Travel and Expatriation in Africa

Going on safari in Kenya or on vacation in the Seychelles? Are you an expatriate in South Africa or moving to Morocco for your retirement? In Africa, medical costs can quickly become quite high in private medical centers. So whether you’re traveling for a few days or a long time, and to protect yourself in the event of accident, hospitalization or repatriation, it’s important to take out international health insurance before you leave. Our country advice pages will help you in your quest for information about your destination country.

Find practical information and health insurance by country

Quand partir en Afrique ?

The climate in Africa varies enormously depending on the geographical area you live in. Here’s a table showing the different climates and seasons in each African country:

• En vert : le climat est propice pour visiter le pays, avec des températures clémentes ;
• En jaune : le climat peut se dégrader mais reste correct dans l’ensemble ;
• En orange : le climat a de fortes chances d’être très peu propice pour voyager ;
• En rouge : il est déconseillé de voyager durant ces mois-ci, les températures tendent vers les extrêmes et la météo aussi (fortes pluies, soleil plein).

25 lieux à absolument visiter en Afrique

Here are 25 must-see places to visit during your stay in Africa, based on the continent’s different geographical zones:

North Africa:

The Sphinx of Giza (Egypt)

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo (Egypt)

Jardin Majorelle (Morocco)

Carthage (Tunisia)

The souk of Marrakech (Morocco)

Southern Africa:

Cape Point (South Africa)

Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)

Ovakavango Delta (Botswana)

Namib Desert (Namibia)

Swaziland (Swaziland)

West Africa:

Notre Dame de la Paix Basilica (Ivory Coast)

 

Cape Verde

 

Gorée Island (Senegal)

Osun-Oshogbo sacred forest (Nigeria)

Lac Rose (Senegal)

East Africa:

Victoria Falls (Zambia-Zimbabwe border)

Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)

Kendwa beaches (Zanzibar)

Omo Valley (Kenya)

Lake Nakuru (Kenya)

Central Africa:

Nyiragongo (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Ekom Falls (Cameroon)

Boali (Central African Republic)

Korup National Park (Cameroon)

Quels vaccins pour l’Afrique ?

For a stay in Africa, it is highly recommended that you have your vaccination schedule up to date:

• Diphtérie
• Poliomyélite
• Tétanos
• Rubéole, oreillons, rougeole

It’s also advisable to get vaccinated against meningitis, hepatitis A and B, rabies and yellow fever. Take precautions against mosquito bites, which can transmit Chikungunya and dengue fever. Maintain impeccable hygiene at all times and eat well-cooked food to avoid cholera contamination.
Finally, there’s very little chance of you catching any of these diseases, so if you take every precaution there’s nothing to worry about.

Quels sont les meilleurs itinéraires pour découvrir l’Afrique ?

To discover Africa, we recommend that you visit the continent by dividing it into three parts:

• L’Afrique du Nord
• L’Afrique Centrale et de l’Ouest
• L’Afrique Australe et de l’Est

You should also choose your itinerary according to what you want to discover. All three geographical areas have their own cultural riches. For example, for a first trip to Africa, we recommend that you visit North Africa or Southern and East Africa. Central and West Africa is the least touristic of the three zones. To minimize local risks, it’s advisable to know exactly what to do in the event of a delicate situation, and therefore to have already traveled to a number of foreign countries. In Southern Africa, you can visit numerous natural parks where you can go on safari. You’ll also visit some of the world’s most beautiful natural spots, such as Cape Point in South Africa. If you choose to travel to North Africa, you’ll also be able to visit some breathtaking natural sites. But above all, you can visit numerous man-made religious, cultural and historical monuments such as the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia.
Below is a map showing three circuits that you can use as inspiration for your own:

Coût de la vie dans les grandes villes d’Afrique

In Africa, the cost of living is lower than in Europe. Here’s an idea of the average cost of living in major cities in African countries with the highest expatriate populations:

Peut-on boire l’eau du robinet en Afrique ?

In Africa, it’s advisable not to drink tap water, especially if you’re visiting for a tour, a short stay or a road-trip. Poorly filtered water could put an end to your trip until you are medically repatriated. However, it is possible that in some towns, tap water is drinkable. Our advice is: don’t take any unnecessary risks, filter it, or buy corked bottles of mineral water.

Top 6 des pires maladies à ne pas attraper en Afrique

These diseases are still present on the African continent, but even if they are becoming rare, don’t neglect the risks and take every precaution, especially against mosquito bites.

• VIH
• Tuberculose
• Ebola
• Choléra
• Paludisme
• Fièvre jaune

Top 5 des villes les plus dangereuses d’Afrique ou la criminalité est la plus forte

Here’s a ranking of the 5 most dangerous cities in Africa.

1. Cape Town (South Africa)
2. Benghazi (Libya)
3. Durban (South Africa)
4. Nairobi (Kenya)
5. Lagos (Nigeria)

It’s important to distinguish between cities where tourists are not advised at all, due to the risk of being mugged all over the city, and cities where crime is concentrated in certain areas.
For example, the current economic, political and social situation in Caracas, combined with the poverty of its inhabitants, make this the most dangerous city in the world. The homicide rate is one of the highest, if not the highest, in the world. Some police forces are corrupt, and mugging and theft rates are extremely high. Wars between cartels and between cartels and police can break out in any part of the city. The removal rate is highest in upmarket neighborhoods.
On the other hand, some cities have extremely high crime and danger rates. However, crime and danger are concentrated almost exclusively in certain neighborhoods, while other parts of these cities are very touristy and quite safe. It’s essential to find out all you can about certain cities before you go.

Quelles sont les principales compagnies aériennes low-cost en Afrique ?

The main low-cost airlines in Africa are :

• Fly 540 (Kenya) 
• Jambojet (Kenya)
• FlySafair (Afrique du Sud)
• Kulula (Afrique du Sud)
• Mango (Afrique du Sud)

Quels sont les moyens de transport pour voyager en Afrique ?

The main means of transport in Africa between countries is by air. There are very few international train lines, partly due to colonization and territorial wars between European countries. As a result, the main rail lines were 100% dedicated to mining and export. For example, if you want to take the train from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to Djibouti, it will take you 15 hours and 25 minutes for a distance of 1120km. By way of comparison, reaching Perpignan from Lille takes 7 hours, for a distance of 1020km. What’s more, there’s only one train leaving every two days, so if you miss it, you’ll have to wait 2 days before you can hope to catch it again.
For international travel in Africa, we recommend air travel. The African continent is much larger than Europe in terms of surface area. The distances involved in travelling from one country to another are therefore greater. Travelling by air is the fastest way to get around the continent, and flight availability is far greater than by train.
For travel within the country itself, you can take rail lines of varying speeds linking the country’s major cities. For example, Morocco inaugurated its first high-speed train lines in 2018 in a partnership with SNCF. The journey between Casablanca and Tangiers by TGV now takes 2 hours and 10 minutes, compared with 4 hours and 45 minutes previously.
To get around a large city in Africa, you can easily take a minibus or cab. Cab fares are much more affordable than in Europe or North America. Beware: in some African countries where crime is rife, such as South Africa, the DRC, Nigeria and Kenya, it is formally inadvisable to take unsafe or touted cabs. They are unreliable and could be in league with criminals. Favor secure platforms like Uber or G7 cabs.

Décalage horaire en Afrique

UTC or Universal Time Coordinated, is the time in Reykjavik, Iceland UTC 0 all year round.
For example, in France we’ll be at UTC + 2, in London at UTC +1.

Quelles sont les meilleures villes étudiantes en Afrique?

The ranking of the best student cities in Africa is based on the ranking of universities within cities, combined with the infrastructure provided for students:

1. Cape Town
2. Johannesburg
3. Cairo
4. Nairobi
5. Dakar

Quelles sont les villes les plus appréciées des expatriés en Afrique ?

Here is a selection of cities with strong expatriate communities:

•  Le Cap (Afrique du Sud) 
• Johannesburg (Afrique du Sud)
• Nairobi (Kenya)
• Lagos (Nigeria)
• Tanger (Maroc)
• Praia (Cap-Vert)
• Tunis (Tunisie)
• Alger (Algérie)
• Port Louis (Maurice)
• Victoria (Seychelles)