PREFACE

Well my long yearned for African Trip is starting to shape up.
My travel past includes long overland 4WD trips in Australia such as retracing the Burke and Wills Exhibition route (though in reverse order) traversing across Australia from North (Gulf of Carpentaria) to South (Melbourne) - Trekking in Nepal for 23 days from Jiri to Kala Patthar (Altitude 5643m) overlooking Mt Everest Base Camp – and more recently week long cycling trips in Loire Valley, and along the Danube River in Austria.

So one aspect of my travel that I know that I enjoy is the journey, and it is not just the destination that is important. With the Serengeti Plains and other African Vistas long ago imprinted on my imagination my first trip to Africa ( I am ignoring Egypt were I am have been) was always going to include some aspect of an overland journey.

My daughter visited Africa in two phases of her 9 month post-University trip about 2 years ago. 1/ Egypt/Jordan and then down for 3 weeks in and out of JNB which included an overland “truck” safari to Victoria Falls, parks nearby as well as Kruger. And 2/ then after Europe a month in Morocco with 2 weeks trekking in the Atlas Mountains and 3 months volunteering in Togo. In helping her research her African Safari it rekindled my long held yearning to visit Africa and to mainly "go on safari", but to go on a longer overland trip than my daughter did. So it was time to travel in Africa at last.

After various research of which countries to visit and what to do (including this very helpful Africa sub-forum here on Flyertalk, it became clear that I should visit a number, but that I wanted part of it to include the great migration. So Tanzania/Kenya was to be part of it and that meant travelling in July- September.

However South Africa, Namibia and other places all had appeal. Given time and space, some countries will have to be left to later trips.

MY 2015 AFRICA TRIP- Planes, Trains and Automobiles…..and yes wildlife too!!!

How? Well initially I had been thinking of joining some form of overland safari-truck or 4WD type overland tour such as my daughter had completed, but longer.

However:

1/ After some research I soon discovered that "self-drive" as it seems to be called in Africa is both safe and viable, and so this became an interesting option and one requiring more research.

2/ Equally it is not just one answer as road conditions very markedly. In South Africa the roads are good and so for many parks like Kruger one only needs a normal 2WD rental car. Reportedly for many parts of Namibia it is likewise. However for many other countries 4WD is definitely the way to go.

3/ 4WD hire is available, and there are also firms available that offer suggested routes, and 4WD vehicles which have been modified for safari type trips. However it is easier to hire vehicles for use within one country. Crossing borders can be problematic and you need special paperwork for this. Some hire companies will arrange this, but the more countries visited, the more complex this is. I do not think one way rentals is really an option and especially over long distances as unlike car hire companies the firms are specialised as are the vehicles. So you have to come back in the main to where you start.

So to hire a vehicle yourself can be viable depending on exactly where you want to go. South Africa and Namibia it is straight forward.

I have done many 4WD trips throughout Australia. More important than the actual 4WD traction ability is normally the extra ground clearance that such vehicles have, and their extra ruggedness. From my trips I know that if one is going very remote, that one can easily get stuck, and that mechanical breakdowns can and do occur. The longer and more arduous the trip, then it is a matter of WILL occur. That is a major reason why on such longer and remote trips you normally seek to travel with other vehicles. ie if stuck, another vehicle with “snatchem” strap can easily pull you our backwards. Now I have also undertaken a number of 4WD trips in Australia in a sole vehicle ( including retracing the Burke and Wills route, visiting the Simpson Dessert, driving up the Finke River from Ayers Rock to Kings Canyon rather than on formed roads, crossing Cooper Creek near the Dig Tree when the water was windscreen deep)- but with a broad stock of parts, ample spare water and fuel and a Tirfor hand winch (better for solo travel as you can pull in any direction, whereas a power winch just pulls you forward, which is often the opposite of what you need to do), elaborate first aid kit and a number of other measures.

This is all a long winded may of saying, that on long 4WD trips in remote trips on rough trails something will happen...so you need to have the equipment, knowledge and ability to deal with a range of situations...and also be prepared to sit and wait for a passer bye or even to walk out if required (if radio/phone is not operable).

So I think that one need to ask where you want to go....and that can give different answers and how you can travel. There are certainly parts of Southern Africa that I would be comfortable hiring a 4WD and doing my own thing. Particularly if I could organise a group of friends to travel in 2 or 3 vehicles.

However for me, for this trip, I want the long overland experience. I want that extended sense of journey, and all the trials and tribulations that it will no doubt entail, as well as its joys, and moments of sheer grandeur.

I eventually came across a company called African Expedition Support (see HERE ) that ticked all of my boxes (or at least was a compromise that I was content with).

The journey that I have opted for is the 26 day overland trip from Nairobi to Victoria Falls through four countries and driving 4500km. No doubt some will think me mad.

Yes it is a group tour in that there is a small number of vehicles, BUT the big plus for myself, is that:

1/ During the day you are free in the main to drive at your own pace, and see as much of, or as little of, what you come across along the way. So if you find a village fascinating you can stay longer. You might find bird watching fascinating, and others may not and so you can tailor where you spend your time to a large extent. You do not have to drive as a convoy. You can choose to drive with another vehicle or not.

2/While the day is yours, you have some other like-minded travellers to meet up with each night to chat over a campfire and beer with. Having been a keen camper over the years, this is a combination that appeals to me.

3/ There is a support vehicle (see my comments above on remote 4WD travel) with a mechanic and a cook ( I just swapped emails with someone that went last year on the trip that I will be doing, and mid-safari one vehicle broke a CV joint. No problem as the mechanic had a spare. So he just replaced it and away they went again. Now a spare CV joint is not something that I have travelled with before. I have replaced them myself before as I am mechanically handy, but if you do not have the part.... well you might have a long wait! The guy that went last year indicated that the list of spares was most comprehensive. ie under his seat was a spare cylinder).

4/ You do have a fixed itinerary. Which can yes a negative. But then again some game parks you cannot just turn up to without pre-booking anyway. The route that I have signed up for is pretty much what I was looking for anyway, and so for me it is not an issue. Particularly as I will visit some other parks post this part of my trip.

ITENARY

All up I am planning 6 weeks for this trip for my wife and I.

I am still finalising the latter part of the trip. But this overland journey is the “hero” of this trip. Many of my trips revolve around a key reason for the trip and are normally activity based such as my last trip which included 9 days of cycling along the Danube River in Austria.
But in essence the 2015 trip so far is:

15 Jul: Fly in to Nairobi from MEL.

I have redeemed 2 seats in J on Qatar Airways. This will be our first flight on Qatar Airways and its well regarded J cabin. One quirky point was that within a day of redeeming the flights, that the flight was changed with the 2 hour layover in Doha, now unfortunately stretching out to 6 hours. At least the new J QR lounge should be up and running by then, and I am hoping for it to be something spectacular.

18 Jul – 12 Aug: Nairobi to Victoria Falls over 4500km via:
• Masai Mara Game Reserve
• Amboseli National Park
• Lake Chala
• Zanzibar
• Lake Malawi, Chitimba Beach
• Kande Beach
• South Luangwa National Park
• Lusaka
• Livingstone and Victoria Falls
This Nairobi to Victoria Falls Safari is the only "group" part of our trip. The rest will all our own arrangements (though will go on some animal spotting 4WD or boat half day trips and will be independent travel.

13-16 Aug: Spend 3 nights visiting Chobe staying in the one accommodation and doing river trips and games drives from it. Perhaps the Chobe Safari Lodge which has good reports on this forum.
Now the next part I have still not completely settled on the order. We are looking to do the overnight Premier Classe Train from Johannesburg to Cape Town/ or Port Elizabeth, or vice versa. The Man in Seat 51 gives this most positive reports and it is perhaps a largely unknown hidden gem to experience in South Africa. See Premier Classe Train, It will certainly provide a contrast with the rest of our planned trip.

The train trip comes complete with a 5 course dinner and will provide another aspect of that sense of journey that I enjoy on my travels. However the train does not run that often and so scheduling is an issue which greatly affects what and when we do the other aspects of our trip.

One possibility is as follows:

16 Aug: Fly to Cape Town

16 -18 Aug: Cape Town -Everyone seems to rave about Cape Town, and so onto the bucket list it goes!

19-22 Aug: Hire a 2WD and drive the Garden Route. 19th at Hermanus for the whale spotting as the whales often come in extremely close to the shore here. See HERE

23-24 Aug: Premier Classe Train. Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg.

25- 28 Aug: Hire a 2WD and visit Kruger National Park

29 or 30 Aug: Return flight back to MEL

Well that is the planning so far. Any thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I am sure that the final trip will be tweaked somewhat yet.