Follow an overland truck across Africa

From: Gibraltar
To: Cape Town, South Africa
How long? 23 0r 30 weeks
Highlights enroute: Todra Gorge; Morocco, the Sahara, game drives in Ghana, voodoo fetish markets, spotting mountain gorillas, the Serengeti, Lake Malawi, white-water rafting, camping next to the Nile, the Okavango Delta, walking with lions, Victoria Falls and loads more...
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Weeks 1 and 2: We begin our journey in Southern Spain , our first stop is Gibraltar. Here the weather is warmer, and as it is a duty free port, we can stock up for Christmas and New Year! We cross the Straights of Gibraltar by ferry to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the North African Coast.

In Morocco we visit Chechaouen in the Riff Mountains, which is set in a valley. We camp on a ridge overlooking this picturesque town with its white roofs and narrow streets. You can wander around this relaxed town and maybe visit one of the old hamam bath houses. The Roman City of Volubillisis next. A remarkably well-kept reminder of the Roman presence in North Africa 2000 years ago. We spend some time wandering around the ancient streets and monuments before driving to the city fortress of Fez. Its huge covered bazaar with narrow winding alleys is crammed with craft workshops, restaurants, food stalls, mosques, dye pits and tanneries.

Weeks 3 and 4: We spend a few days in Rabat before travelling to Todra Gorge. Its massive red and orange cliffs rise a thousand feet on each side of a sandy river. From Todra we cross the Sarhro Mountains and follow the Draa Valley past hundreds of scattered Kasbahs until we reach Marrakech. The main square here comes alive at night with food stalls, storytellers and snake charmers. After visiting one of the beach resorts on the nearby coast we trek south following the rugged Atlantic coastline towards Mauritania, and the Sahara Desert.

Weeks 5 and 6: Mauritania reveals the remoteness and unrelenting heat and harshness of the desert. Because this is true Africa overland travel, our expedition allows us to leave civilization completely behind with the security of knowing that our truck is totally self sufficient with food, water, fuel and a complete set of spares - it is a very comforting thought. We drive off road for hundreds of miles, occasionally having to dig the truck out of very soft sand and lay sand ladders. We pass through the Parc d'Arguin, renowned for its bird and sea life and spend a few days in Nouakchott, before heading inland toward Mali. As we get into the Sahel scrublands, scattered villages, goats, cattle and hardy chickens are part of the road scenery.

Bamako, Mali's capital, is a welcome change with its lively bars, cold beers, fresh fruit and vegetable markets. But the greatest change is provided by the people with different culture, language and dress to those in the Western Sahara.

Weeks 7 to 9: Following the Niger River we visit the old mud built towns of Mopti and Djenne. These towns were important trading centres over 500 years ago. Not much seems to have changed as you wander through the narrow ally ways and view the huge mud built mosque, which must be one of the largest and oldest mud, brick buildings in the world.

On the remote Bandiagara Escarpment we hike out to visit the Dogon Villages, which are situated along the 200km long cliff face. One of the most fascinating areas of Africa, the Dogon were some of the few tribes who resisted the spread of Islam when its missionaries and forces swept across North and West Africa a thousand years ago. They still maintain most of their traditional religious beliefs. We take a guide and spend a few days hiking along the escarpment and staying in Dogon villages. The guide will be able to explain some of the history and culture of the area as well as take you to some of the old abandoned cliff dwellings and organise food and lodging over night.

Passing through the friendly country of Burkina Faso we stop at the capital Ougadougou. This is a little heard of nation and is one of the poorest countries in the world. However, it is recognised as having a small thriving film industry, excellent musicians and dance bands and an enthusiastically supported national soccer team. Here we will have time to listen to, and enjoy, some of the best music in West Africa.

In Ghana we notice another change in people and culture. Especially the language! For the first time in two months we are in a country where English is the main language. We spend a night in Mole National Park in northern Ghana and game drive in our expedition vehicle hoping to view some of the numerous elephants that inhabit this park among a host of other wildlife. We then camp near Accra, (the capital) for almost a week and relax on its palm-fringed coastline. Here too we can collect post from home and say goodbye to members of the group who have been able to travel this far and say hello to new recruits joining.

Weeks 10 - 12: Travelling through Togo and Benin doesn't take long as they are only 50 miles wide. Voodoo is the main religion here, basing its beliefs in the power of the dead. You can visit an interesting fetish market as well as some good African restaurants in Togo. In Benin you can take canoes out to Ganvie village which is built on bamboo stilts on Lake Nakoue.

Next we enter Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with well over 100 million people. The pace of life here tends to be more hectic than we have become used to during previous travel to West Africa, with Abuja and Lagos in particular full of hustle and bustle. We continue through mountains and lush jungle towards Cameroon where you can climb Mount Cameroon or just relax on the beach.

Weeks 13 - 16: Travelling north east through tropical rain forest, coffee and cocoa plantations we drive toward Chad. Rarely travelled in by westerners, it is adventures like these that make Africa overland travel so rewarding and memorable. Chad, like Sudan, stands at an ethnic crossroads where Arab and black Africa meet.

Ndjemena, where we will have a break for a few days, is regarded as one of the most pleasant cities anywhere in the sahel or West Africa. From the capital we head west on very poor unpaved roads with big distances between settlements, and cross into Sudan, the largest country in Africa. The countryside, still sparsely populated, means we only visit a few proper sized towns in the coming weeks.

Weeks 17 - 20: The hospitality in Sudan can be surprising. For such a poor country with so many recent problems, people are often only too willing to invite you into their homes and often to share their meals. We cross the mighty White Nile River at the town of Kosti before continuing on to Khartoum, the capital, where it is possible to visit the Pyramids of the ancient city of Meroe just to the north.

We now head towards Ethiopia passing through the towns of Wad Medani and Gedaref along the way. Ethiopia has a lot more visual indigenous history than any other sub-Saharan country. We spend a few days at each of the towns of Gondar and Bahir Dar, where it is possible to organise visits to some of these famous sites, including the holy city of Axum and the rock-hewn churches at Lalibela.

Our route to Addis Ababa takes us via Lake Tana and the spectacular Blue Nile Gorge and Blue Nile Falls. From Bahar Dar you can organise boat trips to some of the small islands which have Monasteries dating back up to 900 years and which are still looked after by monks who live from subsistence farming. From Addis Ababa we head south towards Kenya.

Weeks 21 - 23: The north of Kenya is very remote with nomadic tribes people like the Rendille in Marsabit and the Samburu still wear very distinctive and often elaborate dress. On our way south we pass through Marsabit and Samburu National Parks (we spend a day and a night in Samburu, hopefully being able to spot some of the abundant wildlife there) and pass the foothills of Mount Kenya as we drive into Uganda.

Here, one of the highlights of the trip is trekking with guides to visit, and sit with a family of Mountain Gorillas. It is estimated that only around 500 to 600 of these gentle giants remain. This mountainous area on the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and Zaire (now renamed Democratic Republic of Congo) is their only natural habitat and they are periodically threatened by poachers and political instability in the area. One permit allows you to spend about 50 to 60 minutes with one of the gorilla families. Trekking to find them in groups of six or eight can take anything from half an hour to five hours.

Returning to Kampala there is the opportunity to visit a Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Rehabiliatation center on one of the islands on Lake Victoria.

At Jinja, we cross the Owen Falls Dam on the Nile where Lake Victoria pours its water into the beginning of the Nile River. We camp next to the Nile at Bujagali Falls where fishermen guide their dugout canoes into the steaming rapids. We use more modern rubber rafts, and go on a days white-water rafting. We re-enter Kenya and make our way to the Great Rift Valley with its lakes and abundant bird and wildlife. At Lake Nakuru we take a game drive past Black Rhino and millions of Pink Flamingos which feed noisily along the shoreline.

We also visit Lake Naivasha where it is possible to cycle or walk in Hells Gate National Park as well as pay a visit to Elsamere, the home of Joy Adamson of Born Free fame before arriving in Nairobi, where we stay in a private campsite on the edge of town.

Weeks 24: We depart Nairobi early morning and immediately find ourselves in hot savannah grasslands, with thorn trees and acacia providing the only shade. We usually see zebra and giraffe as we head south and cross the border to Tanzania. From the town of Arusha we use a local Tanzania travel safari company to guide us through Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Parks. On the crater floor you can spend the day viewing the abundant wildlife including Elephant, Lion, Cheetah, White Rhino, Buffalo, Hippo, Antelope, Crocodile and Pink Flamingos. From here you can choose to go into the Serengeti where vast herds of Wildebeest roam the plains. For those who decide to view Ngorongoro only, there is a free day in Arusha to visit a local Masai Village.

Week 25: We camp for about four nights in a campsite on a beautiful Indian Ocean beach. From here most people take the ferry out to Zanzibar for the full four days and venture into the narrow bustling streets of StoneTown and its exotic spice markets, old slave forts and dungeons. There is also time to indulge yourself on Zanzibar's famous white beaches before returning to Dar Es Salaam.

After meeting the Zanzibar ferry, the next leg begins. We continue our Africa overland travel through the interesting and often mountainous hinterland for which the country is renowned. In the afternoon, after negotiating some appalling roads and 'in God We Trust' drivers we pass through the peaceful Mikumi National Park. We usually see here Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra and Antelope from the roadside. Passing rivers and small waterfalls, our Tanziania travel leg ends as we enter Malawi, dominated by its huge fresh water lake.

Week 26: From Blantyre we cross into Mozambique and head for Zimbabwe. We follow the infamous 'Tete Corridor' which was well known in the days of Mozambque's long running civil war as the 'Gun Run'. Thankfully these days things are a lot different! We enter Zimbabwe and travel to Harare, the capital, for a couple of days. From Harare we head south to Gweru and a privately run horse and game ranch where you can go game viewing on elephant and horseback or perhaps on a walking safari with young lion cubs!

Week 27: From Gweru we travel to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins which was once the greatest medieval city in Sub Saharan Africa and where the name 'Zimbabwe' is derived, literally meaning 'house of stone'. Next we enter Matabeleland and the town of Bulawayo. Here you have the option of leaving the truck for a day and a night and using a local safari company to venture into Motobo National Park, where on foot, escorted by an armed ranger, you should see the elusive Black Rhino amongst hordes of other game. There is also the opportunity to visit Cecil Rhodes grave and Worlds End view point before catching an old colonial style sleeper train to rejoin the truck at one of the adventure playgrounds of the world - Victoria Falls.

Week 28: Although only a short drive away, once in Botswana you will easily notice quite a contrast in the terrain and vegetation from what we have seen so far in this Kenya to South Africa trip. The arid Kalahari with it's expansive freedom, night sky ablaze with shooting stars and the warm glow of our campfire make it an unforgettable camping experience. We spend the first night in Chobe National Park famous for its hordes of elephants as well as an abundance of other wildlife. There is the opportunity to take a cruise on the Chobe River - a less intrusive way to view the amazing wildlife in this park.

We then organise our two day trip into the Okavango Delta (optional). You have the chance to go on a Mokoro (dug out canoe) and explore the extensive waterways of this unique desert wetland. You will also have the opportunity to take several game walks in this huge oasis. Elephant, crocodile and hippo are nearly always seen. The Okavango Delta is the worlds largest inland water way and its serenity and quietness seems to have a calming effect on those that experience it.

Week 29: Heading west we travel on to Namibia and continue north-west toward Etosha National Park, recognised as one of the worlds greatest wildlife viewing areas. We game watch by night at one of the floodlit watering holes, hoping to see some of the wide variety of wildlife that inhabits this amazing park.

From Etosha we visit a local Cheetah park before continuing on to the Brandenberg Mountains in Demaraland and the Skeleton Coast. We visit the world famous Cape Cross Seal Colony and the sight of thousands of these mammals as well as their accompanying pungent odour is remembered by all! For the next three days we are based in Swakopmund.

Week 30: A one day drive takes us to the Namib-Naukluft Park, a vast expanse of desert which contains some of the highest sand dunes in the world. At Sossusvlei we stop and explore the area and the dunes. Continuing South we enter the semi desert, and wide open countryside of cattle ranching, until we arrive at one of Africa's most sensational natural features, Fish River Canyon. We camp next to this massive gorge, where you can soak up the sun and fabulous scenery.

A couple of hours drive away we cross the Orange River, a rich source of diamonds, and into South Africa. We travel south through the Cederburg Wilderness area to Stellenbosch visiting one of the historical Cape Wineries before arriving at the vibrant, cosmopolitan city of Cape Town. Here, we stay at a comfortable backpacker's lodge.

Name: Oasis Overland
Address: The Marsh, Henstridge, Somerset, BA8 0TF, UK
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Tel: 0845 344 7546