Our Route

We decided almost from the outset that we would not do the usual thing of driving through Europe and the Middle East to Africa. Our five years in the Middle East meant we had no real desire to put up with the hassles that nearly always arise when you travel in this region.  

Also after an overland trip to Zaire, Rwanda & Burundi we did not have any burning desire to visit West or Central Africa. So in deference to our advancing years we decided to cheat a little and ship the Landy straight to Cape Town and then drive from there up to Uganda, visiting the following places on the way. 

• RSA

• Swaziland

• Mozambique

• Botswana

• Namibia

• Zambia

• Malawi

• Tanzania

• Kenya

• Uganda  

After Uganda the plan dries up, we may go onto Ethiopia as we have heard so many good things about that country,  it's unlikely we will drive all the way back northwards but you never know.

Chances are we will import Rupert into somewhere like Zambia and then use him for a few months each year or even ship him to Australia (buts that's another story for another day!).

Well, more than four years have gone by since we wrote the above and in that time we have visited all the countries on our list with the exception of Mozambique and Uganda.

On the other side of the coin we have visited the other countries on a number of occasions travelling extensively in each so we now know them well.

Conversely in their desire to reach Cape Town or Cairo virtually all the self drive overlanders we have met  have rushed from country to country and actually know very little about them.

This was not for us, in our experience you need at least one month in a country if you want to get a decent appreciation of it's places and character. 

So far we have not imported Rupert into any country, instead when we want to take a break in  the UK we leave him with friends in Malawi.

There are a number of issues to consider if you plan to leave your vehicle in Africa and return to the UK. Firstly being on a Carnet some places are much stricter than others on how long you can leave your vehicle and go off.

For instance the SADCC region countries (RSA, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho) officially only allow a 30 day absence. Mind you the Carnet is not stamped as you travel within the SADCC region so if you did leave your vehicle there there is a decent chance of getting away with it but bear in mind their border posts are more jacked up and if your caught they will confiscate the vehicle and all it's contents until you pay a hefty import duty and fines.

In countries like Zambia, Tanzania, and Kenya the risk is the same but because you have to buy road tax when you enter these countries which is strictly checked when you exit it is impossible to hide the fact that your vehicle has overstayed it's allotted time and then you will be open to all sorts of questions, simply checking your passport stamps v the Carnet will expose you... see the journal for December 06 for more on this.

Malawi is the exception to the rule, to date it has no road tax so there is no obvious evidence that your vehicle has overstayed it's allowed period other than the Carnet itself and luckily that is looked at in isolation.