Africa Overland
plus a return route through Asia - 4x4· Motorbike· Bicycle· Truck
by Sian Pritchard-Jones and Bob Gibbons£16.99 £15.29
Africa Overland Travel Guide – expert travel information and advice including overland routes, vehicle selection, organised tours, guides to over 50 countries, wildlife hotspots, safety and visas. Also featuring comprehensive maps, national parks and game reserves, accommodation, eating and drinking and public transport.
Edition: 7
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About this book
Bradt’s Africa Overland is the result of over 40 years’ experience on the roads of Africa, Asia and South America, combining everything you need to know about the Africa with all the practical advice needed for tackling long-distance journeys under often challenging conditions, be it by 4X4 or public transport. A massive amount of background detail is included, from suggested routes for reaching Africa – including via Asia or Saudi Arabia – to selecting and shipping your vehicle, budgeting, equipment and spares, organised tours, public transport, red tape and heaps of information about issues likely to arise on the road: driving and recovery techniques, maintenance, motorbike driving, bureaucracy, borders and police checks.
This new, fully updated edition covers over 50 countries, as well as offering a focus on aspects such as geography, vegetation and climate, natural history and conservation, cultural interaction, religion and festivals. There’s lots of guidance about where to find all the latest information both before you depart and while you’re on the road, plus a guide to countries on the return route through Asia and Europe: India, Nepal, China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and Poland. African highlights include the Atlas Mountains and Sahara fringes in Morocco, desert expeditions in Chad, River Nile culture in Egypt and Sudan, the equatorial rain forests of central Africa, East African game parks, and Victoria Falls on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border. In southern Africa, there’s Angola, the Namibian desert, and the Cape and diverse coastline of South Africa.
As the authors say: ‘Africa is addictive. It is also changing fast, but a trip now will still be a revelation.’
About the Author
Both born in Britain, Sia^n and Bob met in Kashmir in 1983. Bob’s overland adventures began in an ancient (1949) Land Rover, which he drove from England to Kathmandu in 1974. Working as an overland driver, he travelled around Asia, Africa and South America, driving trucks as well as decrepit old buses in India and Nepal. Sia^n worked in computer programming and systems analysis for far too long, until overland travel and the Himalayas captivated her on a trip to Nepal in 1982. Since then, they have led/organised treks in the Alps, Nepal and the Sahara, driven their overland bus with ageing clients to Nepal, and crossed Africa six times in their own 1983-vintage Land Rover.
More recently, when Saudi Arabia opened its doors to tourism with easily obtained e-visas, they flew in, hired a small car and set off overland around this vast desert country. It is their hope to return there one day after the Coronavirus crisis with the same old Land Rover!
Reviews
‘Africa Overland is not only a travel guide: it is also a key that would-be Africa hands can use to unlock their dreams’
South Africa Sunday Times
Additional Information
Table of ContentsPART ONE BEFORE YOU LEAVE 1
Chapter 1 The Basics 3
The budget 4, Route planning 6, Shipping your
vehicle 13, Starting a trip from South Africa 14,
Planning a motorbike trip 16, Planning a bicycle trip 16
Chapter 2 Overland Routes 21
Getting to Africa 21, African routes 23, Suggested
itineraries 50, Out of Africa – the Asian option 52
Chapter 3 Vehicle Selection and Preparation 61
Selecting your vehicle 61, Vehicle preparation 67,
Vehicle equipment 76, Spares and tools 84, Suppliers
and useful contacts 88, Motorbike selection 88,
Motorbike preparation 91, Bicycle selection and
preparation 96
Chapter 4 Organised Tours and Public Transport 111
The routes 112, What to expect 114, Choosing a tour 115,
Other options 116, Overland operators 117
Chapter 5 Practicalities 119
Red tape 119, Embassies and consulates 124, Money 125,
Health 125, Security 137, Women drivers and travellers 138,
Travelling with children 140, Accommodation 142, Post
and telecommunications 143
PART TWO ON THE ROAD 145
Chapter 6 Your Vehicle 146
Driving techniques 146, Recovery techniques 150,
Maintenance, breakdowns and repairs 151, Motorbike
driving hints and repairs 164, Bicycle troubleshooting 166
Chapter 7 Day-to-Day Issues 167
Bureaucracy 167, Borders and police checks 168,
Visas 169, Money 171, Where to stay 172, Eating and
drinking 175, Shopping 180 PART THREE THE GUIDE 181
Chapter 8 Background 182
Geography, vegetation and climate 182, Natural history
and conservation 182, History 183, People 188, Cultural
interaction and respect 189, Religion 189, Festivals 191,
Arts and entertainment 192, Travelling positively 197
Chapter 9 A-Z Africa Country Guide 203
Which country? 203, Notes on this part of the guide 203,
Algeria 206, Angola 208, Benin 211, Botswana 213,
Burkina Faso 216, Burundi 218, Cameroon 219, Central
African Republic (CAR) 221, Chad 223, Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) 226, Republic of
Congo 229, Djibouti 231, Egypt 233, Equatorial
Guinea 236, Eritrea 237, Eswatini (Swaziland) 239,
Ethiopia 241, Gabon 244, The Gambia 246, Ghana 248,
Guinea 250, Guinea Bissau 253, Ivory Coast (Cote
d’Ivoire) 255, Kenya 256, Lesotho 260, Liberia 262,
Libya 264, Malawi 266, Mali 268, Mauritania 273,
Morocco 276, Mozambique 280, Namibia 283,
Niger 287, Nigeria 290, Rwanda 292, Senegal 295,
Sierra Leone 298, Somalia 301, Somaliland 302, South
Africa 304, South Sudan 308, Sudan 310, Tanzania 313,
Togo 319, Tunisia 320, Uganda 322, Western Sahara 326,
Zambia 329, Zimbabwe 333
Chapter 10 Guide to Countries on the Return Route via Asia 337
India 337, Nepal 339, China 340, Kazakhstan 343,
Russia 344, Ukraine 346, Poland 347
Appendix 1 Language 348
Appendix 2 Personal Details 352
Appendix 3 Checklist 353
Appendix 4 Visa Requirements at a Glance 366
Appendix 5 Further Information 368
Index 374
Index of Advertisers 380