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Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Hendi Kaf,
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  #1  
Old 12 Aug 2013
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Anyone else completed westcoast Trans 2013
Hi
We just completed a overland tour from Reykjavik Iceland to Capetown SouthAfrica, we traveled via the west and central Africa.
staring in January and ending in July

When we were on the road, we only came across one other group ( a couple of dutch guys) who were coming the other way

there were a good few people trying to make there way south when we were in Morocco and Senegal, but non of them looked like they carried on ( shipping or turning back)

Also we did hear of another overland truck a couple of months ahead of us, but seeing that its hard to cross the ferry from Brazziville , i dont know if they made it ether...i was asking around and noone had seen them

we were in a old ex army Bedford 4x4.....it may have been slow but it was strong

we went via Morroco, Mauritania, Senegal,Guinea,Ivory coast,Ghana, Togo,Benin,Nigeria,Cameroon,Gabon,Congo,DRC,Angola ,Namibia,SouthAfrica

i cant belive that we are the only people to have made it recently

does anyone know of people who made it without shipping
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  #2  
Old 12 Aug 2013
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I forgot to say
we were www.vikingsacrossafrica.webs

but the site does not have much info from the trip
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  #3  
Old 12 Aug 2013
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You have posted the wrong URL of your trip:

http://vikingsacrossafrica.webs.com/
I had follow your Blog before you had started - i like your idea how you offer that experience in a group (at budget) There was a long time no update - i was not shure if you really had started the trip! I hope you will share your trip and your experiences. I`m shure you had some fun in a such a big group

We was on the way at November 2012 - January 2013. Here is the link to our blog: http://transafrica2012.blogspot.com

There was severall Overlanders on the way at this timeframe. We have collected all Overlanders who wrote a Blog and doing the west-route from 2012 upwards.

Trans-Africa: Gerade Unterwegs...

We meet two of them, the rest we found in the guestbook of the Sleepingcamel, Hippocamp or within Google. Also some guys are currently on their way.

Surfy
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  #4  
Old 12 Aug 2013
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hi
this is our site sorry i had the wrong url

http://www.vikingsacrossafrica.webs.com/

sorry i did not update the site ever....but i was trying to fix visas for 17 people totaly and fix the truck...and a bunch of other things that comes along with being the tour leader of a big group...i think i was online maybe only one every month...and then i only checked the news and the hubb

our fb page is
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vikin...39299959447052

but that did not get updated very much eather

the best page to look at would be one person on the groups blog....its a very good blog with tons of photos and in english and italian its

Kolmanskop, Namibia ghost town

its a real good blog
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  #5  
Old 12 Aug 2013
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In big millys in ghana, there were a couple of RSA girls who crossed the N1 in DRC.. lumbashi to kinshasa .i got a lot of respect for them...but i never got to meet them....but there seems be be almost no overlanders who did the west coast in 2013...just 2012....i keep looking to see any who made it

in the hippocamp the guest books last entry was a couple of months before we arrived....but its still a great and valubule book tons of info, especaly from people who were coming north....good info about the Boko back road to DRC , i think it took us 3 or 4 prity rough days........i love the old frounter marker on the road that says Belgian congo/ french congo
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Old 12 Aug 2013
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Thank you much for the MyfirstImpression Blog! That will feed my "hunger"

On the Blogpost linked in my Post above are 6 individual Overlanders who are writing a blog - and are on the way at 2013. This list isnt complete - but i`m working on.

There are severall more on the way - i know two of them - but they just wrote some "threads" in smaller language specific communitys.

Surfy
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  #7  
Old 12 Aug 2013
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ive just been trying to read a bit about the spanish guy on the bmw bike...how the hell did he make it to togo from spain in 1 week....we were 3 months...well i gess it works going fast if you already have the angola and nigerian visa...good for him

i will check out the others now
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  #8  
Old 12 Aug 2013
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you did some good work with the links about other travelling in 2013....i see atleast 4 other made it this year, and the year is still only halfway

im thinking about organising anouther trans african via the west in January 2015 or if i have energy march 2014...next time im thinking a volvo tgb20 6x6 with 12 passengers

one problem with that is i only sore 2 volvo tgb in all my time there ( and only a few volvo cars), but i believe that there are a few interchangeable parts with landrovers especially the breaks...anyone have any idea about that
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Old 13 Aug 2013
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With a truck you have the chance to carry the needed replacement parts - something we can`t in the small 4x4. Do you really had to fight repairs with a big truck when he is well maintained? To drive down is just arround 20`000 - something what is nothing for such a vehicle.

Did you got stuck with the truck, that you think about an 6x6 - or was your last vehicle also an 6x6?

I guess that not many overlanders write a public blog, when i compare the Informations i had collected or picked up on our trip in Overlander spots like sleeping camel, hippocamp and so on.

To collect all travellers who write a blog is like to look with one eye. But better than nothing. And it is special to read this blogs, specially when you was there at your own *flashback*

You should also look at the posted links about the 2012 started trips - because some of them are still on their way!

Surfy
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Old 13 Aug 2013
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Hi
we atualy did not take much in the way of spare parts....because its a big truck the parts are big aswell, pluse we did not have much spare space as we had passengers and there bags...

but the truth is i knew that we would be able to get the parts out there ( eventualy) so theres not that much need to take stuff along for a bedford as they are still around a bit....not everywere, but they were around....probley on the trip i sore bedfords in half of the countrys we went to ( so parts would always be avilable in the country next door, if they wernt there)

as for the volvo...they are cheap and not too big, but if something breaks ( like the transfer box did on the bedford) i dont know how easy it would be to get a part...i dont imagin the local scrap yard will have much for it.....but if some of the parts are interchangeable with the landrover then it will help a lot
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Old 14 Aug 2013
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glad to see that you made it all the way down successfully!

I and a few others are planning to head down the W. coast in about 6 weeks time - your success in encouraging...

I've never seen a low cost cooperative trip like this - very cool.
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Old 15 Aug 2013
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we did it in 2010/2011 more or less the same route as you but skipped Senegal and went via mali, burkina, togo and benin before turning south again. We avoided Brazzaville and took another route about 50km before, though tough going just after the rainy season it was a good adventure and it was great to arrive in Namibia.

for more of the trip see http://www.across-africa.com
I am now planning the next part from Namibia to Dar es saleem this October, so any one looking to tag along welcome
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Old 16 Aug 2013
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I did it also, although I didn't actually go all the way to Cape Town. Cut across from Namibia to Botswana, Zam, Zim and now Mozambique.
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Old 20 Aug 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Desert Driver View Post
we did it in 2010/2011 more or less the same route [...]
for more of the trip see http://www.across-africa.com
[...]
I like the idea of splitting such a trip in severall steps!

But you had to find really save spots for leaving the car alone for a while - or have to look that the car is pretty cheap...

How did you find the save places for the car?

Surfy
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  #15  
Old 29 Aug 2013
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There were a couple of us in 2013. Guys I met hate blogging. Hahahaha

@Garnaro... Enjoy mate its going to be epic! Loved the West Coast!
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