Trans Africa Overland

Tour Details 

What is included

Casablanca & Marrakech
Todra Gorge
Royal Cities of Meknes and Fez
Volubilis Roman ruins & the High Atlas Mountains
Forests of Equatorial Africa
Niger River
Ghana slave coast & Voodoo markets
Niger River
Etosha National Park
Cheetah Park & Cape Cross Seal Colony
Sossusvlei & Fish River Canyon
Victoria Falls
Lake Malawi
Mikumi National Park
Lake Baringo
Nile River in Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt
Lake Naivasha
Northern Frontier District in Kenya
Lake Nasser Ferry & the Ferry across the Red Sea
Damascus & Aleppo
Cappadocia Region of Turkey
Turkish Coast & Gallipoli
Istanbul

Road tolls & taxes
All transport whilst on tour
Use of comprehensive cooking and camping equipment – tents on board
Campsite fees
Services of  professional crew
The main sites listed in the trip dossier
Food – 2 meals a day whilst on the truck

What is not included

International flight transfers and taxes
Pre and Post tour Accommodation (can be arranged at time of booking)
Lunches & meals out
Items listed in ‘Optional activities’ section
Items of a personal nature & spending money
Travel Insurance and Visas
Local Tour Payment

Local Tour Payment:

Payable in £ Pounds Sterling cash but you can pay in $US dollars or Euros cash at the current cross exchange rate on date of departure, check with the driver for the rate. Please pay this to the driver on departure. Traveler’s Cheques, cards or other forms of payment are not accepted. The tour cost and local payment includes transport in a fully equipped expedition vehicle, road taxes and tolls, services of the driver-leader, use of camping and cooking equipment, campsite fees, entrance to game parks as specified and two meals a day while on the truck. So in towns or places where the vehicle will be parked up, although the kitchen will be available for you to cook with, food during this time will not come out of the Local Payment. Generally at lunchtimes we eat at small cafes or restaurants where you can try cheap and tasty local food. If no local food is available we eat on the truck. 

We require the local payment as we are unable to reliably transfer foreign currency required to operate the tour. It is for this reason that we ask for a part of your tour payment to be paid on the first day, directly to your driver. The Local Payment is not a Food Kitty. Whilst it does pay for the food as per itinerary, it also covers; camping accommodation cost, local tolls and taxes and other payments required to make the tour run successfully. It is administered by the driver/guide and is not refundable. All Local Payment amounts are subject to change without notice. Changes are very rare and are normally due to a sudden or unexpected price increase by a local service provider or National Park. Although the LP is better for the Driver in USD, with the ever fluctuating exchange rates we feel it is fairer to advertise in Pounds as it is a far more stable amount. We can then worry about the exchange rate rather than you.

Optional side trips 

There are MANY optional activities and side trips available on the Trans Africa tours. Please refer to the Optional Activities page for a comprehensive list.

We see the Gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda or DR Congo. The Gorilla Permits are payable on the spot and can only be paid in US dollars cash. The cost of the permit is approx $400-500 payable directly to the Park Authorities. There is also a small charge to get up to the Gorilla viewing area. The price of the Gorilla permits often changes without notice. Seeing the Gorillas may involve you having to get extra visas on the borders. This changes with each trip and each different place or country we see them. The permit only allows you the chance to see them however we have managed to see the Gorillas every time in the last five years.

These Trans Africa Expedition are different from other departures and other holidays you may have taken – you go through areas where no tourists go, the roads can be bad, food can be limited to what is stocked on the truck, campsites are few and basic, visas can be hard to get and communication to the outside world limited or unavailable at times.

What is guaranteed; you’ll break down, that you will have to wait some where you don’t really want to be for visas, spare parts or just for someone to open a closed road and you’ll have to dig the truck out of mud and sand.

The trip might overrun so finish late; the route can change due to rains, closed roads visa issues, breakdowns and politics. It’s best not to book your return flights home until you finish the trip.

To join this trip you need to be prepared to work as part of a team and to share with the others on the trip. Some of the things you’ll never forget are the satisfaction of getting a 16 ton truck unstuck, cooking over open fires after collecting the firewood, pitching a tent and getting it right even when it rains, going to sleep when its dark and waking at dawn and wanting to get out of your sleeping bag to start another day in which you have no idea of what will happen, washing in rivers, not washing and not caring that your dirty, living out side for months, seeing more than you have ever before, trying to learn French, Arabic or Swahili and having people understand what you say, finding out just how far places are away from where you started and how different places can be and how unaffected out of the way places are from the world we normally live in. 

Camping
Tents are provided and all have sewn in floors and mosquito netting. You will need to bring a sleeping bag (be prepared for some cold nights) & sleep sheet. Get a cheap mosquito net in Africa if you want to sleep outside of your tent. If you start your trip in Nairobi or South Africa you can buy camping gear at the local department stores. All campsites have good ablution facilities & bars, and some have restaurants, shops and internet facilities. About half the campsites have upgrades to hut or cabins for an extra charge. 

Participation
Participation is essential. A successful and smooth tour depends very much on everyone taking part in the duties that arise i.e. cooking, vehicle cleaning and food shopping. With this in mind your crew will organize groups on a rotating roster. The most successful tours are those where everyone becomes involved as much as possible. These are not luxury tours, so join in! In the end the more you put in the more you get out.

Group Size
The average number of passengers on an Africa tour is normally between 12 - 18, with a maximum of 26 and minimum of 8. 

Money + Spending Money

As a general rule US$ are the easiest to change anywhere and travelers cheques are hard to change. Credit cards are good to have for withdrawing cash but can be problematical.

Travelers cheques:  while keeping your money safe are often hard to change.

They are only easy to change in;
a) Morocco
b) Southern Africa (Namibia. South Africa, Botswana and Zambia
c) Turkey and Egypt

They are harder to change but changeable in;
a) East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda)
b) Syria and Jordan

They are difficult to change in;
a) Sudan
b) Ethiopia
c) West Africa south of Morocco to Angola

Currency - It is easier if you have cash in US Dollars or Euros. US Dollars are accepted everywhere. Bring US$ cash in new notes from year 2000 onwards. The bigger notes US$50 and $100 give you a better rate of exchange.

To travel safely but with some inconvenience It is best to carry a third each of:

(1) Euros for west Africa,
(2) US$ for everywhere else,
(3) some money either in US$ travellers cheques or on your credit/debit card

The Euro Zone in West Africa includes; Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Cameroun, Gabon and Congo. Here the local Franc is directly linked to the Euro making it the best currency to have.

For general spending: $15 - $45 a day is a good start, excluding side trips. Depending on how much you drink, eat out and the souvenirs you buy.

Credit/debit cards - bring at least two to five credit/debit cards as they can be rejected by the cash machine. Tell your bank before you travel to stop them blocking your card. In East and Southern Africa ATM machines are available about every three days. Visa credit and debit cards are better than MasterCard/American Express/ Maestro/Cirrus for acceptability.

If coming from the UK don't bring Scottish money.

Security in general - Take a money belt that fits under your shirt. Do not wear a bum bag around your waist, or a money belt that hangs from your neck. In certain problem areas a passenger roster will be drawn up to guard the vehicle during the day. Don’t take non essential items of value. If you lose your passport or travelers cheques it is not always possible for the expedition to wait for you. We take no responsibility for such or for any belongings

On most borders you can change excess left over currency for the next country's money.

Money Gram and Western Union - If you’re concerned about carrying cash and knowing the pain travelers cheques are to cash get someone to MoneyGram or Western Union funds to you as you travel on your trips. On their websites are the locations of their offices in Africa. MoneyGram International -  moneygram.com or Western Union - westernunion.com

Side trips & optional excursions - Are paid for on the spot. All side trip prices are approximate and can change without notice.  

Equipment

Discman/iPods/MP3's & CD's - An amplifier is provided in the rear of the truck for you to plug your Discmans/i-Pods into. Although the amp is powered off the truck, your Discman/iPod isn't, so bring along extra batteries.

Photography - African authorities require that tourists do not take pictures of airports, railway stations or military installations. We are often in areas where locals are not used to being photographed and we ask you to show them every respect and courtesy.

Your Electrical Equipment – Mobiles, Cameras, Laptops - In most camps you can charge from the mains, so bring a travel adaptor plug, as outlet power points are mostly UK and Euro types. Most countries run on 220/240 volts. To increase your battery time get a spare battery.

Mobile Phone – your phone can work abroad if you have roam facility.  Coverage is good but incoming calls cost a lot. You can generally buy a local number in each country we visit.

Maps - To have your own map to follow the trip, for Southern Africa - Michelin map 955, West Africa - Michelin 953 and for North East Africa - Michelin 954.

Deposit and balance & Insurance - Once you are booked, your deposit and balance (within two months of trip departure) is non refundable. Insure yourself when you book for the full time your away. You must have travel insurance. We only carry passengers on the understanding that, in most African countries through which we travel no passenger or vehicle liability is available. Take out insurance when you pay your deposit for the tour or for flights so that you are covered for cancellation and bring your policy. If you travel without insurance and you have a problem you could incur massive bills.

Inoculations - You have to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever and will need an International Vaccination Certificate to prove this when we cross borders. It is also advisable to be vaccinated against Typhoid; Rabies; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B; Tetanus; Polio and Meningitis.

If possible start your vaccinations two months, but as late as two weeks before departure. Your doctor can also inoculate. Medical centres travel educated doctors can supply up-to-date medical advice and vaccinate you.

Malaria – There is malaria in the areas we visit. Malaria tablets offer only partial protection against malaria so avoid mosquito bites. Mosquitoes come out in the evening, wear long trouser and sleeves plus socks as mosquitoes tend to bite around the feet and ankles. Use insect repellent containing Deet. The use of repellents and covering up is as effective as the use of tablets, so by coupling both methods you should be malaria free. In Africa buy a can of fly/bug spray to clear your tent.

On the last Trans Africa trip most people used Doxycycline as a malaria preventative. They start Mauritania and stopped in Egypt. In all less than 10% of people got malaria. We don’t know why those people do but they tend to be the ones who drink the most – could be pressure on the liver or that they are out at night not feeling bites. Put on long pants at night, use repellant and fly spray your tents before retiring. Doxycycline is available cheaply in most countries.

In Africa buy a malaria cure – standard medical procedure in malarial zones is if you have a fever of unknown origin is to treat it as malaria first to stop it quickly.

Medical Kits - The trucks carry First Aid kits on board for emergency use only. However, the crew is not entitled to recommend or prescribe any medicine. We advise a health check with your doctor and dentist before you start your journey and that you carry your own medical kit with you.  

For information on the location of your nearest embassy or consulate we recommend the following website: yahoo.com/Government/Embassies_and_Consulates/ . For current updates on visa information you can try the website www.visaproject.com