In an attempt to clarify some of the confusion and dated information about obtaining African visas for the eastern route (for an US citizen), I have compiled what I have learned so far. I am hoping that people will share their expertise by adding or correcting what I have here. Thanks!

AFRICAN VISAS

SOUTH AFRICA- NO VISA REQUIRED

BOTSWANA- NO VISA REQUIRED

ZIMBABWE- AT BORDER. INSURANCE AND TEMP PERMIT ALSO REQUIRED

LESOTHO- NO VISA REQUIRED, OR AT BORDER

MOZAMBIQUE- GET IN HARARE, MAYBE AT THE BORDER(?)

MALAWI- NOT REQUIRED, OR AT BORDER

TANZANIA- AT BORDER

RWANDA- NO VISA REQUIRED

KENYA- AT BORDER, OR FROM TANZ, UGANDA, OR ETHIOPIA

UGANDA- AT BORDER

ETHIOPIA- GET IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE

SUDAN- -NAIROBI, KENYA (TWO MONTH TOURIST VISA), OR
-KAMPALA, UGANDA (TRANSIT VISA AND GET EXTENED IN KHARTOUM)

EGYPT -ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, OR ON WADI HAFI FERRY
(NO NEED TO GET EGYPT VISA FIRST, BUT MAY BE HELPFUL FOR SUDAN VISA)

__________________
Left Seattle March '09 for RTW trip.
'02 BMW 1150 GSA

Hi,


LESOTHO- AT BORDER
MOZAMBIQUE- germans can get it at the big border from Malawi. Not at the border from Tansania.
MALAWI- AT BORDER
TANZANIA- AT BORDER

Angola in Capetown or better @ your home countrys Angola Embassy. Takes ages.

Ghana in Brazzaville
Kameroun in Brazzaville
Nigeria in Kameroun / Yaunde
Togo at border
Benin at border
Burkina Faso in Kameroun or Visa de entente
Mali: reseipt at border visa the next day in capital town
Mauretania in Mali
Marokko at border

Travel save, Tobi
Riding the rough west coast through Africa part 3

For Mozambique it was easy at the border (coming from Mutare, Zim). We met people who had got theirs in advance in Harare but paid lots more than the price on the border.

For Rwanda it varies depending on your nationality - I didn't need a visa with a UK passport but my partner with an Australian passport did and had to apply online for approval in advance. This took a lot of chasing up to sort out.

For the Ethiopia visa I think I remember a thread on here saying you can no longer get it in Harare. Maybe have a search for that info. If not then DHL from Nairobi is the expensive but doable alternative.

As a US citizen I'm not sure how easy it is to get the Sudan visa in Nairobi. I have a UK passport so I'm not speaking from personal experience, but I met a couple in Nairobi with US passports and they had to go through a fixer in Khartoum. It wasn't cheap either. I got my Sudan visa in Nairobi and got 2 months, but others we met got 2 weeks, so don't bank on getting 2 months from Nairobi.

The Egypt visa was easy to organise on the boat and I didn't need it for the Sudan visa.

Thanks for the help, will update the list.

__________________
Left Seattle March '09 for RTW trip.
'02 BMW 1150 GSA

Doubledown and everyone else who has posted, thanks. There are some excellent bits and pieces here. I am wondering, has anyone gone from Morocco to Capetown recently (south), and can you give a visa report? Some friends and I will start overlanding from Morocco: January 2012 to ???

My current take on things is that Angola and now possibly Nigeria are the ones to be most concerned with, and that many others mostly seem possible on the fly. For still others it seems like a grey area.

Below are the relevant countries -- could we all work together on filling this in with a brief summary of experience (time taken, where acquired, cost)? In particular, does anyone have any relevant info on the Visa Entente? Once I finish this trip next year, I will provide a thorough update here, I promise! (I have a US passport.)

Morocco (no visa needed for US/EU)
Mauritania
Senegal (no visa needed for EU/US less than 90 days)
The Gambia
Guinea Bissau
Mali
Guinea
Sierra Leone (Must get in advance?)
Liberia
CDI (Visa Entente?) (not currently advisable to go?)
Burkina Faso (Visa Entente?) (new high fees, I read $181 if through US Embassy)
Ghana
Togo (Visa Entente?)
Benin (Visa Entente?)
Nigeria (Seems like it may be one we need to get ahead of time in the US)
Cameroon
Equitorial Guinea (No visa required, but need small pox and cholera in addition to the oft-required yellow fever).
Gabon
Congo (Brazzaville) (need letter of invitation?) (possible to get transit through or around to Congo -- Kinshasha and down to Angola?)
Congo (Kinshasha) (possible to get transit through or around to Angola?)
Angola (Seems by consensus the most difficult)
Namibia (Border)
Botswana (Not needed)
South Africa (Not needed)

I cannot remember if it was essential but I got the Egyptian before Sudanese, I think there was a question "do you have a visa for your next country" on the application form so thought it helpful to be able to say yes.

Below is our experience from a last few months. Please note that most of it applies to citizens of EU (we are Estonian), US might be a whole different story.


Mauritania
It seems they just changed the regulations (two days ago) and at least at the embassy in Bamako (Mali) it now takes up to two weeks to get a visa (because they have to get an approval from Nouakchott), regardless of your nationality. Cost is 20500 CFA.


Senegal
Just a note: visa exemtion does not automatically apply to all EU member states. For citizens of the Baltic states, for example, visa is mandatory and processing time at the embassy in Bamako (Mali) is 2-3 months (!).


Mali
So far it has been easy to obtain. We got it at the embassy in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) for 20000 CFA, processed in a few hours. It should also be possible to get a five-day visa on arrival, for 10000 CFA.


Burkina Faso
Was easy to get at the embassy in Libreville (Gabon), but expensive at 47000 CFA. Normally should take three days, express is ready the next day, add 4500CFA.

Visa Entente does seem to work, at least we've met people who have it.


Ghana
Seems to be tricky right now as you're supposed to apply in your home country. The embassy in Lomé (Togo) selectively issues visas to non-residents though. We paid 20000 CFA and it was ready the next day. At least one person we know that got refused at the embassy got an emegency visa at the border.


Togo
We got our visa on arrival from Benin. A painless and quick procedure, a 7-day visa cost 10000 CFA.


Benin
We got our visa in advance from Libreville (Gabon). 20000 CFA, ready the next day.


Nigeria
We got ours in Brazzaville (Congo). A hotel booking was required but we explained how we travel, gave them a copy of our carnet and yellow fever certificates, and it sufficed. Processing time: two days. Cost: something like USD 65.


Cameroon
We got ours in Brazzaville (Congo). Processing time: two days. Cost: something like USD 100.


Gabon
We got ours in Brazzaville (Congo). A hotel booking was required. Processing time: one day. Cost: something like USD 70.