London to Capetown October-ish 2015
 

I'm currently planning a trip from London to Cape Town, keen to start in October but could postpone for a short period if the right person/people are keen to join.

At the moment I'm leaning towards going the eastern route through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and beyond. I potentially have a friend who lives in Kenya joining for the last half half and someone else in Addis Ababa is also interested. I speak a bit of basic Swahili and hoping to be better by the start of the trip.

I'd love to take a route down the Western side but I'm apprehensive about doing that route solo.

I'm thinking of doing the trip on a DRZ-400. I'm 26 and fairly easy going. I've learnt basic repair skills on a 3 month course and hoping to have another three months of learning under my belt by the time I leave.

If you're interested (for part or all of the route) or know anyone who might be please let me know!

Jimmy


EDIT:***********************UPDATE**************** **********************

Now settled on doing the Western route, a couple of people are keen to join but we could do with a with a few more interested riders!

Hi Jimmy, I did the Western Route, London to Cape Town solo last year, it was great fun and believe me you wont rely be alone as you will always meet other travellers.
I am going to do the Eastern Route back up to Europe in 2016.
Have you found a way into Egypt from Europe yet, if so please send the info as it seems to be very hard to do.
Cheers
JC

Thanks JC, how long did it take you? Did you have any problems with any of the borders?

Egypt looked pretty tricky, from what I could see most of the ferries from Venice, Cyprus and Crete have all closed down to passengers. Apparently some of the RORO cargo boats will take passengers if you talk to the right people, I've heard that its easier to get a boat into Israel than Egypt. Apparently Israeli customs are happy not to stamp your passport which means you can still get into the various countries that would normally ban you.

Hey Jimmy, I'm starting late September or early October in the other direction -- riding from South Africa to Egypt, then east to the Pamirs, Himalayas and India.

Flying my DR650 from Toronto to Johannesburg on South African Airways (maybe Cape Town, but Jo'burg is less shipping expense).

I have a post here http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...starting-80476

bier

Wow that looks like quite the trip! The more I look into it the more I'm thinking of doing the west coast. I'll probably come to a decision in the next few weeks.

London to Capetown
 

Hello Jimmy,this is a trip ive wanted to do for along time ,my partner has been none to happy about me doing it by myself but with someone else maybe.My partners father lives in South Africa in Pretoria so that was someone to head for .Time scale October could be agood time for me as well anyway would be good to talk regards Richard

Fantastic Richard, I'll send you a private message with my contact details in a minute!

Hello Jimmy,

I too, have wanted for years to ride this ride.

A few basic questions come to mind:

Have you gotten quotes on a carnet for riding through Egypt versus not going through Egypt? I would be curious to what prices you have found, and what value you placed on your bike. I live in the US and the only North American agency, the CAA, no longer sells carnets. The little research I did do on carnets showed Egypt costing far more than most other countries.

My other question is how much time do you intend to devote to this ride?
Sounds like you will be on a small bike, which means slower travels. I would be on a KLR which doesn't exactly inspire high speed riding either, though it can be done if needed.

Would you be camping? Or small cheap hotels?

Thanks and good luck.

Crawford

Hi,

I'm interested. I'm currently in Kyrgyzstan, coming from Japan, heading to Europe and maybe Africa. Will be in Turkey for the month of Sept. I'm currently riding a Yamaha wr250r but am thinking of buying ktm 690 enduro r when i reach germany, which will solve a number of problems e.g. carnet, bigger bike for europe/africa, and back to australia. Yeah, i'm australian....

so, i probably couldnt start until nov2015 or maybe a little later.

what do you guys think? I'm pretty keen to go down west coast and up east coast and didnt want to tackle this alone.

Hi Regie,

Have you ridden a WR250R all across Asia? Kudos to you if you have.

I rented a KTM 690Enduro for a week last September and rode Colorado jeep trails all week. Its a great bike, with a very small gas tank. Would you buy a larger aftermarket tank?

As much as I would love to ride to the pyramids in Egypt, their extreme high cost of a carnet and potential difficulties of getting out of Egypt have me wondering if the west coast might be best. But I would definitely hope to get over to a couple of the big animal parks over on the east side if I do make it to Africa.

My schedule is flexible, as is the route. I stay in cheap hotels as opposed to camping. I`m not keen on loading up the back of my bike 5 feet high with all that extra gear.

I am not ready to commit to anything yet, but am serious about exploring the possibilities, but like you, don't want to tackle that continent alone.

Crawford

Hi Crawford,

Yep, bought the bike in Japan, spent couple months in Japan riding, ferry to Vladivostok, rode to Baikal in a month, south to Mongolia for 2 months, back into Russia, altai region for a month, Kazaskhstan one month, then Kyrgyzstan for the winter. Heading to Tajikistan and Pamir highway 23 May, then Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey.

Awesome bike, did everything I needed it to do, got to many more places where bigger bikes couldn't and still going strong. Would not hesitate to take it to Africa except for the carnet issue - getting a carnet for this bike would tie up a heap of money, whereas, if I have a local bike I may not have to pay the huge deposit. Still not sure about this though, requires further research.

I do like the sound of the KTM - not much heavier than the WR! and 690! woohoo. Also, they seem to get good fuel economy and i think they have good service intervals as well. Not so sure about the valve adjustment etc though, i think every 10000km (wr trumps here - 1st service required 40000km).

Bigger tank? i didnt do it on the wr so cant imagine i would do it for the ktm. Maybe to make the bike lighter if anything? do you know what their tank is made from? I tried the 14lt safari tank on the wr i had in oz and i thought it just made the bike too big! didnt like it, so chose to use collapsable fuel bladders when needed. Might do the same if i buy the ktm.

I havnt done alot of research on africa yet, but i do know egypt poses some logistical problems. Does anybody know of possibilities to ride across nth Libya or Algeria to Tunisia - from there you can get ferry to italy etc?

My accommodation is always a mix. Cheap hotels, homestays, airbnb, couchsurfing, camping etc. I have good lightweight gear and am usually self sufficient, so can camp anywhere e.g. in japan, in the middle of town in the park!

Cheers,
Regie (Karl)

Hi Karl and Crawford,

Crawford:
The Carnet for Egypt is much more than the rest of Africa. I talked to the RAC in the UK and working on the assumption my bike cost £2,000 before I modify it the Carnet works out at roughly £1,600 (£2,000 with all the admin costs) but I get half of it back eventually. I think I'm going to put Egypt on anyway as if I do get to Cape Town I would quite like the option of going up the east coast afterwards.

I'm not going to have any particular time frame, leaving my job so happy to for it to take as long as it takes. Saying that I don't want to take forever as I wouldn't mind tackling something else afterwards.

I'm probably going to be pack a tent but fairly relaxed about where I stay, do you have any idea of hotel costs in that part of the world?


Reggie:

That sounds like an epic trip, would love to join you for both sides of Africa if it works out. Fairly relaxed about timings and November would be fine to set off.

From what I've heard Morocco, Northern Algeria, Northern Tunisia and most of Egypt are safe. The rest of North Africa is pretty bad right now. Libya is certainly off the cards for me as is most of Mali, Niger and Chad.

I'm mainly going on the fco website (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/algeria) and from forum posts.

Come to angola:scooter:

Hi Jimmy,

Same same, my feeling is...if i'm gonna be there i wanna see it, so egypt is in, and yeah, i like to take my time and enjoy the experience to the fullest.

just about to head through remote kyrgyzstan and onto pamir highway. wont have internet alot, but i will try to keep up to date here when possible.

i guess we should work on a route and other logistics. Read somewhere about wet season in congo, but not even sure when this is, and whether it poses any problems (apart from getting wet).

i currently have a friend living in ivory coast, although she might leave in june. Have to wait and see. I also have a friend in oz who has a house in kenya, near uganda border. She has offered it to me and also said her friends can show us the urban slums in nairobi!!! and it looks like we just got an invite to angola - thanks hugoviegas!

....so, dont know much about africa, but always wanted to go to morocco, mali, ethiopia, ghana, eritrea, egypt, zanzibar...cos they sound exotic or i've seen a photo or somethin.

possible timeframe - leave november, want to be back in europe for a wedding (not mine) around july/august 2016. Not even sure how long people generally do this trip down west and up east.

after africa i will probably want to tour europe then head back to oz via south asia or somethin (maybe back thru kyrgyzstan, china, then either pakistan, nepal or laos - used to live in cambodia so done plenty of riding around there all ready).

anyway...good to hear you are keen and maybe we can spark some interest in 1 or 2 more...

cheers,
karl

Howzit chaps this is a bit like internet dating!
 

Wifey's given me the go ahead she's more concerned about 'online dating' than the safari.

My timescale is loosely departing the UK mid/end of December 2015.

I don't really want to do the Egypt bit and have a massive longing for open deserts.
I don't feel that you get the desert experience in Egypt like you do on the West coast side, and end up on sealed roads being hassled from start to finish by bureaucracy having said that politically its now slightly challenged on the west.

I would head down to Tangiers. via the Millau Bridge (I just want to!)

Not sure, will research and have a first and second launch plan to decide at the last minute. Will then change as I listen to the latest outbreak of whatever!

I do want to tick off Timbuktu (I just do!) and would have loved to do the Algerian side.

I have downloaded the colour charts from the FCO for safety warnings on travel in Africa, its amusingly negative, with more red than you would care to imagine.

So my plan is/was- West Coast, skirt around Ebolaville then South into Angola. From there ideal cut across to Mozambique. I would have liked to cross through Sudan into Ethiopia and into Northern Kenya, but that seems unlikely/impossible.

Perhaps an East coast crossing to the West via Angola makes more sense.

Sahara - monumental sand seas
Ethiopian - highlands and the churches, perhaps some trout fishing.
Kenya - Chalbi Desert - Tana - Mombasa
Tanzania - Mozambique not down Malawi West coast.

Riding 660 Yamaha tenere, time budget 3 months. No fixed plan intention to be self sufficient.

Up East Route
 

Hi !

I am going upfrom Cape Town to Germany via the east route.

Send me a private note with you whatsapp contact. I can frward you ongoing news how it is going on the east side.

A friend just did it and had no issues.

Roland

Hi are you busy travelling the East route now ?
I wan to do it in April so would like any info you have.
Thank you

If you guys need any info on West coast of Africa let me know.
Cheers

@ jcgreyling I be interested . doing some planning going solo HJ 60 landcruiser to France and Germany. Thanks for the info.

West Africa
 

Anybody going up the west side as we are leaving in July.:mchappy:
Cheers
Paul

Eastroute Transafrica
 

Hi JC GREYLING,

any info about the east route is quite a wide range of data.

Get preceise with your questions, get in touch with your whatsapp number by private note.

Also have a look at my facebook profile and my web site www.FiveElementsTour.com | Panamericana complete // Transafrica (Cape Town to Stuttgart) coming soon !!!
Tracking (real) – www.FiveElementsTour.com

I hope I cet it up to date before I leave and you can find tha main informatios there.

Roland

Hey photographicsafaris, what a name, but clearly understandable.

I to would love to go Mali, always wanted to visit those dogon villages and timbuktu, but the red on the maps are not doing us any favours. Would you still go?

My timeframe is still flexible, leaving end of 2015 and just want to be back in europe for summer touring and a wedding in germany in august 2016! I will be in germany around october 2015 and at this stage planning to buy a new ktm 690 enduro. Would probably need a month to kit up, run the bike in and tie up loose ends. At the moment travelling with a wr250r but it is doing alot of work. By the time i get to germany it will have done close to 40000km. Will have to decide then if it is right for africa or go with the ktm.

Jimmy, you still interested?

JC Greyling and rolandger - thanks for the offers, i will be firing questions at you guys as the time gets closer.

cheers,
regie

Hey Jimmyha
have been dreaming about west coast trip for a while now.......................only thing is i know nothing about bikes, am just opening up the engine on an xr600 with a (qualified haha) friend to hopefully leave it ready for a trip to morroco and possibly no mans land between morroco and mauritania and/or beyond in early/mid oct,.................. if all works out i shall be free to carry on south so keep me posted, i live in mojacar almeria spain so by all means call in on your way down if i'm around
cheers
ben

Karl (regie)- I'm still very much up for this! I've handed in my notice to quit my job (finish end of September) and there is pretty much nothing that can stop me from doing this.

I spoke to Richard (pig_man) on the phone last week and he sounds like he's completely committed to this trip as well.

A dutch friend of mine has been living in Kenya the last couple of years, he got in touch today to say that he's keen to ride from Cape Town up the east of Africa for the second leg.


wiltrvl4evr- Great to hear that you are interested! Are you committed to those dates or do you have some flexibility?

I think the next stage we need to get to is work out who's keen and get an idea of timings. I can leave from mid-october and I really want to be on road before December. I'm happy to do the European leg early and then slow down/stop in North Africa waiting for people to catch up if that works.

also I feel I should probably be honest here, as a Welshman I'm not actually starting this journey in London.

Just thought I would get more interest with London in the title rather than Cardiff to Cape Town...

hey, havnt had decent internet for a while. Will be in khiva tomorrow and will stay a few days, so will have time for a little research. I am still on track to be in germany in october. Still thinking i will buy a new bike there and wanting to hit the road nov-dec.

cheers,
karl

Reggie sorry for the late response, had a slightly manic couple of weeks. My DRZ got stolen, after a couple of weeks of being used for various crimes and a few smashes its now been recovered but looks like its going to be written off.

Still planning on doing the trip but on a different bike. Probably going to go for a DR350.

How are you getting on? In terms of timings I need to be out of the UK by mid to late November but ideally like to go at the start of the month.

Hey Jimmy,

That's crazy, your bike getting stolen!

No worries about the delay. I have actually been stuck in Aktau, west kazakhstan the last week with a burned-out generator. Waiting on new parts. Should come very soon, last update it was allready in almaty.

So, i am still on track to be in germany at the begining of october. I was hoping to spend some time sorting the new bike and hanging with my family there. Probably couldnt make the begining of november. was Thinking i would leave around end november. Not sure how long the visa is for morocco but i would probably hang there for a while as well, given its one of the safest and accessible countries in that region. Maybe if our timings dont match perfectly we could meet there.

I saw on the t meets t page an overland truck looking for paying customers, and checked their route - have a look and tell me what you think. I still havnt had a chance to get some idea of where i really want to go. I guess i'm gonna have to go shopping at the lonely planet store and read up on 'what's to see'

cheers,
karl

Hi Karl,

Even if we don't set off the same time I'm sure we will meet up at some point. Some people in the group are keen to head off as early as the end of October so we might end up being a bit ahead of you.

When I reach Cape Town I'm thinking of getting on a boat to Tristan da Cunha, the whole trip will probably take about 3 weeks before I'm back on the bike. If I'm still ahead of you when I get to SA that should level the playing field a little!

Jimmy

wow, how many people in the group? have you guys got a rough route and timeframe?

Hey guys,

I'll be on that route starting mid-late September. Good to know you won't be far behind. Wasn't specifically looking for travel partners but we should at least be in touch. Good luck with planning etc! Feel free to PM me, would be nice to be part of your Whatsapp group.

Cheers,
Bevan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi B,
had a look at your mail and got me thinking , although i don't have a bike at the moment am seriously looking to do UK Aus but want to do it with a group however small, last bike was a Harley and did most of Europe and as far sth as Gibraltar, almost decided on a SV 650 or a Tiger in the near future ,, any thoughts on them?:scooter:
is there much paperwork involved?

stay safe Davo

Looks like its going to be three of us (two DR350's and one africa twin), planning on setting off at the start of November.

bbevan and regie I'll drop you both a private message with some more details. Would be good to share information about roads, visas etc whilst on route.

I'm from USA and in Croatia right now. I have a USA plated DR650 and I need a Carnet somehow. I'm a terrible planner and once I have the Carnet might like to intercept this interesting freight train. I've been in Europe since Mid june and want to do a bit of Africa prior to completing a RTW trip. I'm an excellent mechanic, have a good sense of adventure and not a complete pain in the ass.

Right now I'm waiting for parts to split the cases (in the city of Split, strangely) and replace crank (don't ask). I should be mobile Mid October, and hopefully I'll figure out the carnet business by then. I'm also low on Schengen days. WTF. I'll figure this out. . . I usually do.Attachment 16050

Jimmyha im currently traveling down the West Coast Solo and also did it in the wet season. You will be fine. Just dont do it in the wet season!!!! There are reasons why I had to as I hurt myself in the sahara desert in January and had to delay my trip.

Im about to cross DRC from Kinshasa to Lubambashi also solo. If you want to have a look at what your in for you could have a look at my blog page.


https://www.facebook.com/drcanafricanadventure

Regards

Patrick

All going ahead now. Setting off from Portsmouth the first week of November.

Three of us attempting it, and we've all been glued to your facebook page for months! It's been fantastic seeing all your pictures and reading about the adventure (although hoping to avoid being arrested and Malaria!)

Thanks for sharing everything.

Hey you guys, good luck for November. Its a shame it is a little too early for me, otherwise i would love to join (i have ordered my new ktm, but it wont be delivered until december!!! so I am doing some backpacking around turkey iran, armenia and georgia while i wait). I will be in turkey and am currently now contemplating entering via east africa. The options are:

1. ship to cyprus, then egypt
2. ship to israel (i have a quote), then ride to jordan, then either 2a) transit through saudi and take ferry to sudan or, 2b) ship to djibouti
3. ship to israel, then ride to egypt

I want to travel without the carnet, so i think 2/2b are the best options - but gathering reliable information has been pretty difficult. Can any of you shed some light on these options? Do you guys know of any blogs etc where people have actually completed similar trips?

If I am successful we can meet in the middle somewhere and swap some stories/info.

cheers,
regie

Damn, few months to early for me!

Planning the same route as well on an motorcycle, but can´t leave germany before january.

Anyone interested to join? :-)

Well actually...
 

Good news, my bike should arrive earlier than expected, maybe even around 10-12 November. Two weeks to prepare, one week across Turkey, thinkin possibly ride across Greece and take ferry to Venice, ride across Italy and another ferry to Morocco- hmmm maybe arrive Morocco around Christmas or a bit earlier (too difficult going via East Africa first up).

Hey jimmy, if you have a rough route and schedule feel free to pm me with your details. Be good to catch up sometime.

Regie