Has anyone been on an african safari? - Page 4

No. I was planning on going with a gf from Toronto but that fell through because we couldn't get get our vacations to coincide and I also need to use my vacation time this year for LSAT prep in September (which I hadn't been planning on before).

As I'm sure you noticed, my next big trip is going to be South America for 4 months (already enrolled in an Open Water scuba course), so I'll have to try and fit Africa into an xmas break if/when I get in to law school. I still want to go really badly, but I couldn't fill 4 months with it, and I really want to use the time to improve my spanish fluency.

FWIW, I was seriously considering Tanzania as my destination of choice. If I had unlimited budget, there are other places, but I felt Tanzania struck a decent balance between good value and being too crowded with tourists. As you'll see, safaris basically start at $500 pp per day and go up to about 1000. Some countries are more expensive than others, and not all safaris are created equally. Wish I could be more help but that's all I can really remember from my initial research.

Also, if you can afford it, go on a tour that takes you into the jungle looking for gorrillas. I can say from experience that the jungle is awesome and it would be an experience of a lifetime. Visiting countries like these really changes your outlook on things (maybe we should force artisan fan to spend some time in the jungle).

I wouldn't worry about it. Just exhibit caution. Those sorts of warnings are almost always in effect for countries like that. what you should pay attention to are particular areas to avoid. for instance, when i was in colombia, I stayed the hell away from places like turbo and buenaventura but overall had a good time.

I do admit to being very tense a couple of times though. I drove through this ratty little town at night (which is a no no but i got stuck so it was unavoidable). It was a bit like a scene out of mad max with all the dirt, dilapidated buildings and all the shady guys on bikes etc (probably 50 of them). the road became one lane and everyone was out in the streets and i had motorbikes on either side of me, people staring at me through the car windows, banging on the windows, etc. it was obviously fine in the end but that kind of attention in that type of place can put you on guard. I also think I was being followed by 3 guys once but i I stepped into a restaurant and got a cab before anything could happen. And who knows if it would have but it's best to leave your ego in the US and do the safe thing if you feel something is wrong. i have more stories but don't want to worry you.

In your case, you probably want to stay away from the border with Somalia. Read up on the local security situation before you go because those state dept. warnings aren't updated that frequently and often aren't precise enough.

If you're going on safari you'll be fine since most of your time will be spent with people that know the country. When you're traveling between cities, or doing stuff alone in the city, you'll have to exhibit more caution than you would in dc. Keep your cell phone out of sight. Don't wear anything flashy. Always watch where you're going and as much as possible maintain an awareness of the people around you. I also carry mugging money (seriously). Don't want to be pissing off some unstable armed guy with no respect for life because he thinks you're holding out on him.