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Nov 25, 2012 10:44 AM
baosafari

last reply
Jan 16, 2013 11:53 AM
baosafari

3 replies
304 views
location: Kenya

Staying with local family in Maungu near Voi

If you are looking for a good and cheap place to stay near Voi, Ndoto Village Bandas is the place to go ! I have just returned from my 3rd stay.
Ndoto (Dream) Village Bandas is located in Maungu, Itinyi Village. It has been risen from the dreams of Mama Mercy. She started dreaming of creating a home for herself and her family and also helping the community where she lives. Over the past 5 years she has been expanding her home and now she has built a few bandas for volunteers and tourist to stay in. There is electricity but no running water. Water for drinking and washing is taken care of.
Price : 1000 KSH per person per night, incl. breakfast and supper.
For more info go to : www.ndotovillage.com or send me a message !

Nov 25, 2012 10:19 AM
kpdx

last reply
Dec 18, 2012 3:04 AM
KatieAustralia

8 replies
941 views
location: South Africa

Traveling along South African coastline via Baz Bus

Hello all!!

I will be traveling March 16-April 1, 2013 from Durban to Cape Town using the Baz Bus.

I am trying to figure out what the best beaches are along the way. I am thinking about stopping over in:

-Jeffrey's Bay
-Mossel Bay
-Port Elizabeth

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I will be staying in hostels so that sort of dictates where I can/cannot venture.

Thank you for any and all tips :)

Nov 25, 2012 9:58 AM
assam

last reply
Dec 2, 2012 10:42 PM
Kelstarama

5 replies
871 views
location: Tanzania

Zanzibar - Taxis/ Safety - how to recognise an official taxi ?

Hello

I will be arriving at ZNZ and then travelling (probably by taxi) to Nungwi.

Having read all the reports of bogus taxis in Dar, I would like to ask - is this also the case for Zanzibar?

I understand an official taxi has a red number plate with yellow letters and numbers. Is this correct?

Is there an official taxi desk at ZNZ airport, as per many other cities?

Your advice would be appreciated.

Nov 25, 2012 8:31 AM
derocker

last reply
Jan 24, 2013 3:10 AM
Skippysunshine

2 replies
866 views
location: Malawi

Malawi 2012 Do’s and Don’t

I spent two weeks in North and Central Malawi and would like to share some of my experiences with you:
DO:
•Stay at Chitimba camp in Chitimba. Nice people, nice dorms and they will store your gear while you hike up to livigstonia.
•Stay at Lukwe camp near Livingstonia: An great eco-lodge for budget travellers. awesome views over the rift valley, the best food with vegetables and fruit straight from the ‘Lukwe gardens’. Great owners with a lot of knowledge on (North) Malawi.
•Stay a night at the Muzuzu zoo. The town itself is not much special but this guesthouse and bar are a great place to meet people.
•Nhkata Bay: Mayoka village is the place to be. Great plae to meet travellers, lots of free activities (boat rides that cost upto 15 USD at other places) and other nice surprises. They pick up the check for the taxi ride from the bus stand

DON’T
•Avoid Big Blue in Nhkata Bay: ... more »

Nov 25, 2012 8:28 AM
derocker

last reply
Dec 6, 2012 9:38 AM
nilsy

6 replies
751 views
location: Tanzania

Scam with tips on Kilimanjaro

When climbing Kilimanjaro the travel agency (Afrigalaxy) tried to pull the following scam on us:
We were told by a representative of the agency (David X) that our crew consisted of 10 persons (1guide, 1 assistant guide, 1 cook and 7 porters). That seemed a bit exaggerated for only 2 participants. As I have some experience in organizing treks, I was quite suspicious. In my calculations a crew of 6 people should be sufficient, given that we wouldn’t use a mess tent and that our own gear for 2 persons was only 10 kg. Just before starting the trek the same representative told us that a minimum tip of 10$ was required per day per porter and 20$ for the other 3 (guides & cook).
Allthough the crew was constantly playing ‘hide and seek’, it became clear to us that our crew did not consist of 9 but only 5 people. On the last day the guide then came to claim the tips for the 9 persons whic... more »

Nov 25, 2012 7:59 AM
theaaronandamanda

last reply
Dec 6, 2012 4:29 AM
lesoleiltoujours

2 replies
296 views
location: Ethiopia

Ethopia Dec 28th- Jan 6th Ideas join us?

My husband and I live in the Middle East and have time for a short trip to Ethiopia, around 6 days.

We would like to trek but are on a tight budget, we prefer to do things with out a guide/tour
company.

Any ideas of the best place to check out.

Any people up for a trekking trip?

Thanks to anyone for taking the time to share their ideas.

Aaron and Amanda

Nov 25, 2012 6:32 AM
debbieanng

last reply
Dec 7, 2012 6:45 AM
debbieanng

2 replies
485 views
location: Ghana

Visa (US citizen, living in South Africa)

I'm applying for a visa to Ghana and it is really difficult - they require a letter of invitation from someone living in Ghana and a copy of that person's passport. I was really surprised by this requirement and it will take some time to accomplish this. Anyway, just wanted to share - I think this might be required for anyone applying at the High Commission in Pretoria. The other requirement that I found difficult was a postal money order. You need proof of address in order to get a postal money order in SA - and for someone who travels a lot, that can be difficult. My advice is to start the visa process as early as possible. There is not a lot of flexibility built in to the system. The good news is that there is a Gautrain stop very close to the Ghana High Commission.

Nov 25, 2012 5:17 AM
namethatLPaccep...

last reply
Jan 17, 2013 12:11 PM
UsvaAuer

2 replies
522 views
location: Cape Verde

Accommodation

Bradt Travel Guide ”Cape Verde”, 2011, p.72:

“At the bottom of the range there are some very cheap, grubby places that not intended for tourist. No-one will mention them, they will not be marked, and even the proprietors may discourage you from staying for fear you´ll complain about the conditions…”

I am going to check this option. Do these guest houses have a special name? What should you ask for to be directed to the right place? How much is “very cheap” in this case? 1000 CVE or less?

Thank you.

Nov 25, 2012 4:11 AM
Walkermoo

last reply
Dec 5, 2012 2:06 PM
BlaineAlan

1 replies
267 views
location: Ethiopia

trekking Lalibela, Tigray, or Simiens

Hi
We (myself and husband) are going on a 3 or 4-day trek from Lalibela (approx. Dec 22-26) with Daniel Melese who I've corresponded with on couchsurfing and has a trekking company http://highlandtrekking.com/Ethiopia/Welcome.html and seems very nice. Does anyone want to join us and share costs (approx $40 pp/day)?
After that, I'd like to explore the churches of Tigray for a couple of days. Has anyone done this independently on foot and local buses? We have sleeping gear, but no cooking equipment...
Later (1st week January?) we'd like to do another trek in the Simiens...

Again, if anyone is interested in joining us, we're relaxed, fun, and doing the northern circuit anti-clockwise just to be different (and for buses and the ferry across lake Tana which I hope to take)

cheers
Laura more »

Nov 25, 2012 3:34 AM
mikele1

last reply
Nov 26, 2012 8:55 AM
Jambo1987

1 replies
298 views
location: Tanzania

bus dar el salaam to Lilongwe

do anybody know, if a bus is going from dar el salaam to lilongwe and how often

Nov 25, 2012 3:11 AM
mikele1

last reply
Nov 25, 2012 3:11 AM
mikele1

0 replies
271 views
location: Djibouti

Lac assal and lac abbe

will be soon (27.11) in Djibouti and stay in hotel horseed
looking for people for tours to Lac assal and abbe
will be around 10 days stay in Djibouti
so hope to find some people

Nov 25, 2012 2:55 AM
hemantshah

last reply
Nov 25, 2012 2:55 AM
hemantshah

0 replies
576 views
location: South Africa

Our Southern Africa holiday: sharing the experience

My wife and I have just returned from a wonderful holiday in Southern Africa. Here are the highlights.
Countries:
SouthAfrica: 6 days in CapeTown. But did not see much of the town. Had hired an Avis car (very happy with all aspects of hiring from Avis) so drove to Cape Point (take the Road via Chapman's peak along the Atlantic Ocean - fought with my GPS unit which wanted me to take the False bay side road) - took the whole day (day - for us - in Cape Town ended at end-of-daylight!). Stellenbosch wine tasting Spier winery - marvellous place, lovely wine, west coast park - a bit of a disappointment bird hides are too far from the flamingoes - of whom there were hundreds! I was told it all depends on tide times. But went all the way to Tsaarsbank, and saw this huge meadow in the restricted area across the fence, fully carpeted by lovely orange wild flowers, and huge herd of gemsboks. ... more »

Nov 25, 2012 2:46 AM
nomadtravel2012

last reply
Jan 26, 2013 6:16 AM
wolfshakti

6 replies
897 views
location: Sudan

Hostility Towards Foreigners in Sudan

Dear all,
I'm curious as to whether there is any anti-Western sentiment in Sudan going on right now. If anyone who is living there right now or has recently traveled through northern Sudan (Khartoum north to Wadi Haifa at the Egyptian border) has ideas, I would love to hear them. I recently spoke with a Sudanese friend, who was in Sudan recently with his American wife, and said they ended their trip early due to fears for her safety and that if any foreigners traveling in Sudan weren't extremely careful, they could get into serious trouble very fast. I don't have more details than that so I'm curious as to your opinions. Thanks.

Nov 25, 2012 2:29 AM
1alessandro

last reply
Dec 1, 2012 12:23 PM
1alessandro

2 replies
331 views
location: South Africa

Whales at Hermanus in December?

Hi, can anyone tell me what te chances of still being able to see whales around the 10th of December from Hermanus are?
Many thanks!

Nov 25, 2012 1:30 AM
oilily

last reply
Nov 25, 2012 3:47 AM
Kira

1 replies
154 views


Sudan Airways

Hi,
Any idea about how to book a flight on sudan airways? On their website it's only possible to get the price, they don't even provide the times.
They're not on Amadeus either.

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