Hi, I am the guy who recently crossed CAR in my camper, as Chris pointed out. I mainly chose the CAR route to get from West to East Africa because I have already travelled a lot in DR Congo and wanted a different route to take. However, the security in the North and East of DR Congo was also a big factor. It would certainly not be do-able in my large camper as it would attract far too much attention, whereas a bicycle wouldn't - it's how the locals get about in those regions, usually carrying 20l containers of oil for 100s of km to sell for a few dollars. It would still be a journey to be cautious on, if you were to do it on a bicycle.

Regarding roads, in these areas, you may as well forget about them. They will be in a hideous condition, often almost completely washed away, and what is left will be very rutted, often a few metres deep, with huge potholes etc. It will become an endurance of how far you can push the bike, not ride it. For me, when I was in the area, it was more a case of where can I get my car (I was in a 4x4 at the time) onto another barge to get to the next place? You can get a barge from CAR or Zongo down towards Kinshasa, maybe you can get off at Bolobo? and get another one towards Kisingani. It will not be cheap though and anything but regularly scheduled.

I would think that the trans-CAR route would be physically do-able on the bicycle, but I would certainly not do it and expect to have it at the end of the route. I am quite certain that it would be stolen, and all of your possesions would be too, not being locked away etc. IF you were to put human factor aside, it is a great route to take, and Southern Sudan is also a very nice place to pass through, although the roads are not that great.

Regarding the Chad-Sudan, Darfur West/East crossing, I know of a German couple who did this in the early 2000s in their MAN camper without any major problems. The Darfur region has settled down a bit now, but speaking to people recently in South Sudan, locals and NGOs, it may not be like that for too long. With South Sudan voting in a referendum for its possible independence next week, if they win it, it is likely the people in Darfur will want to too. Aparently this could destabalise the region, as the Khartoum government are not likely to favour the idea of giving independence to the people they have persecuted for a long time etc. So watch that space, the window will possibly close sooner than would be convenient for us non native African travellers.

Hope I have not rambled on for too long and that I have made a few things clear regarding the central african crossing routes. Just incase my prose it unclear, I will summarise the options:

1. Chad-Sudan (Darfur):
+Open at the moment, as stable as it is going to get.
+Could become less secure soon due to independence struggle
+I know that getting a Sudan visa for arrival by land, in NDjamena can
be difficult.

2. CAR-Sudan-Uganda:
+Probably the best bet at the moment, despite difficulties.
+A lot of corruption in CAR, be very cautious - you will probably
be ripped off a lot.
+Roads are poor, but better than a lot in other parts of Africa.

3. CAR-North/East DR Congo:
+Very poor/unpassable roads to navigate, masive ruts and potholes.
+Will probably have to use ferry barges to complete a route going from
Zongo to Kisingani, via Kinshasa probably.
+ Very expensive option.

4. Crossing DR Congo to Zambia:
+ A Belgian couple did this in a Toyota Landcruiser not too long back:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...kinshasa-53285
+ I imagine it will be very hard on a bicycle too, as it will be mostly
pushing it (as the locals do).
+Alternatively you could enter DR Congo from North Uganda and
bypass Kinshasa, roads will be poor, and I did it abour 15 yrs back
so cannot give recent info on this option.

THE MAP I HAVE ATTATCHED SHOWS THE ROUTES I BELIEVE TO BE POSSIBLE TO CROSS AFRICA EAST-WEST (OR V.V.). IT SHOWS THEM IN EASIEST TO HARDEST (GREEN, EASIEST - ORANGE, MEDIUM - RED, HARDEST). THE DOTTED LINE IN DR CONGO REPRESENTS RIVER BARGE TRAVEL. FULL LINES REPRESENT ROAD TRAVEL. THIS MAP IS ONLY AS THE ROUTES STAND AT THE MOMENT IN MY OPINION.

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