Angola was my last country of the 5 Portuguese colonies in Africa after Sao Tome and Principe, and I would have come much earlier if t wasn’t for the exhaustive visa procedures that are so hard that I had to wait to my 188th country to pay it a visit. Fortunately for my arrival, I had some contacts to receive me. Some Angolan friends from 5 years ago when I lived in Salvador de Bahía in Brazil. Young Angolan Capitan And what a reception! Thanks to my friend Karina (photo above) who warmly welcomed me with arms wide open, I had the opportunity to see Luanda as locals do it! With a carefully prepared plan she had prepared, Karina and I rumbled the capital from navigated to nearby islands, attending he nieces baptism as well as partying the night away in trendy Luanda Beach clubs to the music of local DJs! View of downtown from the Citadel Luanda was a surprise for me. Since the […]
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3 Days guide to São Tome & Principe – (my Country #187/195)
Set as a paradise island off the coast of Central Africa, Sao Tome was long on my list of countries to visit ever since I spent time in Cabo Verde back in 2014. Caberverdian friends had told me they considered Sao Tome as their little sister country, and now I must admit that was particularly true. Both are African, both are islands, both are Portuguese colonies and are very reliant on Portugal, as I later noticed with the massive Portugues community on Sao Tome. Downtown São Tome “Viva Brazil” I was told a few times as thats where local saotomeans beleived I was from, guessing from the my accent in Portugues. To me, it was them that felt Brazilian to me… Not because of their accent (sounds much more like Portuguese from Portugal to my ear) but because of their nice little colonial capital. Sao Tome city really felt to me like a Mini Salvador de Bahía where I used to live a few times. […]
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Top Itinerary to Libreville, Gabon in West Africa – (Country Visited #186/195)
Arriving in Gabon didn’t feel too unfamiliar after being in Brazzaville for a while. Both nations are actually pretty similar economically, being two of the most developed central African Nation and even in Africa. Gabon has one of Africa’s highest GDP per Capita and it was felt as soon as I arrived at Libreville’s shiny airport, definitely an upgrade compared to most African Nations I’ve visited. Gabon enjoyed rapid growth after independence from France, mostly because of its rich resources such as diamonds and gold, but mostly Wood. But most of its economic boom has come from the oil boom which catapulted Libreville into a model African Economy where people from all over the world come to work for a high wage. As soon as I wandered around the city I could see this, with nice roads, clean streets and nice cars all over the place. It feels more like a European city, on the surface, but definitely not underneath. With a president that has […]
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How to Travel to the Republic of Congo – a Wedding in a Great African Family – My Country Visited # 185/195
Ahhh “Brazza la Verte”, as it was called traditionally by the French (literally, Brazza the Green). After Experiencing its big brother the Democratic Republic of Congo last week, I was happy to see this new country that was acclaimed by the French as hosting their most important city in Central Africa, separated only by the Congo river to Kinshasa which was held by the Belgians. From the corniche of Brazzaville, we can clearly see the buildings of Kinshasa with its 9 million inhabitants, making them the two closest capitals in the world. As much as there are similarities between the two countries like having basically the same people, it does feel quite different on the ground. View of Brazzaville from the Sky First, the Republic of Congo is quite definitely the most French-speaking nation I have encountered in sub-Saharan Africa, many people choosing to speak French even over their native languages. This made it great for me since I could communicate much easier with the […]
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Travel Guide to Congo DRC (Zaire) – Climbing the World’s Most Dangerous Volcano – My Country #184/195
Not even two weeks since I climbed the world’s biggest crater, the Khartala in the Comoros Islands, it was now time to climb the world’s most dangerous volcano: The Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo. My Legs had barely recovered from the pain of climbing the 2300 meters of the Khartala, that I now had to climb to another Summit, this time at about 3500 meters of altitude. But the reward for this second climb was unparalleled; a crater filled with a massive Lava Lake, one of the few visible in any volcano around the world and being the biggest lava lake in the world. View of Goma and Lake Kivu from the Top of the Nyiragongo Back in 2002, the Nyiragongo erupted and rivers of lava started flowing directly towards the city of Goma where I was staying, a 1 million inhabitant city and was mostly all destroyed by the disastrous lava flow, which killed over 170 people. Now Goma has been rebuild on top […]
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Rwanda For Digital Nomads – Why Kigali Might Become The Next Digital Nomad Hub of Africa
Anybody who has traveled around Africa knows the roads are Bumpy… Literally! Over the 44 Countries I have visited in Africa so far, I encountered some over-inflated economies making it impossible to find a decent place to sleep under 200$, some are left in ruins by wars and tribal conflicts, some have no interest in tourism at all, some have no intercity transport adapted for travellers other than shared taxis filled with 10 people crushed like sardines, others are enjoying some stability but as soon as you step out of the beaten track it is back to harsh traveling conditions. Malaria and diseases are the other issues that constraint travelers to always be on their guards on the continent. Fortunately, some African countries are getting their head out of the sand. South Africa being an exception (as it is up to European standards), East Africa is now growing at very interesting speeds! Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda are the clear winners in terms of development. […]
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Traveling to Moroni in the Comoros: (Country 183/195)
It’s been a while that I want to visit these islands, but flights flying there were so hard to synchronize with my travels that I had to wait. The Comoros are 3 tiny islands between Mozambique and Madagascar which have a very interesting culture. It was inhabited by the Persians, Arabs, Pirates from Portugal and the Swahilis. Then the French came to colonize the islands and leave a big trace of French culture all over the islands, resulting in a similar vibe to other ex-french colonies of the Indian ocean like La Reunion and Mauritius. The Summit of the Kartala Volcano I first arrived in Mayotte, the 4th island and which is still part of France. I quickly jumped to Moroni the Capital of the Comoros and met with friends who invited me to Hike the Karthala the next morning, Comoros’s famous Volcano, one of the most active in the world and also the one with the biggest crater in the world. The Kartala has […]
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Traveling to Asmara, Eritrea – tips and tricks – (182nd Country Visited)
Wow, wow, and again… Wow! What a beautiful surprise that was waiting for me hidden among the mountains in my last stop in the Horn of Africa: Eritrea! This ex-Italian colony, also known as “The Rome of Africa” by the locals, definitely deserves its title! I could go as far as calling it “The Best Kept Secret of Africa!”… Arriving here was like a miracle after the desertic landscapes of Djibouti and Somalia. Just a few months ago I rated Algiers as my #1 most beautiful city in Africa. I guess we have a contender for the title, Asmara, the Capital of Eritrea, is definitely in my top 3 that’s for sure! Beautiful Asmara at Sunrise The city is by far the cleanest city I’ve ever been in Africa, as well as one of the safest! Being at about 2300 meters above sea level, I first felt like arriving in a Spanishish colonial town up in the Andes in Peru or Ecuador, but with a […]
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Traveling Tips for SOMALIA – (Country Visited #181/195)
This is probably the country where I felt the most like an Alien walking around town… Most probably the only “white guy” in the country, people were looking at me like “How the heck did this guy get over here…”. The expression in their faces was priceless, and I thought it was quite funny actually. I arrived in Hargeisa in the Northern state of Somalia called Somaliland. things have gone quite a lot better here than in the south around Mogadishu which was managed by Italians after world war 2 in the “Italian way”, and which resulted in total chaos over the past few years, as Terrorism is quite str0ng. The Somalians I talked to over here are still shocked about the worst terrorist attack to hit the country in its history, that happened in the Capital just a few days ago, and tension still felt strong. As much as 385 people have died so far by the bombing of Mogadishu and the authorities still haven’t […]
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How to Travel to Djibouti: My 180 / 195 Country Visited
I am finally in The Horn of Africa, in the country so-called “The Dubai of Africa”. At first sight, I can’t say that this was obvious as there is no high-rise and the center of town seemed quite run down, but digging a little more into it and talking with locals and tourists alike, I can see how Djibouti has a vision for its future. Stuffed in between bigger Countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, and Eritrea, and playing the “international card” with its 7 or more Military bases (including American, French and the first Chinese foreign military base), Djibouti has opened its arms to the world. And very quickly after my arrival, I could feel that there are many foreigners in town. There is still a big French Feel to the country, being an ex-colony of France, still, almost everybody speaks French in the capital which felt funny to be in the middle of Africa with people listening to French-Canadian music you hear every day on Quebec […]
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