Newbie seeking advice!

Welcome to Expat-blog, Jessica

Your discussion has been moved to the Living in Africa forum for better networking.

Hope that members soon provide you with info on means of transport in Africa, the bus routes and accommodation as well.

All the best.

Regards,
Sheetul

Hello Jessica. I'm afraid that while I can't give you the specific information that you're looking for, I can tell you a few things based on my experiences and research.

First off there are very few functioning railway lines in Africa. I am 90% sure that no train line exists between Morocco and West Africa. Probably the smartest thing for you to do is look into taking buses from Morocco to your destination country. I say buses and not bus because it's probably unlikely that you will be able to get a bus going from Morocco all the way through to Ghana or Gabon. You will likely only find buses taking you to an adjacent country, where you'll have to find another bus taking you to the next adjacent country, and so on. So you should make sure you've got visas for all those countries.

Regarding accommodation, you can find hostels in most of Africa, but if you and your friend are female then it might be dangerous for you to stay there. Even if your friend is a guy, it could still be dangerous. Staying with a local family is actually the safer option. It's actually not too difficult to find such an arrangement, they are called "homestays" and for most of them you either pay for your stay in cash or by putting in some work for the family. Just note that the family's living conditions will probably not be up to your standards, especially as far as hygiene is concerned. If you do go with a homestay then please understand this and endure it instead of making a fuss about it and hurting the family's feelings.

If you're interested in a homestay then just do a Google search for the term and you should be able to find sites that arrange them. Just make sure the site you're dealing with is legit and not a shady organization who will arrange your spending the night with a gang who will be relieving you of your possessions and possibly your life.

Good luck with your trip. If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'll provide you with whatever knowledge I might happen to possess on the subject.

Hi Jessica!

Please gather a LOT of information about West Africa before you head out there. It is a far cry from what you might expect.

There are no trains from Morocco. Also there is no such thing as an integrated transport system. You will have to use whatever public transportation is available, van or hired cars, and travel from country to country. Try to find out the price BEFORE in order to not be over-charged. Prepare yourself to be charged varying amounts of money whenever you're crossing borders. I'll never forget Gambia for this reason... They asked for an outrageous amount of money even though the actual price was clearly marked on a chart. We had to stand firm for quite a bit but eventually did make it in with only a small tip.

Choose your itinerary carefully, avoid conflict zones, if you are two females, avoid fundamentalist Muslim countries (eg. Algeria) and be VERY mindful in moderate Muslim countries such as Morocco. If you are a couple, always say you're married, even if you're not.

Major towns and cities will always have some sort of hotel, usually cheap but definitely not up to european standards. I always travel with a sleeping sheet (bed sheet sown as if it were a sleeping bag).

Enough for now, it can be a great experience but do prepare yourself adequately. Try reading 'Shadow of the Sun' by Ryszard Kapuscinski to get a feel of what life is like in West Africa.

Best of luck!

Here's one more piece of advice. Probably the two most important things you should be taking with you are malaria pills and pepper spray.

Thanks everyone, for all your help!

Another question for yall: when do you think would be best to visit?  We were thinking of going next September/October.  Any suggestions?

Thank you!

From what I know of Africa, (I have lived in Tanzania for over 3 yrs.) Your plan is very dangerous, and unsafe. I would carefully re-consider your original plan. Sorry to sound negative, but there is a serious and dark side to Africa, as well as lovely and exotic side. :-)