On 22nd September the route I’m taking should change significantly.

Months before I left the UK and not long after the initial outbreak of Ebola I was aware that this could cause problems for my original route. In previous outbreaks borders have closed and this outbreak continues to grow with the understandable restrictions on travel as a result.

In reaction to these restrictions, I changed course from the intended coastal route of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and so on. Many of these borders are now closed as a result of the outbreak. My course changed to Mali and Burkina Faso with a view of dropping into Ghana and continuing the route.

Then Nigeria had a case of Ebola… and Cameroon has now closed its borders, effectively cutting off the route further down the line.

I could have decided to continue in the hope that the border was back open by the time I got there, but the visa for Nigeria is very expensive and its a gamble.

The actual threat of contracting Ebola to a western Ebola aware tourist are slim. Especially as its contained in certain areas and is spread through bodily fluids. But fact is, borders are closed and I can’t get through so…

On 22nd of September, I now have a flight booked to switch from West Africa to East Africa, flying from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso to Nairobi in Kenya.

Although it’s very disappointing to break the route, there are several advantages to moving over to East Africa to continue. It means I get to see the other side of the country. The climate is a little better than in the West at the moment and it means there are so many well known sites I could choose to see on the way such as the Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Malawi, Victoria Falls, the Serengeti National Park, The Kruger National Park and a ton of other national parks.

So in a few weeks, East Africa here I come!Africa

My thanks to Les Charters for helping out on research for alternative routes, boats and flights.