hi from 2021 to 2022 we did around 80 000km;s, all turkey, all Ukraine, all Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, UAE, Saudi, Jordan, Israel, Greece, Italy & repair stop Salzburg. In mid-Feb we will go the west coast of Africa (ferry Spain to Morocco) to Namibia and then head west to Tanzania/ Kenya. Our rig is a Land Rover defender with a Honda 250 CRF rally on the back. Anyone going our route definitely or if you interested in hopping on/off the CRF would be good to have another set of eyes on the border posts and around the rig. Camping mostly so costs low, let me know if any interest and we can arrange a call. thanks Dean

Remember a picture of a landy with bike recently somewhere

Because of the current Situation on the east route of africa (Carnet/Tip isnt issued in ethiopia (solution: travelling with guide & agency is still not confirmed jet)) - you will see more travellers as usual on the west!

Even if you dont are able to find some travel buddys in front, you will at least be able to find them on the way down!

I wish you a nice planning stage!

Surfy

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About Overlanding, Travelogues, Equipment
Trans-Africa over the west coast

hi dean,
you still in salzburg

jo.ammerer@gmx.at

cheers johann

hi Surfy thanks for that good news, yeah really would be great to be a few: can you recommend an visa application company? we crossing 20 countries and I think we need visas for about 5, uncertain on a few more

I did the transafrica over the west at 2012, so my personal experience about Visas will be outdated. Because of our shorter timeframe of the journey we was able to optain all Visas in front of the trip.

What did let us travel very relaxed, becauce our paperwork was really complete.

I do maintain a list of travellers with websites - who are on the west route of africa, or did it in the past:

https://www.4x4tripping.com/p/linkli...ansafrika.html

There you should find recent experience and documentations. To get in touch with travellers who really did it recently is sometimes better than other sources like social media, where you often not see directly from which year the experience of the writers really is.

Surfy

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About Overlanding, Travelogues, Equipment
Trans-Africa over the west coast

thanks Surfy you are a star, hugely appreciate this, if it is any interest I will post a report from the road, with updated info.

Huge amounts of current info in the Overlanding West Africa and Morocco Facebook Group and lots of members travelling both south and north on the West route.

As with Ethiopia on the east side there are currently issues with Nigeria on the West.

We always handle visas ourselves, and start with the Consulates of the countries involved. Sometimes there is a requirement to obtain a visa from one particular Consulate (e.g., for us, a Botswana visa can be obtained only in Washington DC (and they are unhelpful)). When you look at the requirements, time to obtain, and expiry of entry date and stay length, this may mean planning carefully how, when, and where to obtain visas. There may be visa agencies which are competent to handle this, however I suggest thinking the process through with care.

To have to optain the Visa in your homecountry is not really an issue?

That is what it is.

If Nigeria is the only country on the west, where the travellers had to issued the visa at home, than it is very relaxed compared to other years.

At 2012 we had to complete /pass an interview at the embassy of nigeria, thats was not just getting the paperwork done. Was pretty crazy to hear, that it is really dangerous, that we will get lost and so on.

Usually there is no agency required, you have to get a plan when you plan to visit which country, then you can start to query the embassy`s about how you can optain the visas. Then you can very that informations with other travellers on route - to get an idea.

Depending on your travel speed and visa running time you can optain some visa in front of the trip, others on route (on arrival), and somethimes you had to send your passport home. If you are unlucky you even have to fly home for the visa. Probably you even had to pass an interview for a country like we had to.

It sounds for more work as it really is. Do a approximate time plan for the trip, choose the countrys you like to visit, timeframes per country , check with the embassy (in your homecountry), talk to recent travellers. You can do that in 8 working hours.

Now you can adjust your plans. Check where you had to optain the visa`s in your homecountry, check how long the visas are valid - probably it makes sence to optain them before you start your journeys - and to be there before the visa`s become invalid.

There are some countrys you had to cross, others you can cross - there is no one who "know" the current sitiation for any possible country on the west.

Enjoy the planning stage - it is a part of the trip!

Surfy

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About Overlanding, Travelogues, Equipment
Trans-Africa over the west coast

Footnote to surfys' loquaciousness above:
It is worth remembering that few plans ever survive first contact!
Bonne route

Definitely! 7th Feb it’s a go