Notes:
Counties Visited - 23
Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, DR Congo, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda
What's it like?
As you will be camping and traveling for an extended period of time, you must be prepared for an adventurous challenge. It can be hot and dusty, and will sometimes be out of contact from the rest of the world. This means no telephones, shops or any other mod cons. African Trails needs you to participate and work with all members of the expedition. For the Trans, African Trails uses sturdy purpose-built vehicles for these rugged off-road conditions. Weeks 1-4: London to Cape Town - Europe, Morocco, Mauritania
Start the trip in Spain. Crossing the straits of Gibraltar to Morocco, visit the coastal capital city of Rabat and visit Casablanca. Meknes, on the high plains, is of the many ancient walled cities with covered markets and a labyrinth of narrow winding streets. Visit the ancient Roman ruin of Volubilis, followed by Fes, Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains. Pass into the Sahara Desert and follow the Atlantic Coast - it is never forgotten; oases with cool water surrounded by palms, stretches of sand as big as a small country, old forts, camel trains following centuries old trading routes, and a night sky undiluted by city lights. You go hundreds of miles off road, sometimes digging the truck out of the soft sands to get through. Weeks 5-10: London to Accra - Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana
Enter the Sahel; the vast semi arid desert that separates the Sahara from the forests of black Africa and follow the Niger River, visiting the old mud towns of Mopti and Djenne. On the Bandiagara escarpment, trek to the small villages of the Dogon. Burkina Faso is famous for its beautiful lost wax bronze statues. In Ghana, cross the jungle to the beaches of the Gold Coast and visit the slaving forts.
Those on the ten-week overland travel expedition from Malaga to Accra finish here. Weeks 11-12: Accra to Cape Town - Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon
Togo and Benin are only 50 miles wide. Here the religion is the African tradition of Voodoo. On Nakoue Lagoon you can take canoes to visit the fishing villages built high above the water on bamboo stilts. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with 100 million people. Visit Lagos, the commercial capital and largest city in West Africa and head on to Abuja the political capital, then time at Wikki Warm Springs to relax for a few days. Leaving the warm springs, head to Calabar, passing the outskirts of the Cross-River National Park. Week 13: Accra to Cape Town - Cameroon
Entering Cameroon, stay on the beach at Limbe. For those that are adventurous, you can climb West Africa's largest mountain, Mount Cameroon. From the coast, visit the capital Yaounde. Weeks 14-15: Accra to Cape Town - Gabon, Republic of Congo, Cabinda (Angola)
Leaving Yaounde, cross into Gabon and the capital city of Libreville. Gabon is famous for its populations of lowland gorilla, though most people prefer to see the mountain gorillas in East Africa. From the capital there are several excursions you can take into surrounding nature reserves and Africa's largest bush meat market. Leaving Libreville, pass through Lambarene, home to the famous Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Nobel peace prize winner for founding the Lambarene Leprosy Hospital and his work with the downtrodden locals. You enter The Republic of Congo.
Driving through bamboo forest tunnels, make your way back to the coast reaching Point Noire. Here you can visit the Jane Goodall Chimp sanctuary, or relax on the beach. Enter Cabinda the oil rich exclave of Angola with the Congo to the East and the Atlantic to the west; where you can watch the flames burning off from the offshore oil rigs. Week 16: Accra to Cape Town - Democratic Republic of Congo
Enter DR Congo crossing the mighty Congo River by a massive bridge overlooking Matadi town; a sea port over 100km upriver from the ocean. Weeks 17-18: Accra to Cape Town - Angola
Angola only opened up to tourism in 2004, with the closure of the routes through Sudan, African Trails started going this way through one of the largest and least visited countries in Africa. The people are friendly and the views astounding. Driving along the red mud roads, you reach the coast and the capital Luanda, its very Portuguese in its buildings and Brazilian in its beach attire with a line of beach bars and restaurants in the bay. Follow the coast passing lots of waterfalls on the way to Lubango town 2000 meters high on a plateau. It is home to the third of the great statues of Jesus; the others being in Rio and Lisbon.
Weeks 19-20: Accra to Cape Town - Namibia
Entering Namibia, you encounter a vast array of environments and cultures. Once occupied by Germany, Namibia produces a blend of German, African and Afrikaans influences. The Himba peoples of the North are most noted for their red ochre body paint and their traditional lifestyle. Next stop is Etosha Pan National Park. Thousands of years ago this vast saltpan was a lake, until the Kunene River changed its course and deprived the lake of its water source. Now the pan and surrounding bush support large numbers and a wide range of wildlife. Spend a couple of days game viewing from the truck during the day and spend the evenings around the floodlit water holes at the park's campsites. These water holes provide an excellent opportunity to observe animals that are hard to find during the day, particularly rhino and also smaller animals such as the genet. Elephant, lion, giraffe, zebra, oryx, ostrich, springbok, jackals, hyenas and meercats are also likely to be seen at Etosha.
From wild animals to tame ones, spend a night at the Cheetah Farm where you can scratch the big cats behind the ears before watching them tuck in to their evening meal. Heading for the Atlantic Ocean Coast, visit Africa's largest cape fur seal colony, Cape Cross. Swakopmund is an old German colonial seaside resort with plenty of things to do for the energetic and plenty of beer cellars for those after a more relaxing time. The energetic can go horseback riding or sand boarding on the dunes, deep sea fishing in the Atlantic or scenic flights over the coastline. Heading inland, enter the Namib Desert, famous for the 300m high sand dunes. Enjoy sunrise at the top of the most photographed dune, Dune 45, before taking a tour with local guides into the remote parts of Sossusvlei.
After an overnight stay in the desert, drive south to Fish River Canyon, at 85km long and 400m deep it's second in size only to the Grand Canyon. You can trek down to the bottom of the canyon and, from the viewpoints at the top, watch the setting or rising of the sun. There are seasonal hot springs in the south at Ai Ais. The last stop in Namibia is the Orange River, which forms the border with South Africa.
Weeks 21-22: Accra to Cape Town - South Africa
Crossing the river, arrive in South Africa and travel south through Namaqualand, South Africa's prime farming areas. Drive through the mountain valleys of the Cederberg and stony semi-deserts before arriving in Stellenbosch, the center of one of the Cape's many wine routes. A wine tour with plenty of tasting makes for a great day out. Week 23: Accra to Cape Town - Cape Town
You have a week's break from the trip in Cape Town. It's a beautiful city, nestled at the foot of Table Mountain; plenty of cafes, pubs, clubs, markets and sights. You can climb the mountain or take the cable car to the top for some wonderful views of the city and the Cape Peninsula and visit Robben Island. Weeks 24-25: Cape Town to Nairobi and Gorillas - South Africa, Botswana
Departing Cape Town, head north towards Botswana and the Kalahari Desert via Kimberly. Travel along the edge of the Kalahari Desert to Maun, a small town on the edge of the Okavango Delta, and the starting point for the Mokoro trip. A Mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe and your transport into the Delta. As you glide through the waterways, you will see a fantastic array of wetland wildlife, birds in particular, and you are also likely to come across hippos or elephants taking a drink from the shore. You can go on a walking safari to look for giraffe, buffalo and rare antelope such as the tsessebe. This overnight stay is a great wilderness experience.
Spend a night by the banks of the Chobe River, in Kasane. Here hippo, buffalo and crocodiles share the river bank and occasionally pay you a visit through the night. Here you can take a sunset cruise on the river or take an afternoon game drive through the park and see some of Africa's largest elephants and big cats. Week 26: Cape Town to Nairobi and Gorillas - Zambia, Malawi
Entering Zambia, you reach the Victoria Falls, where the Zambezi River plunges 100 meters down a mile wide chasm, creating one of the most incredible natural wonders of the world. The local name for the Falls is 'Mosi-oa-Tunya', which means 'the smoke that thunders', and you'll soon find out why. When the river is in full flow, the falling water causes a huge roar and sends a cloud of spray up to 500 meters into the air.
Stay near Livingstone beside the Zambezi and above Victoria Falls for a few days, as there is so much to see and do. Adventure activities abound - you can bungee jump, whitewater raft, take a Microlite flight above the falls, sky-dive and go game-viewing on horseback. More sedate excursions include canoeing, light aircraft or helicopter flights over the falls, and the sunset cruise on the Zambezi. Of course, the falls themselves are the main attraction and you can walk through the rainforest along the cliff opposite for an excellent view.
Crossing the border into Malawi, you soon reach the shores of its huge lake. The campsites and small resorts along Lake Malawi offer sandy beaches, swimming and snorkeling, water skiing and walking in the surrounding countryside. You will also find markets selling beautifully carved Malawi chairs, tables and other souvenirs. Weeks 27-29: Cape Town to Nairobi and Gorillas - Tanzania, Kenya
Heading north through Tanzania, the route takes you through Mikumi National Park where you may well see giraffe or pygmy elephants grazing along the roadside. At Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast, you can cross to Zanzibar Island. Here is the old stone capital of the Omani Sultanate and away from the town are stunning beaches, and World Heritage Listed buildings, forests and ruins. You can take a spice tour of the island, go diving, swimming with dolphins or visit remote islands by the traditional dhow boats. Heading inland, pass Africa's highest peak, that of Mt. Kilimanjaro. From Arusha, take Landrovers to visit the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park, which has the heaviest concentration of plains game found all over East Africa. From Tanzania, cross in Kenya the Athi Plains, passing gazelle, giraffe and troops of baboons on the way to Nairobi. Week 30: Cape Town to Nairobi and Gorillas - Uganda, Kenya
Leaving Nairobi, pass the dramatic landscape of the Rift Valley to the highlands of Kenya. Crossing the border at Malaba, drive through rainforests and tea and sugar plantations to Uganda's capital, Kampala. Crossing the equator, camp on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi, the deepest crater lake in Uganda. Climb through lush terraced hills to Kisoro, and from here trek the famed mountain gorillas or you could visit Mgahinga National Park for a day hike up a volcano or a guided nature trail. Meander back to Lake Bunyonyi to relax, canoe, mountain bike and swim.
In the modern bustling city of Kampala you may wish to visit the National Museum, the Kasubi Tombs of the Buganda people. Crossing the Owen Falls dam, you arrive at Jinja on the shores of Lake Victoria. Spend an action-filled day whitewater rafting down the Nile, bungee jump, fish on Lake Victoria, take a guided village walk; or give up a day of your holiday to volunteer for the local community education project.
Returning to Kenya and Nakuru Town, the capital of the Rift Valley Province, stay at Kembu Camp a working farm. Spend a full day at Lake Nakuru, viewing game in a park famous for its soda lake surrounded by thousands, sometimes millions of pink flamingoes. Move on to camp on the shores of Lake Naivasha where hippos come to graze in the evenings.
Close by is Hell's Gate National Park and Elsamere, once the home of Joy Adamson and Elsa the lion of 'Born Free' fame. From here, return to Nairobi with the chance to feast at the renowned Carnivores Game Restaurant. |
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