ChrisKean1's Photos : Africa

Africa Galleries

Ghana, Togo and around, Summer 2001 : These are from scanned film negatives, and were taken with a point-and-shoot. I flew to Abidjan on the now-defunct Air Afrique and headed straight to Yamoussoukro by bus. After returning to Abidjan for a couple of days in Markory, I crossed the border to Ghana and stayed at Elmina, Kumasi and Ho. I then crossed the border to Togo, and after a few days in hilly Kpalime and Lome I headed to Benin to get my flight home.

Ghana, Togo and around, Summer 2001

Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, September-October 2003 : Overland from Mtwara, Tanzania to Ilha de Mozambique, Lake Malawi and South Luangwa NP, Zambia, then by air back to Tanzania via Livingstone. Great travel experience by pickup truck, bus and train, and some unbeatable wildlife viewing first in South Luangwa and then in Tanzania's Northern Circuit (Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti). Finished with a week in Zanzibar and Pemba. I bought my first digital camera the day before leaving for this trip, and tried to learn the ropes on the fly.

Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, September-October 2003

South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, June-July 2004 : Solo trip. Rented a car from Joburg for a month: Kruger NP, then via Masvingo, Zimbabwe and Maun, Botswana to Etosha NP, Namibia, Swakopmund, Sossusvlei, Ludderitz, Fish River Canyon; and finally down to Cape Town and back to Joburg. Cape Town is among the most spectacularly set cities in the world, and South Africa and Namibia must be two of its most inspiring destinations.

South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, June-July 2004

Western Africa, February-April 2005 : Solo trip. NYC-Casablanca-Dakhla, Western Sahara; then by land to Nouakchott (via Nouadhibou-Choum train and Adrar region); flight to Bamako; then overland through Mali to Burkina Faso (via Djenne, Mopti, Timbuktu); Burkina Faso to Niger (via Ouagadougou, Bani, Gorom Gorom and Dori); through Niger to Kano, Nigeria (via Tera, Niamey, Agadez and Zinder); flights to and stays in Lagos, Nigeria; Monrovia, Liberia; Freetown, Sierra Leone (and the peninsula); and Conakry, Guinea; overland to Guinea-Bissau (via Labe and Koundara); through Bissau and Ziguinchor, Senegal to Gambia; then Dakar, St. Louis and parts of Cape Verde. Great people, unfamiliar terrain and culture, and plenty to write home about.

Western Africa, February-April 2005

Tunisia, October 2005 : Tunis and Carthage, Tataouine, the Ksour and Matmata, El Jem, Sousse and Kairouan.

Tunisia, October 2005

Lower Egypt, December 2005-January 2006 : Immediately after spending Christmas in Finland, K and I flew to Egypt for a week before she returned to work. With such a short time, we spent just one night in Cairo, one night in Abu Simbel and the rest in Luxor. I then took the ferry to Sudan, after which I flew back to Cairo for several more days in that area. Only the first five photos here are from my trip with K in December--the rest of those are in the "Upper Egypt" gallery.

Lower Egypt, December 2005-January 2006

Upper Egypt, December 2005-January 2006 : From Cairo, K and I took a night train to Luxor to spend most of our week seeing sights in the area. We had both always wanted to go to Egypt, and the sights of Luxor did not disappoint; Egypt is one of the places we most want to return to. From Luxor we made our way down to Aswan and immediately to Abu Simbel for our last night before K returned to work and I went on to Sudan.

Upper Egypt, December 2005-January 2006

Sudan, January 2006 : Ferry from Aswan to Wadi Halfa, then by public transport down along the Nile to Abri and Dongola, seeing many of the sights along the way and enjoying the incomparable Nubian hospitality. After cutting across the desert to Karima for a couple of days, I spent several nights in Shendi within striking distance of the country's best known attractions. I stayed in Khartoum for the final three nights, before flying to Cairo. Unforgettable.

Sudan, January 2006

Ethiopia, September-October 2006 : From Rome I flew to Addis Ababa, then by car to Bahir Dar in the historical area to see the remarkable lake churches there. Next came the former royal capital of Gonder and ancient city of Axum, where I stayed for the Meskel festival. On my way back south by bus I stopped at several churches and monasteries in Tigrai. I then spent a few days at Lalibela, whose monolithic churches are perhaps Ethiopia's most recognizable sights, before finishing the trip far to the east in Harar. The country fully deserves its reputation as among the most culturally and aesthetically rich in Africa.

Ethiopia, September-October 2006

Sao Tome, Gabon, Congo-B, Congo-K, Angola, August-September 2007 : Flight to Sao Tome, then by train, taxi, pickup, bus and ferry from Libreville, Gabon via Congo-Brazzaville, DRC and Angola down to Windhoek, Namibia. This was strictly an A-to-B trip and well worth it. Namibia photos are in a separate gallery.

Sao Tome, Gabon, Congo-B, Congo-K, Angola, August-September 2007

Etosha NP, Namibia, September-October 2007 : I spent several days on a return visit to Etosha NP. All the following photos are from Etosha except a handful from Waterberg Plateau Park.

Etosha NP, Namibia, September-October 2007

Eritrea, October 2008 : After Djibouti and Somaliland I flew to Eritrea. The country has some of the most intriguing urban environments anywhere in Africa. It also contains many natural wonders, but at the time of my trip I was limited to the areas around the major cities of Asmara, Massawa and Keren, and the main routes south of Asmara.

Eritrea, October 2008

Djibouti and Somaliland, October 2008 : I flew from Tajikistan to Djibouti via Dubai, and headed to Lac Abbe and Lac Assal before returning to the capital. I enjoyed the natural scenery and ethnic diversity of Djibouti a great deal more than I had expected--most people treat it as a transit point rather than a place to spend a few days. I then got a return flight to Hargeisa, capital of Somaliland. The northernmost part of Somalia, the territory of Somaliland has de facto independence and a strong, relatively democratic government (compared to no government at all in much of the rest of Somalia). It is waiting for recognition from the international community. I then returned to Djibouti for my flights to Eritrea. Eritrea is covered in a separate gallery but I was happy to get back to beautiful Sanaa, Yemen for a day on the way there.

Djibouti and Somaliland, October 2008

Kenya, December 2008-January 2009 : K and I spent the end of 2008 and the first couple of weeks of 2009 in Kenya, including several nights each in Masai Mara NP, Lake Naivasha and Lamu. The wildlife was out in force and the beach was beautiful.

Kenya, December 2008-January 2009

Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, January 2009 : After K left Kenya for work, I took a couple of weeks' trip by bus through Uganda, Rwanda (including the mandatory gorilla pilgrimage) and Burundi. Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda is among the more eye-catching destinations I've been to in Africa, and I was very pleasantly surprised by Burundi, which seems finally to be emerging from years of war. The gorillas were a highlight.

Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, January 2009

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