African Travel Myths

I would never go to Africa because (substitute one of the following)

a) It's too dangerous...terrorists, you know, and all those poor, starving people who will kill you for your money or your clothes.

b) EVERYBODY has Aids, and you might be infected.

c) It's too hot...just look at all of them running around half naked (as seen in 1940's movies)

d) It's too primitive.  I don't want to tromp around in clouds of dust and mosquitoes, or live in a mud hut and eat grasshoppers.

For those of you who have considered going to Africa, but are intimidated by the above "conventional" wisdom, listen up.  What follows will smash your misconceptions to smithereens.  Africa is not what you think it is, by a long shot.

First, let's get a few of the obvious misconceptions out of the way.  When people say, "Africa is too dangerous."  I would answer, "Yes, you shouldn't go to Zimbabwe right now.  Mugabe is a lunatic."  Zimbabwe is one country about half again as big as Texas in a continent that is more than three times the size of the United States!  Africa is huge, and there is so much diversity that making any generalization is probably wrong.  Most people simply cannot conceive of the size of Africa.  Would you say, "I don't want to go to Paris because there is bad stuff happening in Chechneya?"

Now, about poverty in Africa.  Some people are concerned that they will not be comfortable around all the poor, hungry, homeless people.  In another article I published here on Gather about African animals I got the following question from a reader:

"I don't want to visit Africa-feel very uncomfortable to be so close to people who don't have enough to eat or medicine...knowing I can't help them because I don't have the time or money to spare.  Wondering-did that bother you?"

I answered as follows:

"First I would say that I feel good about bringing tourist dollars to their economy. Tourism has become the biggest business in Africa, and it provides jobs for millions of people. The economies of many nations depend on it. They had a terrible time after 9/11 when foreign tourism plummeted. Fortunately, it has since recovered.  Secondly, tourism is a positive force in protecting the animals. The people recognize that the animals are a real resource...that tourists will come to see them and bring their money. That's a mixed blessing, sometimes...it can result in unwise development and exploitation of other resources like fresh water. But on the whole, I think tourism is a constructive force on the African continent. I have only visited a few African countries...the ones with the best tourist infrastructure. The people are not starving, and in fact are doing quite well, most of them. Sure there is poverty, but there is poverty right here in our country too. Your perception of Africa as a poor, impoverished continent full of starving people is one shared by many, and is the result of media concentration on the worst areas. It is dangerous to generalize about Africa.  It's a huge continent, and every country is different."

Let's talk about the Aids 'danger.'  There are some countries in Africa that have very high Aids infection rates...up to 35% of the population.  Mostly, those are poor countries with little tourism value where you wouldn't want to go anyway.  But; let's get real here, folks.  When I go to Africa, the first thing that crosses my mind when I step off the airplane in Johannesburg is NOT going out and patronizing the first brothel or street hooker that I encounter, nor am I looking to do drugs with a needle.  That is not why I am going to Africa, and it's real hard to get Aids from somebody if you don't have sex with them or share their needle.  Secondly, my wife is with me most of the time, so I really don't have much opportunity to "kick up my heels," assuming that I have any kick left.  But here's the clincher:  I am almost seventy years old, and any self-respecting Aids virus would want a longer-term commitment than my ancient carcass can offer.

Now let's talk about this backward 'country' Africa.  As I said before it's not a country...it's a continent.  A continent so huge that when it's summer in Cairo, it's winter in Cape Town, and vice versa.  It's so diverse that you can find just about anything you want to find there.  You like picturesque cities like San Francisco with lots of good hotels, great restaurants and a scenic waterfront?  Cape Town is your place.  And if you would like a little thrill ride, take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain for one of the greatest city panoramas in the world.  It's a five thousand foot mountain right in the city.  Cape Town's climate is similar to San Francisco, too.  It is one fine city.  I could live there.  Here are some shots I took on my visit there in 2003.  That's Table Mountain in the background, the top obscured by clouds.
 

Yeah, you say, but right outside San Francisco is one of the great wine districts in the world...Napa Valley and all the surrounding valleys.  Guess what...Cape Town will match that and then some, with Constantia, Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek wine districts.  This is one of the most beautiful areas in the world, in my opinion.

Constantia is a 15 minute drive from downtown.  The others aren't much further.  One of the favorite pastimes of residents is to take a Sunday drive out to Stellenbosch to do some wine tasting...or to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, or even down to Cape Point...the Cape of Good Hope.  This is often identified as the southernmost point in Africa, but actually Cape Agulhas a couple hundred miles to the East is slightly closer to the South Pole.

Africa is too hot!  Yeah, if you are up in equatorial Africa, that's true, but Cape Town weather is very similar to San Francisco.  In fact all of Southern Africa is in the temperate zone.  It can get hot in the summers...like our Midwest...but I almost froze to death on top of Table Mountain in May!  If you go on game drives in an open Land Rover in the Fall, you had better have a really warm jacket!  It's a lot like southern California in that respect...it can get warm during the day...70's or 80's, but it cools off quickly when the sun goes down.

Safaris...doesn't that mean a lot of walking and camping out in tents with clouds of dust, flies and mosquitoes?  You can still do that, if you want to, but you can also stay in some of the poshest resorts you have ever seen.  How about your own private chalet complete with plunge pool, a deck overlooking a water hole frequented by wild animals that you can watch from a deck chair.  I took the following photos at Madikwe (Mah-DEEK-way) Hills Lodge in the far northwest corner of South Africa.

Some of these chalets are as big as my house!

Then, you can wander up to the main hall, have a drink in the bar before dinner, and then sit down to a meal that will equal many six or seven-star restaurants, served with fine South African wines.

Notice how the structure is built around the native rocks and trees.

The chalets are separated by large rocks and trees for privacy, and are connected to the public rooms...dining room, bar and lounge...by a raised wooden walkway.

If you would like more detail on what you will experience at an African private game preserve, read my "Africa Trip Report" article /viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976726212.

I should add that all of this doesn't come cheap.  The really top game lodges can run up to $1,000 a day per person.  That sounds like a lot but they give you a LOT for the money.  You can scale back the luxury level if you're on a budget, but safaris these days are anything but primitive.

I guess I should say a word about terrorism.  It's a concern everywhere today.  I suppose big cities are the likeliest targets.  I can't imagine a terrorist seeking out tourists in the African bush.  Terrorists like big concentrations of people.  What about the cities, like Cape Town?  I doubt if a terrorist attack is any more likely in Africa that it is in the United States.

Some people are worried about getting malaria in Africa, and that is a concern if you are going into warm, wet areas.  Our trips have been mostly in the fall, in the southern temperate areas.  We didn't even need to take the Chloraquin pills for some of them.  But most people take them just to be safe.  It's not a big deal.

The worst part about tourism in Africa is getting there.  From the west coast of the U.S. where we live, it takes almost 24 hours in the air to get to Johannesburg, South Africa.  The usual route for us is LAX to Frankfort, Germany.  We like to take a rest in Frankfort by renting a room for a few hours in a hotel at the airport, and then fly from there to Johannesburg.  Each flight is about 11 hours.  I'm usually a zombie for a day following the flight, but a day in a game preserve revives me.  The excitement of watching the animals, all that fresh air, wonderful food and wine...it will revive anyone!

As much as I hate those long plane rides to Africa, I keep going back.  Once you're there, and you see all the wonderful things that Africa has to offer, you will quickly forget that long plane ride.  Going out in the African bush is an experience you will remember for the rest of your life.  And you may get hooked...as I did...;and go back as often as you can afford it.

A final word:  The currencies of most of the countries in southern Africa tend to follow the South African Rand.  When I first went to Africa in 2003, the exchange rate was $1.00 = 8.5 Rand.  In 2004, it was 7.5, and now it's about 6 Rand to the dollar.  If you are thinking of going, don't wait.  The dollar will probably continue its decline.  Trips like this may be unaffordable for most people in a few years.