Since we started planning a world tour, we realized how big the world is. Even if you take a year to travel, like we are doing, you will quickly come to the conclusion you cannot go everywhere you want to!
First, we broadly decided the regions we wanted to visit: The southern part of Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia & New Zealand, Central and South America.
From the start we also decided where we wouldn’t go, based on a few rules:
- Expensive countries that are easy to travel to: This excluded USA, Japan – and will maybe exclude Australia & New Zealand.
- Countries too close to Europe: North Africa and Europe we already know a little bit, and will be easy to travel to anytime.
- Unsafe regions: This excluded the central part of Africa, the Middle East.
- Very large developing countries: India, China can have a trip on their own one day.
Lastly, we decided to break down the trip in three steps, coming back to Portugal for a few days in between steps.
- From September to December – Africa
- January to ~April – Central & South America
- May to ~July – Southeast Asia
Africa Route
As we started on the task of planning a world tour, we decided to begin in Africa since it is the most challenging continent in our opinion. We considered various routes and ended up with the following:
The first part of the trip will be with an organized tour. We will be part of a group of about 20 people plus a driver and a guide, together for 42 days straight! This is called an overland tour, and there are a few different companies doing them. We opted to book with African Overland Tours after researching and reading reviews for a few days. Our tour is with camping accommodation, which means most nights we will stop at campsites, pitch the tents and cook the meals as a group.
Such a tour is more expensive than doing everything on your own, but you will not see as much on such a short time. Also, the added safety was a deciding factor.
The tour will take us from Nairobi to Cape Town. From Cape Town to Mozambique we feel comfortable enough to travel on our own, as especially South Africa is quite popular for tourism. As an ex Portuguese colony, in Mozambique at least there will be no language barrier!
Book your tour for Nairobi or Mozambique:
Price from R112,595 Price from R62,000 Price from R37,035
Tour Length
43 days
Group Size
Max 28 - 30
Starts & Ends
Starts: Nairobi Ends: Cape Town
Countries
Kenya,
Tanzania,
Malawi,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe,
Botswana,
Namibia,
South Africa
Overview
An eclectic fusion of Eastern and Southern African highlights, this 42 day epic from Nairobi to Cape Town will offer you a taste of all things uniquely African! Your adventure kicks off in the North, watching thousands of wildebeest and zebra trample the plains of the Serengeti. Head to the coast as you bask on palm-fringed beaches of Zanzibar, camping beneath African skies. Let the road take you south as you experience the lush beauty of Botswana's waterways before reaching Namibia's desert dunes. Top it off by experiencing the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town and you’ll leave with memories to last a lifetime.
Tour Length
20 days
Group Size
Max 20
Starts & Ends
Starts: Nairobi Ends: Victoria Falls
Countries
Zimbabwe,
Zambia,
Malawi,
Tanzania,
Kenya
Overview
An awe-inspiring blend of palm-fringed beaches, snow-dusted mountains, sweeping savannahs, and an abundance of wildlife to boot - this rugged tour puts you in the heart of the world’s safari mecca. Spot the big five in the fabled Serengeti, track black rhinos in the Ngorongoro Crater, and breathe in the exotic aromas of the spice capital. You’ll think it can’t get any better until you hear the heart-pumping roar of Victoria Falls. Now this is the tour you’ve been dreaming of.
Tour Length
14 days
Group Size
Max 20
Starts & Ends
Starts: Johannesburg Ends: Johannesburg
Countries
South Africa, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Mozambique
Overview
Bush breaks and beach escapes are at the front-and-centre on this 14-day trip across three countries - South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique. The adventure kicks off with the chance to get your boots dirty on a three day Big Five escapade in the Kruger Park followed by a scenic drive through the legendary Panorama Route. From then on, it’s all dense coconut plantations, ocean safaris, and bustling seaside villages in the Portuguese-influenced cities of Mozambique.
By the end of our African journey, we will have visited the following countries in this order:
– Kenya
– Tanzania
– Malawi
– Zambia
– Zimbabwe
– Botswana
– Namibia
– South Africa
– Mozambique
Flights
We watched the prices of the flights for some days before buying, using the website Skyscanner. Being flexible with dates is great since prices can vary a lot.
From Portugal to Nairobi, on the 9th of September, the flight has a connection in Casablanca and then a stop for refueling in the republic of Chad. It is operated by Royal Air Maroc and came to 548,48€ for both of us.
We then bought a flight from Maputo to Lisbon on the 8th of December, this time direct and operated by TAP, the Portuguese airline. We paid 505,23€ for both of us, bringing the total of flights for this trip to 1053,71€.
We are very excited for our African Journey! They say planning the trip is more fun than the actual trip, we certainly hope not!
Visit João and Margarida’s blog – Nomad Plot – to read all about their worldwide travels or visit their Facebook Nomad Plot page and Instagram Account to follow their journey.
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