While traveling through many different countries, Africa was always like a phantom in my head. “How would it be to travel there?” – “Would it be hard to get around on that continent?” – “How are the people there, how the wildlife?”

There were many images and also worries in my head before I came here. Now, having spent 5 months here and traveled different ways, I have a much clearer image from Africa – at least East-Africa. Africa is great and the people are amazing and friendly. Then, there is the wildlife which nowhere else can be found and going on a Safari is sure a highlight of a visit to Africa.

Traveling in Africa is not different from any other place and I had, for better or worse, to realize that there is now country where getting around is hard – if you have no tight schedule that is, everything tends to take time in Africa. May experience is, that as fewer person have a private car, as more public busses there are and as easier it is to got to the different places – that is not true just for Africa.

As great Africa is, one thing is too a big part missing – there is not a lot of ‘westler’ interesting culture heritage. I intentionally wrote ‘westler’ interesting culture. Africa has a lot of culture and it is amazing to see it but a lot of it is for us ‘westler’ not that accessible and we lack the understanding. If you look for old churches, buildings and museums – don’t come to Africa but go somewhere in Europe or Asia.

The once of you who visited my website regularly, probably remember that I started my Africa trip with an organized Truck-Safari. Not being something I normally do, I decided to go on such a tour because there where some worries in my head and people I meet in Asia thought that this is a good, if not one of the best way to see Africa.

I booked a tour for one month from Nairobi to Victoria Falls. Like everything in life, there are tow sides. It was really good to travel with a group. You get the people known and can have great fun. You also don’t have to organize anything and you are driven from one highlight to the next – it is really convenient. You also see a lot of the country in a short time. When I mean ‘see’ I mean it – you don’t experience it. The ‘problem’ with this Truck-Tours is, that they need certain infrastructure and those can be found on certain Overlander-Campsites. Those are mostly not in the vicinity of towns or villages and you tend to be mostly together with other ‘Wesis’ and not with locals. To be fear I have to mention that it apparently is also a security issue. Six years ago, the trucks used to stop somewhere in the middle of nowhere or closed to a village and spend the night there. Apparently there were some incidents that made the tours stay at campsites.

I had some days of BIG doubts about the whole thing and was sure that I never would do anything like that again. To get a bit of a ‘experience’ I took some hours or a day off and went with public transport to places to see how those were. After some of those excursions, I had to realize that there was not that much to see in these places. Having realized that and knowing that I would spend some more months in Africa independently, I felt much content on the truck.

With reaching Victoria Falls, the time on the truck was over. I realized then, that two other truck-travelers went for another week down to the Okavango Delta. Having heard many stories about the Delta, I decided to go there as well and extend my time on the truck.

Thinking that the rain season would make the Delta especially spectacular, I was not just slightly surprised to learn that it was dry season for the delta (the water for the Delta comes from Angola and there are the seasons apparently different). Although there was nearly no water , we still had a great time.

During the days in the Delta and then the night after it, my Truck-Friends tried to peruse me to come all the way to Cape Town. What began more as joke got more serious as the hours past by and beer went down the throat. Did I actually always intend to go all the way to Cape Town, I decided differently as I booked the tour because of concerns of the rain season. Since the rain season was not that bad or delayed and had so far not influenced our trip I thought about it. I did not decided that night but did what I normally do and wait to see how the idea fells in the morning – it felt good.

I extended my tip for a second time and, by know, I felt much more contend. The decision to see also Namibia was sure the right one – Namibia is overwhelming. In Namibia we had also wild campsites and I slept under the sky when ever possible – just a very amazing and exciting feeling.

Now, I have to say that those Tuck-Tours are great as long as you know what to expect. I was sure in the fortunate situation that we were a great bunch of people and that I signed up with the company that has the best trucks – I mean it. So if you consider to go on such a tour go with Phoenix Expedition!

With reaching Cape Town, the tour was over – no extension that time. Some stayed for some extra days and others some extra weeks before everybody went his own way again. My way would lead me back to were I cam from, back north to Tanzania. Via Lesotho I went to Mozambique and finally back to Tanzania. Here I meet my sister and we traveled for the last 3 ½ weeks to Rwanda, Uganda and back to Tanzania. For more about this time please read the corresponding report by clicking here or by or looking it up in my Travelbook.

After my sister went back home, I finally left Tanzania for Kenya, with the intention to cross Kenya within a week or so. Along the way though, I decided to go for a few days to Lamu – an island on the north coast of Kenya. One thing lead to another and instead of spending only a week in Kenya I ended up spending over 6 weeks there. Since I had a great time and saw beautiful things, I have absolutely no regrets. For more about my time in Kenya please read the corresponding report by clicking here or by or looking it up in my Travelbook.