Best Places to See in Eastern & Southern Africa

Stone Town

Stone Town is the port of call from Dar es Salaam, where the ferry drops you. It is pretty worthwhile in its own right; some decent dining, a fantastic luxury hotel there (often rare for Africa), and of course the long history and local character of the place. The architecture truly is incredible, and transports you back in time. The local places to stay also offer fantastic fresh fruit on the house for breakfast; the mangos changed my world.

Nungwi

I mention Zanzibar again because you truly don't get it all unless you head North. We rented Vespas for dirt cheap and had the time of our lives riding them North. You get out of town pretty quickly, which is hazardous because of the other drivers. On the country/rutted/dirt "roads," the hazard isn't so much the drivers, but the potholes and general condition of the road. Apparently Vespas aren't built for off-roading. But it was all worth it when you arrive at the pristine white-sand beaches of the North....truly amazing.

Arusha

Arusha serves as the gateway to both Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti (on the Tanzanian side.) Personally, I'd stay out of town as much as possible; it is completely overrun with street touts who will hound you ceaselessly. But it is worth it to have a shot at climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro before the snows melt......... which will be very soon. So hurry.

Serengeti National Park

Everyone has to do this once. I turned 20 while driving a Land Rover through the Serengeti; our guide realized how much i enjoyed it, and it gave him more time to talk about what we were seeing. My sister spent much of the time riding on the roof, gripping to the roof racks. We camped in tents in the park for 3 nights, with an absolutely fantastic cook. And it was an independent trip, just 3 of us, that was about half the price of the big tours.

What to say.... you can smell the hippos 3 miles away. The zebras are everywhere. The wildebeest migration is truly one of the wonders of the world, worth the whole trip alone. One night as we camped 2 male lions paraded straight through our campsite, but they were much more interested in the groaning wildebeest than me. Absolutely fantastic, Sunshine Tours was the name of the small, local tour company, I will never forget that trip.

Big Blue Camp / Nkhata Bay

Malawi, especially around the Lake, was the most relaxing time I had in Africa. The people are absolutely incredible, the friendliest and most laid back you've ever met. This was especially nice after the craziness of Kenya and Tanzania. True, there is only one road down the whole country, and you have to be crammed into a minivan with 17 other people as you careen through communities at high speed, but that is part of the fun, no? We once hit a goat at about 55mph and the driver didn't even stop.

At the end of one of these legs we hit beautiful Nkhata Bay. The Big Blue Star lodge was absolutely one of the highlights of my trip. Our huts were built literally just OVER the water, so the water would gently lap underneath you at the stilts of the structure. There was a little porch/balcony over the water, creating an absolutely stunning sunset.

Johannesburg

Actually, Jo'berg scared me after the rest of my trip. After backpacking all throughout Eastern Africa, getting into all many of sticky situations, it was the city that finally got to us. There is no denying that many areas of the city are downright dangerous. Many rich folk lived in heavily-guarded compounds surrounded with barbed wire. It did not inspire confidence. But this is interesting in its own right; visiting because 1.) it is a travel hub and 2.) to get a sense of how some people live down here is worth it. Also there is an amazing, completely self-contained city/castle within Jo'berg. It is huge and designed to look like little European sidestreets circa 1925, nice and quaint. A spectacle for sure.

Robben Island

Right off of Cape Town is Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held for many years. You can take a ferry out to the island and get a tour of the the facilities and hear harrowing accounts by actual inmates of their time their. usually i shy away from the super-touristy attractions, but my visit to Robben Island really stuck with me. Absolutely powerful, and a reminder of how brutal the apartheid regime really was. Well-thought out tour, and the island is beautiful to explore on its own right. Well worth the day trip from Cape Town.

Garden Route

Luckily, my friend Ronen, who was the 3rd member of our party, is originally from Zimbabwe. His father moved to South Africa. As such, when we visited, we had access to a car. I highly recommend driving the Garden Route; you really get a sense of the natural beauty of South Africa.

As you roll through the vineyards from Mossel Bay to the Western Cape, you come across not just placid landscapes, but also the townships on the outskirts of the larger cities. It is a reminder of the dichotomous nature of South Africa, the severe hardship mixed in with the serene beauty. You can rent a car for a reasonable price.

You can then continue on to Port Elizabeth, East London, and finally Durban for a thorough tour of the South Africa.