An overland trip is a long voyage where we cross several countries by road. The Black Africa being a high risk zone and little recommended for backpackers, we decided to travel through a specialised agency and visit this part of the continent which was still unknown to us.
So here we go embarked during 36 days with Africa Travel Co, one of the least expensive companies of overland trips in Africa. We travelled in a truck where every space is optimized. Upstairs, all of us (26 travellers and 2 tour leaders) sere seated. Just below us, were stored all our luggage, tents, equipment, food, water, fuel etc
If we spent much time criticizing the overland agency ATC and in particular the tour leader, we did spend 5 amazing weeks through Southern Africa!
A 36 day safary in a group under the orders of a matron is not always easy. Traveling through an agency enabled us to delegate the dealing of issues and also to ensure our safety, but we also had to restrain ourselves. Personally, I like the life in a group, and adapting to its rules does not pose too much problem to me. The key is to be able to forget oneself a little bit...
The details of our comfort apart, I adored the landscapes that we crossed and I loved the meetings whe had with the local populations. Akuna Matata summarizes well the state of mind of the African people: “relax, not a problem!”.
Crossing the countries we could feel we were far away from home, from the urban jungle.. The desert, the mountains, the wild were amazing just to look at. I discovered new lifestyles, new tribes, new countries with very different politics. These 36 days were enthralling and rich in lesson!!
The best moments: our contact with the local population with special mention for Malawi, the Namibian desert, our stay on Zanzibar, the meals of our chef Francis, the music from our Kenyan driver, trading tee shirts in Zimbabwe / Malawi, skydiving, and share all the experiences with the group.
The less good moments: AIDS and the devastations of the population, seeing poverty and economic inactivity, the impotence of the population, the 3 kg that I put on, our Australian tour leader who considered her customers as cash cows, wait for Delphine all the time, the boulets from Manchester.
See next our ROAD MAP for this 36 days overland trip.
Departure: Le Cap on Octobre 12th 08
Arrival: Dar El Salaam on Novembre 16th 08
- Our Overland trip lasted in all 36 days
- We crossed 7 countries for a total of 10,000 km in a truck specialised for Overland safaris. Our group was composed of 28 people the 1st week, 20 the two following weeks and 14 for the two last weeks.
- With regards to money, we exceeded our budget of 265€, or almost 8%. Even if we chose the least expensive company, the overland experience did cost us a lot of money! Without counting the additional activities that we have made (skydiving, flight over the delta, guided walks), we spent about 70€ per day for two people, or 10% more than for South Africa!
Positive points:
- To meet and spend time with other young people of various horizons, like Australia, New Zealand, Korea…
- To cross Africa while having to deal with nothing, the camp-sites are organized, no need to cook, no need for driving
Negative points:
- The dirtiness of certain camp sites with regards to toilets and showers
- The military aspect of the organization due to her crazy tour leader Belinda. She wanted to sell us everything
- The lack of milk
- The lack of independence
- The trip through Zambia which was very frustrating, we crossed the country in 3 days almost without stopping
- The days when we had to drive for more than 10 hours, under the blazing heat
- The slavery of children
Preferred moments:
- Walking in the desert in Namibia
- The crepes of Francis at breakfast
- Flighing on top of the Okavango Delta
- The beauty of the landscapes in Zambia
- The kindness of the children and the beauty of Malawi
- To be able to eat mangos just after falling from the tree in Malawi.
- Snorkelling in Zanzibar.
- Eating pineapples in Tanzania
