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Travel to southern Africa needn't be terribly expensive. Here's a rundown of some typical costs for this August.
Economy airfare from major US/Canadian cities to Joburg - US$1100.
Premium economy (Air France) from ORD to JNB - US$1700
Business class, US$3400 (from Toronto; US departures are $5000+) - Alitalia, Turkish, Air Canada
Car rental, standard car, JNB - $130/week
Gasoline/petrol, $4/US gallon
Hotels, 3-4 stars, $120/night (higher in central Cape Town.)
4+ star B&B, $60 - $70
Luxury safari lodge, private reserves, $300 - $600+/night (all inclusive - meals, game drives etc.)
Basic bungalow, SA national parks (private cottage with fan or a/c, bath, cooking facilities) - $120
Restaurant meals - around 75% of typical US cost, can vary obviously.
One way airfare, JNB-Windhoek, $130
One way airfare, JNB - Cape Town, $80
Obviously the private lodges can whack a modest budget easily; however the experience is really second to none; a couple of nights at a good lodge in a good private reserve is worth every bleedin' penny.
Africa is very doable, on your own as an independent traveler. People are friendlhy and gentle and honest, and you can piece things together along the way. Surprisingly, I found that Africa had changed very little in the past 40 years. There are a few more private cars, and while everyone has a cellphone, they are mostly Tracfone type, and minutes are expensive, so people don't just stand around talking or texting them. Still a lot of people in traditional everyday dress, and the walk everywhere. Electrical outages are common, and wifi terrible, but water safe to drink.
Last year I went only to Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Djibouti, Hargeisa and Berbera, as I had missed the Horn the first couple of times around. I found it to be, still, the same old Africa. The main difference now is that visas need to be obtained in advance, and are costly, typically around $100. A few countries will issue a visa if arriving at the airport in the capital, but otherwise, consulate visits will dominate your social life and sightseeing.
Traveling in Africa requires patience, and good sturdy walking shoes, but otherwise, doesn't really offer any challenges that can't be overcome
If you're thinking of a multi-city routing with enough time between each leg that you're comfortable doing multiple tickets, you can use the British Airways Avios to redeem for award flights in many parts of southern Africa. It's a quirky award program (award ticket redemption rate is by distance flown, and each flight segment is its own award ticket, so you want to use Avios on non-stop routings) but if you can wrangle a BA cobranded credit card with a 50K or more Avios sign-up bonus to get a nice balance, it looks like its about $50 in taxes per leg plus 8K or 13K Avios per ticket
Africa is very doable, on your own as an independent traveler. People are friendlhy and gentle and honest, and you can piece things together along the way. Surprisingly, I found that Africa had changed very little in the past 40 years. There are a few more private cars, and while everyone has a cellphone, they are mostly Tracfone type, and minutes are expensive, so people don't just stand around talking or texting them. Still a lot of people in traditional everyday dress, and the walk everywhere. Electrical outages are common, and wifi terrible, but water safe to drink.
Last year I went only to Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Djibouti, Hargeisa and Berbera, as I had missed the Horn the first couple of times around. I found it to be, still, the same old Africa. The main difference now is that visas need to be obtained in advance, and are costly, typically around $100. A few countries will issue a visa if arriving at the airport in the capital, but otherwise, consulate visits will dominate your social life and sightseeing.
Traveling in Africa requires patience, and good sturdy walking shoes, but otherwise, doesn't really offer any challenges that can't be overcome
I would add to this list "pay attention to your surroundings". I lived in Pretoria for 4 years, and was the victim of crime multiple times. SA is an easy place to get lulled into a false sense of security.
How is Namibia compared to south Africa and mozambique? Traveling in June to see family member in mozambique. Going to start from Middle east and fare less than us 300 to windhoek. Also going to south Africa but worried about safety.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cebuan
Africa is very doable, on your own as an independent traveler. ...
Traveling in Africa requires patience, and good sturdy walking shoes, but otherwise, doesn't really offer any challenges that can't be overcome
my 80 yo FIL did Africa on their own with an 80 yo friend (wives didn't want to go).
I would add to this list "pay attention to your surroundings". I lived in Pretoria for 4 years, and was the victim of crime multiple times. SA is an easy place to get lulled into a false sense of security.
I would exclude South Africa from my general comments about Africa being OK. RSA is a whole separate thing, as I understand it. Maybe a couple of other places.
Over $2k is excessive to me. I'll deal with the cramped seating even though I'm a somewhat fat guy.
(Chuckle): I'm a somewhat (cough) fat guy (cough cough). Can't "deal with it"! Actually, just signed up to what I call the "fat farm" to reduce about 50 lbs, my own cross to bear. Good luck, truly (with the flight)
PS: I sometimes forget expensive is subjective.
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