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Africa - East vs West Africa - East vs West
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  #1  
Old 11 Dec 2007
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Africa - East vs West
Hi All,

Is anybody out there that has travelled through Africa on both the East-and West sides. If so, which would be the best route to take leaving from the UK?

T-Rex
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  #2  
Old 11 Dec 2007
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Well I did the east route going up and its fine , interesting , relatively safe and exciting.

I know another Irish guy who did the west route going down, his name is Hugh Bergin and i think his web site is Kilkenny to Cape Town

if I have have the wrong address you can google it and find it.

Gary
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  #3  
Old 11 Dec 2007
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Thank you for your reply Gary, I want to weigh up the pros and cons of both routes to make the most of the trip. Were there any highlights or problems on your trip worth mentioning?



Tyrone
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  #4  
Old 12 Dec 2007
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west route, then along to Chad and a flight (with bike) to Ethiopia, then south. Erm, f*ing expensive flight. Also f*ing expensive having a 'crate' made for the motos, but what can you do...? it was into rainy season. Sudan?
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  #5  
Old 17 Dec 2007
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Also, I would like to hear of your thoughts regarding Carnet costs. As I understand it, going down the west side of Africa, the highest duty paid is 150%, making the insurance premium for it a few hundred £££'s, or even affordable to tie the cash up in the bank if need be, and going down the east side it's 800% in Egypt, which pushes the insurance premium for the Carnet into thousands £££'s, which is alot of travel money I think!!
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  #6  
Old 17 Dec 2007
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east or west
Why not do both.

We did it index in 2003 to 2005 .

Depends what you want. East is easier and if you want to see wild animals then this is the side. plus more overlanders here

If you want real africa, mud, rain forest, desert and lots and lots of fun then West.

Its impossible to answer which is best........both are excellent and both togther will blow you away. cheers DuKs
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  #7  
Old 17 Dec 2007
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carnet
Sorry one more thing. If you are british then use the insurance indemnity through Davis Insurers (ask RAC ) 2 years in Africa cost us in total 600 pounds of which we got 500 back i.e. 250 for the returned carnet and 50% of the premium each year

Ciao
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  #8  
Old 17 Dec 2007
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east v west
ive done both and they are different totally depends on what turns you on...have a read of the website and ask any questions you want

regrads

jeff watts

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  #9  
Old 17 Dec 2007
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Talking east / west
Hi T,

We did both sides, going down on the west, going up in the east. Both are interesting from totally different angles. Going down the west has more the pioneering feeling about it. If you read the foreign offices reports about the Congo's and Angola about Ebola, Rebels, lack of infrastructure etc, nobody in their right mind would go there but its not like that normally

As a matter of fact, people on the West side were not different from those on the East side. They were equally friendly and curious. Police was ok everywhere (except for Cameroon) and in Congo even downright helpfull!! On the west there are no campings, few hotels and hardly any touristy stuff except maybe Gabon but lots and lots of atmosphere!! You can stay at Missions which adds to the atmosphere too. For me this part of our journey has the most intense memories. And even now, if I think about this part of the trip a big smile apears on my face! If you are not scared about the prospect of going down the west, do it. If you have the chance, do both!

If you want to have a look at both sides, take a look at my website and the DVD I sell which shows you both routes!

Cheers,
Noel
exploreafrica.web-log.nl
Last edited by noel di pietro; 17 Dec 2007 at 20:52.
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  #10  
Old 19 Dec 2007
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Hi Everyone,

First of all, thanks to you who have taken time to read and respond to this thread. It would be fantastic to be able to experience the whole Africa on both sides, but unfortunately, job, time, money, etc, bla-bla-bla all place their limitations on my travels. Maybe later though, 'Inshalah'
I have been thinking about this trip down Africa for some time now, and always planned it going down the east route, but a few things have made me consider the west recently, e.g, more travel through desert areas, it seems more lively and colourful, cheaper carnet costs, cheaper ferry into morocco, don't need guides like in Libya, don't have to deal with the hassels of getting into/ out of Egypt. I'm sure the west route also has it's niggles, but for some reason I think it has more to offer. Not that I'm one to judge as I've never experienced either yet, which is why I'm on this wonderful site, trying to pick everyones brains!!! So please, keep your ideas, advice, thoughts and everything else you feel like saying, coming to this thread.

Many thanks

Tyrone

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  #11  
Old 23 Dec 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by duksjourney View Post
Sorry one more thing. If you are british then use the insurance indemnity through Davis Insurers (ask RAC ) 2 years in Africa cost us in total 600 pounds of which we got 500 back i.e. 250 for the returned carnet and 50% of the premium each year

Ciao
Hey there, what you're saying sounds extremely interesting....do you think it's available for non-British European citizens (in my case Italian)? Also, what vehicle was it for?


cheers,


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  #12  
Old 5 Jan 2008
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Smile Mozambique in 2008
Hi all
We would like to visit Mozambique, two up on 1200 GS. Need info on when to go, leave Cape Town with bike on the train, get there rested, where to go from there? What to take? Who wants to come? Vixen
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  #13  
Old 16 Jan 2008
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Hi T
when are you planning on going, and what bike
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  #14  
Old 16 Jan 2008
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Hi Pockey,

If all goes well, I'll leave around Christmas time, and if it doesn't, I'll leave October '09. I'm on a '05 650GS Dakar.

Tyrone
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