I would like any information on the little "hidden gems" of Africa - the places people have come across by chance that don't appear in the guide books. Route: Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenyan, Uganda, Tanzinia, N. Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, N. Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, S. Africa.

Thanks in advance

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Bruce

Try Rwanda. I enjoyed my time there, excellent tarmac sweaping corner roads, loads of off road, and generally a good place. No trouble of any kind but the genocide history is still fresh in the minds so they arnt the most joyfull of people, as to be expected
Andy

Bruce - I can give a couple recommendations for Tanzania:

Be sure to ride through Arusha National Park. It's the only park I found in Tanzania you could ride through, though you can't ride all the way in. You'll see plenty of animals on the accessible parts, though.

In Arusha, be sure to check out Via Via, a bar/restaurant owned by a very friendly Belgian couple - I spent a lot of nights hanging out there having a good time. It's Behind the museum, and be careful walking to it at night since the entrance is not well-lit and is a notorious hangout for thieves. Ride your bike up into the museum compound and you'll be fine.

There are a couple great rides out to some waterfalls near Mount Kilimanjaro. I couldn't tell you how to get to them, but if you go to Via Via, ask Jeff and Kathleen for a guy named Joseph who can be your guide, and he'll take you out into the woods to the waterfalls. Some of the trails are pretty challenging but not terribly dangerous.

The road to Ngorogoro is pretty fun as well -lots of beatiful sights, but you won't be able to get into Lake Manyara Park or Ngorogo Natl park either. Karatu, the town right outside of Ngorogoro is a fun town to browse around - outside the tourist camprgrounds, it's a very humble town with some very friendly folks.

If you feel like getting off your bike for something different, I did a horse Safari through Arusha National park as well. I can get in touch with the people who run it if you're interested.

Also, a nice place to stay in Arusha is the Center House Hostel at Sekei Secondary School. Its fence is closed at night, which is great peace of mind since your bike won't likely go anywhere. Doubles are about 6000 Tsh (about $7 US) and singles 4K a night, including breakfast.

Some other great places in Arusha:
Bite of India restaurant
Pizzarusha
Jambo Cafe
The Ethiopian place next to the Impala hotel

...and a bunch of other random places that I have no clue about what they were called.

Arusha's a great little town - I spent a month there in the fall and didn't want to leave!

Cheers,
Wright

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Wright Bagwell
http://www.geocities.com/wwbagwell/