Journey Through Southern Africa: Reflections on Adventure, Kindness, and Growth

Hello, my fellow travel enthusiasts!

Since my first day of work, I knew I wanted to embark on a road trip across various countries. Initially, I had my sights set on Europe, but when my friend moved to Mozambique, the pieces fell into place.

Although this was meant to be a solo adventure, I'm grateful it turned out differently because the memories we created together were simply unbelievable. We discovered our individual strengths along the way—I excelled at managing finances and conducting thorough research, while Sarah proved to be an expert bargainer and navigational guru.

Our trip lasted about two and a half weeks (a mistake we will never make for future trips because the time was just too little😂), in which we went to five countries. We started off in Zimbabwe (and into Zambia a little when we went to Victoria falls), Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique and ended the trip (at least for me because Sarah lives in Mozambique) in South Africa. From the people to the landscapes and the memories we made, this trip made a lasting impact and started a culture we hope to live up to of doing annual trips together. If I go into each day and country and how it was, this article will turn into a novel and that's what my journals are for. So, I'll take you through our experience in point form while highlighting prices for activities and transport and any pro tip we got that will shed a little light for you as you go for your own trip.

Here are some tips, tricks, and lessons we learned during our journey:

1. Embrace Couchsurfing: Couchsurfing was a game-changer for our budget. We ended up spending less than anticipated since we only paid for accommodation once in Gaborone and once for myself in Johannesburg before my flight. We met incredible people from various age groups, each offering a unique experience. From going out for drinks and dancing with a 30-year-old couch surfer in Zimbabwe to staying overnight at an NGO supporting orphaned kids in Victoria Falls, every encounter enriched our journey.

2. Choose a Compatible Travel Companion: Traveling with someone who shares your travel style is essential. Our trip's success was due to both of us desiring immersive experiences rather than simply visiting tourist attractions. We sought to savor local cuisine, observe daily life, delve into history, and listen to people's life stories. Keep this in mind, especially during longer trips.

3. Serendipitous Encounters: In Zimbabwe, we had a chance encounter with a friend who had just visited Victoria Falls and was checking into the same Airbnb where we had stayed. This unexpected meeting, and a three hour conversation later with Watson and Runnies, amazing friends we made in Harare, we rescheduled our bus to Victoria Falls, allowing us to enjoy an evening of dancing in Harare. We were captivated by the vibrant atmosphere and live performances, despite not understanding the lyrics. The people of Harare left a lasting impression on us. To reach Victoria Falls, we used Intercity bus which cost us $30 each, and took approximately 14 hours. Some info you may find useful is that in Zimbabwe, they use the US dollar as the local currency and rarely use their own. This made it a bit pricier than you may expect.

4. Take each day as it comes: With this I mean that don’t have a strict schedule of everything you need to do as I promise, when traveling by road, a lot of things are outside your control. In Victoria falls, we stopped to have a snack at a restaurant overlooking the Zambezi and after Sarah talking me out of Bungee jumping, I ended up talking her into zip lining. Below are the pictures from right before we ziplined across the Zambezi. From our dressing you can tell that this was definitely not planned😂.

5. Embrace Unconventional Transportation: We hitchhiked from Victoria Falls to the border, paying around $10 each. At the border, we met fellow travelers and shared a taxi to the nearest town Kasane, where we caught a van to Francistown, a journey of approximately seven hours. In Francistown, we stayed with Tracey and her husband for two nights and enjoyed a delicious homemade meal, experienced tremendous kindness, and got some time to catch up on work. From Francistown to Gaborone, we took an hourly bus to our next destination, which lasted around five hours. These can be found easily at the Francistown bus rank.

Cost:

Border town to Francistown: 175 Pula PP

Francistown to Gaborone: 155 Pula PP

6. Unexpected Delights in Gaborone: Our stay in Gaborone and Botswana in general, exceeded our expectations. Despite initial research suggesting limited activities and having us plan to stay one, we ended up spending four days there with one of us almost ending the road trip in Gaborone😂.As we chanted "Pula" at the Three Dikgosi Monument, indulged in cocktails at Ayoba, discovered amazing food joints that we showed to the locals (Or Warren in this case), and made lasting friendships. Gaborone, and Botswana as a whole, left a special place in our hearts.

7. Eswatini's Unique Beauty: Eswatini offered a different kind of beauty. Due to a delayed van from Gaborone to Johannesburg, we arrived in Manzini, Eswatini, at 11:30 pm, utterly exhausted. Our host family lived in Mankayane and they were so kind as to organize fr our pick up from Manzini to Mankayane. I strongly advise that you don’t arrive that late as it was a ghost town by then.

However, the exhaustion vanished when we woke up to a remarkable breakfast view. The picturesque landscapes of Eswatini left an indelible mark on our memories. During our stay, we enjoyed a hike, had lunch by the river, and wrote out our travel plans on tissue paper and old receipts because we both forgot to bring our journals 🤣. A walk to town and an unplanned purchase of cider late, we ran out of money and couldn’t get a kombi back home. The relief was palpable when our host unexpectedly arrived in a car, searching for us due to the late hour. Hitchhiking is an adventure we may not be ready for anytime soon!

From Gaborone to Eswatini, we got a van at the Gaborone bus rank to Johannesburg and at Park station, got another to Eswatini (Manzini- this is the last stop). I advise you ask the driver to show you where to find the vans to Eswatini instead of asking strangers at Park Station

Cost:

Gaborone to Johannesburg: 300 Pula PP

Johannesburg to Manzini- 350 rand PP

Manzini to Maputo- 150 rand PP

7. Maputo's Inspiring Work Experience: Upon our arrival in Maputo, we faced border delays of nearly four hours, awaiting Sarah and a few other travelers to get cleared at the border. The waiting was made worse by the mosquitoes that were having a feast on our account.

Once in Maputo, I had work commitments for two days, thanks to the flexibility of hybrid working. It was inspiring to deliver a session on teamwork, especially as an AIESEC alumnus. Witnessing the commitment of young people to personal growth was remarkable. I appreciated what we did at AIESEC- creating an outline before creating the presentation as once the outline is complete, half the work is done.

Pouring into others' cups, as others had poured into mine, was an honor. In conclusion, join AIESEC, people! Maputo's public transportation left me flabbergasted (yes, English teachers, I finally used the word!).

I thought we are packed in Nairobi but two taxis later in which for one I was hovering over someone in a Nissan and in the next, a bus, I almost lost my skirt as I fought to enter the bus, I appreciated our public transportation system in Nairobi. Nevertheless, I have nothing but love for Maputo. We enjoyed a fantastic city tour on the day of my departure, learning about Mozambique's history—Just our kind of traveling.

8. I used Intercape to travel to Joburg and paid 680 Rand. A bit pricy since I booked the day before. Book at least two days before to get good prices. We got to park station at about 4am and following Sarah’s strict instructions, I only talked to our friend Trevor when he came to pick me up at about 9:30am. In Joburg, I got an Air BnB in Maboneng under Trevor’s advice and after freshening up, we went to Soweto. Humbled, in awe, amazed… going to Mandela house and being where such great history makers lived and just strolling down Soweto and learning about the history was beautiful. We ended this day eating Kota, having some beer and having nice conversation with Trevor.

I loved Soweto; make sure to add it to your list of places to see. I know most people say that Joburg and South Africa in general is unsafe. I’m glad nothing happened while I was there. What I would say is to exercise caution always, only use Bolt and if possible find a local to take you around. Or find you a Trevor, he’s amazing 😂
Of course I used the public transportation in Joburg also; nice, comfortable. Just that there’s no conductor so the passengers balance the books themselves and then hand the driver the money after. Whew😂, traveling is beautiful.

9. Finally, embrace the unknown. All we knew was the countries we wanted to visit. We tried doing research online beforehand on the public transport systems to use but we didn’t find this. One thing we told one another a lot was that life will always work out the way it’s supposed to and just embraced each day and experience. Remember, life is what happens when you are not busy planning.

In conclusion travel friends, was this trip exhausting? From time to time but by the first week you get used to it. Was it expensive? Other than my flight tickets, no it wasn’t.
Would we do it again? The better question would be when we’ll do it again. And the answer is soon!

See you soon and get Sarah and I a Kota when you’re in Joburg ey!🤗