Precautions to take as part of a trip to Africa.

There are several reasons that may make you want to go on a trip to Africa, be it tourist, school, humanitarian or other. In order to spend your stay in good conditions, it is important to take into account several parameters before or during your stay in this wonderful continent. However, Africa has not always been very homogeneous and so, these parameters will depend on the area you want to visit.

In Eastern zone

The climate is warm most of the year and varies according to altitude. For fans of tourism and the beauty of nature, East Africa is very appropriate as a destination, both for its diversity of fauna and its incredible flora as for its exceptional landscapes... Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Uganda safaris and the hills of Rwanda... However, this is not an area where everything is rosy because it is prone to many disorders both security and sanitation.

It is not advisable to venture into the border areas of Ethiopia (border with Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Kenya), as they are agitated by conflicts between armed and separatist groups. The regions Erta Ale volcano and Mount Dallol have since 2007 been the scene of kidnapping attempts. The safest city, Addis Ababa, presents less risk. The South of the country is very agitated.

With regard to sanitary arrangements, a malaria vaccine is needed because Ethiopia is classified as Zone III, ie the maximum resistance of the virus to drugs. Vaccines against yellow fever, typhoid fever and measles are also needed.

In West and Central Africa

In West Africa, the climate differs according to the zones. It is good to travel during the season when the rains have stopped. For example, the best season to travel to Ghana is from November to March it is a sunny period ... West Africa is rich by its sites, its parks like that of Djoudj in Senegal and many others... However, countries like Nigeria, Mali, are subject to security troubles. North-eastern Nigeria is shaken by the terrorist group Boko Haram, which specializes in kidnappings and suicide bombings. As for Mali, it is also a victim of security disorders, particularly in the north of the country with the presence of the AQMI group. It will be important not to venture into these risk areas.

Central Africa is not spared from terrorism, precisely in the Central African Republic with serious security problems in the capital Bangui, in northern Cameroon by the same Boko Haram of Nigeria and in the west by separatist groups. The vaccines to be taken are: hepatitis A and B, meningitis, rabies, typhoid. It is also necessary to provide, always for sanitary reasons, preventive means against malaria which is the most dangerous and most widespread disease of the area (mosquito nets impregnated, anti-mosquito ointments ...).

In North Africa

Made up notably of Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt, it is in a way the Arab zone of Africa. How to miss the opportunity to see the pyramids of Egypt, palaces surrounded by sumptuous gardens in Morocco! But this area is agitated, especially in Libya, become very unstable since the death of Gaddafi. It is essential to avoid going to the East and South of this country. In these areas of Maghreb very attached to Islam, although most of the time moderate, it is advisable to wear decent clothes. Wearing clothes that reveal too much of your body will draw attention to you and it will not be positively sure. It is better for you to respect religious sensitivity.

How to eat once in Africa?

African meals are the essence of its culture. Food is therefore one of the most appropriate ways to discover this culture. It is possible, however, that these foods are also the cause of certain diseases. For this purpose, during your stay in Africa, it would be better for your health to ingest well-cooked food.

It is strongly recommended not to consume tap water, because this water is the cause of a number of diseases such as typhoid, amebiasis ... It is better to consume only bottled and sealed mineral water. For fruits, it is advisable to choose thick-skinned fruits; fruits that cannot be cooked must be washed and peeled.

 And if we are vegetarian?

If your flight needs to be long and you have a meal during the flight, get yourself registered in advance and specify a vegetarian dish in your request. Once at your destination, you'll know whether it's easy or not to find vegetarian options in restaurants depending on your destination. You can find Moroccan-style white beans, Boboti from South Africa, banana donuts from Cameroon, Foutou banana plantain from Ivory Coast ...

However, when you have a vegetarian culture and arrive in Africa, you cannot easily find specialized vegetarian restaurants. It's easier to find out once there and either have a vegetarian meal to order in your hotel or restaurant, or visit a restaurant or vegetarian.

Also, in Africa there are many local vegetarian specialties, but over time there is a strong tendency to "mix" in some sort of dishes to make very greedy menus and therefore, less and less vegetarian. So in Africa, when you are a vegetarian, you have to be able to specify and re-specify it at any time.

It would still be necessary to go there ...

We must recognize in short that there is a lot of precaution to take into account before embarking on a trip to Africa. But there is no doubt that Africa is a continent like any other, with qualities and defects. After all, visiting the "cradle of humanity" can only make you a little more human. Also, in Africa as everywhere else, it is better to keep your passport always with you and make several other copies that you will keep separately, for security reasons.