Hey Kimberly, thank you for the questions.

For which vaccines are required in Africa, each country has its own requirements but the most common one is the yellow fever vaccine and they’ll need a yellow fever card as proof that you took that immunization. You can get the vaccine from a hospital in your country before traveling to Africa and when you do so, the hospital will provide you with the yellow fever card.

As far as drinking water, I’d stay away from non treated water. In places that get a lot of tourists, they clearly indicate that either “this water is safe to drink or not” so you can either stick to bottled water or carry your own water filter. And honestly, I’ve never gotten sick from eating any kind of food – this is likely to go back to you as an individual whether you easily get food poisoning or not, but there is really nothing to worry about.
You can also check out this post for things to pack for Africa.

Don’t hesitate to ask any other questions if you still have more!

Could you please explain what a traveler would need and where to get a yellow fever card? What does Africa require as far as paperwork on immunizations? What concerns should we have as far as drinking the water and eating food there? Did you get sick there? Thank you so much for your help!!

Hey Alexandra,
It’s really good to know that this post was helpful to you! Yes, cash is King In Africa. Even though there are some places that accept cards, cash will always be important to make day to day transactions.

I hope you enjoy your trip around Africa.