Top countries in the other regions. .based on my very small sample size.

Africa. ..Morocco
Central America.....Costa Rica
South America. ....Peru
Middle East. ..Israel

I would book a normal car unless you have a specific destination in mind that requires a 4x4. The chances are that on a first roadtrip in South Africa you won't encounter the need for a 4x4 and that there will be sufficient alternatives for you to feel that you haven't missed out. Places like Coffee Bay, while a 4x4 would be nice, are still reachable with a 4x4.

Did same trip year ago.Quite the adventure and spectacular scenery with no problems any where.Took min bus Nairobi to Nanyuki then continued north with matatus ,and hitching.Can,t recall names of g.h.,s we stayed but most were in guide book.Also these towns small easy to check out accommodation.Took 5 days from Nanyuki.We camped Loiyangalani at the best hotel green grass and palm trees.Again forget name,easy to locate.They had small bungalows,and café with cold beer in case you don,t have tent.You can swim in Lake turkana,20 minute walk from town.All the locals know where it is.Safe area .There is a huge free tribal festival early May here.Lots of people to attend this colourful tribal festival from all over the world.We hitched back to Nairobi easy via the main highway coming from Ethiopia border .In nine months back packing Africa going overland to Loiyangalani,seeing the festival for several days,and back to Nairobi by a different route was the number one high light.Seeing blue water of Lake Turkana coming from the south almost desert like as so dry is stunning.Make sure you go!

Well, I love South Africa and have been on Safari there many times, in different parts.
There is no "right or wrong", most of the options you are considering have their advantages or disadvantages.

Addo NP:
It is especially great in terms of elefants. I have also seen plenty of other game there, including buffalo, zebra, lion, different antilopes and plenty of birds. But compared to the Greater Krüger NP, you have to be much more lucky to see leopard, and also seeing lion is "more difficult" than in the Greater Krüger. The advantage is of course that it would be "easier to fit in" in your itinerary.

I have been to Gorah Lodge, which is within Addo NP and is beautiful. But as its within the NP, you cant go on walking safaris.

Lodges near Addo NP:
I haven`t been to Pumba so cant comment on it. I have been to Shamwari which I guess is quite similar. Again, the advantage is the location. Also, as not in the NP, walking safaris are possible. In terms of animals, with 4 game drives there, you would have to be quite unlucky not to see the big 5 plus plenty of other animals. The disadvantage for me - its almost "too easy" to see the animals. Nope, you are not in a zoo, but you dont feel like in the bush either. And as the reserves are somehow limited in terms of size, you will sometimes drive along the fence, and on the other side of the fence is a road with a lot of traffic. This also takes a lot away (at least for me) in terms of ambience.

It' s in our plan to do Cape Town for 4 days, the Garden Route for 5 or 6 days and Kruger for 5 days

Do you realize how long and tiring it is to drive from the Garden Route to Kruger? And in general, South Africa has so much to see that it doesn't make sense to try to include another African country if your trip is only 2–3 weeks.

You've clearly been doing your homework and I look forward to reading your trip report! I'm probably still listed as a contributor to Chris Scott's book as I contributed the details route down through Western Sahara. You can see some of my photos at http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net/forum/showthread.php?t=191

I have friends in Mauritania at the moment (mixed motorbike and 4x4 group) and another friend who's biked solo through and onwards (now in the Congo) and things seem relatively safe for travellers.

The ferry from Algeciras crosses to Tanger Med which is 40km to the east of Tanger, you may want to consider crossing from Tarifa which lands you in Tanger Ville.

Here's a link to an online facility to prepare your temporary import form which you can print off before you leave. You will benefit from having fiches as you pass through Western Sahara, so also on the link is a fiche spreadsheet, http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net/forum/showthread.php?t=73

Your timings are optimistic. Travel in Morocco is slow, even with your own vehicle. Tanger to Chefchaouen via Moulay Bousselham (Merja Zerga) is more like five hours. The Roman site of Lixus that @moroccotraveler mentions is a few km east of Larache on the coast and is directly on this route.

Similarly, Chefchaouen to Nador is more than seven hours using the coast road, and nine hours using the spectacular N2 and R610 route through the mountains. I've been to the lagoon at Nador and not seen anything of interest so it might be well to research this more.

Finnt Oasis to the south of Ouarzazate might be one place for twitching, http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net/forum/showthread.php?t=242

Personally I'd amend the route to go Oualidia - Safi - Essaouira - Ouarzazate - Taroudannt - Souss Massa park.

Fuel is a lot cheaper below Tan Tan so don't fill up just before then!

Beyond Tan Tan you could stop at El Ouatia (aka Tan Tan Plage). Or continue a bit further to Akhfenir (N28 05 43.9 W12 02 58.1) where there's half a dozen hotels. About 10km further SW on the coast there's a spot for pink flamingos, spoonbills and waders. Not sure of the time of year, though. Some notes: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/africa/morocco/cascades-of-oued-khami-nam

Morocco has claimed Western Sahara as an integral part of its territory (and refers to it as 'The Southern Provinces'), so there's no border between Morocco and Western Sahara. Laayoune is full of UN and NGO staff and no fun. You could try Camping le Roi Bedouin which is about 4km off the road on an easy track just south of a huge sebjet, see map at https://tinyurl.com/ycdx35su

I can't remember whether or not I've stayed overnight in Boujdour. Rough Guide suggests Hotel Al Qods (Lonely Planet tends to focus just on the more mainstream towns).

Crossing into Mauritania is straightforward. The Senegal border at Rosso has a terrible reputation so check out this way to avoid Rosso and instead go by the piste to the crossing by the dam at Diama. The turnoff is at N16 47 22.5 W16 05 56.3 and I've uploaded a map here with the suggested route in green: http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net/tim/map-diama-piste.png

I see from your other posts that you are Canadian (which explains the French) and that you plan to travel from BC through the US, Mexico, Central America and South America before you get to Africa.

That means that by the time you get to Africa you will be a pretty experienced traveler, including developing countries. Africa isn't South America, and, while I certainly wouldn't suggest beginning your rip in Sudan or Liberia, you will have acquired enough travel skills, ability to cope with bureaucracy and, most importantly, street smarts, that you will probably have few problems dealing with some of the countries labeled as "more difficult."

I'll throw in some speeches about a subject that will affect your whole trip, not just Africa--health. That is going to mean some planning and expense, but, believe me., it will be worth it.

Before you leave Canada, you should get complete medical, dental and vision checkups and take care of anything that needs fixing. I would strongly urge that in addition, you consult with a specialist travel clinic, even if you have to pay for it out of your own pocket. You need to review all the immunizations you will need and where and when to get them. Routine stuff like tetanus, measles or meningitis is probably available on your provincial health plan. Hepatitis A may be covered; Hep B probably is. You should get the routine stuff, plus hepatitis before you leave, even if you have to pay for it. Other shots, such as typhoid, you may be able to get in a country where they are cheaper. Be sure to talk about rabies immunization; it is very complicated.

A special note about yellow fever immunization. It is compulsory in much of Central & South America and Africa. However, there is currently a worldwide shortage of the vaccine, and it can be hard to find and expensive in Canada. You can probably find it more cheaply in Central or South America, but you will have to be sure you can get it before going to a country that won't let you in without a valid certificate of immunization.

For much of your trip, you are going to need to take an anti-malarial drug. Ignore all the anecdotes, old wives tales, and crud you will get from friends and on the internet. You MUST discuss this with a health professional, as the right antimalarial is a very personal thing, depending on your specific age, gender, allergies, health history & more. Yiu cannot use someone else's experience to predict what is right for you.

Since I didn't see anything about your planning to join a convent, I assume you will be sexually active during the trip. You need to discuss the trip with your regular doctor or OB/GYN. You need to think about pregnancy. Whether you have sex with men or women, you need to think about STDs (including AIDS), many of which can be orally transmitted, as well as genitally. Then there is Zika. Besides mosquito bites, it can be transmitted by semen. Mexico, Central & South America are Zika-central, but it also occurs in Africa.

For a long trip through a lot of developing countries, it is imperative that you get decent travel health insurance. The most common health issue for travelers in any country is traffic accident. Think about all those chicken buses, funky taxis, and impossible-for-pedestrians city streets. In many places, you won't be treated until you cough up some money, and you may really need to be evacuated to another city or country for treatment. Don't forget possible dental emergencies like a broken tooth, or the need to get you and your body cast flown back home.

Your Canadian insurance won't cover you abroad, not even in the US, where health care can be beastly expensive without insurance.

This old thread about health insurance covers the issues I think you need to consider when buying insurance. It goes all over the place, including arguments against insurance, so do read the whole thing.

Hello fea2er!

I love hiking solo and recommend you to try it out! South Africa is for sure a great country for hiking, and solo trips in particular. However, my favorite place is Yosemite National Park.

As I often do solo hiking and traveling I have completed this gide for women I believe that you might find it useful before hitting the trail.

Happy hiking!

I haven't been to East Africa, but my impression is that it's a region where foreigners rarely travel alone due to safety concerns. I've had African people tell me it's possible to visit national parks on the cheap side there if you have your own car. But for sure even the camping tours that agencies do are very expensive.

Colombia on the other hand, I'm familiar with. There are touristy places like Villa de Levya and Salento. Both are really worthwhile. Take Salento: even if the town is filled with tourists, you can go walking or bike riding on the country roads 1/2 km outside of town, and I guarantee it's the real Colombia.

And for instance, there is the mountainous region south of Medellin. There is one town that attracts tourists: Jardin. Most of the tourists are Colombians, with a few Europeans and Americans. But there are a dozen other towns with names like Jerico, La Pintada, Santa Barbara, Salamina that rarely ever see any tourists. And these towns and the surrounding mountains and rivers are just beautiful. That's just one small region of Colombia.

I mean really, only a small fraction of the country has been affected by tourism of any kind. And now with the treaty ending the gov't war w/ FARC, there is a whole new region opened for tourism just last year in the south.