The top overlanding routes in Africa, according to TNT. Then read what happend when TNT Editor, Daniel Landon, went overlanding through the Serengeti.
Top overlanding routes in Africa
Kenya and Tanzania
Explore the heartland of the famous Masai tribes, and go wildlife spotting at Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park, and Masai Mara Nature Reserve.
Destination guide: Kenya
Victoria Falls to Cape Town
One of the most popular safari routes in Africa, and with good reason. See the mighty Vic Falls, the Kalahari bushmen, and the lush waterways of the Okavango Delta.
Destination guide: South Africa / Destination guide: Zimbabwe
West Africa
Take the road less travelled. Visit Timbuktu and discover the musical culture of Mali.
Rwanda and Uganda
Marvel at gorillas in their natural habitat in the jungle of Rwanda and playful chimps in the forests of Uganda.
Destination guide: Uganda
Insider tips on overlanding through Africa
Intrepid guide Julius Raita Leteele gives us the lowdown.
Your top tip for overlanders?
Be open minded. This is Africa and life is basic; don’t carry too much luggage.
Why do people enjoy trips where they help with cooking and cleaning?
Camping is cheaper, it’s fun and it’s different. Travellers who interact have more cohesion, and can experience the real life of Africa.
Do people get worried about coming close to the wildlife?
I always give them courage. Obey the rules and it becomes an adventure.
Essential information on overlanding in Africa
WHEN TO GO: Travelling in the wet season is possible (March-April and November-December in the Serengeti) but dryer periods are easier.
GETTING THERE: You can fly direct to Nairobi from London.
GETTING AROUND: An organised tour with a reputable company is the best bet. It’s difficult to go overlanding yourself, and there are plenty of dubious local outfits.
VISAS: These vary depending on the country. Check before leaving for Africa.
CURRENCY: US dollars can be easily exchanged into local currency, or used to pay for many goods and services.
GOING OUT: A beer is 80p in Nairobi.
ACCOMMODATION: Campsites in Nairobi cost from £6 a night, while hotels cost from £100.
ESSENTIALS: Pack a headtorch, and a zoom (at least 200mm) if you want decent photos of wildlife. Take precautions for malaria and get inoculated before you go.
Daniel Landon travelled on the eight-day Serengeti Trail Safari with Intrepid Travel (020 3147 7777; intrepidtravel.com), for £545, including guide, driver and cook, meals while on the road, and national park entrance fees. The trip departs year-round. Other Intrepid safaris in Africa are the 22-day Vic Falls to Cape Town through Chobe National Park and Fish River Canyon for £885, and the 16-day Gorillas, Chimps and Game Parks through Kibale Forest National Park and Rwanda, for £730
Overlanding in the Serengeti
“The impromptu Australians v rest of the world soccer match – played on an unforgiving campsite pitch populated by huge piles of animal poo – is delicately poised at four-all. After a long, hot but fascinating drive through the Serengeti National Park to a campsite overlooking the famed Ngorongoro Crater, both teams are blowing off some steam as they chase the winning goal.
But the game is interrupted by a pair of elephants stomping their way out of the bush to munch on some leaves just behind the nearby toilet block. As much as the Aussies want the winning goal, nothing is going to compare to getting up close and personal to an elephant.
As the 18 or so members of the overlanding trip stand in awe at being able to get within 5m (probably too close for comfort) from a pair of the world’s biggest land-based animals – the uniqueness of the situation is lost on no one. You certainly don’t get this type of situation at a campsite back home, nor at one of the many five-star lodges in the African bush where the nearest wildlife is a creepy-crawly in the heated pool.
There are plenty of ways to explore Africa, but unless you’re cashed-up or super intrepid and take your chances on public buses, an organised overland trip is by far the best.
In essence, a dozen to 30 folk are driven around in a big truck (don’t let your driver hear you call it a bus), camping at sites ranging from those with hot water and flushing toilets to limited facilities in the middle of the bush, while each night everyone takes turns to cook, wash up and clean the truck.
So whether it’s wildlife, scenery, the camaraderie of sharing Africa’s highlights with a group of similar travellers or just the rewards of helping out in a DIY adventure, an overland trip is a must-do.
The wildlife
Spotting wildlife is the feature of most overlanding tours. It’s ironic that perhaps one of the most talked about animals on an overlanding trip – along with Africa’s big five (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant) – is the warthog. The moronic-looking animal’s local nickname is ‘pumba’, used in the Lion King movie, which is Swahili for stupid. But given how enchanting it is to see a pair of pumbas maraud the scrub and then trot within 2m of a paranoid lioness ready to pounce at the intruders coming near her two cubs (which are, by the way, the cutest baby animals ever), it’s not only the famed big five that are worth watching.
That said, the big five are pretty damn cool. One evening around the campfire, a dozen or so dark, cow-sized shapes appear 50m away. In the pitch black, we can make out a herd of buffalo, grazing contentedly and adding more piles of poo to our makeshift football pitch. This would be fine, if only buffalo weren’t notorious for being bloody dangerous. Get between one and its calf and you’ll likely end up gored and/or trampled. But luckily, they just munch away as we tourists stare – half in fear and half in wonder.
The scenery
Africa is home to the world’s largest areas of savannah – the name for the endless grassland plains dotted with umbrella-like acacia trees. Even when there’s no wildlife about, bouncing along the dirt tracks through this landscape is thrilling.
Not only is it beautiful in its own right, it’s the landscape that the first direct ancestors of humans lived. It was at the Oldupai Gorge, just outside the Serengeti National Park, that fossils and tools of the earliest members of the Homo species were found, giving the area its name as the ‘Cradle of Mankind’.
The locals
Whether it’s chatting to a guy serving bottles of Kilimanjaro brand beer behind a chilled-out lakeside bar, or bantering with a couple of kids in traditional dress, interacting with the locals is one of the best parts of an overland trip. By contrast, if you’re ensconced in a fancy safari lodge, the only locals you’ll probably meet will be the ones cleaning your room.
One of the most enduring memories for those on my trip is spending a night (sleeping three in a bed in a tiny hut) at a traditional Masai village. While it isn’t the most comfortable night’s rest, it is one heck of an authentic experience.
But perhaps my favourite memory is listening to our guide, Julius, tell tales about his life as a member of the Samburu Masai tribe. For most Westerners, entering adulthood means necking a bottle of bourbon at an 18th birthday party. For Julius, it meant performing the ritual of going into the bush to hunt and then kill a lion – with a spear.
The travellers
While none of those on the tour can boast of anything remotely similar to killing a lion, there is a certain virtuousness that comes from everyone pitching in to make the trip work. The duties aren’t onerous – it’s not much more than putting up and taking down your tent each day, helping to prepare dinner (under the direction of the cook), washing your dishes and being on an evening cleaning roster. But helping out brings those on the overland trip closer together – and undoubtedly makes all the highs of amazing scenery and wildlife that bit more special.”
Now read this: Destination guide: Africa
Words: Daniel Landon
