UK to Capetown,

[IanJ]

Greetings All

I'm trying to find out what route people are travelling through Africa on their way down to Cape Town these days.

From what I'm reading it's either a very expensive and torturous customs experience through Egypt or a dodgy trip down through the west coast with some unfriendly locals. I don't fancy running into these guys.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/afri...23-p543ie.html

The other issue with Egypt I'm having trouble with is finding a ferry into Alexandria from Greece/Turkey. The ferry lines from earlier posts in HU seem to have gone out of business.

So what's everyone doing these days?

IanJ

[7800]

I'm going down the west coast this year, it looks difficult but doable. The difficult sections of previous travels are some of my fondest memories.

[IanJ]

Greetings Paul

I think the trip just got more difficult

https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...o-close-100729


Regards


Ian J

[Flipflop]

https://ukgser.com/forums/showthread...=Gael+warnings

https://ukgser.com/forums/showthread...=Gael+warnings

https://ukgser.com/forums/showthread...=Gael+warnings

Fill your adventure boots

[Surfy]

https://www.4x4tripping.com/2020/03/...-ostroute.html

You can use the landway and the taba border... For shure, this was bevore corona - but maybe helpful for planning "after" the lockdown isssue

Surfy

[Chris Scott]

Hi IanJ,
for a moment I wondered what 'unfriendly locals' you meant, then I realised it was the jihadist threat (ironically, far from locals) which moved out of the Sahara into the Sahel years ago and whose hotspots are well known: northern Burkina, central-north Mali and northwestern Niger.

All those places are easily avoided. One Italian pushbiker who deliberately entered the risky area near Timbuktu a few years ago and disappeared was recently found to be a hostage.

Yes, occasionally abductions and worse have happened south of there, so overlanders now play it safe and stick to the Gulf of Guinea coast from Ivory Coast or even Guinea east to Nigeria and down the west side: Cam > [Gabon] > Congo Brazza > DRC > Angola.

Any Med ferry from Alex stopped years ago and was a PITA at the best of times.
So simply ferry from Sinai to Jordan, then Israel and freight ferry (you fly) out to Greece.
Or you can dodge Egypt and go Sudan-Saudi, Jordan, Is etc... I think that's what Flipflop's links refer to.

Despite what you may read, your borders east or west side will be made immeasurebly easier with a CDP.

[lifes-a-twisty road]

Ian,

I have just come back from riding South to North up the middle and East side of Africa - some of it is relevant both ways. Everything South of Nairobi is straightforward bearing in mind TIA (THIS IS AFRICA). Ethiopia was a bit more difficult but beautiful, Sudan is backwards and Egypt well - a mess. But all doable.

Consolidated Freight Services Alexandria freighted our bikes to Istanbul for $1000 each! ouch!
you need an invitation to get a Sudanese Visa which is available from George at the Acropole Hotel Khartoum (on receipt of a deposit on a room - good place to stay).
You have 2 choices to get from South Egypt to Sudan- West of the Nile Via Argeen (a new road but no facilities) or East of the Nile via Wadi Halfa. We took the West and there was no fuel for long stretches.
The Egyptian police might give you an escort between check points because they are "protecting" you - it is a farce but humour them.
When you find fuel in Sudan it was 12.6 pence a litre - We filled our bikes for £3.24! Result.
Accommodation is mixed but expect in Sudan to pay $30 for a twin room with no bedding no towels, no hot water and no aircon. We had sleeping bags and camping food.
I will answer any questions if I can.
Phil

[Chris Scott]

Thanks for the update, Phil.
I take it Egyptian cops don't charge you for the escorting?
$1000 to fly the bikes to Istanbul is actually a pretty good deal, assuming it did not require a series of flaming hoops to dive through.
Looks like you went forward more than 2 spaces ;-)