frequently asked questions

how easy/difficult is the journey?

the driving can be long and hard, and it's hot and dusty, but not difficult. as long as you know where you are at any point in time, where you are going, leave enough time to get there before dusk, carry enough fuel and water, and know some basic mechanics then you're sorted. for us, it was a lot easier than we ever imagined, but that's not to say that we didn't have a few tense moments. border crossings were straightforward (with one exception), traffic police could always be won over, and i don't believe one bribe was paid in the whole of africa. your patience will be tested, but it's all worth it.

are there cash machines/should we take travellers cheques?

ATMs can be found in the cities and towns of most countries - with the exception of sudan, ethiopia and rwanda - with either credit and/or debit cards accepted. best to check your banks charges on using your cards abroad. be careful of ATM charges which can quickly add up; many allow only 100 pounds to be withdrawn per transaction and don't rely on the ATM to be working. in ethiopia and rwanda we could only find one place in each that allowed cash withdrawals on a card - the former, the bank at the sheraton hotel in addis ababa, the bank of kigali in kigali in the latter.

we didn't take travellers cheques due to the difficulties in changing these and the bad rate you get.

it's best to take a fistful of dollars with you, african countries love dollars and is often the only accepted currency at borders to pay for visas, and good to exhange for local currency, for emergencies and handy for paying for 'extras' such as white water rafting, gorillas, etc. we kept a stash in the land rover, we would recommend keeping 500-1000 dollars in a safe place.

when changing money at borders, it's best to look-up the current rate on the internet before arriving to ensure a good rate. we never got dud notes, but check rolls of cash before driving off.

how safe is bushcamping?

depends where you camp. in many countries it is illegal but this shouldn't stop you.

whilst we would have liked to have bushcamped more, we found it difficult to see where we could set-up camp without being too visible from the road (which is what the guide books recommend). africa is densely populated and there never seemed to be an appropriate shaped tree or bush to conceal our hiding place. we have great memories of the nights we did manage to bushcamp, just us, and the great night sky. no fences, no security guards, no facilities, no nothing.

what's the best source of travel advice?

other travellers/overlanders who have recently visited the areas you want to travel. don't let one person's experience put you off going - there were several occasions when we nearly didn't visit one country or place on the basis of what we heard, but you have to listen to all the views, check the internet, and make your own judgement. there's only one way to find out and that's to go and see for yourself.

what was it like crossing the sudanese desert from egypt to khartoum?

crossing the nubian desert was one of our most exciting drives and really tested our navigational skills. there are two routes, down the nile or following the railway tracks. we opted for the nile, at intervals villages line the way, promising shelter, food and water should they be required; the railway tracks guarantee the route, but there is nothing but sand. just make sure you have enough fuel, food and water should you get stuck, watch out for sandstorms, and make sure you can dig yourself out; carry sandladders and try to get some experience driving in sand beforehand.

we had difficulty finding the road on leaving wadi halfa, but once found it was easy to follow. it was further south, on the second day when the road turned into multiple tracks. was there a right track? when you're in the middle of nowhere, the different tracks must surely all go to the next big settlement. we reassured ourselves with this reasoning and followed the most pronounced tracks. we bushcamped on the way down, asking permission from some village schoolteachers, turning down the offer of a house for the night.

you do have to register with the police within three days of arriving, and the security police may take an interest in you but travel is unrestricted more or less. just make sure you have the right stamps and paperwork.

did you take a satellite/ mobile phone?

what about the moyale/marsabit road - are there bandits?

we were told that a police escort was no longer necessary. whether the road is safe who knows, but we made it through without mishap.

how much fuel/water did you carry

we carried 4 x 20l jerry cans of diesel and 4 x 20l water containers. this was more than sufficient but we wouldn't recommend taking less.

final words of advice

don't waste money over preparing your vehicle, only take what you think you will use, find out the latest travel advice for the countries you are visiting, create a good storage system in the back, keep safe, enjoy it - both the good and not so good moments.