Hi OverLanders
As desert virgins... we've got many questions. A girl friend and I plan on driving down to Nigeria (London – Lagos). As we’ve never done such a trip before we need loads of advice and tips to survive.

Advisable Route:
1. Route 1: straight through the Sahara: Morocco – Algeria – Niger – Nigeria (considering I plan on using a 2 wheel drive Peugeot 505)
2. Route 2: across the North/West African coast avoiding the conflicts areas in West Africa: Morocco – Mauritania? – Mali – Burkina Faso - Benin – Nigeria
3. Is GPS equipment absolutely necessary or is it possible to get by with road maps only?

Vehicle:
1. Peugeot 505 saloon, 4 or 6 Cylinder?
2. Diesel or Petrol?
3. Is an Automatic transmission ok?
4. Injector or Carburettor?

When:
Which is a better time, December 2003 or February 2004?

Visa:
Is it possible to apply and obtain all the necessary visas before leaving Europe or is it advisable to do this as we pass through each country?

Miscellaneous:
1. Excluding the Vehicle, approximately how much is a reasonable amount to budget for? i.e: fuel, food, visa, GPS, express fees (bribery), sleeping bags, tents, sand ladders etc.
2. Approximately how much time (days) should we plan for either route?
3. We’ll be flying back to Europe.

Do pardon me if I have overlooked some other important questions, and sounded ignorant of what I plan on putting myself through. Looking forward to your responses. Thanks in advance.

Novices Tunde/Germany and Morinade/London