Africa! - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Tadpole** · 09-03-2005, 12:15 PM

A couple of buddies and I have looked into possibly renting a couple land rovers in Southern Africa and going on a 20 day trip/safari. Not a guided safari with a tour group but on our own.

Its completely in the air right now, the limited reserch that i have done so far looks like airlines tickets would be around 1,500 round trip.

The landrovers would be about 200 dollars a day, including camping gear, cooking gear, and so on. 4 people can sleep and ride in the 110s and two can ride/sleep in the 90s. If we did the 4 person a car thats 50 dollars a day per person. 20daysx50$=1000 dollars.

Making the numbers add up to 2,500 roughly. Add 500 to unknown costs and it makes it a 3,000 trip.

Has anyone been to anwhere in Africa? Any advice, tips, or anything related to it?

**space virgin** · 09-03-2005, 12:55 PM

No, but I sure as fucking hell WANT to go.

That sounds great, dude.

A friend of mine recently got back from a month-long volunteering program in Uganda. It's an amazing thing anyway, but especially for her because she truly suffers from OCD about cleanliness and stuff like that. She said it was amazing and she can't wait to go back.

**Jen05** · 09-06-2005, 11:42 AM

I'd go to Africa again in a heartbeat. I went two summers ago, spending about 3 weeks in Zimbabwe. While the country is in the middle of heartbreaking issues, the people in Zimbabwe are so amazing and hospitable, and I felt very safe, despite news reports stating otherwise. In terms of safaris, Zimbabwe has an amazing national park just outside a main city (Bulawayo), and there's also Hwange National Park where I camped just beside a watering hole (I was with a tour group). There's Victoria Falls, of course, which is incredible and also offers bungee jumping, white water rafting and things like that. I can't say too much else about other countries in southern Africa, but you should definitely go!

**Tadpole** · 09-06-2005, 12:32 PM

The group could be 18 and 19 year olds. Do you think the asge would be a problem there?

damnrepoman · 09-06-2005, 02:04 PM

age wont be a problem if you take me along! man i would love to do that trip! room for an experianced 4x4er with little to no money??

**Tadpole** · 09-06-2005, 04:14 PM

we could have a tpunk safari. Spave Vrigin could be our 'responsible' girl on the trip and Damnrepoman could be our 4x4 expert

**beergal** · 09-07-2005, 01:42 AM

i have been to Tunisia which is a great place and the people are very friendly. I also went to the sahara desert which was way cool. I have a friend from Nigeria who has shown me photos from her home town and it looks really cool.

**LiveFreeorDie** · 09-07-2005, 05:40 PM

Quote:

especially for her because she truly suffers from OCD about cleanliness and stuff like that

So did Africa cure her?? I have a few friends like that. They drive me nucking futs! Not that I am a slob or have bad hygiene.........but I don't freak out if my flesh....say the palm of my hand....contacts the outside world...say a door knob. I knew I had gotten over all of my western society imposed phobias when I stated sampling the fried insects in Thailand on my last trip. Crickets = good. Grubs = disgusting!

AFRICA should be awesome. Just watch where you swim. I think I read somewhere that there is a lake, or lakes, that have small parasites that will swim up inside your penis. THAT definately does NOT ROCK.

P.S. how do the people that have major germ phobias ever manage to have sex and procreate.....thus perpetuating the phobia? You would have thought that would have been weeded out through evolution. I mean...........if you are afraid to touch a doorknob..........what else are you afraid to touch?

**space virgin** · 09-07-2005, 07:54 PM

Well, she's not as bad as, say, Jack's character in As Good As It Gets.

She's not crippled by her OCD-ness. It was a source of great amusement to us before she left. I haven't really seen her much, just chatted on the phone, since she got back. But I'd say yeah, she's about as cured of it as she can get. Especially since she wants to go back!

Quote:

Spave Vrigin [comment by aforementioned spaCe vIRgin: sweet christ, man ] could be our 'responsible' girl on the trip

What you been smokin' to think that I'm the responsible one???

I mean, besides the fact that I kick ass on multiple levels.

**Rozza** · 09-08-2005, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LiveFreeorDie@Sep 8 2005, 12:40 AM

AFRICA should be awesome.* Just watch where you swim.* I think I read somewhere that there is a lake, or lakes, that have small parasites that will swim up inside your penis.* THAT definately does NOT ROCK.

[snapback]76197[/snapback]

Thats a fish in the Amazon i think... just dont piss in lakes

**TheJake** · 09-08-2005, 01:42 PM

Yeah the fish is called a candiru and is from the amazon. I learned all about the little catfish before I hit up brasil. Scared the crud outta me till I did some research and found out it is "mostly" a myth.

Audubon candiru info
Wikipedia - Candiru
The Straight Dope on the Candiru Fish

**LiveFreeorDie** · 09-08-2005, 04:20 PM

Jeez.....that's pretty bad....I didn't even get the continent right....I am definately slipping.......

damnrepoman · 09-12-2005, 05:55 PM

hey tadpole can you email me the info for the rental company your getting the trucks and gear at? this might be something my buddies would be down to do. we were also thinking about doing the baja 1000 in a stock class and some rental trucks! we are kinda extremists like that, or just plain stupid (havent found out which one yet)!

**Tadpole** · 09-13-2005, 12:39 AM

I sent you some of the websites i was looking at. I havent made any plans yet. A buddy and I have talkd about it fairly often but Im still not sure what we are doing. Hopefully some of the sites I sent you will be able to help.

damnrepoman · 09-14-2005, 08:02 PM

hey brantley thats some good stuff! that first one seem to be pretty cool considering all the gear is included for around $150-200. per day plus setting up a awsome route to go on. still trying to talk my friends into doing something like this!