Africa’s famous for many things and it’s fair to say that it’s nightlife is not one of them.

We can tell you underestimate Africa’s club scene at your own peril. We’ve covered the continent in and out of bars and here are the top five Nightclubs we came across.

1. Coconuts – Maputo, Mozambique
Coconuts has to be one of the greatest nightclubs in Africa. It has to be one of the greatest nightclubs on the planet. That’s right it’s a big call. But we made it. This is where the rich and famous hang and you’ll see why. It is a massive complex which holds easily over 1,000 party goers, has 3 seperate dancefloors, a pool complete with swim up bars and blasts beats all night right on the beach. It’s open Friday and Saturday nights and it’s where you need to be. If you’re lucky they’ll even have a dancefloor pontoon over the water. Yeah, it’s expensive for this part of the world but if you want to get down – there’s no other place like it.

You’ll find it right on the beach in Maputo here.

2. Black Diamond – Nairobi, Kenya
This place is well, pretty great to be honest. Nairobi boasts perhaps the most developed and enjoyable nightlife scene we came across outside of South Africa and when if you head to the Westlands you’ll be impressed. There are a load of niche like themed lounge bars such as Havana where locals rub shoulder to shoulder with expats. After warming up there the only option you need to consider is right around the corner. It’s name – Black Diamond. It’s one of the best nightclubs we have come across in Africa which combines a nice mix of culture, events and an international crowd.

This is also a favourite place for prostitutes, (no – it’s not our cup of tea but it’s something we thought we should tell you), but from our experience, they’ll be all drinking Heineken so it doesn’t take much to work out who they are. We’re 96% sure they are supplied free by the bar if that helps. Either way they and everyone else there are nice enough and naturally are up for a chat and a booty shake. This place is a must when in Nairobi as you can dance and down quality Kenyan beers until your hearts content.

You’ll find it downtown in Westlands in the city and to help you find it even easier click here.

3. Le Villa – Lome, Togo
Let me guess you’ve never even heard of Togo? You might be surprised to see Lome on the list but this coastal gem has much to offer in terms of nightlife. There are dozens of vibrant street bars, there’s the African cultural centre for live music almost every night and there are a host of swanky bars littered in between. For a big night out that is certain to surprise you – don’t miss Le Villa. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were in a exclusive location in any western city with it’s ritzy cocktail bar vibe but it’s one of the best places we’ve found in West Africa. It has genuine electronic beats and modern music. You can barely find anything written about it anywhere either which adds to its exclusivity.

We’ll also admit, there’s something a little bit special about sinking shots with UN officials and dancing with members of an EU delegation to the best electro we were able to find but that’s a story for another day…

You’ll find it a few blocks down from ‘Al Donalds’ and we’ll give you the heads up – you’ll need to wear shoes to get it. Yep, that’s right, this was the first place in Africa after 3 months that wouldn’t allow us entry in our thongs (flip flops).

4. House on Fire – Swaziland.
Superior for Southern Africa. You’ll need to ask around but there is a pretty special tiered nightclub somewhere between Lombamba Valley and Mbanbane. Yes – it was so good we rejoiced in mass celebrations and can’t remember where it is or how to get there. Luckily for you, Swaziland is a small place and this club has a big reputation. If you’re even luckier, there’ll be some live entertainment to precede an evening of hectic dance and your hostel will provide a shuttle service. That’s how we rolled as far as we can remember.

5. Lombadi Beach, Accra – Ghana.
It’s not every day that you can join a beach rave let alone join a reggae beach rave. That’s exactly what you’ll find every Wednesday night down on Lombadi Beach. It’s at the eastern end of town but it’s here where you kick back and feel the reggae rhythm from the comfort of a deck chair while up-an-coming rap star wannabes battle it out live on stage.

Accra is loaded with bars and nightlife and we spent most of our time in the district of Osu, where you can find plenty of ‘ spots’ (the local term for bar), including Ryan’s and Duplex, both well known amongst international students.

We can’t not mention Ghana’s Holy Grail though – the street side bars in Accra offer value like nowhere else. We’re talking about Lissie’s to be precise on Oxford Street. Here you can grab local gin in a 50ml satchel for 30 pesewas which is about 15 Euro cents along with whatever mixers take your fancy. It may just be the cheapest alcohol we’ve ever come across. Jackpot.

What just missed the cut?
The capital of Mali, Bamako is unlucky to miss out as it is jam packed with great places to get your groove on such as Bla Bla Bar, Le Byblos and if you want to get hands on with the Malian music scene check out Djemba Djemba for karaoke jam sessions that you can join in on. We’ll give you a tip though – don’t upstage the old guitar hero, he may just unplug you.

We’ll also give The Gambia’s Senegambia Strip a mention. Just because it’s like a different World. Bars, Clubs, Prostitutes and European ladies with young local guys to go with the local reggae scene and trading beer for drugs if you’re that way inclinded. It’s always happy hour on the Senegambia strip, it’s full of touts and you’ll soon become a pro at working out how best to fend them off. Wednesday night is ladies night at Wow nightclub (Afrika Queen) and it brings in a pretty diverse crowd which makes for a fun night out. If you’re pale guys who can’t dance like us – don’t embarass yourself on the dancefloor. These guys here can and will dance you right back to your seat.

They say you need to pay a lot of bribes to travel Africa – we say they’re joking. We never paid a cent to any officials, well apart from the time were were arrested and that other time in Nigeria, but even then we bartered hard. The fact is, you don’t have to pay bribes, you just have to learn how to deal with corrupt officials effectively. It is true that corruption breeds corruption. We won’t lie, we’re Amateurs at most things but this is something we took pride in.

Here are our top 10 tips for beating bribes.

1. Ignorance
When a border official or Police officer asks for a fee or a gift, play the tourist favourite – pretend you don’t understand, if you’re like us, you probably won’t understand a thing anyway, but you’ll certainly know enough to know what’s going on. ‘Je ne parle pas Français’, look dazed and confused and blame the language barrier.

2. Awkward Laughter
Yep, it’s an awkward exchange when a guy in a military outfit holding a machine gun asks you for something – smile, nod, use some laughter and say next time or we don’t have any. Like the time we were asked to supply border guards with beer to pass by in Cameroon and we asked where were the beers?

3. Patience
Call their bluff and wait it out. It might take hours but you’ll get there. Worst case, pay your transport extra money to wait – better in their hands than corrupt officials.

4. Improvise
Flash old hand written receipts from grocery stores, from your homeland or anywhere else. Most of the time they’ll make no sense to the officials and they’ll be in another language – use it to your advantage – that’s how it worked for a Visa paid for in Francs in Togo, even if it is an old lunch voucher.

4b. Name Drop Football Stars & Learn your handshakes.
Improvisational masterclass – Football is life in Africa – know where you are and know a player’s name. Locals love it and if you can top it off with an African handshake, the one with the thumb click at the end – they might just wave you on. This proved genius for us.

5. Ask for Personal Details
Ask for the officers name or repeat his name off his badge in a sentence. They’ll get uneasy and they hate it, although that said the worst offenders we met didn’t wear name badges. Funny that.

6. Poker Face
‘Ok we’re going to take you to the station’ – response – ‘Ok, let’s go’. On all but one occasion they folded, after all, they know what they are doing is illegitimate so they last thing they want is two westerners causing trouble in front of senior authorities.

7. Stay Strong
They’ll call other officers over, they’ll check your documents, there’ll be confusion. Chill. If you’ve got your documents you’ll be fine and if they ask for your vaccination card there’s a 90% chance they’re fishing around for a bribe and clutching at straws.

8. Flash your Stamps
Refuse to pay and shine your Visa stamp. In many African countries these are just a stamp with handwriting. Acknowledge the figures and let the officals know that their countries embassy and ambassador stated the price for visa included all taxes, was final and that we were not to pay any additional fees. Offer to call the Ambassador.

9. Use Foreign Documents, legal sounding words and say ‘my Government’ and ‘your Embassy’
If you’re at this stage – they’re desperate. Show all sorts of documents, mention your government won’t be happy about these ‘fees/taxes’ and use ‘My Embassy’ wherever possible. My Government won’t be happy, can I contact your embassy to discuss this – and repeat.

10. Ask for a receipt
Last chance Saloon. Offer to pay. ‘Ok, I’ll pay you. I will pay you right now if you write down on this piece of paper how much I am paying, sign it and write your name.’ If they say they don’t do receipts, let them know that your Government needs to see what you are spending your money on. We’re 100% certain they won’t put pen to paper. Walk free.

To be honest, it feels great to walk away with a full wallet and a school boy grin. By the end of the day on a few occasions, our biggest problem was holding back the smirks of satisfaction. Just remember, if you pay the bribe, the price will probably be double for the next guy. It might seems like only a few dollars, unfortunately conceding ground here isn’t good for you or for promoting accountability in these communities. If our advice fails, we can tell you from the time we were arrested, never pay full price, we got the guard down to 25% of his original demand. Win?

Have we missed anything or have you got a story of a time you beat a bribe in Africa? Let us know down below.

It might have been made famous in recent times by YouTube and the battle of Kruger but for the first time in Africa someone actually let us hire their car. Naturally we decided to take it off road and chase Elephants.

This is our battle at Kruger in search of the big 5!

Facts not Fiction
To this point, we’ve shown parts of Africa that people don’t know much about. One thing everybody knows is that Africa is home to spectacular wildlife so we couldn’t miss the big one – Kruger National Park. It’s 20 000 square km’s in size and the brochures like to say about the same size as Israel. It’s the world’s oldest National Park opened in 1898 and it’s home to the ‘Big 5’ along with almost every other animal under the sun.

Forget all the fuss – what’s actually there?
Pretty much everything but as always we arrived unprepared – driving around with no map or directions in a hire car for the first time in Africa. Never ones to miss an opportunity we cut a deal at the gate and managed to get a few hours of aimless dirt track driving in before sunset. Of course we also returned the next morning for a sunrise session.

A gigantic warthog was up first and although he didn’t sing Hakuna Matata he got us into the safari rhythm. 5 minutes down the road and we were amongst monkeys, deers and zebra but we were here for one thing the Big 5 (Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard & Black Rhino). We didn’t think Buffalo were that exciting so we opted to search for the elusive Giraffe instead on our list of must sees.

So did we have any success?
“Is that a big (insert obscenity here) Elephant?” was how we marked our first sight of one of kings of the safari plain before slamming on the breaks on the dusty track in awe. We know – we’ve all seen an elephant either at a zoo or ridden on one somewhere in Asia but to see one in the wild for the first time – well, it’s definitely one of those amazing moments you’ll never forget. The sheer size of the African Elephant up close and personal is mind blowing and they wandered across the road in front of the car like no bodies business creating the most impressive road block we’ve ever come across.

A few kilometres down the road there’s a tribe of Baboons making the most of the paved road and amongst the vegetation of the savannah standing tall amongst the trees were Giraffes on sunset. Saving the best till last – two Rhinos jostling for 20 minutes as each blow sent sounds thundering through out vehicle.

Back on Track, Day 2 – We hung out with hippos, got a glimpse of Leopards relaxing in the trees on the edge of a lagoon and were amazed at the size of the Buffalo. For a highlight it was hard to go past hearing the sounds of bones snap as an Hyena relentlessly devoured the carcass of an unlucky Antelope. Of course we saw herd of Duke, varieties of Antelope, incredible birds, flamingo like stalks and other animals that we didn’t even know the names of.

We should also mention the countless herds of Elephants, additional Rhino’s, Hippotamous, types of Baboon’s and most other things made famous by the Lion King but that’s just Kruger and that’s just what you’ll see driving around aimlessly any time of day – so we won’t bore you with that.

There was slight frustration though, as the search for the King of the Jungle continues. Try as we might, we just couldn’t find the big cat. We followed the river, went to spots where there had been reported sightings but it wasn’t to be. We will have to try our luck in Tanzania and Kenya to find this beast but we can tell you – they are there somewhere.

Why don’t you just do an organised Safari?
In a sentence we don’t like to spend money. You might think not seeing the king of the jungle gives enough reason to jump on board an organised safari, but there is still no guarantee you’ll see the big 5. Of course you will be with people who know the park well so you’ll have a better chance, but there are boards at rest stops in the park dotted with the day’s sightings.

It might be worth it if you do a bit of research and can stay in the park for a few days which would be incredible but as usual our bank accounts said no. It is about 500-600R ($80-$90) for these safari’s on top of the entrance at 160R ($26). One tour that would probably be worthwhile would be the night time safari which would undoubtedly be an unbelievable experience. For us though, there is just something a bit special about being able to cruise around on your own, with a map and see what you can find.

With no real research after an hour in the park we were driving alongside Elephants and for a couple of amateurs we think we did pretty well for our first crack at this whole wildlife thing so if you’re out there and know a Cheetah or a Lion let them know we’ll be hot on their trail.

They say Cameroon is Africa all in one. We say they are probably right. This is where the jungle meets the beach and where English meets French. It’s where you can climb lava flows, chow down on the freshest fish in the World and see a waterfall dump straight into the ocean.

Cameroon is incredible. Take Limbe for instance, a small town surrounded by volcanic sand beaches being fed by streams trickling down from Mt Cameroon through thick rainforest. Here, one minute you’ll be sharing beverages in a bar with some of Africa’s most renowned beer drinkers and the next you’ll be choosing which Mackeral you’d like freshly grilled in the street.

It’s even better than it sounds – Here’s the proof. The video we filmed in Cameroon.

The people here are amazing which is reflective of the land itself. The coast is lined with beach resort type towns which are frequented by both locals and tourists alike. Once you’ve felt the sand between your toes and maybe even dropped in at Lobe where you’ll find the waterfall crashing into the sea it’s time to see what the city has to offer. Enter Yaounde – probably one of the best capital cities in Africa.

Cameroon stretches from the dust of the east, to the golden shores of the Atlantic and reaches up into the sky with the Mountain of Thunder, Mt. Cameroon. Its economic heart beats in Douala, but Yaounde is where political power is held.

You’ll find Yaounde set amongst mountains which provides stunning city views from no matter where you are. Life is on the street here and if you like alfresco dining you’ll love the buffet style outdoor meals here. Not to mention in the sticky heat of monsoon season the ice-cream vendors here are to us like Samuel Eto’o is to Cameroonians, heroic.

Bored of simple travel?
If you want to take on a new challenge travelling – try to cross this country without paying a cent. Beating bribes is something we’ve become accustomed to and something we’re quietly pretty proud of. It’s disappointing they ask, but they’ll test you. For us it became a game and we don’t like to lose. We never paid a cent in Cameroon and if worse comes to worse ask them to write a receipt and sign it. Seeing an official squirm, it’s pretty hard to top that.

For all the details on where you should stay and what you should see check out our in depth analysis on Cameroon.

The Gabonese Getaway
It’s not your typical holiday – we’ll say that.

What can we say about Gabon?
Let’s be honest, not a great deal but you are in for a treat if you take the scenic route – the country is 85% rainforest. It’s some of the thickest jungle we’ve ever seen and if you have the time there are a few places you can put your feet up along the way.

Libreville is not as developed or as expensive as the rumours may say, but finding accomodation is pretty tough, finding something at a reasonable price is even harder. There’s no fast food but you’ll find some of the best subway in the world downtown on the streets and for a fraction of the price.

Far and away the best thing in Gabon is the sunsets. Any afternoon stroll down to the beach side boulevard and you’re in for a treat. If you have a spare few dollars, there are a couple of ex-pat bars along the way which for us provided the perfect backdrop prior to a speedy Gabonese departure.

How did we get there and what did we pay? Here’s all the nitty gritty on Gabon.

What’s it actually like at the World Cup?

We’ve all read stories and seen the World Cup on TV but we’ve been behind the scenes and this is match day as we saw it on the ground with fans of all walks of life.

Game Day.
So you’re in South Africa with tickets to game. You’ve got your nations colours on, you’ve found cheapest possible accommodation and you’ve got a feeling inside that you can’t explain something in between pent up excitement, anxiousness and pure jubililation that you’re about to be part of history.

If you’ve just backpacked West Africa for 3 months like us – you’re ready for the night of your life. So of course you’ve drank with fellow countrymen the night before. Wake up with a hangover, cold and shivering after being shocked by the South African winter in a tent.

Eat some biltong (a highly addictive meat snack) for breakfast. Kick around with other football tragics. Gasp for air after 5 minutes whilst failing to replicate the skills of the stars. Find yourself in a bus on route to town to search for cheap snacks and beverages. Go all out on a champagne breakfast in a shopping centre eatery to the cheers of passing supporters. Grab roadies (a six pack) and head for Fanfest.

Don’t like to read? Here’s our World Cup video.

Pre game hype builds as you stand with thousands of locals and other fanatics without tickets watching in a park on a big screen. See the excitement in the eyes of the South Africans as they bask in the cup fever. If you can’t get to a FanFest try a shopping centre, airport, local store or carpark – there’ll be a TV and it’ll be packed.

Work your way to the nearest pub and text everyone you know. If you’re like us, find one full of Aussies – it’s never particularly hard. Engage in a bit of banter with any non-Australian supporters present. For us this involved getting on the Algerian bandwagon to test out the wits of the American fans seated alongside us.

Grab some greasy food and haggle with a taxi. Grab a lonely Englishmen to share the costs. Practice your vuvuzela skills after he purchases Vuvu’s to say thanks. Find out it’s not that easy to blow a Vuvuzela so just wave it around and pretend.

We must note – we are big fans of the vuvuzela and everything that comes with – loud and proud in Africa.

As game time approaches make your way to the Park & Ride in the middle of nowhere. All aboard for 30 minutes of bus chants and Vuvuzela madness. From the carpark follow the unmistakable buzz of the sound in the stadium. Be guided to the stadium purely on sheer volume alone. Only in Africa.

Before entering the ground search high and low for opposition supporters. In our case – firstly it was Ghanaians. Pose for photos and speak to them about their football league. Shock them with local knowledge and reassure them unfortunately today they will not win. Dance, sing, dangle limbs and stock up on supplies at the entertainment outside stadium as beats are blared across all parts of the complex.

Weave your way into the stadium for kick off. Stand in awe at the sight of row after row of seating covered in your national colours thousands of miles from home. Meet and greet the locals in the seats beside you and apologise for the 90 minutes ahead. Be lifted out of your seat as the roar of Australian supporters deafens opposition fans. Sing along as your footballing heroes march out.

Feel your hairs stand end on end as your national anthem is sung.

Be blown away as your team scores the first goal and jubilation reaches fever pitch. Stand as one as a Mexican wave sweeps through the stands. Lose voice, beer, sense of reality and total control as your team strikes a second goal to lead 2-0.

From an unbelievable high to a solemn low as the opposition score. Silence.

Anxiously await the final siren. Realise on this night, you will not be denied an inevitable victory. Experience an all time high as not a single Australian fan leaves and 20 minutes after the game they’re all standing as one in applause. Their World Cup is over but the memory is not.

Let loose amongst pure pandemonium with complete strangers from across Africa and Australia. Join the masses as the celebrations into the night are only just beginning.

Blow your Vuvuzela.

Reflect on the significance – you’ve been part of the most watched sporting event in the world which they might say is only a game but on this day there is nothing else that matters. Feel the emotion, the colours, the people, the sights and yes, the sounds of the World Cup in Africa are you’ll know they are like no other.

Want to experience the atmosphere? This is our World Cup video.

On the road to the World Cup at a developing football club in Ghana a young star a few months ago told us for him as an African it would be ‘once in a lifetime’ – he was right – it was once in a lifetime for us as well, but we know that it has changed Africa forever.

That’s right we’re still here, we’re still alive, somehow still on schedule and we’re still backpacking down barriers to the World Cup and beyond through West Africa. For those of you who have just joined us at home – this is how we got there.

The Story so far.
We’ve travelled any which way we could for the past 2.5 months, broke through borders into 13 countries and seen everything imaginable overland for 13,000km.

We’ve battled Saharan sandstorms, ridden in empty iron ore train carriages, travelled on car rooftops, saddled horse drawn carts, been in a couple of car accidents and we’ve even been to Timbuktu and back. Yes – the place really does exist.

We’ll also mention the times we hallucinated in the heat, bashed bongos on sandy beaches, sat on live crocodiles, toured Togo, mixed it with UN officials on dance floors, visited the home of Voodoo in Benin, followed the slave trade in Ghana, rocked it with reggae, hitchhiked at night to Ouagadougou and of course we’ve bounced to the African beats.

We’ve seen that no matter where you are in West Africa, there’s football fever. It’s like no other in this part of the World and we’ve followed it from the back alleys of Burkina, through the streets of Senegal and across the mud flats of Mali on route to the World Cup.

Our way on the highway!
In an untraveled part of the world we’ve faced a few difficulties along the way. We were thrown out of Senegal on first arrival and with new passports trying to enter Nigeria proved costly after being bailed up by border officials. We’ve stood face to face with corrupt police, out ran chasing immigration officials in a speeding taxi and some how survived Nollywood.

The sheer heat of the Sahara alone destroyed most of our gear and we won’t talk about the time we were both arrested at a Cameroonian checkpoint, because each time we have arrived in a new village , there have been smiles on faces, football games and children demanding hi-fives, so it’s hard to be anything but amazed and excited by Africa, its people and its positives.

What else can we tell you?
We’ve developed a craving for street meat and we’ve eaten all sorts of animals, we’ve experienced the beauties of Benin, toured bars in Donkey drawn carts, swung in hammocks, sat sideline at grassroots football matches, climbed lava flows, viewed a waterfall crashing straight into the sea, jived where a jungle meets a beach and we’ve kicked footballs around with hundreds of children.

We’ve worked on projects with child labour in granite mines, education at football clubs, conservation of the endangered Drill monkey, hung out with Sudanese refugees and spent time on the world’s largest non governmental hospital ship in Togo. Wherever we’ve been, we’ve attempted to break down barriers and prove misconceptions about West Africa wrong.

We’ve filled our passports once and we’re steaming ahead with new stamps. We’ve almost run out of money and we’re almost due in South Africa. To get to Gabon we beat 4 bribes and earned the respect of 32 African passengers in the process. Most recently we travelled in a Le Mans style effort for 24hrs through 18 checkpoints where we were dragged out at each and grilled by police.

What was the highlight?
It’d be hard to pinpoint a highlight, although when you possess no musical talents whatsoever like the two of us anytime you get the chance to feel like a rock star – it’s pretty special. We experienced exactly that, arriving to screaming fans at a granite mine in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The crowd may have been made up of 90 school children all 8 years or younger, but that’s beside the point – it was unforgettable.
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It all sounds ridiculously unbelievable – we know – that’s West Africa and that’s why we love it

This place just doesn’t fit in this part of West Africa – Why?
Because It’s not it’s beaches, it’s not it’s beats and it’s not the weather that makes it. It might be little more than a blip on a map but there’s something different that makes Benin a real beauty.

You’ll be blown away by the colours of Benin and you’ll be blown away by the people. Not to mention there’s such an amazing variety of food lining the streets you’ll never need to step foot into a restaurant and that’s only the beginning of what you’ll find with Benin.

Ever heard of Voodoo? Benin is the birthplace of this largely mystical culture and if that doesn’t get you excited about this place then something’s not right. We went in search of Voodoo and as you’ll see it’s still as mysterious as ever.

Ok, so our mission to find out what Voodoo is all about was a failure but we’re not totally unhappy about it – it’s a traditional culture in which the legend lives on and who are we to mess with it anyway.

Voodoo aside – Benin is home to some of the best and the healthiest street food you’ll find in West Africa. Fresh fruit, vegetables and bread are on every main corner along with a selection of smoked meats. If you want to fit in with the locals, you’ll need to pull up a plastic chair at any of the outdoor beer yards and wash down a few Beninoise beers.

What else can it offer?
Away from the strangely calm and chaotic scenes of Cotonou – venture north and you’ll find some of West Africa’s best wildlife parks. What’s best is compared with the safari parks of southern Africa – the prices here are a bargain.

Shift gears and get on board the Beer Beninoise. The local stuff is pretty tasty, and for 400CFA (75 Euro Cents) it’s hard to say no to a third and fouth. Across Benin you’ll find street side bars, where plastic chairs are rolled out as the sun sets to make way for beers and beats. The locals love to people watch and we challenge you find anyone walking past who doesn’t stop for a little bit of a boogy to the African beats.

We can’t say enough about this place, it’s not only shaped like a chicken drumstick but it’s a chicken drumstick complete with the 11 herbs and spices and yes – many of them are still a secret. If we’ve convinced you to go – here’s what you’ll pay and the places to stay.

To go or not to go it’s hardly a question when we’re talking about Togo – it’s not only a very cool name, it’s an uber cool place.

It might look small on a map but don’t worry, what it lacks in geographical size it more than makes up for at ground level. The entire coastline is only 50km long which is predominately an incredible beach lined with palm trees and football fields.

Of course different people like different things so if walking through endless golden sands isn’t your thing, then cross the road and grab a coconut or any number of super cheap eats from any super friendly vendor.

If you do make it to Lome, Togo’s capital, you may as well live it large. Laze on a banana lounge on basically your own beach with a cocktail and watch the wind surfers do their thing. Actually, you can watch it right now to get a feel.

This is Togo in two minutes.
Warning: Some scenes may offend German speakers and linguistic experts.

Back to living it large in Lome – any night of the week you can find African beats at the cultural centre and come the weekend you can mix it with UN officals and EU delegation staffers letting loose to electro beats downtown. Throw in a late night burger at ‘Al Donalds’ it’s the one with a single golden arch and race home on the back of a moto with the wind in your hair for about 30 cents.

If you’re still not convinced every afternoon you can find beer and kebabs both for under a euro and the music is of course – complimentary.

Yep – Togo can turn it on. Here is all the information on what we paid and where we stayed.

It’s Africa’s G Spot – It’s Ghana and it’s calling you.

Can you hear that? No, it’s not actually your name – it’s that massive bass line! If you can, it’s probably coming from downtown Accra or anywhere else along the Ghanaian coast. It’s not only the bass pumping from mountains of stacked speakers, it’s the music itself and it’s the lifeblood running through the veins of this chilled out land nestled on the coast of West Africa. Here it’s one thing – Loud and proud.

Ghana’s got it going on and you’ll find yourself bashing on bongos one minute and baking on the beach the next. Although, it’s pretty steamy in the sun so perhaps a cocktail or a beer at any beach side bar might be more your style. If you’re on a budget we’d recommend the fresh milk from a half cut coconut – just add a straw.

Along the coast you find beach resorts each vibin’ with a variety of volunteers from around the world each with a story and each bathing in Ghana’s glory. Any night of the week you can find an amped atmosphere to mix with the locals and party goers alike. Back in the city and you’ll feast on the street stall smorgasboards and soak up the rhythm of reggae. Follow the footsteps in the sand a little further and you’ll find football fever on Lombadi Beach and down every alley on the way there.

To get you in the mood why not feel the beat under your feet – Ghana as we filmed it.

Of course, you can’t go to Ghana without spending time to understand the slave trade and the history that goes with. The coastline is littered with reminders, none more prominent then Cape Coast and Elmina Castles – the two major players for West Africa’s involvement.

What else will we say? Let your limbs loose and dance baby, dance.

Of course if you’re interested you can also drink with the Ashanti King in Kumasi, go on one of the cheapest Safaris in the World up north and we never mentioned that Ghana’s home to some of the cheapest food and drink in the world. How cheap you ask? You can easily get a meal for under a Euro and as for a drink, well – we found shots for about 15 cents.

We could go on forever about the places and the faces, so we did. Here’s all the details you’ll need to see Ghana for yourself!

You mightn’t have ever heard of it, you mightn’t expect much of it, but if you dig a little deeper into Burkina and like us you might be a little more than surprised.

We were only there a few days so we’ll only give you a few reasons you should go.

1) None of your friends have ever been there.

3) Almost anything is possible in Burkina – such as Super Saturday.

What’s Super Saturday?
It’s pretty much what ever you want it to be in Burkina and ours went a little bit like this.

Ever hand fed a crocodile or better still ever sat on one? Head 30 minutes out of Ouaga to Bazoule and that’s how we started our Saturday in Burkina – Sitting on Crocodiles. Don’t believe us? Well we knew you wouldn’t so we filmed it.

After lunch, head to Zogona in the burbs of Ouaga and search around for some spare donkey carts and their drivers. There’s nothing better when you’re travelling than checking out the local bars and what better way to do it on a Saturday afternoon then in a donkey cart. That’s right, you can do a donkey cart pub crawl through the bars of Ouagadoudou. It’s basically the most fun you can have when it’s 40 odd degrees outside. Think it’s too unbelievable? Of course, we filmed it as well.

How do you top off one of the already most unforgettable days in your life in West Africa? Oh naturally, you head to a restaurant where your entertained by local performers who serve you meals on a restaurant and congo line around during intermission. We didn’t think we could do this justice with a video, so you’ll have to go and see it for yourself.

That’s Burkina Faso as we saw it and we can’t do anything but recommend it.

We’re going to add an all important 4th reason.

4) Burkina is base for many NGO’s operating in West Africa which means if you’re interested there’s plenty of opportunities to get hands on and involved with projects. We did and just like rest of this story – seeing is believing so check out the sort of project you can help with.