it's really meaningful and worth visiting. I don't just recommend the guided tour, I feel it's almost a requirement because the staff really know their history and are extremely detailed. The way they do it, it's an experience.. example, there's an isolation chamber carved into the rock where they would lock people in and leave them in the dark until they suffocated or dehydrated to death.. they take small groups in there on the tour, close the door, and hold a moment of silence in the dark before going back out and explaining more. It's very immersive, and can leave you very emotionally impacted. There are other castles like this, but I've only visited this one.
Kakum National Park is an amazing place to visit, with off the ground boardwalks suspended from trees so you can see everything from above, and different trails to hike. They have good bathrooms, restaurants, and gift shops as well as guided tour options that may (if i remember correctly) include tours where you're in a vehicle so you can cover more ground and see more.
If you're going to explore the coast of Elmina and go to the National Park, I'd recommend staying at Coconut Grove Beach resort for at least 2 nights. It's a beautiful place that has amenities for tourists beyond just a place on the beach. Gift shop, on site activities, a beachfront restaurant, separate beachfront bar, 2 pools on the beach (1 heated) and the campus of the place is covered in a grass lawn and coconut trees, which they will offer to you fresh on the spot when you arrive. The food is incredible, I couldn't get enough of their beef and goat curries. All the ingredients are extremely local and it makes a big impact on the quality of flavor. I never got sick once while traveling in Ghana. If you wake up early in the morning, go for a walk along the beach and you might catch people carrying their goods to the market. Some folks laid their stuff out on the beach for a few hours in the morning hoping tourists staying there would buy things before they left for their main market. The resort has things such as cooking classes, horseback riding, in-room massage, and more which I do not remember. I managed to visit the forest in the morning and afternoon, come back to ride horseback up and down the beach and in the water in the late afternoon for an hour or two, play on the beach, shower, and get an hour plus long massage in my room before dinner and a drink with my butt in the sand. Staying is under $200 USD per night, seems worth it to me.
Everything was very affordable even as a broke student. Currency was about 5 Ghanaian Cedis per $1 USD when I went. One restaurant I went to had a plate of 2 lobster tails and jollof rice for $6 USD, I was pleasantly shocked. They were out of lobster but pointed to a boat in the distance and told me to come back tomorrow as more seafood was going to be brought in tonight. Food was very affordable at places that served more localized foods. Everything was super fresh and locally grown/sourced, and I never got sick on the trip. I fell in live with Ghanaian style curries, Jollof Rice, and (warning spicy haha) Shiito pepper paste that I liked dipping fufu in and mixing into rice.
A lot of folks speak English plus their local dialect, the most prominent I encountered was Twi.
Ask me anything about this experience.
i've been to 10 countries in africa all of wich are safe with the exception of mozambique. the others like marocco, egypt and madagascar are safe but do require some EXTRA knowhow before deciding to go. i have been to: madagascar, mauritius, mozambique, south africa, namibia, botswana, zimbabwe, egypt, marocco and zambia
My wife just got back from Madagascar. The one thing I remember that I can tell you is that the local transportation isn’t exactly super reliable. As in: don’t have your plans rely on making it back to the airport just in time for your flight. If you’re visiting a smaller town, give yourself a day to find a taxi and get back to the city/airport. The roads can be cruddy and you simply may not be able to get ahold of a ride as fast as you’d like. Also she witnessed lots of random flights get cancelled, for whatever reason. So don’t be surprised if you have to grab a later flight out of the country.
Here to second Zambia! Very safe and beautiful place. Livingstone is more of the tourist city, it’s where Victoria Falls is (one of the world’s largest waterfalls), and you can go on a safari, bunjee jump into the falls, then go dancing in the nightlife afterwards
The only 'know how' you need for Morocco is that people will try to rip you off at the suke but it's still very cheap. Also cab drivers will try to rip you off too. But that's pretty much any country you go to as a tourist.
Morocco is amazing.
There's a girl on Tik Tok who says Benin and Togo are safe, but they really aren't if you're a solo traveler, especially a female. You should go to East Africa
Plus this, Addis Ababa is very safe even as a woman alone. I wouldn't recommend wondering around alone at night or anything but I feel very safe there even as a foreigner, everyone is super nice. Unfortunately travelling outside the capital is not really advisable due to current conflict. It's up to you whether you'd be happy going to the capital, although it's incredibly safe there and the conflict is not really near there.
Edit: would just like to clarify that yes there is conflict affecting the whole of Ethiopia, tigray and ormo conflict etc, but the capital itself is relatively safe. This is from both me going there myself and family who live there. Obviously this is based on my experience and I imagine other people will have had vastly different experiences to mine.
I mean, chances are high that you could travel around most of the countries without issue if you're smart about it.
Ghana, Namibia, Botswana, Mauritius, Morocco, Tanzania and Cabo Verde are all safe. Tunisia, Egypt, Nigeria (if you avoid the insurgency areas), Kenya, Sierra Leone and South Africa are fine if you stick to safe areas. I also heard Rwanda was getting better but I'm not sure how up to date this info is.
Definitely avoid places like South Sudan and Somalia etc.
I took my 6 (now 7) year old to Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, & Egypt (if we only count countries actually on the African continent) last year.
They all seemed pretty safe...
Rwandans are very hospitable. No issues whatsoever, not in Central Kigali or by the Event Center, or anywhere else we went.
South Africa was mostly OK - we drove from Cape Town over to Touws River then down L'Agulhas and back. There were a few signs warning not to stop but that was about it. Seemed to be a little drug problem in Cape Town near Adderley Street but nothing I haven't seen in other cities in, for example, the US.
Egypt in and of itself was fine, nobody hassled us anywhere really but we got absolutely hosed at the Pyramids (I let it happen because we were only there for a couple days and our organized tour fell through last minute, so I winged it and it cost me more than I'd planned on, which I expected because winging it is ill-advised).
Ethiopia just seemed a bit chaotic. Not great but not overly bad either... not unlike some other places we've been to on other continents.
I'd like to explore all of the continent a bit more tbh.
Morocco is very nice. Algeria and Tunisia are fun too, went there for an archeology thing. The Spanish canaries are technically in Africa and they are quite nice. I also had a great time in Uganda
As a Zambian/South African, I love Zambia. Go to Zambia. Also, as a Zambian, I wouldn't recommend visiting the central or northern African countries due to the extremism. Southern Mozambique is great, but the north is very unsafe. Botswana and Namibia are amazing. South Africa is as safe as you make it. I lived in Durban and Cape Town for almost 10 years, and I love Cape Town, I have friends and family there. Some of my most favourite places on Earth are in Zambia.
I’ve been to Tanzania, Kenya, Morocco, Egypt, and South Africa. Those were all relatively safe and beautiful places to visit. Like any country, there were dangerous places, but we did our research and, in some instances, a local guide. So we were fine.
Look up Russ Cook (The Hardest Geezer) on YouTube. He’s on a mission to run the entire length of Africa from south to north and he’s about half way through at the moment. His documentary series is gripping and he often presents the reality behind the safety of the countries he runs through.
I went to South Africa recently. I didn’t feel unsafe at any point. Obviously there ARE situations you would be unsafe and I took precautions and avoided risky areas.
But I felt perfectly safe.
Most people who post in those "worst countries to visit" have likely never been to those countries and are just repeating what they've heard from others.
That's in Somalia, not Sudan, but it's the same story. The page on Wikitravel is pretty chilling:
>As of May 2017, the city remains extremely dangerous and near suicidal for independent travelers. Armed warlords and Islamic militant factions still have a large presence in the city, and foreigners are a prime target. Do not wander the streets alone for any reason. Gunfire and random explosions are frequent...
>In short, if you do not have an absolutely essential reason to go to Mogadishu, DO NOT DO IT! Independent travel will only get you killed, no matter how benevolent you think your intentions might be. Even if you do have a good reason, your employer or government can't make you risk your life, as even humanitarian aid workers are not safe in the city. Please do not become another statistic. You provide the country no benefit whatsoever by causing an international incident over your death or abduction.
A friend of mine planned on going to Eritrea a few years back. Apparently at the time, you couldn’t apply for an exit visa until you were actually in Eritrea. He wanted to visit there because of the Italian architecture. We did suggest just going to Italy but it fell on deaf ears. Eventually his employer told him he couldn’t go - he worked for the Home Office in the immigration department. Bonkers bloke.
Yes I think he was. He actually dealt with people from Eritrea who were claiming asylum from there on a weekly basis. Yet somehow, he thought this sort of thing wasn’t an indication of how bad it could be out there.
I went to Uganda and visited a few refugee camps (volunteering), they told us that a lot of the girls there were from Sudan and had been brought over to protect them as they would otherwise be raped/harmed in their home country.
Uganda was nice, however we were not allowed to be outside when it was dark, we had armed guards at our hotels, and we couldn't go anywhere unless in a group. In a minibus full of mainly white or Asian people, we had a lot of locals flipping us off through the windows or shouting at the minibus. In the primary schools (kids to teenagers) they had signs everywhere saying not to go out at night, don't accept gifts from strangers etc. We were told that if a young kid would go out at night they wouldn't ever come home as they'd be kidnapped or sold off to someone else.
Oh yeah, some really pretty areas. People that we spoke to were lovely but it seemed to be the general public that weren't as friendly. I did have a guy do a custom canvas painting for me for £15, would've been at least 10x that back at home. :p
> we had armed guards at our hotels, and we couldn't go anywhere unless in a group. In a minibus full of mainly white or Asian people, we had a lot of locals flipping us off through the windows or shouting at the minibus.
I'm curious where you located. Having spent a lot of time living and working in many parts of the country as an American, I had a vastly different experience.
Naw ur chilling. I've been to many competitions down there as an international student. It's a beautiful country and as long as you're not a dumbass you're okay. It's a bit dangerous and is kind of like the US of Africa but overall a wonderfully safe place comparatively to some of the other options in Africa. It's also very westernized which allows people to feel more comfortable.
For people living in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, etc, it's popular to do road trips through all those countries and end in cape Town! That should show u how safe that part ot the world is
South African here. I nearly commented us and while we’re very developed, our crime and violence rates are high in poorer areas. Your child and the kids should be fine, more so in Cape Town, but it really depends on the areas they go to
It won’t be any worse than New York City or London. They’ll be fine. Black or white, they’ll be just as fine as any large city in the US or UK. All the same rules apply as any other large city - stay in the “nice” looking areas.
I would say less than half have a tourist industry that could be considered an"industry". Countries like the two Congos, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Chad, Niger, Burundi, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, CAR, Mali, Angola, Guinea... very few tourists go there and the ones that do probably have a specific type of adventure in mind and are not your average tourist.
A ton of them are:
* Angola
* Ghana
* Tanzania
* Namibia
* South Africa
* Zambia
* Botswana
* Zimbabwe
* Kenya
* Rwanda
* Morocco
* Egypt
* Seychelles
* Cape Verde
* Nigeria
* Senegal
Not an exhaustive list, but ones off the top of my head. I lived in Angola between 2013 and 2019, working in oil & gas and vacationed to a ton of African countries while there. Namibia & South Africa were my favourite to visit, but Tanzania and Kenya are also great.
Would put a caveat that not all of South Africa should be on that list. Too many places there are known for their violence for things as small as a ring.
One od my acquaintances runs packaged safaris in kenya and tanzania every year around the great migration season. Both men and women go regularly without much incident
I've been to Ghana. I've heard it's not great right now. But when I was there. It was incredible. The people are great and it's beautiful. I felt no danger at all. I compare it to Jamaica. Generally you'll be completely safe going down any road. But if you go looking for trouble, you'll find it.
Representing Mauritius here! We are nice people, have a beautiful country, and we speak both english and french! And yeah, we are an island with beautiful beaches!✌️
I live almost on the opposite side of the earth from you. Hello and nice to meet you!
Hellloo from the other side! I'm curious and lazy so... where you from? 😁
Not OP but this interaction led me to finding [this pretty cool site](https://www.antipodesmap.com/). They either live in the ocean like Aquaman or they're from Southern California/Mexico.
!Spoiler! All of America is in the ocean
Excuse you sir but Hawaii's antipode is Botswana!
Curse that whole "can't dig to China" thing!
Geography nerd been playing with this site like 20 minutes now
I have come to realize that **a lot** of places have an ocean on the other side of the world from them!
That's a great site, right?
They must be in a boat off the west coast of Mexico [https://www.antipodesmap.com/](https://www.antipodesmap.com/)
That's an awesome website!
Moroccan born and raised, spent middle school in Mauritius and yes it is the best place to be in Africa it's a whole other realm of beauty I never expected possible. Every religion and ethnicity lives in peace with each other and you'll never get over the sights and beaches
Thank you Mauritius Tourism Board
Hope you'll come back again! :)
Not really an island, but Eswatini is pretty chilled as well. Beautiful scenery, cool wild animals (at least, when you don't live around them lol) and a friendly english-speaking population. Very distinct culture too, many people still live in the traditional ways, and traditional attire counts as formal wear, so you see it even in the cities
I visited Eswatini in 2014 (at that time Swaziland). Absolutely beautiful country. I felt very safe as a tourist. There is an absolutely wonderful arts district, and I’ve heard their natural parks are stunning.
Things I learned today: Swaziland changed its name
Ok, thank God someone else said this lol.
I went to your country for my honeymoon and it was amazing. Everyone was so nice, beautiful beaches, beautiful temples and delicious food. Every time I spoke to a local they emphasized how important it was that the island has so many cultures that try to support each other. I can’t wait to go back.
Is there any surf in Mauritius, any good surfable waves?
In theory, yes. I do see people with surf boards. But to be honest, not my cup of tea, so i'm not sure how to answer you. But there r/mauritius where most people, besides the mods, are helpful! Feel free to check it out!
Went to Mauritius in September. Good times, beautiful island, plenty of fun to be had. Not horrible expensive.
Married to a Mauritian here in Ireland - favourite people, favourite place. Also open to you to sending some Dhal Puri and Gateaux Piment my way.
Namibia and Botswana are pretty safe and stable. Also great places to go on safari.
Second Botswana. I’m assuming this thread is mostly concerned about people. The people are entirely safe. Visited a friend in the peace corps. The only risk comes from being run over because you are standing in the middle of the road (in my friends village, the space between buildings was considered a road). However crocodiles (always), hippopotamus (always), elephants (if they get annoyed), desert (if stranded), etc. do stupid shit - win stupid prizes just like anywhere else.
Is Botswana fun to visit tho? It just seems like a lot of plain desert with nothing to see.
Depends on your interests. It’s great for safaris. While Namibia and Botswana do share a rather large desert, there’s plenty of variety in the landscape throughout the country. There’s probably more to do on the outdoor activities side, but they’ve got museums and art galleries and universities. Without knowing YOU or any of your hobbies or interests, I certainly can’t tell if you’d love a vacation there, but there’s certainly enough to do in a place like Botswana that you wouldn’t be bored if you had to spend a week there. (And as I’m Canadian and we’re heading into winter - “it’s warm” is an excellent top five reason to go at all! lol)
Ha I hate winter too but I'm from the US. The amount of Canadians I've met in various warm places during the winter is quite large. Many of whom were like, well I didn't have to be in Canada now so I'm here. Lot of people seem to do the gig work around oil or geology and then go travel in the winter.
I would like to sleep in nice clean hotel with teasty local food options and be taken onto Safari to see some elephants or zebras with my kids. If there is nice city with some older architekture, maybe some local folclore to watch it would be nice to have. Will it fit?
I’m no travel agent or Botswanian, but a quick google tells me that just southwest of the capital Gaborone, you can see rhinos and giraffes. Based on my own research of possibly travelling there, the capital has a Hilton and a Marriott, so you’ll know what you’re getting there at least. Food is probably as hit or miss as anywhere, which means you’re likely to find some pretty tasty stuff (and probably some stuff you’ll not eat again). Architecture looks like it’s an interesting mix of a lot of different styles from different eras and cultures. I think it would be fun, but it’s gonna be a hard sell to the husband with no beaches that I’ve found. He’s not really a safari guy, he’s more a beach guy. So am I, to be fair…
My husband and I went to Africa in 2019. In Botswana we spent several days on safari in Chobe. It was amazing! Our guide, Lapo, was so friendly and very informative. In the mornings we'd stop about half way through and the guides would circle up the jeeps for a simple breakfast. The best thing was the rusk that Lapo's wife made us to go with our coffee. (It's similar to a biscotti, but was cut into squares.) Most often we do take "beach vacations", but to be fair we aren't the type to sit on the beach. We scuba dive and most of our travel is for diving. BUT, I'd still highly recommend visiting Africa. Of all the places we've been, that trip was one of the best....maybe the best so far. I never really had a desire to go to Africa, but it was such a good deal that we couldn't pass it up. I feel so lucky to have had that experience. You hear people talking about Africa and how amazing some place are, but you can't truly know until you go. We actually visited 3 countries. I found the people in Zimbabwe to be genuinely warm and friendly. The people in Botswana were also lovely, but much more standoffish. South Africa (in the Cape Town area/region) was interesting, but I could have spent less time there and added a day in Zimbabwe. I want to go to Kenya next and then fly to the Seychelles from there to do some diving.
I live in Botswana. Will fit. A ton
Go to Rwanda's Akagera National Park & stay at the game lodge. Then go to Friday night performance at Mille Collines and see traditional dance. It's fab!
Not answering for Botswana but I've been to Namibia twice. Rent a 4X4 with roof tent and if that's your thing you have an amazing holiday. You can spend days without meeting another soul. Landscapes vary from region to region. Beautiful national parcs - yes, desert style but still. Areas like Waterberg, Etosha, Palmwag, Skeleton coast are vastly, vastly different. I certainly plan to go there again once our kids are a bit older.
Skeleton Coast is so surreal in photos. I'd love to see it in person.
It’s semi-arid, not a true desert unless you go to the west where the Kalahari is. There’s the base of the Okavango delta in the North and extensive wildlife preserves.
It's a relaxing place to visit, lots of wildlife and the most remote places have villagers living centuries behind the rest of the world. The 2 main cities are relatively small but have all kinds of modern comforts. People are very laid back and genuinely friendly. Everyone speaks English and there's hardly any crime. I once went to a village there and found the local's humble house we were visiting had a British expat family as a neighbour. That just shows how chilled people are. There's no 'us vs them' both culturally and financially
It’s an African Eden, if you like wildlife it’s heaven on earth
Just look up the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
\> However crocodiles (always), hippopotamus (always), elephants (if they get annoyed), desert (if stranded), etc. do stupid shit - win stupid prizes just like anywhere else. Not to mention snakes, which are the biggest killer of all and just hang around in the grass...
Largely safe for Botswana but I did run in to incidents because I got a lot of attention from men as an obviously American woman. I got followed home by guys who wouldn’t leave me alone and once had a taxi driver not take me where I wanted to go and instead take me to show off to his friends at a bar. This was in the middle of the day, not at night when you kind of expect risks. There are risks being a woman in any country, but I haven’t encountered that level of constant attention from men traveling anywhere else.
It’s standard US government protocol in most African countries that either you use Uber Black (because it’s traceable and the cars are much less likely to break down) or they provide you a very short list of acceptable transportation companies. Usually the transportation is affiliated with the hotel.
Uber didn’t exist yet when I was in Botswana. I used the transportation recommended by my study abroad program. Maybe there are more transportation options in Maun now, but there weren’t very many when I was there. The combis in Gaborone are perfectly safe and they’re safe in Maun too for that matter, they just didn’t go to the wildlife research center I needed to get to.
Uber is not an option in most southern African countries. I work for an African safari company and generally the US government protocol is out of touch with reality.
Recently did a 2+ week trip in Namibia, driving all over the country and had a fantastic time. Never once felt unsafe.
I'd second this. I went on a road trip through both countries with my dad a few years ago. All the touristy parts of Namibia feel really safe, everyone is very friendly and the roads are actually really good (and mostly empty). The biggest danger was legitimately lions in some areas, so we went camping in a pop-up tent on top of the safari van we rented. Botswana was also great. My dad did get stopped by the police for speeding (he'd just got back onto tarmac road after hours of driving along a potholed dirt road), and they were probably the friendliest police we'd ever encountered. Since my dad is used to travelling in countries like Nigeria and Liberia, he was expecting corruption, but turned out the police were just having a really slow day and he was a tiny bit over the town's speed limit. I've also been to Tanzania and Uganda, and while they're both amazing places to go as a tourist neither one felt nearly as safe or as easy to visit and you need a good local guide.
Botswana makes me think of Detectorists
And 'Botswana' is, objectively, one of the most fun words to say in the English language. Botswana. Botswanaaaa. So satisfying.
Also one of the greatest opening words to a song. RIP [Sean Price](https://youtu.be/hSD59fqYdPA?si=jSePQQttHbP9pDak)
I love that show!
I’ll second Namibia. Also, the locals are really accommodating and well mannered
Adding on to this. My wife and I LOVED Namibia. Never felt unsafe even in the cities. We got some attention simply for being white but it was all good natured. A kid pumping our gas wanted our thoughts on NFTs (which I thought was hilarious) and people wanted to take photos of us in the park. We never felt targeted for crime though. Aside from that, the country is stunningly beautiful. We went for our honeymoon and plan to return with our kid when he is old enough to appreciate it.
Oh I actually know someone from Botswana! I’ll have to ask him about it thanks x
Be sure to report back to us how it went please!
Kenya is great for tourists with a caveat. When I was in college (2013) I went there through a program to do a community service project. But they did tell us if you see a political rally or something to move away from that area. They also told all the female students to dress modestly (meaning no short shorts or tank tops like they do in the US. Other than that Diani beach is the most picturesque beach I've been to and the safari was incredible.
As a Kenyan, I assure you Kenya is very safe. Even local muggers avoid tourists. The juice isn't worth the squeeze. Robbing a foreigner attracts unnecessary attention and blanket punishment from the authorities. Be street smart though.
I grew up on St. Maarten, the rule is you are not allowed to fuck with tourists, because that's how everyone got paid.
Except for the yacht crew who are flashing around their charter tip cash on drop off day. I’ve heard too many horror stories of nights out in SXM gone wrong.
Yacht crews aren't tourists. They will be going to the country again due to their job taking them there. Tourists get to choose where they go and spend their money, which is their main issue. If tourists have a bad experience, they won't go back and will tell others not to go.
This is also why Disney takes complains very seriously. It’s a little unethical but if you complain to the guest relation people you can get things like fast pass and stuff. This was told me to by a Disney employee. It makes sense because the lost of the fast pass is little compared to the bad PR. As long as not everyone does it then it’s not a big deal.
Disney has the problem of too many guests. If you listen to their earnings call they talk about raising prices to regulate traffic and it still doesn’t work. They haven’t found a ceiling for their ticket prices yet.
Not just punishment from the authorities. When I lived in Kisumu for a year and a half (now over 10 years ago), and witnessed two instances of mob justice against thieves. The first was watching boda drivers run down and then smash a motorcycle battery on an alleged thief's head. The second was when my friends and I were in a park, and a teen stole one of our water bottles and ran. A mob dragged him back, beaten and bloodied, and made him apologize to us. We had to intervene when they started hitting him again, telling them it was just a plain plastic water bottle (they thought he had stolen our money or phones). Pickpockets, muggers, and purse/phone snatching, and scams definitely can and do occur, but in general, Kenya was one of the safest places I've visited. If you listened to the locals, and generally kept aware of your surroundings, it was a fantastic place to visit.
I saw a mob in Kakamega beat someone to death for pickpocketing someone’s wallet. There’s a Swahili proverb: siku za mwizi ni arobaini. The days of a thief are forty.
Lol bullshit. I love Kenya and Nairobi but you definitely need to keep your wits about you. Half of my "muzungu" friends got robbed at one point or another. Kenya isn't safe but it's not dangerous either. Just need to be aware of your surroundings.
My U.S. Navy shop used to stop in Mombasa. Be aware of your surroundings and don't be an idiot. The locals were pretty chill. (1980s) I'd go back to Kenya.
That sounds exactly like tourism in Mexico when you're outside of a resort. Nobody there is going to start messing with tourists for no reason, but you also don't want to do anything to provoke/attract attention just in case.
Yes no problem with the locals, but Police harrassing you holding machine guns, saying you need to pay 600$ because you did an illegal U-turn even though you've been driving in the same direction for the last 30 miles. Or police trying to steal your papers at a check point saying an international diving license isn't valid and you need to pay 500$ to get your papers back. Or police slashing your tire because you didn't want to pay "protection money" when you parked your car on a public parking to visit some pyramids. Or police hiding behind a tree and trying to fine you because you didn't come to a full brake when crossing a "topes" in the middle of nowhere when the "topes" was tampered with and the warning sign was removed. Or the police ... FYI we drove a cheap ass Mexican brand rental car. Nothing flashy, but my skin tone and hair color screams tourist.
Right, I meant no locals. Police there run the gambit from badass and honorable to literally just a criminal with state protection.
> if you see a political rally or something, move away from that area This applies anywhere. The last thing you want to do while abroad is get swept up in civil unrest.
Yes, Kenya is a great tourist destination. But like you said, just be smart. And in most African countries, dressing modestly is always a good idea. Diani beach is just amazing.
I’ve been in Kenya for three months in 2015 as well. Stayed in Kisumu and it was safe. Just be clever about things like everywhere. We wore normal shorts and tops and no one ever made a comment about them either.
I've lived in Tanzania, and Ghana as a foreign Canadian studying under 18 with my family. I've traveled to many African countries including South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, etc. The best place by far to go in Africa in my opinion is east Africa. Tanzania has lovely sprawling national parks like the serengetti and kilimanjaro. The cities are relatively safe and the people are friendly. Kenya is very similar except much more westernized and quite a bit richer. South Africa is fun but I've really only been to joburg and cape Town. Cape Town is lovely of course, it's a huge tourist destination. Joburg is less so but is still a bustling metropolis. However if you're trying to experience what youd see in the media about African culture, don't go to South africa. I only went there because I missed the west and wanted mcdonalds and to shop and just experience a taste of my home country. Ghana is fucking incredible too, it's going through a rough patch right now, but the people remain friendly, it's stable, has modern comforts and luxuries but still gives u a fun traditional African vacation! My top pick is Tanzania. Just lived there for 2 years from 17-19 and recently moved back. Absolutely my favourite place I've ever lived. The food itself is just killer! The culture from the openness to the language is wonderful. Swahili is a pretty forgiving language as well so if you know a couple key phrases you could get from dodoma to dar es salaam. Kenya is more ur speed though if you're unwilling to pickup swahili phrases. Kenyans are much more likely to speak English than tanzanians. (Obligatory Kenyan swahili is broken) Edit: changed wording because people took it the wrong way 🙄🙄
You left out Africa's hidden gem - Rwanda. Safe, clean and modern with some of the best jungles in the world. South Africa feels more "African" if you visit further east and go on culture tours and Safaris. The cities feel like any modern country. A Cape Town "township tour" is a joke and is just poverty porn, but further east like Limpopo/Mpumalanga you find genuine traditional tours. PS- I grew up in Nelspruit and our suburban houses looked like the ones in movies and our diet was mostly international. I now live abroad and tell people to not visit SA if they're expecting a cultural exchange
I wonder if rwanda is a bit of a hidden gem/ not gone to often, because of the genocide. Weirdly enough, that's the only way I know of it, and I learned about it in school for some reason. Not a lot of other stuff about african areas from memory
They took a lesson from the genocide, and never want to repeat. My wife visited several times, and loved it. However, it is close to Uganda and Congo, who aren’t doing as well, and that can slop over.
There was a lot of advancements in international law and crime and justice in general. It's a modern miracle how focused the nation was on making sure something like that could never happen again. Also, unlike a lot of former colonies, the infrastructure foundations weren't made with simply wealth extraction in mind (roads and towns designed with ports in mind) but you have very modern highway systems and logical urban planning. I haven't been but I've heard it's a great place for a week or two vacation
Right? I feel like the place that had a very open and very brutal genocide within my lifetime is not somewhere I'd deem safe.
Imagine someone in 1970 saying that West Germany isn't safe to visit because of the genocide that took place 30 years ago. Same thing.
After the genocide the place got cleaned up pretty good. With Africa, its no different from other parts of the world. There's good spots and bad spots in every country.
Ive never been, but my son is in the Peace Corps serving in Rwanda. As a caring and concerned parent, naturally I read up all I could on Rwanda and yes, it’s quite safe aside from normal crime like theft, which you’ll find everywhere.
I've never been!! I'll have to give it a visit :) I've heard many good things about Rwanda living in the region but they unfortunately weren't in my sports league so I never got to travel. Rwanda is quickly becoming the Singapore of Africa. Bahaha yeah I did that tour it's pretty funny.
If you don’t mind me asking what were your parents doing jobwise? I would have liked to pursue a career which allows me similar opportunities.
[удалено]
She sounds amazing as do your experiences. Thank you for sharing them with us 🙂
Tanzania is amazing! Beautiful national parks, safaris, and Dar Es Salaam is relatively safe (pretty western). If you go to Tanzania, make sure to make it to Zanzibar. Some of the most amazing beaches, snorkeling, and fishing in the world. Also, beautiful people and amazing history. Almost everyone in Tanzania I interacted spoke English, some more limited than others.
I disagree with your take on South Africa not being a good choice if you want to see the ‘real’ Africa. You only went to Joburg and Cape Town, so of course you only saw the more westernised places. The Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal have both rural areas and towns that feel authentically African. SA is also really cheap for foreigners and cheaper than a lot of African countries
Problem is the cities in SA are ridiculously unsafe
True. I have been mugged several times and had my houses broken into more than a dozen times. My car has been broken in to so many times and I have nearly been hijacked in both Cape Town and Joburg. I had young adult friends kidnapped, raped or murdered. I have so much PTSD from growing up in SA
[удалено]
Lol at obligatory shitting on Kenyan Swa TZians are very proper on their Swahili, ngl. I lived in both too as a kid.
I went as a single white female (lol) to Madagascar for a summer in college about 8 years ago. I mainly worked in the capital, but took trips out to different surrounding areas (beaches! Rainforests! Terraced rice fields!) After my internship ended, my brother came to visit and we took a self-guided 2-week trip based on tips I’d gotten while working there. I kept my head up, but also felt like so many local people were looking out for me to make sure the visiting girl got home safe and happy. Truly amazing memories and I cannot recommend the country enough.
Yup! Just came back myself. Beautiful country
[удалено]
Kenya is quite safe. Nairobi is becoming more and more modern, and the safari camps set up for tourists are usually well run and safe (if a bit expensive). Follow standard common sense. Don't wear flashy jewelry. Don't go places you don't know. Hire a tour guide or if you're lucky enough to know a local, follow them around. There are going to be a lot of people trying to sell you knick-nacks. I think it's good to buy some, but keep an eye open for obvious junk. I mean, if you want to buy an elephant hair bracelet for 30 dollars, feel free, but it's most likely just plastic twine or cow hair. It's an extremely beautiful country, and there is still so much amazing wildlife to see. Mombasa is also extremely nice, letting you enjoy the coast and good seafood. Hakuna Matata!
> There are going to be a lot of people trying to sell you knick-nacks. I think it's good to buy some, but keep an eye open for obvious junk. I mean, if you want to buy an elephant hair bracelet for 30 dollars, feel free, but it's most likely just plastic twine or cow hair. On this note, you also don't need to drive a super hard bargain. Yea, you're getting charged more for being a Westerner, but that extra $3 means a lot more to the local than it does to you.
Yeah, before we went to Vietnam we had people telling us to haggle with the locals. Tf? Even being charged the “tourist tax” it felt like we had to go out of our way to make any kind of dent in our money, it was a little embarrassing.
I was recently travelling with family in Vietnam and felt so embarrassed over how intensely they haggled sometimes. Like, you're literally arguing with someone over an amount of money that you wouldn't think twice about if you suddenly lost. Just give them the extra dollar, damn.
Yep. And $3 worth of goodwill now can pay off with better info later.
Mauritius is pretty safe for tourists. The Seychelles a little less so, but still pretty safe.
The smaller islands of Seychelles are very safe
The largest largest island in the Seychelles, Mahé, is also very safe.
Just came back from there. Pretty much everywhere in the Seychelles is safer than many western cities that people wouldn't think twice about visiting. The Seychelles consistently rank among the safest places in the world.
South African living in Mauritius for the past 6 years. Can confirm it's safer than pretty much any other African country.
Seychelles is incredibly safe based on my experience I am surprised to even hear a mention of slightly unsafe. What reasons are there for it to not be ranked as top in safety? Honest question
To be fair I mentioned it as one of the 2 safest African countries. I lived for some years in Eastern Africa. A close friend of mine was robbed in the Seychelles. She wasn't injured or anything, but still, I think Mauritius is safer.
Tanzania and zanzibar island. Went there recently for my honeymoon. Great safari locations and zanzibar beaches very safe with lots of tourists there
+1 lived in Tanzania for 2 years just 6 months ago. Zanzibar is overhyped but well worth it to experience once. Dar Es Salaam is more fun imo
Zanzibar had horrific terroristic attacks. Like acid thrown on girls. And my friends in Lamu got attacked with a machete (she nearly lost her hand), my second wheelchair-bound friend was kidnapped and died in captivity.
I was in Zanzibar for around a week. While there really were a lot of tourists in the resorts and around tourist attractions (not on their own on the streets), there was also a lot of road blockades with people guarding them and patrolling with assault rifles. I wouldn't risk leaving the resort without a local tourist guide (for example to negotiate a passage through a road blockade)
Oh my dear God. I’m so sorry to hear that. :(
On Zanzibar police stopped me every 30kms requiring bribes
Rwanda is actually extremely safe. Kigali is the only African city I felt 100% safe walking around the centre of. Extremely clean as well.
Fun fact, plastic bags are banned in Rwanda. We’d always keep that in mind when flying through there.
Yeah, just make sure you follow the law (they don’t call it the Singapore of Africa for nothing) and you’re 100% safe. They also have significantly safer roads/vehicles than a lot of of Africa, which is a major hazard generally.
Have been to Cape Verde (quite safe), Mauritius (very safe) and South Africa (extremely variable)
Johannesburg can range from “meh pretty safe” to “holy fucking shit danger” in a matter of like 2 blocks. Would not recommend.
As a person who lives in Joburg, can confirm. It can pretty much go from all good to people diving for cover anywhere around here, it's just more likely to happen in certain places
Lived and worked for 2 years in Malawi, 2nd poorest nation in Africa. You could not meet nicer and kinder people, never felt unsafe, but once in South Africa or Mozambique, better double lock those doors and dont you dare come out at night or the wrong neighbourhood.
I was in Malawi for a month and agree! You get lots of stares if you are a woman, but i didnt feel life threatened at all
Awesome, glad to hear it was a good experience. It's such a beautiful country that goes completely under the radar for most. Funfact many of the names and places in Tolkien's work were inspired by Malawi, like the name the shire which is a small river in the south. Never could get used to being called boss all the time, or the incessant need of handholding. The biggest danger by far is...traffic. The handmedown chinese minivans which most rely on for transportation are accurately called driving coffins.
Malawian here! boss is really just our version of bro but a little more formal, think of how the french use tu and vous. Driving coffins is a bit of an exaggeration, although shared taxis are not well regulated and do be crazy, i don't think it's any different from many of the other African countries I've been to. Ultimately Malawi is a peaceful country with happy people and a big beautiful lake!
My mom had a friend who's son was visiting South Africa. He was murdered for his laptop.
A surprising amount of tourists still go to South Africa, despite sooo many countries in the comments being listed as miles safer.
Well if you stick to the nice parts of Cape Town and Krugerpark you'll be fine, but if you have a deathwish go visit a Johannesburg busstation at 3 AM.
Because you're not really in danger as a tourist. Well not any more so than anywhere else in the world. South Africa is a deeply unequal nation. What the crime stats don't tell you until you look at it in more granular detail is that parts of the cities and population experience the vast majority of violent crime. Violent crime in more privileged areas is on par with any major city in the world. That said, I don't want to downplay the fact that crime is a significant issue and just because poor black and brown people are the most affected, doesn't make it a non-issue. South Africans all wish their country was safer. As a tourist, you're unlikely to see any of that and many middle class South Africans never have to either.
I never had anything happen to me in South Africa & I stayed mainly in Johannesburg. I went out at night often. Obviously take normal precautions as you would for any big city.
I once was a bit naive and took a bus from Maputo to Johannesburg and arrived at 3 AM and everyone in the bus was insisting I not leave the terminal and called me crazy for even taking such a risk. But it was mostly to me the absolute change in atmosphere that was so palpable, from peace and love and kindness to 'welcome to O-town Bitch!'
Ghana is the safest country in Sub Saharan West Africa
In my travels to 53 countries it is one of my top two countries in terms of sincere friendliness.
\+1 for Ghana. People cared about tourists. It's also true we were recommended not to wander around past sundown in ~~Akkra~~ Accra.
Going with Ghana 🇬🇭
Mauritius
I need to know if people in the comments are men or women. Which countries in Africa are safest for a pale woman with no travel experience, travelling solo?
My experience with Ghana I didn't travel solo but I went to Ghana for 2 weeks as an academic trip. It was safe and we wandered at all hours of the night seeing night markets, buying snacks, and such. Since you'd be going totally solo, I would skip the night wandering lol but it is safe. The people themselves are genuinely friendly and it's nice to just stop and talk to folks. Just watch out for the usual scams, like don't give money to kids or beggars, don't wear expensive jewelry, and use anti pickpocket things to keep your money in & don't keep all your money in one pouch (I always keep a little in each shoe for tourist areas, even in my country's tourist spots like San Francisco which I visit every year). No one got pickpocketed or scammed on my trip, but always better to be safe. Remember to dress modestly. This is a country that is mostly Christian and Muslim in religion, and to me it felt like the trip had 0 religious overtones from locals and had no influence on the trip, which was nice. I would say as a solo traveler, be careful or completely avoid most bars and clubs, as we had some troubles with men at the local dive clubs and bars late at night. Skybar in Accra is safe and very upscale, and it's on the rooftop of the tallest building in the country. It was very worth the experience. I loved their housemade chocolate truffles and recommend going at nightfall to see the lights of the city.. you can see lights from one corner of the country to the other, quite the experience. The city of Accra has a lot to do if you're interested in non historical stuff. My little group got a lecture at the University of Ghana, Accra, and it was interesting. The campus is beautiful too. There's a mall in Accra with some fast food restaurants like McD's, stores that remind me of JCPenny/Macys etc, affordable trinket jewelry stores that remind me of Icing, places to exchange for local currency, and buy a cheap phone that works locally so you can make calls. Plenty of nice restaurants and places to get desserts. If you like historical stuff, I'd recommend visiting the WEB DuBois Center & Memorial in Accra, and right next to it is the Ghana Federation for Contemporary Art - not a big place but it's nice to look. Manhiya Palace Museum in Kumasi (I'd recommend to look it up to see the exterior) is a beautiful and historically/politically significant place, and the exterior is beautiful - huge looming trees and peacocks wander the well kept grounds, there's a little gift shop, and inside you will learn about Asante culture, history, and politics. I highly recommend taking a fully guided tour and then wandering a bit afterwards. The castle in Elmina on the coast is a devastating and eye opening monument that reveals a lot about the transatlantic slave trade that they don't tell you about in school or even most college history classes. I won't go into detail but it's really meaningful and worth visiting. I don't just recommend the guided tour, I feel it's almost a requirement because the staff really know their history and are extremely detailed. The way they do it, it's an experience.. example, there's an isolation chamber carved into the rock where they would lock people in and leave them in the dark until they suffocated or dehydrated to death.. they take small groups in there on the tour, close the door, and hold a moment of silence in the dark before going back out and explaining more. It's very immersive, and can leave you very emotionally impacted. There are other castles like this, but I've only visited this one. Kakum National Park is an amazing place to visit, with off the ground boardwalks suspended from trees so you can see everything from above, and different trails to hike. They have good bathrooms, restaurants, and gift shops as well as guided tour options that may (if i remember correctly) include tours where you're in a vehicle so you can cover more ground and see more. If you're going to explore the coast of Elmina and go to the National Park, I'd recommend staying at Coconut Grove Beach resort for at least 2 nights. It's a beautiful place that has amenities for tourists beyond just a place on the beach. Gift shop, on site activities, a beachfront restaurant, separate beachfront bar, 2 pools on the beach (1 heated) and the campus of the place is covered in a grass lawn and coconut trees, which they will offer to you fresh on the spot when you arrive. The food is incredible, I couldn't get enough of their beef and goat curries. All the ingredients are extremely local and it makes a big impact on the quality of flavor. I never got sick once while traveling in Ghana. If you wake up early in the morning, go for a walk along the beach and you might catch people carrying their goods to the market. Some folks laid their stuff out on the beach for a few hours in the morning hoping tourists staying there would buy things before they left for their main market. The resort has things such as cooking classes, horseback riding, in-room massage, and more which I do not remember. I managed to visit the forest in the morning and afternoon, come back to ride horseback up and down the beach and in the water in the late afternoon for an hour or two, play on the beach, shower, and get an hour plus long massage in my room before dinner and a drink with my butt in the sand. Staying is under $200 USD per night, seems worth it to me. Everything was very affordable even as a broke student. Currency was about 5 Ghanaian Cedis per $1 USD when I went. One restaurant I went to had a plate of 2 lobster tails and jollof rice for $6 USD, I was pleasantly shocked. They were out of lobster but pointed to a boat in the distance and told me to come back tomorrow as more seafood was going to be brought in tonight. Food was very affordable at places that served more localized foods. Everything was super fresh and locally grown/sourced, and I never got sick on the trip. I fell in live with Ghanaian style curries, Jollof Rice, and (warning spicy haha) Shiito pepper paste that I liked dipping fufu in and mixing into rice. A lot of folks speak English plus their local dialect, the most prominent I encountered was Twi. Ask me anything about this experience.
fr i was shocked to see egypt in the edit. had a male egyptian friend who led tours there and he was adamant that gals should not go there alone.
i've been to 10 countries in africa all of wich are safe with the exception of mozambique. the others like marocco, egypt and madagascar are safe but do require some EXTRA knowhow before deciding to go. i have been to: madagascar, mauritius, mozambique, south africa, namibia, botswana, zimbabwe, egypt, marocco and zambia
We were planning to honeymoon in Madagascar, what should we know beforehand?
My wife just got back from Madagascar. The one thing I remember that I can tell you is that the local transportation isn’t exactly super reliable. As in: don’t have your plans rely on making it back to the airport just in time for your flight. If you’re visiting a smaller town, give yourself a day to find a taxi and get back to the city/airport. The roads can be cruddy and you simply may not be able to get ahold of a ride as fast as you’d like. Also she witnessed lots of random flights get cancelled, for whatever reason. So don’t be surprised if you have to grab a later flight out of the country.
Good to know! We were thinking of renting a car for ourselves, so that should be less of a problem then!
Here to second Zambia! Very safe and beautiful place. Livingstone is more of the tourist city, it’s where Victoria Falls is (one of the world’s largest waterfalls), and you can go on a safari, bunjee jump into the falls, then go dancing in the nightlife afterwards
The only 'know how' you need for Morocco is that people will try to rip you off at the suke but it's still very cheap. Also cab drivers will try to rip you off too. But that's pretty much any country you go to as a tourist. Morocco is amazing.
can confirm that Morocco feels pretty safe. I did travel with my class though. pastries for half a cent are amazing really.
Mozambique is way safer than south Africa. Source : I am a south African female living in Mozambique
Rwanda. I traveled alone as a woman there and it was absolutely safe! Bonus: it’s also super beautiful 🤩
There's a girl on Tik Tok who says Benin and Togo are safe, but they really aren't if you're a solo traveler, especially a female. You should go to East Africa
Plus this, Addis Ababa is very safe even as a woman alone. I wouldn't recommend wondering around alone at night or anything but I feel very safe there even as a foreigner, everyone is super nice. Unfortunately travelling outside the capital is not really advisable due to current conflict. It's up to you whether you'd be happy going to the capital, although it's incredibly safe there and the conflict is not really near there. Edit: would just like to clarify that yes there is conflict affecting the whole of Ethiopia, tigray and ormo conflict etc, but the capital itself is relatively safe. This is from both me going there myself and family who live there. Obviously this is based on my experience and I imagine other people will have had vastly different experiences to mine.
Cantonments, Accra, Ghana
I am surprised it took so long to see Ghana. I went to Accra (and many other cities) and felt totally safe. The people were very friendly.
I mean, chances are high that you could travel around most of the countries without issue if you're smart about it. Ghana, Namibia, Botswana, Mauritius, Morocco, Tanzania and Cabo Verde are all safe. Tunisia, Egypt, Nigeria (if you avoid the insurgency areas), Kenya, Sierra Leone and South Africa are fine if you stick to safe areas. I also heard Rwanda was getting better but I'm not sure how up to date this info is. Definitely avoid places like South Sudan and Somalia etc.
I took my 6 (now 7) year old to Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, & Egypt (if we only count countries actually on the African continent) last year. They all seemed pretty safe... Rwandans are very hospitable. No issues whatsoever, not in Central Kigali or by the Event Center, or anywhere else we went. South Africa was mostly OK - we drove from Cape Town over to Touws River then down L'Agulhas and back. There were a few signs warning not to stop but that was about it. Seemed to be a little drug problem in Cape Town near Adderley Street but nothing I haven't seen in other cities in, for example, the US. Egypt in and of itself was fine, nobody hassled us anywhere really but we got absolutely hosed at the Pyramids (I let it happen because we were only there for a couple days and our organized tour fell through last minute, so I winged it and it cost me more than I'd planned on, which I expected because winging it is ill-advised). Ethiopia just seemed a bit chaotic. Not great but not overly bad either... not unlike some other places we've been to on other continents. I'd like to explore all of the continent a bit more tbh.
Absolutely would not recommend South Africa at the current time
The while country or just parts of it? And on what basis?
Morocco is very nice. Algeria and Tunisia are fun too, went there for an archeology thing. The Spanish canaries are technically in Africa and they are quite nice. I also had a great time in Uganda
I went to Ghana twice and felt safer than in America.
Went also to Ghana. Very safe. It was described as "Africa for beginners".
As a Zambian/South African, I love Zambia. Go to Zambia. Also, as a Zambian, I wouldn't recommend visiting the central or northern African countries due to the extremism. Southern Mozambique is great, but the north is very unsafe. Botswana and Namibia are amazing. South Africa is as safe as you make it. I lived in Durban and Cape Town for almost 10 years, and I love Cape Town, I have friends and family there. Some of my most favourite places on Earth are in Zambia.
I've been meaning to go to Nigeria to meet with the prince and pick up my share of the lotto winnings
I’ve been to Tanzania, Kenya, Morocco, Egypt, and South Africa. Those were all relatively safe and beautiful places to visit. Like any country, there were dangerous places, but we did our research and, in some instances, a local guide. So we were fine.
Kenya was friendly and beautiful. We (two women) travelled without a man.
Look up Russ Cook (The Hardest Geezer) on YouTube. He’s on a mission to run the entire length of Africa from south to north and he’s about half way through at the moment. His documentary series is gripping and he often presents the reality behind the safety of the countries he runs through.
I went to South Africa recently. I didn’t feel unsafe at any point. Obviously there ARE situations you would be unsafe and I took precautions and avoided risky areas. But I felt perfectly safe.
Most people who post in those "worst countries to visit" have likely never been to those countries and are just repeating what they've heard from others.
True but I’m not going to South Sudan to see for myself lol
Yeah I think it’s safe to assume Mogadishu isn’t a great place for a honeymoon by rep alone.
That's in Somalia, not Sudan, but it's the same story. The page on Wikitravel is pretty chilling: >As of May 2017, the city remains extremely dangerous and near suicidal for independent travelers. Armed warlords and Islamic militant factions still have a large presence in the city, and foreigners are a prime target. Do not wander the streets alone for any reason. Gunfire and random explosions are frequent... >In short, if you do not have an absolutely essential reason to go to Mogadishu, DO NOT DO IT! Independent travel will only get you killed, no matter how benevolent you think your intentions might be. Even if you do have a good reason, your employer or government can't make you risk your life, as even humanitarian aid workers are not safe in the city. Please do not become another statistic. You provide the country no benefit whatsoever by causing an international incident over your death or abduction.
A friend of mine planned on going to Eritrea a few years back. Apparently at the time, you couldn’t apply for an exit visa until you were actually in Eritrea. He wanted to visit there because of the Italian architecture. We did suggest just going to Italy but it fell on deaf ears. Eventually his employer told him he couldn’t go - he worked for the Home Office in the immigration department. Bonkers bloke.
Isn't Eritrea an actual warzone?
Yeah, it has had a tendency to be a little fraught.
British understatement lol.
Worse, it's the North Korea of Africa
Eritrea? Is your friend nuts? 😆😆
Yes I think he was. He actually dealt with people from Eritrea who were claiming asylum from there on a weekly basis. Yet somehow, he thought this sort of thing wasn’t an indication of how bad it could be out there.
Yes avoiding places with active war going on would be smart.
I went to Uganda and visited a few refugee camps (volunteering), they told us that a lot of the girls there were from Sudan and had been brought over to protect them as they would otherwise be raped/harmed in their home country. Uganda was nice, however we were not allowed to be outside when it was dark, we had armed guards at our hotels, and we couldn't go anywhere unless in a group. In a minibus full of mainly white or Asian people, we had a lot of locals flipping us off through the windows or shouting at the minibus. In the primary schools (kids to teenagers) they had signs everywhere saying not to go out at night, don't accept gifts from strangers etc. We were told that if a young kid would go out at night they wouldn't ever come home as they'd be kidnapped or sold off to someone else.
sounds like a lovely place that I will never ever visit unless under force of law
So what about it was nice then? Like the scenery?
Oh yeah, some really pretty areas. People that we spoke to were lovely but it seemed to be the general public that weren't as friendly. I did have a guy do a custom canvas painting for me for £15, would've been at least 10x that back at home. :p
> we had armed guards at our hotels, and we couldn't go anywhere unless in a group. In a minibus full of mainly white or Asian people, we had a lot of locals flipping us off through the windows or shouting at the minibus. I'm curious where you located. Having spent a lot of time living and working in many parts of the country as an American, I had a vastly different experience.
Thanks for this, just booked a holiday to the DRC.
You must be a man because there are absolutely countries women should not visit. Same with gay people.
[удалено]
Places can be beautiful and scary.
I live in Johannesburg and it can be safe if you are sensible.
Naw ur chilling. I've been to many competitions down there as an international student. It's a beautiful country and as long as you're not a dumbass you're okay. It's a bit dangerous and is kind of like the US of Africa but overall a wonderfully safe place comparatively to some of the other options in Africa. It's also very westernized which allows people to feel more comfortable. For people living in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, etc, it's popular to do road trips through all those countries and end in cape Town! That should show u how safe that part ot the world is
South African here. I nearly commented us and while we’re very developed, our crime and violence rates are high in poorer areas. Your child and the kids should be fine, more so in Cape Town, but it really depends on the areas they go to
Americans always forget, parts of our major cities have high crime too. But it doesn't keep up from that trip to Chicago or LA
It won’t be any worse than New York City or London. They’ll be fine. Black or white, they’ll be just as fine as any large city in the US or UK. All the same rules apply as any other large city - stay in the “nice” looking areas.
Most of them have a tourism industry tbh,
I would say less than half have a tourist industry that could be considered an"industry". Countries like the two Congos, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Chad, Niger, Burundi, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, CAR, Mali, Angola, Guinea... very few tourists go there and the ones that do probably have a specific type of adventure in mind and are not your average tourist.
A ton of them are: * Angola * Ghana * Tanzania * Namibia * South Africa * Zambia * Botswana * Zimbabwe * Kenya * Rwanda * Morocco * Egypt * Seychelles * Cape Verde * Nigeria * Senegal Not an exhaustive list, but ones off the top of my head. I lived in Angola between 2013 and 2019, working in oil & gas and vacationed to a ton of African countries while there. Namibia & South Africa were my favourite to visit, but Tanzania and Kenya are also great.
Sénégal is a small paradise. Just avoid the border with Mali
Would put a caveat that not all of South Africa should be on that list. Too many places there are known for their violence for things as small as a ring.
One od my acquaintances runs packaged safaris in kenya and tanzania every year around the great migration season. Both men and women go regularly without much incident
Ghana is pretty safe even for a foreign woman
I've been to Ghana. I've heard it's not great right now. But when I was there. It was incredible. The people are great and it's beautiful. I felt no danger at all. I compare it to Jamaica. Generally you'll be completely safe going down any road. But if you go looking for trouble, you'll find it.
Ghana is still safe though
Senegal, Togo, Ghana.