Hi Guys, Me and mate are leaveing next week to do a trip down to Cape Town, down the west coast and back up the east coast home.

Im taking a garmin unit and wondered if any one had any way points they would like to share for cheap accomidation/campsites especially for Congo, brazzaville, DRC, and Angola. Ive got a map route roughly planned on [url=http://africaorbital.wordpress.com/the-journey/]The journey

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www.africaorbital.wordpress.com F650gs Dakar

Hey Dazz,

There are a few excellent posts with waypoints recently posted here by DRad that would be of use, he is still on his way up the west coast. You may want to see if you can connect with him at some point and swap tales on the road. Ulrich has also set up a very robust way point database of embassies etc. so you may want to research that here as well.

In regards to specifics, in Brazzaville one option is to stay at the Hippocampe who will usually let you sleep in the back room but the food is so good you end up spending that and more. In Luanda, the best option is to camp at the yacht club. In Kinsasha, everyone stays at the mission by the port. In Yaounde, the Presbyterian mission. In Matadi, the Catholic mission.

In general, in larger centers there are religious missions (usually Catholic) that allow people to stay there. Usually cheap and relatively safe. In the country, the small road side villages are typically friendly and safe. Just rock up before nightfall, ask for the head of the village and in broken French ask if you can camp the night. It's usually yes, there is a crowd of kids wacthing your every move and it's an excellent way to meet the locals.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email or pm me, happy to help. Cheers.

Here is somehting for your return trip: Guides

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Dawie du Plessis
www.pictureafrica.org
www.photographersa.co.za

Wow.. Thanks for that. thats all really super usful info. How do you know all this? Have you done the route yourself?
Dazz

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www.africaorbital.wordpress.com F650gs Dakar

Hey Dazz,

Yep, the excellent photos and info by freeflyd shame the rest of us who take out of focus pictures and write very little down.

Another camp spot that will be useful to you is in Abuja where you can camp for free in the back of the Sheraton. You have no doubt read about the visas for Angola and that Abuja is the easiest place to get the transit. I was coming up from the south so the visa dance is a little bit different.

Regarding your route, couple of other small comments is that looks like you will be coming through Franceville from Gabon to Congo-Brazzaville which is fun if a bit sandy on the Congo side. The jungles in Gabon are probably the best preserved on the west coast. You'll stop in Lope, in the national park. In Lope, there is a fancy pants lodge and they have a discount hotel in the village proper where they will let you camp on the lawn out back. Better than the other dingy hotel in town.

When you cross into the DRC, use the Songolo border crossing which is 80km before Matadi. The road across the border from Matadi is in rough shape and should be ridden if you are seeking adventure, otherwise all others take Songolo.

Can't think of any other miscellanous comments other than to recommend that on the way up you drive along east side of Lake Turkhana in northern Kenya. Pretty rugged but a great adventure. Have a great trip.