Join us on Naukluft trail in October 2012

Hi all,

we (w 49 and m 59) are planning to travel in Namibia in Sept/Oct. 2012. We will rent a 4x4 in Windhoek and travel to Kaokoveld and the Northwest region. After that we would like to do the 4-days Namib Naukluft trail from 2nd October (Tuesday) until 5th October (Friday).
We need a permit from NWR - board for that. Permits are only given to groups that have at least 3 members. Therefore we are looking for people to join us on this walk.
You will need to carry your own equipment with you; water is available at the overnight camp sites. Distance covered per day : 12 - 20 km.
We could organise traveling to the start/end point of the hike from Windhoek together.
We are both sportive and experienced hikers. We are German and Spanish and both speak English well.

Vaccinations in Casablanca

Hi, I need to get my second dose of the Twinrix Hepatitis A + B vaccination before my travels in west Africa. I was wondering if there is vaccinations like this readily available in Casablanca or other major Moroccan cities. Also, if so, are they likely to be priced similarly to Europe?

Thanks for any help,
cheers,
Oli

What's the best way to get a Niger visa?

Hi, I'm a U.S. citizen, and I may be visiting Niamey for a day or two alter this year. Probably coming from Ouaga, preferably by road. I will also be in a few other West African countries in the preceding weeks but I'm not sure exactly which ones yet. I have tentatively scheduled a flight back to Europe leaving from Niamey airport, so I will need to get to Niamey somehow.

My general question is, what is the best way to get a Niger visa in West Africa? I probably won't be able to get one in the U.S. as I won't be in the U.S. long enough to send in my passport to the embassy.

Any chance I can just get the visa at the border coming by road from Ouaga? If not, where else in the region could I get it and how long will it take?

Thanks.

Moving to Dakar

I'm about to move over to Dakar for work, and am wondering where I should take my holidays! I'd be looking to go to some other countries in Africa as I will be able to travel around Senegal while I'm working. I have already been to Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and most of Southern Africa. Where can I fly from Dakar at a reasonable cost? I know most flights are expensive but I'm up for suggestions :)

Simien Mountains

Hiking in the Simien Mountains for five days was one of the highlights of our three weeks-trip to Ethiopia. As we found the information provided here in this forum very useful in our preparations for the trip, we would like to share some of our impressions and experiences:

• organising a hike through the Park Office in Debark is quite straight forward and certainly cheaper than organising it via a travel agent (of which you will meet many if you are travelling through Gonder). The only potentially confusing issue is the question of food – as outlined in the LP, the people you hire on the trip will expect you to feed them, even if the Park Office Management will insist that they bring their own food; just bring along enough for everyone, this will spare you tiring discussions and, in the end, it’s not lot of money…
• Many will try to convince you to drive part of the way in or t...

Simien mountains

Simien moutains is just stunning.
I can can thoroughly recommend taking a few days trip, but be prepared for it to be strenous, due to the high altitude.
We (3 friends) spent 4 days, 3 nights hiking, whichs makes for a good itinerary, ending at Chennek.
Make sure you get a good guide. I can thorougly recommend the one we used. Birhan at www.simientrekguide.com was both very knowlegable and clever and had a great sense of humor. And he had an excellent chef who, - dressed in a full chefs attire - provided delicious meals! -
Birhan provided transports to and from the mountains and all equipment on the way, such as tents and sleeping bags. However, bringing your own bag is recommended. He is not the cheapest but well worth it in our opinion.

Zambia Volunteering

Hi
i have read through many forums here and am still a little confused. i am trying to finalise a trip to Zambia for the month of July.
i will be flying from london and will most likely go straight to lusaka. i will spend 1month volunteering there.
at weekends i will have the opportunity to do short trips..
1) what do you recommend? i would be willing to take internal flight if its worth seeing.

when i am finished volunteering, i will travel to livingstone to see vic falls. here is where im lost. i have a few days to play around with. i would really appreciate any suggestions. i am open to travel to zimb or bots.

i then have two weeks which i hope to fly to S.A and see as much as can be.

i love the outdoors. im hoping to do my safari in zambia, but am keen to hear what else i can do . i will be travelling with another female. although we are not on a very tight budget, b... more »