After almost eight years, I finally had the chance to take a long break and decided to travel from northern Europe to southern Africa, before heading to Asia for a family reunion.
Jul 21, 2025
Iceland (Golden Circle + Blue Lagoon)
The Icelandair flight arrived at Keflavík International Airport, the main airport in Iceland, shortly after 6 am. Most Icelandair flights from North America arrive around the same time, so it took a while to get through immigration. Luckily, the Flybus (airport shuttle) departed soon after.
After dropping my bag at the hotel, I took a short walk in central Reykjavík and checked out the Unknown Bureaucrat sculpture, Alþingishúsið (the Parliament House), and the city’s landmark, Hallgrímskirkja, which was also the pickup point for my Golden Circle + Blue Lagoon tour with Nicetravel at 10 am.
A typical Golden Circle tour includes Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall, and Strokkur Geyser. I chose Nicetravel because it also stops at Kerið Crater, a beautiful crater lake. The tour arrived at the Blue Lagoon around 6 pm, and we had two hours there, which was enough for me. Overall, the tour was pleasant and gave a good introduction to Iceland’s landscapes.
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| Kerið Crater |
Jul 22, 2025
Iceland (South Coast)
On my second day in Iceland, I again chose Nicetravel for the South Coast tour. A typical South Coast tour includes several stops, with Skógafoss Waterfall, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall (famous for the view from behind the waterfall), and Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach as highlights. The Nicetravel tour goes the extra mile by also visiting Dyrhólaey — a big bonus in August, when you can see the lovely puffins up close.
The tour finished before 8 pm. Since sunset in Iceland in July is after 11 pm, I had the chance to explore the capital a bit more and visited Harpa Concert Hall and the Sun Voyager sculpture. I ended the day with a soup in a bread bowl at Svarta Kaffið.
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| Puffins at Dyrhólaey |
Jul 23, 2025
Ilulissat
The 3-hour-20-minute flight from Reykjavík to Ilulissat, Greenland, was the most expensive flight of my entire trip (the same goes for accommodations in Greenland). However, visiting Greenland is still well worth it. A massive ice sheet was visible from the plane, which made me feel better about the high cost of the flight. In Ilulissat, the magnificent icebergs can be admired both from the moderate Yellow Trail and on numerous boat trips.
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| View from a Tour Boat |
Jul 24, 2025
Nuuk
Initially, I had planned to fly to Kangerlussuaq to experience the ice sheet at Point 660, then continue on to Nuuk. Unfortunately, Air Greenland canceled my flight to Kangerlussuaq and rescheduled me to fly directly to Nuuk. Nuuk is the capital and main transportation hub of Greenland. It doesn’t have many sights, but I walked around for an hour and visited the Church of Our Saviour and Hans Egede’s House. Sadly, the public artwork Mother of the Sea was underwater when I visited the site.
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| Church of Our Saviour |
Jul 25, 2025
Nuuk to Stege
Due to foggy weather, the flight from Nuuk to Copenhagen was delayed by almost two hours. It arrived in Copenhagen around 5 pm, still good enough to see the Statue of Andersen near the train station, have a quick dinner at a nearby food court and catch the 7:09 pm train to Vordingborg (about one hour), where I then took a local bus to Stege.
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| Stege |
Jul 26, 2025
Møns Klint - Copenhagen
The reason for staying in Stege was to take a two-hour tour boat to Møns Klint from Klintholm Havn. Møns Klint is the most dramatic natural sight in Denmark. Many people view the cliffs from the visitor centre and/or hike down to the beaches at the base of the cliffs. Viewing the cliffs from the boat (450–500 DKK) offers a different experience—it’s not cheap, but you probably get the best views of the cliffs.
Back in Copenhagen in the afternoon, I did an express tour of the city, checking out the Genetically Modified Little Mermaid, the Little Mermaid, Nyhavn (including No. 20, where H.C. Andersen used to live), Amalienborg Palace (the winter residence), Frederik’s Church (the Marble Church), the King’s Garden and Rosenborg Castle (a former royal residence), the Round Tower, the Church of Our Saviour (famous for its spiral tower), and the “freetown” of Christiania.
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| Christiania |
Jul 27, 2025
Tallinn
My flight arrived in Tallinn around 1 pm, good enough for a half-day tour of the city. My first stop was the Forest Cemetery, a unique tradition practiced by Estonians (harmony with nature). I spent most of the afternoon touring the Old Town, starting with the Estonian Maritime Museum and the nearby Three Sisters Hotel.
An interesting place in the Old Town is the Banned Books Museum — they have a good collection of banned books, mostly in English. The short St. Catherine’s Passage provides a nice photo opportunity, and the nearby Hellemann Tower (€4, cash only) is another highlight — the 200-meter walkway built on the former defensive walls offers good views of the Old Town. Continuing my walk, I arrived at the impressive Viru Gate and took a break at the McDonald’s there before heading west to Town Hall Square. On the western edge of the Old Town, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is magnificent both inside and out. Finally, I had a quick look at Toompea Castle (Parliament) and the Kiek in de Kök Museum from outside.
A 20-minute bus ride took me to the Estonian Open Air Museum (half-price entry after 6 pm). The museum is not especially impressive, but the Kolu Kõrts restaurant inside offers a good selection of traditional Estonian food at reasonable prices.
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| Forest Cemetery |
Jul 28, 2025
Tallinn to Riga
Direct buses or trains from Tallinn to Riga are not very frequent, so I decided to take the Tallinn to Riga Sightseeing Tour Bus. It departed from Tallinn Old Town at 9 am and made several sightseeing stops along the way, including Viljandi in Estonia, Sietiņiezis National Park, Cēsis, and the Sigulda Bobsleigh track in Latvia. Viljandi and Cēsis are ancient towns with significant cultural importance. At Sietiņiezis National Park, we stopped for a short walk, which was pleasant though not spectacular. The last activity of the tour was partially walking down the Sigulda Bobsleigh track, and the bus arrived in Riga Old Town before 8 pm.
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| Sietiņiezis National Park |
Jul 29, 2025
Riga - Šiauliai
After having breakfast at Big Bad Bagels Old Town, I paid my respects at the Freedom Monument and had my photo taken at the nearby “Riga” sign. I then took a quick tour of Riga Old Town, checking out major sights including the Powder Tower, Swedish Gate (the only surviving gate of the old city wall), the Three Brothers (interesting to compare with the Three Sisters Hotel in Tallinn), Riga Cathedral, and the House of the Blackheads (the most important building in the Old Town).
At 10 am, I boarded a tour boat to Jūrmala. This cruise is only available in summer and takes about 2.5 hours to reach Majori, a major resort district in Latvia. Apart from the beach, there are several famous wooden houses worth visiting, including the landmark Bijusī E. Rācenes peldu iestāde (former bathhouse), the Cottage of Rainis and Aspazija, and Pegasa Pils (now a restaurant).
After admiring the wooden houses, I walked through Dzintari Forest Park and reached Dzintari Train Station, where I caught a train back to Riga (only 30 minutes).
I spent the rest of my time in Riga admiring Art Nouveau masterpieces at Elizabetes iela 33 and along Alberta iela — the buildings are truly amazing.
In the late afternoon, an international train took me to Šiauliai in Lithuania in less than 2 hours. A nice benefit of traveling in summer is the late sunset, which allowed me to take a Bolt ride to the Hill of Crosses before dark. The Hill of Crosses is a very popular sight in Lithuania, and I saw many newly planted crosses.
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| Art Nouveau masterpiece at Elizabetes iela 33 |
Jul 30, 2025
Trakai - Vilnius
2.5-hour train ride took me to Vilnius in the morning. After checking into a hotel near the train station, I boarded a regional train to Trakai (30 minutes). The main attraction there, Trakai Island Castle, is about 3 km from the train station (Bolt is available). Entry isn’t cheap and probably not worth it, so I just walked around the castle, which was pleasant. I also saw some tourist boats on the lake.
Back in Vilnius, I walked to Užupis to take a look at this self-declared independent “Republic” before exploring the Old Town. The Gates of Dawn is the only remaining city gate and serves as an easy entry/exit point to the Old Town. Both St. Anne’s Church (free) and Vilnius Cathedral are truly impressive. Next to the cathedral is the landmark Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, which shouldn’t be missed (though it doesn’t look as grand as the cathedral). Another landmark, Gediminas Castle, requires either a climb or a short funicular ride. There are good views of the city from the castle base, and for €8 you can go up to the top for a 360-degree panorama. Lastly, the “Portal” at Town Hall Square is an interesting installation where you can see people in another city on a large screen and wave at them (they usually wave back).
I finished the day with some delicious traditional Lithuanian food at Etno Dvaras.
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| Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania |
Jul 31, 2025
Park of Europe
Since my flight from Vilnius was in the late afternoon, I visited the “Park of Europe” in the suburbs in the morning. It’s basically a sculpture park, but also marks what French scientists consider to be the geographical center of Europe. The park can be reached by bus from central Vilnius.
A short flight took me to Helsinki, where I connected to a 4.5-hour flight to Málaga, Spain. It was quite an interesting route, flying straight from Northeast Europe to Southwest Europe.
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| Park of Europe |
Aug 1, 2025
Granada
I had a 19-hour layover in Málaga, perfect for checking out the Alhambra in Granada, about two hours away. ALSA runs buses between Málaga Bus Station / Málaga Airport and Granada Bus Station every 1–2 hours. From Granada Bus Station, it’s a short Bolt ride or two local buses to the main entrance of the Alhambra.
Most tourists buy a ticket in advance that covers Palacios Nazaríes, Alcazaba, and Generalife Gardens, with a fixed entry time for the Palacios Nazaríes (they allow a 30-minute grace period). Luggage storage is available next to the washrooms near the main entrance. If there is one thing Spain has in common with China, the entry system at the Alhambra could be a candidate: here, they scan your passport to enter Palacios Nazaríes, Alcazaba, and Generalife Gardens (while in China you need an ID card or passport to enter every train station and most tourist sights).
The Palacios Nazaríes is without doubt the highlight of the Alhambra. Once inside, there’s no limit on how long you can stay. Most people just follow the standard route, which takes about 30–60 minutes. The Islamic architecture is truly amazing. The Alcazaba is also worth visiting, and you get excellent views of the fortress and the city once you climb to the top of the tower. The Generalife Gardens are so-so, in my opinion, as you can see similar gardens elsewhere.
A short flight took me to Casablanca in the evening, where I transferred to another flight to Malabo to start the African part of my journey.
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| A "mirador" at the Palacios Nazaríes |
Aug 2, 2025
Equatorial Guinea
The flight from Casablanca arrived in Malabo at 4:40 am in almost total darkness, as there were not many lights, even at the airport. It took me over two hours to get through immigration and wait for baggage claim before I was finally able to leave the airport. Pickup arranged by my guesthouse was smooth, and they dropped me at a bank ATM to withdraw some Central African francs (XAF).
After a very short rest at the guesthouse in the southern part of the city (much cheaper than the few hotels in central Malabo), I took a taxi to Paseo Marítimo to see the "I love Equatorial Guinea" sign (there is also an "I love Malabo" sign nearby). A group of people were doing guided exercises at the "I love Equatorial Guinea" sign, making for a good photo opportunity. I then took another taxi to St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral (one of the elegant buildings in the city) before meeting my tour guide at Cafe Kristania for a full-day round-the-island trip of Bioko.
To my surprise, Equatorial Guinea doesn’t look like a typical African country—buildings are quite neat and the roads are excellent. The main drawback is that the internet connection is only via 4G (not even LTE). We first arrived at Playa de Arena Blanca, the most famous beach in the country. The beach was quite empty when we got there, but according to the tour guide, huge crowds come on weekend afternoons. We then checked out a few colonial buildings in the town of Luba before heading to the trailhead for Iladyi Cascades.
Iladyi Cascades was the only must-see I specified to the tour company for my round-the-island trip. It consists of three waterfalls deep in the mountains and requires a four-hour hike round trip. Hiking down to the viewpoint was quite an adventure in heavy rain, but the park ranger was very helpful (prearrangement is required for this hike). Unfortunately, due to heavy fog, we didn’t see any of the three waterfalls from the viewpoint. According to the guide, it’s impossible to see the waterfalls during the rainy season. Honestly, I was quite disappointed and wondered why the tour company didn’t tell me beforehand. The only “nice” thing was that at the beginning of the hike, I saw a group of feral horses—for the first time in my life.
On the way back to Malabo, we stopped at Basakato Restaurant in the village of Basakato de la Sagrada Familia for dinner. The tour guide suggested I try antelope with plantains. The taste was quite strange, but it was also my first time eating antelope (and I don’t think I’ll try it again).
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| Feral horses |
Aug 3, 2025
Malabo to Yaoundé
A short flight took me to Douala in Cameroon in less than an hour. It was difficult to find proper taxis outside the airport terminal. A driver offered to take me to Finexs Voyages (a major long-distance bus company) for 5,000 XAF, and I accepted. However, when we arrived there, the driver refused to give change for my 10,000 XAF bill—a rip-off that’s hard to avoid when you’ve just arrived in the country. At Finexs Voyages, I was able to buy a bus ticket to Yaoundé departing about two hours later for 7,000 XAF, which gave me a chance to have some food at a nearby Chinese restaurant.
The bus arrived in Yaoundé quite late in the evening (much slower than what Google Maps suggested). At the Finexs Voyages terminal in Yaoundé, it was straightforward to order a ride through the Yango app to Indra Hotel, which I had booked in advance.
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| Malabo Airport |
Aug 4-6, 2025
Yaoundé
I spent three full days in Yaoundé mainly arranging visas for the Republic of the Congo and Gabon. The Republic of the Congo has an embassy in Ottawa, which is quite far from where I live in Canada, and my communications with them were not very smooth. For Gabon, I had applied for the free promotional eVisa (only available July–September 2025) but was rejected without any explanation. So, I decided to try my luck in Cameroon’s capital.
On the morning of August 4, I walked from Indra Hotel to the Embassy of the Republic of the Congo and applied for the expensive express visa (pickup the next day) without hassle. On the application form, I indicated that I would enter by land, so no air ticket was required.
In the afternoon, I took a Yango to the city center to see Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church, then walked to the Monument de la Réunification. On the way, I saw a beautiful lake in the valley and stopped to take a few photos. Shortly after, I was stopped by a man and taken to a nearby military complex. They claimed my photos included some military buildings and asked if I was a spy. I explained there was no sign saying photography was prohibited and that I was just a tourist. That didn’t seem to convince the officer, but after some standoff, they finally let me go after deleting the problematic photos.
On the morning of August 5, I spent time checking hotels and eventually moved into Hôtel Vallée, which was cheaper and slightly better than Indra Hotel. It was also within walking distance of the Embassy of Gabon, which I planned to visit next.
After picking up my Republic of the Congo visa in the afternoon, I went to the Embassy of Gabon and was told that I needed an air ticket for the visa, as land borders were still closed to foreigners. I then took a Yango to the Afrijet office in downtown Yaoundé and bought a ticket to Libreville departing a few days later. It was too late to return to the embassy, so I went to African Food by Emy near Hôtel Vallée and had Cameroon’s national dish, Ndolé, for dinner.
On the morning of August 6, I walked from Hôtel Vallée to the Embassy of Gabon at 9 am, just as it opened. The visa officer arrived about 45 minutes late but actually issued my visa on the spot (it took around 20 minutes).
I spent the rest of the day buying my bus ticket to Foumban for the next morning at Gare Routière d’Olembé in the far north of the city and also moved to a hotel near the bus terminal.
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| Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church |
Aug 7, 2025
Foumban
After three days of working on visas, I finally had a chance to do some real sightseeing in Cameroon. One of the highlights of the country is Foumban, which luckily is still safe to visit at this time. I was told to come to Gare Routière d’Olembé at 6:30 am for the direct bus to Foumban, but the bus didn’t actually depart until 8:50 am. It arrived in Foumban six hours later in heavy rain. I grabbed a taxi to the Royal Palace. It’s free to see the outside of the Royal Palace and the iconic museum building (which looks like a crab), but entering the museum requires an expensive guided tour. No photos are allowed inside—in fact, you must leave your mobile phone with the staff before the tour.
I stayed in Bafoussam (about two hours from Foumban by bus) for the night in order to visit Bandjoun’s Chefferie and take a bus to Douala the next day.
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| Foumban Royal Palace |
Aug 8, 2025
Bandjoun
I bought a ticket for the 11 am bus from Bafoussam to Douala, which gave me enough time to check out Bandjoun’s Chefferie in the morning. The hotel staff kindly recommended that I take a motorcycle to the Chefferie, as public transportation is time-consuming and a taxi would be expensive. It turned out to be a good idea. Bandjoun’s Chefferie (about 20 minutes by motorcycle from Bafoussam) is a magnificent example of traditional Bamileke architecture. I arrived there early in the morning, and there was nobody around and no tickets required. When I got back to Bafoussam, I even had time for breakfast at a tiny street restaurant for only 900 XAF, including a large bottle of water—perhaps the cheapest meal of my entire trip.
The bus arrived in Douala in the early evening. Once again, I used Yango to get to Saffana Hotel. At a 20,000 XAF walk-in price (much cheaper than booking online), this hotel was good value, as it offered a free airport shuttle along with a restaurant and printing services.
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| Bandjoun’s Chefferie |
Aug 9, 2025
Libreville
A short flight took me from Douala to Libreville, capital of Gabon. Although I got my Gabon visa at the embassy in Yaoundé, my previous eVisa application had been rejected without explanation, and there are travelers’ reports of being denied entry even with a valid visa from the embassy of a nearby country. So I was a little uncertain whether I would have trouble at immigration at the airport. I printed all the documents, including my hotel booking, onward air ticket from Gabon, etc., at my hotel in Douala. I also asked both the travel agency that would take me on a tour and the guesthouse I booked to be prepared for potential immigration calls (to verify me).
It turned out to be super easy at immigration — not even one question was asked, and I was stamped in!
Since I had booked a half-day private tour with the travel agency, they offered me a free Libreville tour. We visited two churches — Église Saint-Michel de Nkembo and Saint Peter’s Cathedral. Both were impressive. We also passed by the Presidential Palace but didn’t stop, as photos are obviously not allowed. I ended my day with Gabon’s national dish — Poulet Nyemb.
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| Saint Peter’s Cathedral |
Aug 10, 2025
Point Denis
Initially, I was thinking of going to Parc de la Lékédi to see mandrills, but I gave up the idea due to the complicated logistics and high accommodation costs. I then decided to spend some time at Pointe Denis, a popular weekend beach resort near the capital. Since I happened to go there on a Sunday, it’s no surprise that the pier was crowded with people and boats. It seemed that the vast majority had already prearranged boats to their destinations. After asking around, I was introduced to a man who put me on a boat to Pointe Denis.
The boat landed at La Maringa El Magnifico, a popular mid-range resort. The owner told me I could join two other guests for a trip to Pongara National Park at 3 pm. So I went for a walk around the beaches of Pointe Denis. It was a pleasant walk on a hot day, and there were not many people on the beaches—especially on the other side of Pointe Pongara, where there are no resorts (those beaches were almost deserted yet equally beautiful).
When I returned to La Maringa El Magnifico, the two other guests were nowhere to be seen. Later, the owner told me they had changed their minds. Someone offered me a private ride to the park, but it was too expensive. Since the park mainly has elephants to see, I figured it wasn’t worth the high cost of a private hire.
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| Beach near La Maringa El Magnifico |
Aug 11, 2025
Arboretum Raponda Walker
If you have money, Gabon can offer an unforgettable wildlife experience. Unfortunately, I'm not part of that group so I just allocated around 48 hours around the capital. Since my flight leaving the country was in the afternoon, I arranged with the travel agency to take me to Arboretum Raponda Walker for a hike - it was basically just a private car hire. At Arboretum Raponda Walker, I had the choice of using a guide or walking alone. I chose the latter. With Maps.Me (or any other hiking map) it can be easily done. The hike itself was nice if nothing special. I did the longer loop that includes a side trail to the beach and completed it in 4 hours.
By late afternoon I was already in Pointe-Noire, the second largest city in the Republic of the Congo.
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| Arboretum Raponda Walker |
Aug 12, 2025
Pointe-Noire
In the early morning, I walked from the hotel to Côte Sauvage (literally “Wild Beach”). The beach was deserted at that hour, and it felt a little scary. After breakfast, I hired a taxi to take me to Diosso Gorge. Although it’s not the most magnificent gorge in the world, it’s still a nice and affordable place to visit if you’re in Pointe-Noire.
I spent the afternoon shopping for a pair of jeans to replace the ones that got too dirty from hiking in heavy rain in Equatorial Guinea. The brand-name jeans sold at boutiques were way too expensive, and the cheap ones sold on the streets looked second-hand. So I ended up having an early buffet dinner near my hotel (buffets seem quite popular in Pointe-Noire).
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| Diosso Gorge |
Aug 13, 2025
Brazzaville
A domestic flight took me from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of the Congo (also called Congo-Brazzaville). A few days before heading for Brazzaville, I had contacted a few travel agencies about a trip to the Lésio Louna Gorilla Reserve, about 150 km north of Brazzaville, but was told it was fully booked for the month, I then gave up on the idea (it was also not cheap to visit it there). So my main task in Brazzaville was to try to get a visa to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), just across the Congo River. I went to the embassy first and was told that they only issue tourist visas to residents of the Republic of the Congo, which was not surprising. I then went to the beach (ferry to Kinshasa) to try my luck for a transit visa. I knew it was possible, as another tourist had done so a couple of months ago. But I didn’t know any fixers myself, so I just went straight to the beach.
At some point when I walked into the beach area, someone who didn’t speak English talked to me. I just said “Kinshasa” and he took me to a room, where another man who spoke good English approached me and offered to help. I told him I wanted to go to Kinshasa, and he spoke with an officer in the room. He said it was possible, but I needed to buy an air ticket out of Kinshasa to qualify for the transit visa. I paid some small money to the first “helper,” and the new “fixer” accompanied me to a travel agency to buy an air ticket. I had done some research in advance, and the cheapest meaningful option out of Kinshasa was a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa with ASKY. Although the online price was lower, the fixer advised me to buy it from a travel agency. Not wanting to risk my visa, I followed his advice and got a printed ticket. We exchanged WhatsApp and agreed to meet the next morning at the beach so he could arrange the ferry to Kinshasa and get me the transit visa.
It was mid-afternoon, perfect for taking a taxi to the only real “sight” in Brazzaville – Les Rapides. The rapids are indeed impressive (and I heard the view from Brazzaville is better than from Kinshasa). I felt relieved after accomplishing two important tasks in Brazzaville and treated myself to the local dish poisson salé aux aubergines.
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| Les Rapides |
Aug 14, 2025
Kinshasa
I met the fixer at the beach at 9 am, and he arranged a private ferry to take me to Kinshasa. He raised the price for the immigration officer, saying the officer in Kinshasa also needed to be “taken care of.” I also paid him a bit more to accompany me to Kinshasa and make sure everything went smoothly. After waiting about an hour at the immigration office at the beach in Kinshasa, I finally got my transit visa stamped on my passport! The fees for the fixer and the immigration officers weren’t cheap, but still not crazy—and much less than paying a travel agency in the DRC for a tourist visa, which usually requires taking an expensive tour. Since I paid the immigration officers their “tips,” I didn’t run into any hassles, which would have been guaranteed without payment.
Although the DRC (also called Congo-Kinshasa) is on the “Do Not Travel” list in many countries’ advisories, Kinshasa itself is relatively safe. Still, it’s highly recommended to hire a taxi from your hotel when traveling around the city or going out of it. I chose a 5-star hotel for my two-night stay mainly because they could arrange taxis.
The hotel has restaurants, but they’re expensive, so I ended up having my meals outside—which worked perfectly fine, as long as I returned before dark. I even walked to the Church of St. Anne, the only “sight” I visited in Kinshasa.
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| Church of St. Anne |
Aug 15, 2025
Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary
Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary is the only place in the world where you can easily see semi-wild bonobos. It offers four guided tours a day, and no advance reservation is needed. Luckily, the tour costs only US$10. Although it’s only 35 km from Kinshasa, the taxi took two hours to get there due to heavy traffic.
The one-hour tour included a 20-minute introduction by the guide (I didn’t understand any of it, as it was in French), after which he took us to see bonobos at various locations. At one spot, some women were carrying bonobos (who looked scared) for photo opportunities with tourists. At another location, a few bonobos were seen behind a large fence. The most interesting part was around Bonobo Beach, where more bonobos wandered along the riverbank, and tourists could take photos from the opposite side of the river. Although the bonobo experience was a little different from what I expected, at US$10, I have nothing to complain about.
The taxi took me back to Kinshasa in the mid-afternoon, and I successfully had a haircut at a shopping mall near my hotel.
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| Bonobo Beach |
Aug 16, 2025
Kinshasa to Johannesburg
Even though my flight to Johannesburg was scheduled to depart at 6:45 pm, my hotel advised me that the taxi should leave no later than 1 pm (despite the airport being only 23 km away), which turned out to be good advice, as traffic was extremely slow before reaching Highway N1. The hotel taxi service also includes a facilitator at the airport, mainly helping with the exit tax and directing me to the airline check-in counter. The exit tax slip is required when boarding the plane. The airport is quite small but does have a restaurant where you can charge your phone.
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| Kinshasa Airport |
Aug 17, 2025
Cape Town
The ASKY plane touched down in Johannesburg around midnight. Immigration was fast and straightforward. I was happy to have entered from the primarily French-speaking “visa” zone of Central Africa to the primarily English-speaking, visa-exempt zone of Southern Africa. I had bought the first flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, departing at 5:55 am on FlySafair, in advance so I could have a full day in Cape Town.
There are many sights in Cape Town, and I decided to focus on Table Mountain and Boulders Beach. I arrived at the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway around 10:45 am and bought the ticket from a machine (faster than the counter). It took another 30 minutes to actually get on the cable car. When I reached the top, it was foggy, so I decided to have lunch first at the restaurant on the mountain. After lunch, the sky became clearer and I had better views of Table Mountain and Cape Town. You can walk around at the top for different perspectives. Unfortunately, I didn't see any rock hyraxes. When I took the cable car down in the early afternoon, I noticed the line was much longer.
To save time, I ordered a Bolt to take me directly to Boulders Beach, famous for its African penguins. The driver dropped me at a public beach area where I saw one penguin. To see a large number of penguins, you need to go to the place marked “Boulders Visitor Centre – Table Mountain National Park” on Google Maps and buy a ticket. It’s definitely worth it, as I saw around 100 penguins on the beach. After admiring those lovely creatures, I walked to another entrance/exit via a walkway where you can also see some penguins along the way.
It was only mid-afternoon and I decided to check out another sight, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, mainly to kill some time. It was a nice walk in the garden, though nothing particularly special. Around dusk, I reached the V&A Waterfront and admired the beautiful clock tower. I then walked to Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre nearby and tried South Africa’s national dish, bobotie, at a restaurant there.
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| Boulders Beach |
Aug 18, 2025
Cape Town to Underberg
Another FlySafair flight took me from Cape Town to Durban in the early afternoon. I had pre-arranged a shuttle to take me from Durban Airport to Underberg, which takes about 3 hours. Unfortunately, since there were no other passengers on the shuttle, I essentially paid for a private transfer.
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| View of Table Mountain from Cape Town Airport |
Aug 19, 2025
Underberg to Butha-Buthe
Since I had virtually paid for a private transfer from Durban to Underberg, I convinced myself not to pay for a private transfer to Lesotho. Instead, I took the 10 am public bus to Mokhotlong, passing the dramatic Sani Pass. The bus arrived in Mokhotlong at 2 pm, just in time to catch the last Mokhotlong–Butha-Buthe bus scheduled to depart at 2:30 pm. That bus actually left at 3:30 pm. Lesotho is a mountainous country, so the view en route was never boring. It passed the 3,250-meter Tlaeeng Pass around 5 pm and arrived in Butha-Buthe around 7 pm.
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| Traditional Huts near Sani Top |
Aug 20, 2025
Maliba Lodge
One of the must-do activities in Lesotho for most tourists is horse riding, which offers a glimpse into traditional Basotho life. Maliba Lodge is among the lodges that can arrange such activities (you don’t need to be a guest there). I booked a 10 am ride and paid in advance. For transportation from Butha-Buthe to Maliba Lodge, they referred me to a local travel agency, Likila Tours, whose service turned out to be more expensive than the ride itself—but without my own vehicle, I had little choice. The four-hour round-trip ride, however, was well worth it. Accompanied by a friendly guide, I rode to the scenic Three Cascades and back. Some sections of the trail were quite steep, adding a bit of excitement to the experience.
Afterwards, the Likila Tours driver arranged a shared taxi to take me on to Maseru, the capital of Lesotho.
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| Three Cascades |
Aug 21, 2025
Maseru to Johannesburg
Before leaving Lesotho, I walked around central Maseru, visiting the iconic Basotho Hat building and the nearby St John’s Anglican Church. In the early afternoon, I crossed Maseru Bridge and re-entered South Africa.
On the South African side of the border, there are buses heading to various destinations. I boarded a bus bound for Bloemfontein and asked the driver to drop me off at the intersection for Bloemfontein Airport (about a 25-minute walk to the airport, which was fine for me).
In the early evening, another highly efficient FlySafair flight took me to Johannesburg.
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| Basotho Hat in Maseru |
Aug 22, 2025
Johannesburg to Hazyview
Johannesburg is a transportation hub in South Africa but offers little interest for tourists, so I just stayed overnight in transit. In the morning, I took my last FlySafair flight to Mbombela (interestingly, the airport is called Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport).
Since I planned to visit Kruger National Park and Blyde River Canyon, Hazyview is obviously a better base than Mbombela itself. The only drawback is that there is no public transportation from the airport to Hazyview, and taxis are expensive (it is relatively cheaper to get a taxi at the airport than to prearrange a transfer through a travel agency).
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| Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport |
Aug 23, 2025
Kruger National Park
There are numerous travel agencies in Hazyview offering various tours, but almost all of them have minimum participant requirements, so it’s important to shop around if you are traveling solo. For Kruger National Park, I joined a few other people for a morning safari, which suited me fine (and was also cheaper than a full-day safari).
The morning safari began with a pickup at 5:15 am to reach Phabeni Gate before it opened at 6:00 am This is common practice for good reason—it’s easier to spot hard-to-see animals in the early morning. In fact, shortly after entering the park, we spotted two lions at a good distance—one of them a male!
During the six-hour safari, we also saw hyenas, waterbucks, impalas, giraffes, kudus, zebras, elephants, buffalos, warthogs, wildebeests, and a beautiful southern ground hornbill. The safari included a breakfast stop, with the option of a quick bite at a café or a sit-down meal at a restaurant.
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| Two Lions at Kruger National Park |
Aug 24, 2025
Blyde River Canyon
For Blyde River Canyon, I also joined a group tour with a South African couple. This tour picked us up at a more civilized time of 8:45 am and lasted about eight hours. We visited the usual stops of a typical 'Panorama Tour': God’s Window, Berlin Falls, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, Three Rondavels/Lowveld View, Lisbon Falls, and Graskop Gorge. The highlights of the tour were Bourke’s Luck Potholes and Three Rondavels/Lowveld View. Unfortunately, when we reached Three Rondavels/Lowveld View, it was foggy, but the view was still gorgeous (I finally understood why it’s called ‘Hazyview’). At Graskop Gorge, most visitors purchase an activity to fully experience the site. Many people, myself included, just took the lift down the gorge and enjoyed a pleasant walk in the forest.
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| God’s Window |
Aug 25, 2025
Mbanane
There are public buses from Hazyview to Mbombela, and I was told the first one leaves at 7 am. I went to the taxi rank (bus terminal) before 7 am, but the first bus actually left at 9 am (not surprising). It took a little over an hour to reach Mbombela Taxi Rank. At the other end of the taxi rank, there is a bus leaving for Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) at 12 noon. I boarded the bus, assuming it would go to Mbabane, the capital of Eswatini. It actually terminated in Manzini, the country’s commercial center, at 4 pm, taking a different route that didn’t pass through Mbabane. I quickly transferred to another bus for Mbabane and reached the city in 30 minutes.
At Mbabane Bus Rank, I hired a taxi to take me to Sibebe Rock, the only sight I wanted to see in Mbabane, and then drop me off in the Ezulwini Valley. Sibebe Rock is the second-largest monolith in the world and is well worth visiting (some people even walk to the top). When I arrived, it was around sunset, and the view was excellent.
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| Sibebe Rock |
Aug 26, 2025
Ezulwini Valley
Ezulwini Valley is a popular tourist destination in Eswatini. I focused on two activities there: watching a traditional dance at Mantenga Nature Reserve and Cultural Village, and doing a walking safari at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary (my first such experience).
Mantenga Nature Reserve and Cultural Village offers traditional dance performances twice a day, at 11:15 am and 3:15 pm. I watched the 11:15 am show. It is somewhat commercial, but also interesting and relaxing. There is also a waterfall not too far from the performance area.
The walking safari at Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in the afternoon turned out to be an unforgettable experience. I asked the park ranger which animals I might see, and he mentioned impalas and crocodiles, so I didn’t have high expectations. At the beginning of the trail, I saw some impalas at a distance, which didn’t impress me much (I had seen impalas even near Mbombela Airport). Then I continued walking. Suddenly, I heard some noise very close by—it turned out to be a group of zebras only a few meters away! It was truly amazing.
After saying goodbye to the zebras, I continued along the well-defined trail and saw a wildebeest staring at me, with impalas nearby—definitely the highlight of the hike. I wanted to stay longer with those animals, but I couldn’t, as I had arranged for the taxi driver to pick me up at a fixed time. I saw more animals during the rest of the hike, including additional zebras, impalas, and two crocodiles in the lake, but the first 30 minutes of the two-hour hike were the most memorable—an experience I probably won’t ever forget.
A short bus ride took me to Manzini in the late afternoon.
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| Performance at Mantenga Nature Reserve and Cultural Village |
Aug 27, 2025
Hlane Royal National Park - Maputo
I booked a rhino drive at Hlane Royal National Park, and there was a two-person minimum requirement, so I would have had to pay for two if no one else joined. Luckily, when I arrived, there were two other participants. The rhino drive is famous at Hlane because you can see white rhinos very closely—sometimes even off the vehicle.
In the first 20 minutes of the tour, we didn’t see anything interesting—just nyalas, impalas, and a giraffe. Then apparently the guide located some rhinos and asked everyone to get off the vehicle to walk. All of a sudden, we saw two huge white rhinos just a few meters in front of us. According to the guide, they were brother and sister. Most of the time, the rhinos were just lying there, not moving. At one point, a group of birds flew in to ‘comfort’ the rhinos. We spent about 20 minutes at the site, enjoying being so close to them, before returning to the vehicle. As we almost reached the gate, we saw a young rhino walking alone—a perfect end to the tour.
After the tour, I asked the taxi driver to continue to Lomahasha, the border with Mozambique. I had had a good time in South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini, but Mozambique felt like a different world. First, I was questioned by an immigration officer while getting the visa on arrival. Then, on the very crowded bus from Namaacha to Boane, the police stopped us and singled out my bag for inspection.
On the bus, I met a friendly local who lives in Eswatini but has family in Maputo. He advised taking a small minivan instead of the big coach from Boane to Maputo, as the minivan is much faster, though slightly more expensive. That turned out to be a good tip. We arrived in Maputo before sunset, giving me time to visit the legendary train station and the nearby Workers’ Square. There are also some interesting colonial-era buildings around, including the classical Cinema Scala. On the walk to my hotel, I was stopped by police again—they wanted to check my bag inside and out.
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| Rhinos at Hlane Royal National Park |
Aug 28, 2025
Maputo
Since my flight out of Maputo was in the afternoon, I took another quick walk in central Maputo in the morning and visited Casa de Ferro and the Catholic Cathedral. Luckily, I didn’t run into any trouble taking a photo of the Samora Machel Statue, a city landmark (there have been reports of travelers being threatened with detention for taking such photos).
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| Casa de Ferro |
Aug 29, 2025
Doha
Doha is a popular hub for travel between Europe/Africa and Asia, and I have been in transit there several times in the past without leaving the airport. This time, I decided to spend a day exploring the city while in transit.
My first stop was Souq Waqif. Perhaps because it was mid-Friday, it was quite empty, including the famous Falcon Souq—totally different from other souqs I’ve visited in the Middle East. Nevertheless, I was able to try a local dish, harees, at a nearby restaurant.
I spent most of the afternoon exploring the architecture at Katara Cultural Village (easily reachable by metro), including Katara Mosque, Pigeon Towers, the Amphitheatre, and the Golden Masjid. At sunset, I joined a dhow cruise departing from the pier near the Museum of Islamic Art and caught a glimpse of Doha’s skyscrapers from the boat.
I treated myself to the Qatari national dish, Machboos (yes, I ordered the lamb version), for dinner, marking the end of my six-week trip across Northern Europe and Central and Southern Africa.
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| Pigeon Towers at Katara Cultural Village |
Overview
Iceland is on many people’s bucket lists for good reason—you won’t be disappointed. While there, it would be a regret not to also check out Greenland and Denmark. All of these places are very expensive, especially in the summer. The Baltic States, by contrast, are much more affordable and offer a more off-the-beaten-track feel.
Central Africa is one of the most difficult regions to visit in the world, and I found it easier to arrange certain visas while in the region, so some patience and flexibility are needed. This area is more suited for adventurous travelers. There are no world-class sights (unless you’re willing to pay a premium for some wildlife experiences), except perhaps the Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary in the DRC, which is a rare gem.
South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini are easy to visit, especially for English speakers. I was particularly impressed by the rich wildlife this region offers—African penguins in Cape Town, lions in Kruger, walking safaris in Mlilwane, rhinos in Hlane—all affordable and easily accessible. Unfortunately, in nearby Maputo, you’re more likely to attract police.
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