FAQ's and tips
When the night is very hot, it is great to have a small 12 volt fan, that you can connect in your tent.
Flower sprayer. Especially when you do not have an airconditioning it can be very refreshing. Some spay in combination with circulating air from the fan works like an airconditioning.
In Sudan toilet paper is extremely expensive. Make sure you have enough before you enter.
If you use a Coleman fuel stove or lamp, make sure you have enough socks and an extra generator. Because of the bad fuel these generators get dirty very quickly and all the way through the Middle East and Africa Coleman spare parts are not available.
If you use a water purifying system make sure to have enough replacement cartridges. Because of the dirty water you purify less liters than the manufacturer says.
Ethiopia is the only country where we used cash Euro's. In all the other countries (except for Sudan) there are enough ATM's and on the border and in most of the game reserves they only accept Dollars. So rather bring Dollars than Euro's. For the whole trip from the Netherlands to Cape Town we used around 3000 US Dollars cash.
Products for personal care and panty liners are sold everywhere, but until Zambia in general quite expensive.
For female travellers to the Northern African countries and the Middle East it is neccesary to bring a swimsuit. In these muslim countries bikinis are not appreciated.
Africa is not only sunny and warm. Also bring warm clothing.
In the tent we had a duvet and with the exception of a couple of hot nights we used it every day. Even when the evening is very hot, during the night it cools down quite a lot.
Bring an extra blanket for very cold nights. We both had a fleece sleeping bag. This was very handy because we could also use it in other situations, like on the ferry to Sudan.
Skype is a very cheap way of calling somebody and available in many places. When you put some money on your skype account it is also possible to make phone calls to landlines against very cheap rates. However make sure you always bring your own headphone with microphone.
Wooden tooth picks are almost not sold in Africa. So when you use them, bring enough.
Until Kenya good coffee is hard to find. In Rwanda you can buy good coffee.
If you do not like black tea bring enough green tea or herbal tea from home. These teas are not sold or very expensive. Even the well know African rooibos tea is not available outside South-Africa, Namibia and Botswana.
Regardsless if you have your own website, business cards with a picture, your name and your contact details are great to bring along. People are very interested and it is great to be able to give them something.
When you need a good mosquite repellant, seek for Peaceful Sleep. For sale in Southern Africa.
Shocks absorbers have a hard time on the African roads. Therefore do not economize on these things. Buy the best you can get, and if possible bring a spare. Until Botswana good absorbers like Old Men Emu are not available.
A slingshot is a very handy tool to keep animals at a distance especially monkeys. You do not even have to shoot. As soon as they notice the slingshot they run off.
Bring enough copies of your passport. You need them often.
Laminated color copies of your driver's licence and your passport can be handy in situations where you do not want to hand over the originals. e.g. when meeting a corrupt police officer.
Do you have more questions. Just send us an email.
