Mini Rough Guide to Africa - Background

• How to get there
• Safety
• Dress code/behaviour
• What to eat
• Wildlife

How to get there

• Flights to the various countries in Africa are fairly accessible from major international airports while daily flights to countries that are heavily frequented by travellers are available on major airlines. Virgin Atlantic, BA and Emirates usually schedule flights to popular resorts in Morocco, Egypt and Kenya. Indigenous airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, and South Africa Airways also operate flights to countries in the top ten and other airlines such as Air France, Qatar Airways and Lufthansa schedule flights to some destinations.
• One of the great things about flying to Africa is that jet lag is never really an issue due to Europe's position in relation to longitude. However, long haul flights to some of the southern countries of the continent can leave passengers with a lot of time on their hands to read or watch the in-flight movies. Flight times can vary due to any stop off destinations you may have paid for or possible adverse weather conditions. Flights to northern destinations can take a reasonable 3-4 hours for Morocco and 5-6 hours for Egypt. Passengers should take a lot of reading material to keep themselves occupied for travel to equatorial regions such as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania as flight times can be as long as 10-12 hours. A flight to South Africa can take anything from 12 to 13 hours.
• Before booking any flight it is important to check all visa information and entry requirements and check for any travel advisories regarding the country you plan on visiting. It is advisable to check that visa specification hasn't changed a few weeks before you leave by contacting the Foreign Office.

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Safety

• Your best bet is to bookmark the Foreign Office website and check it regularly for updates on the country you're interested in visiting. If you choose to visit a country against the Foreign Office's recommendations, it is essential that you check your insurance policy, as this could affect whether or not you are covered.

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Dress code/behaviour

• When it comes to dress code and behaviour, you should probably do a bit of research on the location before you travel and once you get there, take your cues from the locals.
• In particularly conservative cultures, it's important that you don't flaunt your skin and that you are neat and clean – it's only respectful.
• Another key piece of advice is to go with the flow. Different cultures often have very different concepts of time, personal space and socially acceptable behaviour. You'll find it a lot less stressful – and a lot more enlightening – if you just chill out. Who knows? You may actually reassess your own ideas of what's 'normal' and realise that you're not that different after all.

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What to eat

• One of the best parts of any trip is sampling the local culinary specialities. Food from any corner of Africa can be a delightful assault on the taste buds and can appeal to even the most fussy of eaters.
• Red meat is extremely popular is South Africa and food is very usually braaied (barbequed). Bobotie is a dish consisting of spiced, minced meat baked with a custard topping. The dish, usually made with beef or lamb, incorporate ginger and lemon rind.
• For those with a sweet tooth, Malva pudding is a delicious caramelized sponge cake made with apricot jam that is usually accompanied with ice cream or custard.
• Kenyan food can be equally as exotic and delicious. Mtuzi wa Samaki is popular throughout the coastal regions and blends east African fish with a creamy coconut curry.
• Kushari is a popular Egyptian national dish that consists of lentils, chickpeas and macaroni with a topping of Egyptian garlic. Often shawarma meat, or doner meat, is available as an extra topping. Kushari is the commonest dish in the country and it isn't hard to find a culinary vendor who sells it.
• For fast food lovers Falafel is a typical street treat served as a fried ball. The patty is made from fava beans or chickpeas and has a spicy taste.
• Although it is encouraged to sample any new and exciting dishes it is also important to keep yourself safe from harmful bacteria and disease when eating out. Avoiding serious conditions like Cholera, Typhoid and Hepatitis A can be easy by following a few simple tips:
• Assume all water is contaminated: Brush your teeth with bottled water, keep your mouth closed in the shower and when swimming, avoid drinks with ice and salads that may have been washed with contaminated water. Boil all water for at least ten minutes or use iodine drops to sterilise the water.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet and before handling food or eating.
• Enjoy freshly cooked food that is cooked thoroughly and is still piping hot. You may even want to write down the words 'well-done' in the local language and show that when you order.
• Avoid food that has been kept warm and avoid any un-cooked food unless you can peel it or shell it yourself.
• Avoid ice cream from unreliable sources and stay away from – or boil – unpasteurised milk.
• Be careful about eating fish or shellfish, cooked or uncooked. Both can be suspect in some countries.
• Avoid anything that may have been exposed to flies.

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Wildlife

• If you're planning on taking a safari during your trip to Africa, you will see some of the most beautiful sights on the planet, as well as encountering some of the worlds most deadly.
• Kenyan safaris are extremely popular and intrepid adventurers on such tours can expect to see large game such as elephants, lions, buffalo, leopard and the much rarer rhino.
• The wildlife that wonders across the sublime plains of the Tanzanian countryside is equally as spectacular. Here it is common to find herds of giraffe, zebra, hippos, crocodile and many bird species that roam the landscape freely.
• To keep yourself safe on safaris it's important to remember one important thing: these animals aren't tame and they are potentially very dangerous.
• Most safari camps are unfenced and dangerous animals can wander through. Don't ever wander off by yourself and always listen to the advice of your guide. Observe animals silently and never attempt to attract an animal's attention.
• If you're a smoker, remember that the African bush ignites very easily and a flash fire can erupt quickly and kill animals.