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.

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

Despite what you might think – a Drill isn’t just a power tool and we’re not talking about finding oil.

In a quiet corner of Calabar in the south east of Nigeria you’ll find something much more precious – one of the World’s most endangered primates. You’ve probably never heard of them, that’s because Drill monkeys are only found in this part of the world and it’s estimated that there are only 3,500 left in the wild.

Pandrillus Ranch is the World’s leading facility in terms of breeding primates in capativity and along with the various other animals you’ll find here amongst the token crocodile and cheeky chimps you’ll also find the people keeping the Drill’s alive. She’s probably the best in the World when it comes to Drill so naturally we hung out with Liza Gatsby and this is how we saw things.

Roll the tape!

Pandrillus run two sites in Nigeria, the other of which is four hours north which is a more of an open air affair with the wide open spaces of natural environment available. As you’d expect looking after hundreds of monkeys is more than a handful and paying staff, finding young ophan Drills and expanding Drill sites isn’t cheap.

Donations are the lifeblood of the organisation and if you’d like to see Drill sometime in the future yourself, you can do you bit to ensure their survival and swing some money their way.

Wait!
Wouldn’t working with monkeys be like the coolest job ever! If you think it would be then you’re in luck. Liza and the guys at Pandrillus are always looking for volunteers and no matter what your background they can find something for you! We know, epic right? Get in touch and make it happen here!

We’ve travelled Africa overland but our first steps off land out at sea were something special.

When we arrived in Togo there was something we’d never seen before. It was the Africa Mercy – It’s the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world and it happened to be docked in Lome while we were there.

Luckily for us, we managed to get on board. We were able to see first hand the amazing work that the guys from Mercy Ships have done and continue to do in some of Africa’s poorest countries in providing much needed medical assistance to those who can’t access or afford it.

The guys arrived in Togo on February 10 to service a nation in which it’s estimated 70% of the population live on less than $2 a day. They’re changing lives everyday and we’d have filmed our time on board, but the guys at Mercy Ships are far better at telling their story and here’s how things shaped up for the crew on arrival in Togo.

That’s just a glimpse of what these guys are dealing with everyday.

For everything you’ll need to know about Mercy Ships, hear stories from its patients or to make a donation check out their website and if it sounds like the kind of thing you’d like to get involved with – you can. Here’s all the information you’ll need to volunteer yourself.

We’ve followed the Football fever for over 12,000km through West Africa but at one small football club in Ghana we saw first hand the importance of football and its influence on young lives.

Across Africa and in particular Ghana, football is ingrained into the lives of almost every individual from an early age. Using this affinity, as a football club, Keta are bringing the wider community together through working on a number of local projects.

Sandlanders FC has implemented a program which ensures every player in the team has a skill or a trade to use off field generating life skills off the pitch to support the skills on it.

We visited Keta to get a feel for the club ourselves.

We can’t talk about a football club without mentioning scores. After a warm up of song and dance like no other come half time it was all tied up at 0-0 with Keta being hosted away at Action Rangers. The second half heated up and we saw grassroots football at its best in Africa.

In front of close to a thousand fans, Keta took the lead early in the second half and celebrated in emphatic fashion, cartwheeling to all corners and providing a polished dance routine. In the nervous nineties deep into injury time Rangers levelled amongst controversy equivalent to France’s Thierry Henry v Ireland with a handball featuring to see the game finish as a 1 all draw as the crowd swarmed the pitch from all sides.

That aside, Keta Sandlanders FC might have only finished second in division two of the Ghanaian Football League but they are certainly on top of the table when it comes to preparing players for a live off field. The club already facilitates a share house for the players and has implemented an off season on the job training schedule for skills work in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.

If you’re in the area, have some skills in either coaching or teaching a trade there are plenty of opportunities and you can get involved with the guys yourself via the Keta FC website

Every now and then you stumble across something that sounds too ridiculous to be true. When that happens to us we’ll almost always do what ever it takes to find out for ourselves.

When we heard about a pub crawl with a twist in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – we had no choice, we weren’t leaving until we’d been on a donkey cart pub crawl.

Enough already – roll the tape.

Donkey Cart Pub Crawl from Amateurs in Africa on Vimeo.

Have you ever hand fed a live crocodile?

Better still have you ever had the guts to sit on a live one?

They’re the living dinosaurs among us but most never get the chance to get up close and personal. Anything is possible in Bazoule, Burkina Faso so we had to investigate and we’re never scared to take up a challenge.

Warning: Viewing contains graphic images which may be offensive to vegetarians.