Shouting from my shed

Get the latest news, updates and happenings via my shed-based newsletter.

 

9 Reasons why I love Independent Travel in Africa

Sierra Leone

I have spent a couple of years of my life in Africa. About half of that time I was travelling by bicycle. And that is definitely my favourite way of experiencing Africa. But there are great things about all different modes of independent travel in Africa.
Here are some snapshots that I hope will get the wanderlust flowing and encourage you to take a trip to Africa…

1. Laughter: A loud, belly-deep, thigh-slapping laughter heard in markets, bus stations and villages across Africa. I have never met a happier person than a laughing African.

2. Smoky dawns: Early morning roosters, the smoke of a million cooking fires, slender girls fetching water from village pumps, all lit with the golden light of sunrise.

3. Sugar cane: Snapping off mouthfuls of sugar cane, chewing the sweet juice, and spitting the woody waste out of the window of the loud, crowded minibus taxi.

4. Cute kids: Big shining eyes, massive grins, and a wonderful innocence: everywhere I travel in the world little kids seem to find me as weird and funny as a clown. I rarely discourage this, and love playing the fool to a big crowd of laughing African children.

5. Big skies: The huge canopy of blue above you, bluer and bigger than anywhere else I have ever been. The road stretching off ahead of you, towards the next adventure beneath this crazy big sky. Africa is big, bold, beautiful, and overflowing with adventurous potential.

6. Sunsets: Cheesy as you like, but nowhere -and I mean nowhere- can beat Africa for the wonderful cliche of a massive golden sunset.

7. Barbecued corn:  Frustrated by delays, incompetence, wrong information, too-loud music, the heat, flies, and all the annoying stuff that goes with travel in Africa, I can always be placated by the aroma of barbecued corn-on-the cob: the constant comfort food of my travels in southern Africa.

8. Variety: Are the skyscrapers of Jo’Burg, the mosques of Cairo, Lalibela’s churches, Zanzibar’s beaches, Kili’s snowy summit, the Sahara and the Congo really all part of the same continent? Africa is many things, but ‘boring’ is not one of them.

9. Ouagadougou: the coolest name imaginable for a capital city.

What are you waiting for? There’s over 50 countries in Africa. Pick one. Go.

This post originally appeared on Wanderstruck.

Read Comments

You might also like

10500 Days (and almost as many words) “My thoughts first turned to adventure 10,500 days ago today. The idea of adventure for me at first was simple and uncomplicated. It was the prospect of excitement, fun, and novelty that were pulling me forward, and the push of […]...
Survey results: What direction shall I go next? I recently asked the wonderful readers of my newsletter for a bit of advice on what things I should focus my attention on for the next few months and years. I thought I’d share the results here, partly to show […]...
Embracing the Adventurous Spirit in Life and Leadership In the journey of life, we often find ourselves at crossroads, contemplating the path less traveled versus the familiar road. Drawing parallels from a life dedicated to adventure, we can extract profound lessons that not only motivate us but also […]...
 

Comments

  1. Met a guy once who ordered, against the advice of everyone at the table, a plate of oysters. That was in Ougadougou. A long way from the nearest ocean, in the desert. He was very, very ill the next day.

    Reply
  2. 9 great reasons to go to Africa.

    Will you also be sharing your 9 reasons you cried in Africa:).

    I cried during the best shower of my life in Uganda…..

    Shane

    Reply
  3. sarah Posted

    tanzania is mine on friday!!!

    Reply
  4. Sounds awesome! I really want to experience this!

    Reply

 
 

Post a Comment

HTML tags you can use: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

 

Shouting from my shed

Get the latest news, updates and happenings via my shed-based newsletter.

© Copyright 2012 – 2011 Alastair Humphreys. All rights reserved.

Site design by JSummertonBuilt by Steve Perry Creative