The nature is harsh, dry, not welcoming, the people are very dumb and either friendly if they can't actually help you, annoying when they want to help you ged rid of all cash in your wallet or rude when they don't care for your existence.Frequent interaction with the wild animals is what made it worthwhile though.
>>2860084Most trails between villages looked like this.I only travel with an IPhone SE camera so I don't really have good photos
The small villages outside the cities are literally straw mudhuts with plastic everywhere
The towns are worse however as they are covered in even more trash than the villages and have open fish/meat markets that are absolutely disgusting temples to belzebub's flies deity existence. Because the open sewage system has completely stopped functioning it now just collects black water that looks like death, plastic and food scraps that fosters millions of bugs (cats and dogs do still drink from this). So in front of every house there is a ditch of black water with every disease imaginable flowing from it.
>>2860084All vehicles in the country are aid gifts from France/Germany and are sedans from the 80s or these vans that have been stripped to fit as many people as possible inside and are used as public transport/taxis.I saw one of these vans swerve to avoid a goat, keel over because it was overladen on the top with 2-3 meters of baggage and all ~20 people inside get creamed in the subsequent 50 meter slide and die.
There are many abandoned sites in the country from work camps to hotels in national parks that make for a cool experience, but also hints at tourism and foreign investment not being in its golden age anymore.The pictured hotel had around 30 rooms, huge dining hall, a dock by the river, swimming pool and what looked like volley ball and tennis courts; now all abandoned with green monkeys, snakes and insects running around.
Getting to the rivers is not that easy because of the huge changes during the tides...
you need to go far inland to get closer to the riverbanks (and probably better during dry season).
And its definitely where you see the most animals.
I don't know if others who have tried Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa were able to hike and use local transportation and get to see the wildlife that I've been told is better than is West Africa. But if that's possible, and you don't need thousands of dollars for your trip I'd recommend trying that first before trying West Africa trekking wildlife. People here got sick all the time from the food they ate its unsettling.
>>2860096little monkey fella!
>>2860084Everyday I need to count my blessing of not being born in Africa or India.Thank you for reminding me, OO.
>>2860084An absolute miracle, for once OP was not a tremendous faggot. Cool thread bro.
>>2860098South African here. Public transport is dodgey so hire a car, or just Uber. SA has mediteranean, sub tropical, grasslands, desert and mountain areas so quite a few options to choose from. Alltrails app can show you some popular options. Try to look like a local. If you sound foreign, just tell locals youve been staying here for 15 years so they leave you alone. There are organized hiking clubs.
>>2860133Some options :https://www.getaway.co.za/things-to-do/hiking-activities/hiking-bucketlist-south-africa/
>>2860098>Kenya, Tanzania, Botswanabeen to all three but "only" on safari. Wildlife is unfuckingbelievable
>>2860145>so what countries did you go to?Senegal, the Gambia, Mali, Guniea>how did you get there and did u go solo?There are cheap travel agency flights, or a spanish Ryan Air (Vueling) that costs 200€ in total if you book in advance.I was solo all the time even if I met some people ehre and there. I only ever got one day's ride out of a person I met at a camp or lodge.>where were you staying? did you camp?I mainly camped. I had a hammock tent that was totally useless because either the bush was too thick to hang anything up or the trees were to sparse, far apart or fat (like 3-5 meters in diameter) you couldn't wrap around it. I had a small mosquito net cover and waterproof ground tarp tent that needed to be hooked to a branch to hold up and that 20€ tent served me instead of the couple hundred professional hammock tent. I stayed in some lodges along the river, I was often invited to stay in the village in a mudhut (but then i had to eat with them which was disgusting for many reasons), and in some tourist catered mudhut hotels in towns.>how much does stuff cost on the daily?Buy a 2 litre sealed bottle for 35 cents. They bake fresh baguettes every morning for 25 cents which is good and then you can buy rice, ramen packs, peanuts for around a Euro each. Any sit down place will charge you 10-20 Euros. I really didnt need to bring a small boiler because you can just start a small campfire anywhere and boil your pot of water next to it. (There is so much I didnt know beforehand I would do differently now; for example: no Malaria pills. Malaria apparently occurs to 99% during rain season only). I didnt eat meats or fish after my first two weeks because other people kept getting sick. A bundle of Bananas was usually 1 Euro. Transportation was cheap but I will never again sit in any of those vehicles after all the shit I witnessed driving in those. You can drive all day (average speed 70-100kmh) and end up paying only 10-15 Euro; thats like a +500km trip.
>>2860145>but its the same shit, people are fucking annoying. or want something from youDefinitely. This absolutely ruins most of the experiences. The people are genuinely retarded as well. When exchanging currencies a guy with a calculator will come up with a new number every time he punches my sum into his ever changing calculations. So you just have him do it two times, three times and when you see he is suddenly offering you a 150% exchange rate, you repeat his nonsense to him and everyone is happy.I faced a lot of hostile racism in Senegal where people genuinely were keen on beating me to death if I didn't run away fast enough, but otherwise people would just be annoying by being friendly with the end goal of getting me to spend all my money on them. The poverty is also very depressing and I get they are desperate. In the Gambia I saw a lot of underage sex tourism going on and locals telling me of the white lovers they had when they were still teens but then stopped hearing from. Also seemingly every second man in his twenties tried to flee to Europe and had some stories to tell. Many asked how I could help and it was infuriating hearing how many language courses were being offered in German, Dutch and other non English-French European languages by NGOs to help them migrate.>i sneed a "real" africa trip, im prob the only person who seen resident evil 5 and thought wew that looks kino.Similar for me. I see Africa Addio, Blood Diamond, Lord of War, remember some Call of Duty ops or Rhodesia books I read and desperately want to go to those places. You also meet many cool people that way. No one can tell stories like their home country hating ex-patriots who travel with no sense of safety. Every traveler I met away from the coast had great stories to tell of their times traveling through Africa, but sadly almost all of them were in their 50s. You don't meet young travellers in that region really.
>>2860151>NGOs to help them migrate.it should be legal to hunt these vile, traitorous cunts for sport.
sounds like you need a guide with a gun + actual definite plans to make west africa work and you just tried to wing it>In the Gambia I saw a lot of underage sex tourism going on and locals telling me of the white lovers they had when they were still teens but then stopped hearing fromI could enjoyably spend my life not hearing those stories at all.
>>2860150>any wild animals mess with you on the trip?I didn't read this anywhere but the region is famous for snakes (and scorpions), and there are A LOT of snakesI saw a guy with a handball sized swollen bite area from a snake but I didn't suffer any attack. I had a couple snakes slide over my shoulders though as they tried to escape the branches they were on and avoid me. Of course they only scared the crap out of me and I hadn't seen them before I felt them across my faceInsects are terrible though. Every night Id have some huge black beetle, cockroach or whatever cuddle up in my sleeping bag or at least in my room and start blasting cricket noises. In the mud huts it would be so loud you could feel your ears vibrate. So every night I had to kill at least one massive bug>did any "animals" mess with you also?at least three times people tried to break in where I was staying (never with my tent though). But this usually just meant trying my locked doorhandle at 2 am and then coming back 2 minutes later and trying againSenegal had a lot of hatred towards whites, and the people seemed the rudest by far. They only greet by giving a slight nod while in Gambia you say local greetings like "I Saama"> curious to what you witnessed in the trucks?break lines start smoking while were going 100kmh; I sat next to a driver and thick smoke kept coming up from his pedals for a minute straight and after it stopped he kept driving like the problem fixed itselfpeople falling off the back at high speedsthe flipped crash I mentioned with 20 killedthe interior is stripped and rusted steel and I saw one dude open half his calf entering the van on a rusted doorHigh drivers (they are all 15-16 year old boys since the average age is like fucking 18 the country feels like a school)Every time I drove we ran over at least two animals. Biggest I saw was a truck slam a huge horse and it flew a couple dozen meters. (roads are always full of roaming animals)>>2860152Absolutely 100%
>>2860154and with the smoking pedals: he never stopped, he kept driving while looking at the smoke, then me back and forth, and when it ended he just drove as if nothing had happened.>>2860152I did learn some appreciation for the Algerian and Tunesian police men who beat these guys and steal all their belongings before sending them back to their shithole countries.The thought that such clearly baboon tier "people" should be integrated into western society blows my mind. I was decently disinclined towards them before but visiting these countries really intensified my hatred towards their enabled migration.>>2860153>sounds like you need a guide with a gun + actual definite plans to make west africa work and you just tried to wing itThat's the sensible route for sure. But being done with it, I do feel this was an exciting adventure. And an adventure I dont want to replicate ever again.>I could enjoyably spend my life not hearing those stories at all.:)Young men (14-18 usually) walk along the beaches literally butt naked, dicks swinging and approach any old lady and guy seeing if they want to pay to be their lovers. And the french male tourists always had the youngest girls. I saw one where the girl barely looked like she could have been 12. And they own their sex toys like slaves they can send away and call back whenever.
>>2860155>gay marriage illegal>naked boys selling themselves to you on the beach is fine though the less I think about Africa the better I feelits interesting to me how north africa is basically the other side of the appalachian mountains, except a desert, and the seychelles seem cool to mebut I do not have the tolerance for all that noise and danger and bugs and chaos
>>2860084>The nature is harsh, dry, not welcomingYou are aware there is a dry season and a rainy season, correct? Here's what that park looks like in June.I think we'd make a good team, I like your aimless style.
I traveled extensively through western Ghana and thought it was ok. Lots of walking in the middle of no where. Met some random guys out in a random clearing in the jungle and drank palm wine out of a jerry can. Didn’t see a lot of animals other than snakes and biting insects though.
I have a little place east of Mombasa.
You're the Dutch guy who met some other old Dutch guy on a motorcycle trip, right? Thanks for providing an update. He said West Africa was his favorite place to visit. How do you feel about him now? You're holding back some of the worst details. I want to hear them, and I'm sure many others here do too. It's not like this place is PC or sensitive.
8 people will cram into this 80s Renaults and not counting kids.>>2860161I was hoping you would show up! I made a thread last year about /out/ing in West Africa and you were the only one with serious insight and replies.>and a rainy season,I wanted to ask you about this. When exactly do you manage to go because true rain season sounds very rough with how muddy things become (it seems like all clouds entering West Africa enter over the Senegambia region; a bit like Britain for Europe) and I was told its the worst time concerning vermin. I never saw a scorpion but I was told they were abundant during rain season; an similar for Malaria and Dengue flies. All the experienced people I met said they don't bother with Malaria prevention during the dry season, and locals I met talked about needing to get Malaria medicine only during rain season. Can you comment on some of these things?>Here's what that park looks like in June.Do you mean Niokolo Koba? That was pretty green still when I was there in December, but not as wet as in your photo. The last time it rained (and that implies just a few drops) was in late November and then nothing at all anymore.>I think we'd make a good team, I like your aimless style.Aimless is the way to go even now in hindsight. How far youre gonna get and when is too unpredictable and then what's at your destination was almost always unknown to me beforehand. Both my stays in Mali and Guinea where unprepared and not via an official border crossing. I just followed locals who showed me gold mines and tried to help find giraffes.You posted a photo with a bike next to your tent last thread. Is that how you cross these distances (I would hate cycling on those roads desu) or did you also take some sept-chaises Renault or the vans in Gambia? I would spend a couple days hiking in an area I'd think be nice and for whatever reason I'd leave again I'd hop on one of these transports and go another 100km to the next place I assumed would be good.
>>2860216>You're the Dutch guy who met some other old Dutch guy on a motorcycle trip, right?Nope, that's not me.
Based thread. Thanks op.
>>2860176Here are some pictures
>>2860176
Seems like I lost a lot of them
>>2860225It's nice to see you came back to make a thread, Guinea and Mali are my two biggest bucket list countries but I've never had the balls.sounds like we have the same style, I usually hike in an area for 2-3 days then hitchhike or hop on transport to the next place. That bicycle I borrowed from a dude I stayed with in Atar, didn't have it for long.Yes rainy season is a horrible time to visit. The only payoff is you see some cool clouds. I almost died of dehydration hiking Niokola-Koba in March, that's why I wanted to go back in July, i.e. at peak rainy season. Malaria meds only cost like $8 for a month's supply so there's no reason not to take them regardless of when you're there.
>>2860091All of this sounds like a dream, OP. Dunno why you think foreign investment or tourism are good things at all. Obviously the reasoning to favor those is "trickle down" bullshit which we knows don't work, developed shitholes just become castles to human trafficker gangs. I'd rather live in a violent poor shithole where one gang nigger attacks another gang nigger than one where the gang conglomerate kidnaps and sells my daughter to the Epstein ring.Also, everything you posted sounds cool if you are aware of what places like that are like and not have an idealized Dora The Explorer expectation. Did you go alone? Huge balls and little brain of you if you did, I would have taken a group of 3 or 4 bros and spread them out at all times because there's deterrence in numbers, and you can only truly enjoy places like this when you feel safe. They are hidden gems and need to be tackled their own way.Sorry to say this but you got filtered this time. Try visiting rural latin america.
>>2860519Also, you should visit El Salvador, and you should visit right fucking now because it's turning into a gentrified shithole, the ones I told you I hate. Don't go to tourist trap bullshit, research to get yourself to waterfalls, caves and humble but hearty shitholey rural towns. Best times to visit are November, last week of january, last week of february.
>>2860084>anon learns about africoons the hard way.
>>2860149>or a spanish Ryan Air (Vueling) that costs 200€ in total if you book in advance.which destination airports should i look for? i guess the capital of senegal? any of those countries have mountains, or is it only jungle?
>>2860547>which destination airports should i look for?Banjul.>any of those countries have mountains, or is it only jungle?They are flat as can be. Parts of Senegal feel like uncultivated Oklahoma but flatter. And the region is definitely not only jungle. Along the river, especially during rain season, it will probably feel so, but this is more like the classic African Savanna area than pure jungle.
>>2860547In Senegal the border with Guinea has some excellent mountains and waterfalls. Or just go to Guinea which has 10x that.Some day I want to go to Sierra Leone and climb Lome Mountain.
I've spent a lot of time in Asia but have no desire at all to ever visit Africa or India.
>>2860574Truthfully Africa is a cool place to visit at least I had a good time in Ghana. A complete culture shock experience. People were friendly in Ghana and I had no problems while I was there even in the middle of no where. I was there for work and we did have a local guide with us so maybe that makes the difference. Food isn’t very good and you’ll probably be taking a bucket shower though.
>>2860574Travel in the impoverished tropics is objectively miserable; the only reason to do so is if you're currently geeking out on the vibe of the people or the history. I've been to all 3 places you mention, personally I'd rather party with Africans than anyone from south asia.
>>2860519>>2860520You sound like you would be an absolute joy at parties. Just you or with your group of homo friends. Hopefully you deter your self from circle jerking.
Imagine the kind of fag that can't appreciate a tough experience
>>2860817im gay and i have no interest in visiting africa, sorry we have africa at home
What's the intel on Liberia? Does anyone ever go? I read they have huge virgin rainforest
>>2860817I remember when I was a teenager
>>2860084I don't get it, did you hike or just camp? Are there established trails? Is this something people do?
>>2860858You still are since you need your mommy and daddy
>>2860084I told you, you were gon' get raped, didn't I?Do I really have to post this again?I told you you weren't going to have a good time and you went ahead and accused me of racism and bigotry.Nevertheless, we're glad to see you back safe. You're one of the few genuine people on here that are not maladaptive daydreamers.
