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135 days backpacking Africa | Recap & travel stories
Hey everyone 👋🏻
We've spent the last 135 days on the road and thought we might share a bit about our journey so far. We still have a long way to go, so there might be a 200, 300-day recap one day :)
**How it started**
Last summer we (Lisa, 29F, Slovak and Pol, 27M, French) left everything to go travel. We were living in Paris, having a good life but feeling a bit purposeless in our jobs and in need of a great adventure before we'd eventually settle somewhere.
We started thinking about a world tour and pretty quickly decided to start with Africa as it was constantly skipped in many of the world tour itineraries we were seeing around us, and we were inspired by a close relative who has fallen in love with the continent and encouraged us.
We profited from the 60th birthday of Lisa's mom to propose to take her parents to Jordan as it was a dream of theirs. This is where we started our journey in September. Originally it was supposed to be the only flight we were to take for a while as we were not in a hurry and wanting to limit our carbon footprint if possible.
**What we had in mind**
* 15000€/person for a year (or until no money)
* A 40L backpack each to be carry-on only
* Cairo to Cape Town by land without flights and from there continue to a another continent maybe hitchhiking on a boat
* Share the journey on social media to demystify low-cost traveling in Africa and staying in touch with family and friends
* Save money by hitchhiking, Couchsurfing, volunteering, and leaving frugally
**A bit about us**
* both experienced travelers (45-50 countries each)
* first time doing a long (>2 month) continuous trip
* comfortable with going independently and figuring out stuff on the go
* not attached to our careers or our locations
* trying to be happy today and not when we retire
* owning nothing else than the backpack
**Why we're posting about it today :**
* inspire people to visit Africa, and break some misconceptions (it's not expensive, it's not *unsafe*\*, it's extremely diverse, it's a great place to explore, ...)
* maybe answer some questions as we start to have a good idea of what traveling in East Africa looks like as backpackers (\~30-40€/day/person, although we're a bit overbudget at the moment)
* we finally have wifi and some time off :)
\**unsafe*: generally it is safe and it feels safe ; a caveat being that there is also instability, conflicts and wars that you need to avoid, that can evolve, but these areas a pretty well defined and not at all a barrier to travel. Some governments edit travel advisory with maps that are updated very frequently.
​
our itinerary so far for 135 days https://preview.redd.it/icnealbqptdc1.png?width=707&format=png&auto=webp&s=74f8dc3b4e95153bfbdb007fb96e0e7275eecc5b
**Quick summary**
Back in April, the civil war in Sudan started so we knew we would have to fly if we wanted to go from Egypt to South Africa.
Africa, by the way, was really supposed to be the start of our world tour, but in the end, we're probably gonna stay the entire year, we're really enjoying our life on the road here. We might not have money anymore once we reach Cape Town :)
**Jordan (18 days)** : 10-day roadtrip holidays with the parents, a week volunteering with bedouins in Wadi Rum through Workaway, helping them with online bookings and around the camp. Loving the food, super easy to travel to. Crossed to Egypt with the ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba.
Budget : 25€/day/person (parents paid some so not so representative, volunteering for a week)
​
Wadi Mujib https://preview.redd.it/go6msq1xptdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=efcf2b39dfd258d1ec7411839ef9490ef6a54b1e
Petra ! https://preview.redd.it/pnhbvm5uptdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ee8f38467670028a06e06423de200aed05340d4
​
Our camp in Wadi Rum https://preview.redd.it/u9qs7xovptdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a529aa4fbd3c392aae1b725a6614856c2baa1cf
**Egypt (23 days) :** 2 weeks on the Red Sea mostly hitchhiking (but stopped by the police many times, 3-day freediving course in Dahab. 10 days along the Nile, failing to hitchhike a cruise in Aswan, from Abu Simbel to Alexandria. Meeting many locals through Couchsurfing. Cairo can be too much, a few instances of harassment towards Lisa in buses. Hospitality out of this world ! Flew from Cairo to Addis to avoid Sudan.
Budget : 42€/day/person (expensive freediving course, many temples)
​
Temples https://preview.redd.it/7axkfjzzptdc1.jpg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97c84f0e869260d5e9b12cbfd5dade0dc50dc55c
​
Pyramids ! https://preview.redd.it/9rgbhay1qtdc1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=995cd72f6ba4b36689af403882503102ef110aca
**Ethiopia (23 days) :** some days of chilling in Addis, visiting Lalibela (first tricky zone of our trip). Going to Harar, feeding the wild hyenas. Exploring the Omo Valley for 12 days independently, tracking crocodiles in the wild, visiting a few tribes (Mursi, Karo, Hamer). The food was very hard on Lisa ! The entire country felt unreal, no tourists, incredible sights, and wildlife. Comfort was challenging. Spending time with the tribes, mind-blowing ! Crossing to Kenya in Moyale.
Budget : 35€/person/day (expensive flights and visas, Lalibela, Mursi tribe)
​
Lalibela, UNESCO World Heritage Site https://preview.redd.it/lzs29ta4qtdc1.jpg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3809d1e0e400ce47523d99ac7bb3aab17cddde8b
​
Visiting the Karo tribe https://preview.redd.it/di6h7xr4qtdc1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d559568ed8073a4914d93f6614b19d1a0e4490a1
*Kenya (38 days) :** enjoying comfort in Nairobi, 3-day escape to Lake Naivasha (animal encounters (Giraffes, Hippos), heading to the coast just after massive floods (Diani, Tiwi, Mombasa), attending Lamu cultural festival and staying 10 days on the island, deciding to try to do a Masai Mara budget safari, fake volunteering with a family in Homabay, Karura Forest. Good times, lots of modern, comfortable options, in many aspects close to home. Felt very welcomed ! Crossing to Uganda in Busia.
Budget : 36€/day/person (lots of good food, Masai Mara, enjoying)
​
Diani Beach https://preview.redd.it/st6wgkv6qtdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4948b2c2741ab4d92d51c0847a163c5b5078e5fc
​
The kids of Lamu https://preview.redd.it/8plug8qxqtdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ff88f1480cdcabc064f9c97bb7de0a5a0162bdc
​
Donkey racing in Lamu https://preview.redd.it/lkcxvkm9qtdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d876bae36266ee4b316a3bc2be22a475038aa52
**Uganda (30 days) :** we really didn't know much about the country, it seemed very similar to Kenya upon crossing. Very green and beautiful landscapes. Sipi falls, couchsurfing, horse riding lessons in Kampala, we celebrated Christmas and New Years Eve there, Entebbe and Ssese islands, Murchinson Falls, and volunteering in a coffee farm in Kisoro. We felt very very welcomed in the country, it's our favourite so far ! We will come back :). Crossing to Rwanda in Cyanika.
Budget : still calculating, but felt cheaper than Kenya. did some expensive activities like abseiling in Sipi, horse riding lessons, and Murchinson Falls NP.
(no pictures on hand right now, but many on instagram if you're interested (@lisaandpol)
**To conclude**
This is a brief summary of where we are at at the moment, we were compiling all this and just crossed to Rwanda so we thought we might as well share it. We would love to answer questions about Africa, somes destinations where we've been, long term backpacking, maybe also about travel content creation.
​
Also, if you're based in Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania or you've recently travelled there, we're super looking forward to getting some ideas/inspo or even meetup if you feel like it !
#activity #nature
*
Hey everyone 👋🏻
We've spent the last 135 days on the road and thought we might share a bit about our journey so far. We still have a long way to go, so there might be a 200, 300-day recap one day :)
**How it started**
Last summer we (Lisa, 29F, Slovak and Pol, 27M, French) left everything to go travel. We were living in Paris, having a good life but feeling a bit purposeless in our jobs and in need of a great adventure before we'd eventually settle somewhere.
We started thinking about a world tour and pretty quickly decided to start with Africa as it was constantly skipped in many of the world tour itineraries we were seeing around us, and we were inspired by a close relative who has fallen in love with the continent and encouraged us.
We profited from the 60th birthday of Lisa's mom to propose to take her parents to Jordan as it was a dream of theirs. This is where we started our journey in September. Originally it was supposed to be the only flight we were to take for a while as we were not in a hurry and wanting to limit our carbon footprint if possible.
**What we had in mind**
* 15000€/person for a year (or until no money)
* A 40L backpack each to be carry-on only
* Cairo to Cape Town by land without flights and from there continue to a another continent maybe hitchhiking on a boat
* Share the journey on social media to demystify low-cost traveling in Africa and staying in touch with family and friends
* Save money by hitchhiking, Couchsurfing, volunteering, and leaving frugally
**A bit about us**
* both experienced travelers (45-50 countries each)
* first time doing a long (>2 month) continuous trip
* comfortable with going independently and figuring out stuff on the go
* not attached to our careers or our locations
* trying to be happy today and not when we retire
* owning nothing else than the backpack
**Why we're posting about it today :**
* inspire people to visit Africa, and break some misconceptions (it's not expensive, it's not *unsafe*\*, it's extremely diverse, it's a great place to explore, ...)
* maybe answer some questions as we start to have a good idea of what traveling in East Africa looks like as backpackers (\~30-40€/day/person, although we're a bit overbudget at the moment)
* we finally have wifi and some time off :)
\**unsafe*: generally it is safe and it feels safe ; a caveat being that there is also instability, conflicts and wars that you need to avoid, that can evolve, but these areas a pretty well defined and not at all a barrier to travel. Some governments edit travel advisory with maps that are updated very frequently.
​
our itinerary so far for 135 days https://preview.redd.it/icnealbqptdc1.png?width=707&format=png&auto=webp&s=74f8dc3b4e95153bfbdb007fb96e0e7275eecc5b
**Quick summary**
Back in April, the civil war in Sudan started so we knew we would have to fly if we wanted to go from Egypt to South Africa.
Africa, by the way, was really supposed to be the start of our world tour, but in the end, we're probably gonna stay the entire year, we're really enjoying our life on the road here. We might not have money anymore once we reach Cape Town :)
**Jordan (18 days)** : 10-day roadtrip holidays with the parents, a week volunteering with bedouins in Wadi Rum through Workaway, helping them with online bookings and around the camp. Loving the food, super easy to travel to. Crossed to Egypt with the ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba.
Budget : 25€/day/person (parents paid some so not so representative, volunteering for a week)
​
Wadi Mujib https://preview.redd.it/go6msq1xptdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=efcf2b39dfd258d1ec7411839ef9490ef6a54b1e
Petra ! https://preview.redd.it/pnhbvm5uptdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ee8f38467670028a06e06423de200aed05340d4
​
Our camp in Wadi Rum https://preview.redd.it/u9qs7xovptdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a529aa4fbd3c392aae1b725a6614856c2baa1cf
**Egypt (23 days) :** 2 weeks on the Red Sea mostly hitchhiking (but stopped by the police many times, 3-day freediving course in Dahab. 10 days along the Nile, failing to hitchhike a cruise in Aswan, from Abu Simbel to Alexandria. Meeting many locals through Couchsurfing. Cairo can be too much, a few instances of harassment towards Lisa in buses. Hospitality out of this world ! Flew from Cairo to Addis to avoid Sudan.
Budget : 42€/day/person (expensive freediving course, many temples)
​
Temples https://preview.redd.it/7axkfjzzptdc1.jpg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97c84f0e869260d5e9b12cbfd5dade0dc50dc55c
​
Pyramids ! https://preview.redd.it/9rgbhay1qtdc1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=995cd72f6ba4b36689af403882503102ef110aca
**Ethiopia (23 days) :** some days of chilling in Addis, visiting Lalibela (first tricky zone of our trip). Going to Harar, feeding the wild hyenas. Exploring the Omo Valley for 12 days independently, tracking crocodiles in the wild, visiting a few tribes (Mursi, Karo, Hamer). The food was very hard on Lisa ! The entire country felt unreal, no tourists, incredible sights, and wildlife. Comfort was challenging. Spending time with the tribes, mind-blowing ! Crossing to Kenya in Moyale.
Budget : 35€/person/day (expensive flights and visas, Lalibela, Mursi tribe)
​
Lalibela, UNESCO World Heritage Site https://preview.redd.it/lzs29ta4qtdc1.jpg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3809d1e0e400ce47523d99ac7bb3aab17cddde8b
​
Visiting the Karo tribe https://preview.redd.it/di6h7xr4qtdc1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d559568ed8073a4914d93f6614b19d1a0e4490a1
*Kenya (38 days) :** enjoying comfort in Nairobi, 3-day escape to Lake Naivasha (animal encounters (Giraffes, Hippos), heading to the coast just after massive floods (Diani, Tiwi, Mombasa), attending Lamu cultural festival and staying 10 days on the island, deciding to try to do a Masai Mara budget safari, fake volunteering with a family in Homabay, Karura Forest. Good times, lots of modern, comfortable options, in many aspects close to home. Felt very welcomed ! Crossing to Uganda in Busia.
Budget : 36€/day/person (lots of good food, Masai Mara, enjoying)
​
Diani Beach https://preview.redd.it/st6wgkv6qtdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4948b2c2741ab4d92d51c0847a163c5b5078e5fc
​
The kids of Lamu https://preview.redd.it/8plug8qxqtdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ff88f1480cdcabc064f9c97bb7de0a5a0162bdc
​
Donkey racing in Lamu https://preview.redd.it/lkcxvkm9qtdc1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d876bae36266ee4b316a3bc2be22a475038aa52
**Uganda (30 days) :** we really didn't know much about the country, it seemed very similar to Kenya upon crossing. Very green and beautiful landscapes. Sipi falls, couchsurfing, horse riding lessons in Kampala, we celebrated Christmas and New Years Eve there, Entebbe and Ssese islands, Murchinson Falls, and volunteering in a coffee farm in Kisoro. We felt very very welcomed in the country, it's our favourite so far ! We will come back :). Crossing to Rwanda in Cyanika.
Budget : still calculating, but felt cheaper than Kenya. did some expensive activities like abseiling in Sipi, horse riding lessons, and Murchinson Falls NP.
(no pictures on hand right now, but many on instagram if you're interested (@lisaandpol)
**To conclude**
This is a brief summary of where we are at at the moment, we were compiling all this and just crossed to Rwanda so we thought we might as well share it. We would love to answer questions about Africa, somes destinations where we've been, long term backpacking, maybe also about travel content creation.
​
Also, if you're based in Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania or you've recently travelled there, we're super looking forward to getting some ideas/inspo or even meetup if you feel like it !
#activity #nature
*
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