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About the event
Objective / Team / Transport / Route / Projects

Trans Africa is the last true overland adventure in the World today. Every other continent has tarmac from coast to coast.

When considering a Trans Africa expedition it is not so much the terrain that governs the route but the political climate. In 1986 I hitched from London, down through Europe and crossed the Sahara through Algeria. This was the hey day of Saharan travel, the route down through Algeria was relatively safe, regularly used for trade, yet ventured through the heart of this sand sea (Grand Erg). Tamanrasset was the collecting point for convoys waiting to cross the dunes in to Agadez, Niger. Here the great Hoggar mountains reach up from the desert giving an almost lunar landscape. On my mantelpiece lives an old jam jar containing a pot of sand from the heart of the Sahara. I vowed one day I would go back under my own steam with time to explore all these places.

Sadly today Algeria is closed to tourism, although earlier this year a route has been researched through Tunisia, Libya, entering the South East corner of Algeria and onto the Hoggar mountains, a trade route used by the indigenous population linking West Africa to the Mediterranean. There have been a number of stories of tourists being left in the desert with only their passport as the Tuareg rebellion stocked up with vehicles.

Another well-trodden route follows the Atlantic coast through the Western Sahara and into Mauritania following the traditional West Africa route. Then we get stuck in Central Africa. Both the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo are politically shut. Again a truck company set off from UK in March looking to cross from Chad to Sudan, however Sudan's problems are concentrated in the SouthWest. We did not want to go to these dangerous places just to say we had been there but our goal is to arrive in Capetown in one piece. With a disability driving to the Coast in the UK is enough of a marathon.

The route was researched discussed, debated and so on. In January 2000 the relationship between Sudan and Egypt warmed, the Border between Aswan and Wadi Halfa was officially open (people had been using this route unofficially since 1998).

For me Morocco was a must. Once you have escaped the tourist traps of the North and headed into the Mountains, the magic of the country can be appreciated. We were invited by Trailmasters to join one of their supported tours for two weeks. We also hope to build a lasting relationship between Trailmasters and the Cheshire home in Meknes during this time. A supported trip into the desert was a huge bonus. We have a newly adapted vehicle with very little off-road mileage; Morocco is to be our first experience fully laden in the wilderness. With the support of Trailmasters there will be a fully equipped 12-ton lorry in attendance - peace of mind.

Where to next? Algeria is still a no go zone in the North which would be our natural route to Egypt, so we are faced with hopping back into Europe for a quick slog round through Spain, France, Italy and Greece to Turkey.

From here we head South to Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and then into the relative civilisation of East and Southern Africa. At this point the route South looks fairly straight forward, but then Zimbabwe has flared up so a provisional diversion has been made through Botswana and Namibia. We hope the troubles in Zimbabwe will not spread. We are flexible and have tried not to be too rigid in our route and timings - who knows what might happen on the road. Watch this space and keep up to date as we progress.

You can download an Excel spreadsheet of our Itinerary here. [Itinerary_03_05_00.xls]

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