I've done this comparison before on the forum somewhere, but a small recapitulation of the countries I've seen:
-Uganda: Amazing country with a lot of options for tourists, everyone speaks English, girls are very slutty and its generally pretty safe. Unique here is that you can see mountain gorillas as well. The party scene is some of the best I've seen in my life (and I've been around). Crazy traffic also! Do the level 5 wild water rafting near Jinja, its top of the world.
-Kenya: Similar to Uganda, but some places are more dangerous (Nairobi aka Nairobbery, the north close to Ethiopia has rebels etc.). The advantage is that you can go to the beaches near to Mombasa, they are nice, but it's very hot there. Excellent for safari also offcourse. Mount Kenya is amazing to climb, supposedly better than Kilimanjaro and much cheaper.
-Tanzania: Same as Kenya and ideal for Safari or wild life. The Ngorongoro crater is highly recommended by many. Dar es salaam is another massive city, I think safer than Nairobi, but not very attractive. Unique here is Zanzibar offcourse with its amazing history and pearl white beaches. People are muslim so don't expect massive parties. Girls here are not attractive in my opinion, probably the least of East Africa.
-Rwanda: Spectacular country, very unique in that its people are much more introverted and the country is extremely safe everywhere. The mountains and valleys are beautiful, but the downside here is that tourism is less developed. Hotels in Kigali can be pretty costly and you would need a 4wd to really get to see much of the country. Best place in the world for gorilla sightseeing, but super expensive, I think a 1000$ now, which is exaggerated. Girls here are definitly pretty, especially Tutsi decendants, but don't say that word to anyone there. The genocide museum is a must see, but rough, you won't be smiling when you leave that place. Check my datasheet:
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-Burundi: Underdeveloped country in all aspects and pretty unstable, this one is not for the rookie traveller. Bujumbura is pretty much a shithole, although you have nice places at the lake. I haven't been to the countryside, but it's probably very beautiful, but hardcore travelling, similar to Rwanda, where you would need a good car preferably. Always check the political situation when going here. Girls here and in Rwanda I'd say are prettier than in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda but they don't speak English most times (some speak French), so it will be harder.
-Congo: I´ve been only to the East of the Country, the Goma region and it is completely fucked. Perhaps the city in the world that has seen the most fucked up things, continuous warfare, rebel armies, destruction by a volcano outburst, epidemics etc. Any man who travels these parts has balls and is hopefully very experienced. Check the Nyirangoro crater, which is stunning. You can see gorillas also for much cheaper near Bukavu, but as always safety is an issue here.
-Ethiopia: A fascinating country to be honest, so much diversity in everything. In Harrar you have muslim population and you can go feed wild hyenas at night outside it's gates. In Lalibela you see some of the holiest shrines known to christianity carved from the earth. Mekele has amazing rock churches. The afar region is where you will find unique landscapes and the Erta Ale, the gate to hell, an open lava crater. Here you bribe the village heads and hire kalashnikov wearing rebels to take you through the barren wasteland. Temperatures go up to 50 degrees, known as the hottest place in earth. The simien mountains are a lot cooler and have some unique wildlife, ideal for a trek of a week, you can see wolves there. The capital Addis Abeba is as always in Africa chaotic with way too much people living there. Nightlife is cool, but language is a real issue everywhere in the country. I agree with most that Ethiopia has the most beautiful women in the continent, especially those from the north. Food in Ethiopia is a delight, but similar to Indian food, your stomach might protest.
-Morocco: Great to visit if you're in Europe, because you can take cheap Ryanair flights from the mainland. The country has amazing food, beautiful beaches and you can go visit the Sahara desert and sleep in a tent there for little money. It is definitly worth a visit, but it has two downsides. One: the guys try to haggle you everywhere constantly, they will not leave you in peace ever. Two: hotels ask proof of marriage when you are with a girl, just walking with a local girl will cause people to stare at you and judge. In nightlife you can see extremely beautiful girls, but they are almost all prostitutes unfortunately.
-South Africa: This is like a hybrid country, half western half african. Tourism is very well developed here, you can find all the fast food chains, the landscapes are very unique and beautiful, some of the best safaris in the world, lots of adventure tourism options such as white shark cage diving, bungees, paragliding... The downsides of the west however are here as well, a lot of drug use, the first place in Africa where you can see junkies wandering the streets. It's more dangerous and racial tensions are always high. Perhaps the most racist country on earth. I went to a club in capetown with maybe 300 people in it and there was not one black person. HIV rates are extreme here, so I would watch out with aids (which I think in East and North Africa is not such an issue). The afrikaners (dutch descendants) are very buff and tall. They make for perhaps the best white athletes in the world I think genetically speaking.
For me overall, Africa is definitly a hidden gem, but it is not for everyone. If you are a man of adventure, who doesn't need too much comfort and doesn't get upset when things go wrong, then this is a great place. You have to be very independent to travel here and very social. Be prepared to meet the friendliest people on earth, see places that are so unique they should be known everywhere, but yet no one goes there, because it's Africa. Avoid all the tourist traps and travel light and flexible. If you wanna see any african country, I wouldn't go for a week but atleast a month. If you wanna experience for instance East Africa, take 3 months and only plan it vaguely.
The countries I definitly wanna visit still: Madagascar, Namibia, Erithrea, Cameroon.
After speaking with a lot of RVF veterans in person, I think an African invasion or group trip is in the making in the next 5 years. If any well repped members want to see pictures (IG, FB) or need more info hit me up in PM. I might go live in a very special country in West Africa soon, but nothing is certain yet.
