Trans Africa trip advice needed

[Rampie]

Hi All
I'm wanting to travel up to Kilimanjaro in August. Idea is to spend time at NgoroGoro crater, and coming back at the three great lakes. The family will be along so I have to plan this properly and not take reckless risks. This is where I REALLY need your help. How does one plan a trip like this once the vehicle is sorted??
Where to get information required??
Thanks

[Sakkie]

Will you be going with one vehicle only?

[luangwablondes]

How many days have you allowed for your safari?
What are your main interests- wildlife viewing, Climb Kili, beach time-Zanzibar or Kiliwa, migration-its in Kenya, some challenging offroad or off the beaten track, any tours, see some chimps, ect?
Do you plan on mostly camping, some sort of accomodations, some bush camping?
How many kms do you expect to drive in a day?
Do you want to see some of the sights along the way like in other countries/parks?
Do you have a rough route in mind?

[Rampie]

How many days have you allowed for your safari?
What are your main interests- wildlife viewing, Climb Kili, beach time-Zanzibar or Kiliwa, migration-its in Kenya, some challenging offroad or off the beaten track, any tours, see some chimps, ect?
Do you plan on mostly camping, some sort of accomodations, some bush camping?
How many kms do you expect to drive in a day?
Do you want to see some of the sights along the way like in other countries/parks?
Do you have a rough route in mind?

At this stage I'm on my own hoping to get another two vehicles to join.
I'm looking at a month to 6 weeks. Primary objective is the migration. Secondary are the 3 lakes on the way back.
Dont want to climb Kili but intersted in other sights along the way.
Camping most of the way.
Kms per day once over the border 200 to max 400 depending on conditions. This is going to be a holiday not a race.
Rough route would be to go up the eastern side Moz and so and to come back on a more western route via the lakes.

Cheers

[PierredW]

We did a Tanzania Trip in 2005. Following a description as posted at the time. The trip was done clockwise, first Lake Tanganjika, Lake Victoria, Serengeti, Ngoro Goro, Kilimanjaro, Dar Es Salaam, Lake Malawi. Quite easy except for next to Lake Tanganjika and the Katavi NP where the roads are bad and going was slow plus a few other places like east of the Serengeti. Not heavy 4x4 with your suspension doing the hardest work. I can send you a tracklog (MapSource) if you want it. If you watched the latest Voetspore on Kyknet, there are many places where we were on their route, they only did it the other way around: -

Arrived at home in Pretoria on Friday 22/07/2005 at 19h25 after 30 days and 29 nights.

Our route was as follows: Left Pretoria at 10h00 on 23 June for Tshipise, Beitbridge the next day and up to Chinoyi, Orange Grove Motel. Then to Mana Pools for the night, into Zambia at Chirundu, camped at Eureka 10km before Lusaka. The Monday we did some business in Lusaka and went north, bushcamped in a quarry, then on to Chisimba Falls for the Tuesday night, Wednesday to the Kalambo falls as featured in a WEG magazine. Into Tanzania and bushcamped 20 km inland. On to Kipili on Lake Tanganyika where we met Chris and Louise who are building a lodge for an American investor.

No camping spot and locals all around so we camped at the mission where Chris and Louise lives. The roads in western Tanzania are bad, you can do about 220km from 08h00 to 17h00. From there we went inland through the Katavi NP. Took us 4 days to Lake Victoria with 3 bushcamps in between, lots of Tsetse flies. Through Mwanza to Speke Bay, close to the western gate of the Serengeti. Next day into Serengeti where we saw the tail of the migration with thousands of Wildebeest and Zebra. Camped at Seronera, bad facilities but had a lioness lying 15 meters from where we sat around the fire - no fences of course.

On to Kleins Gate in the north east of the park and down past Lake Natron. One bushcamp and one at Riverside camping. Then to Panorama rest camp close to Ngoro Goro. Next day to Ngoro Goro crater where we spend the day. Late afternoon to Arusha and camped at Masai Campsite, then to Moshi to see Kilimanjaro which was under clouds. Stayed two nights at Honeybeaver camp/lodge, saw the mountain for ten minutes the last morning. Amazing and worth the extra day. From Moshi to the north coast at Pangani where we camped. Over Tanga to Dar Es Salaam with a bushcamp enroute at a Microwave tower. In Dar we stayed at Sunrise Restcamp, beautifull and on the beach.

From Dar we slept in boabab valley, then Mbeya, into Malawi where we slept one night in the north next to the lake and one night more in the south at Livingstonia. Our time was running out so we went back over Lilongwe into Zambia, Lusaka, Harare and back. Eight days from Dar to home.

A very good overview of the countries but we did a 3 month trip in one month. Would like to spend more time at Kili, the lakes and the ocean. Malawi a definite revisit and so for Zim if they can only supply fuel otherwise I will do parts at a time. All quiet relaxed and clean in Zim, people are begging to sell their stuff at very low prices so money is scarce which is the case in all the countries. From Lusaka you need a range of app. 1200 km to reach Messina. Total kilometers was 10700, avg. fuel consumption 8.3 km/l. Minus 40 broke but later in the trip so the fridges of Hennie and Kobie helped us out, 8 punctures on my BF Badrich No Terrain tyres, none for Kobie on Hankook's and one caused by a nail for Hennie on Cooper ST's. The MTR's will be fitted this Saturday. Broke a leaf spring on my OME's and Kobie on a standard old shape Hilux. My aircon fanbelt tensioner pulley broke the 2nd. last day, so no big hassle. Hennie had some brake problems on an IFS Hilux and need to replace drums now. I had to replace the dieselfilter, had a spare ready and Kobie also had a cut out twice on his Hilux 2.8D but managed to get the diesel to flow after sucking and a mouthfull of diesel.

Not a single incident of bribery or a problem at a roadblock or border crossing so all in all a wonderfull adventure.

So many Cruiser Pickups and Troopies in Tanzania it look like almost the only private vehicles there. Medium trucks are Mitsubishi Fuso and large trucks and busses are Scania by far in the majority. Did not see a single TD5 Landy, a couple of TDI's and older petrol models. Hilux very scarce, in Zambia Colt is quite common - saw more of them than Hilux.

Lessions learned: A second fridge, not a combination, will be a good backup and can be used as a refrigerator in place of a coolbox. Keep the vehicle standard, the closest OME agent is in Kinshasa and even back now in RSA, 4x4Megaworld don't have a replacement spring to fix my Colt so I am putting the standard ones back. Standard was no problem to fix in Tanzania and for Cruiser leaf springs and anything else that may go wrong you can get help in every town. Petrol is a no no. I saw one United Nations series 100 GX in petrol all the rest is diesel. Even at pumps you will find 1 pump for petrol, 3 for diesel, 1 for paraffin and none unleaded.

[AndreG]

Hi,
I would suggest that you contact Dave van Graan of Masazane tours. He has done that area a lot and know all the stop over places, costs, advice to safety, roads, tips ,etc. He is a very helpfull guy. His contact details are 082 772 6682 or his wife Jacqui 082 829 5421.
Hope it will help
Andre

[Rampie]

The trip was done clockwise,

That is EXACTLY the trip I'm hoping to do.
Where did you get maps? Did you rely on the GPS only or did you take paper maps also? I've got T4A maps loaded but I think only for SA.

Bakkie is diesel but is heavily modified and has a range of about 1200km on decent roads. In 4x4 its a different story though. Its proven very robust so far, but I'll take the original springs along if there is space.

Was food available along the way, how much should one carry?

Have fun

[Big Hilux]

Give me a call tomorrow on my cell 082 499 1924, my friend Gary Miles has just got back from a trip up there and he can help you our with your questions.
082 499 1924

[Rampie]

Hi,
I would suggest that you contact Dave van Graan of Masazane tours.

Thanks, I'll be doing that.
Regards

[PierredW]

That is EXACTLY the trip I'm hoping to do.
Where did you get maps? Did you rely on the GPS only or did you take paper maps also? I've got T4A maps loaded but I think only for SA.

Bakkie is diesel but is heavily modified and has a range of about 1200km on decent roads. In 4x4 its a different story though. Its proven very robust so far, but I'll take the original springs along if there is space.

Was food available along the way, how much should one carry?

Have fun

T4A is not sufficient for Western Tanzania. Kobie did most of the planning and mainly used old Russian military maps with the Touaratec Quo Vadis package which was available from http://www.africanstuff.co.za/index.html I don't know if they still has the complicated and user unfriendly package. Maps were printed from the package and took with us as well as loaded in the GPS. Also look at what Garmap has available for Tanzania, it is almost 3 years later so one should get more up to date maps. Buy a papermap from CNA as an overview map as well as a Tanzania travelbook.

Diesel is freely available except in Zim. We took all our meat with us so never looked at what was available. In all the bigger towns and cities like Lusaka, Mwanza, Arusha, Dar Es Salaam etc. you will find shops like Spar, Checkers, Shoprite etc. with all the groceries you get here. Local beers are excellent so don't waste space by taking too much from here as well as colddrinks. From Lusaka to Mwanza is the longest stetch with no big towns in between so cater for the time on this part. Just take a main leaf as a spare. We broke ours in a Kasaba field while looking for a place to bushcamp.

[Rampie]

T4A is not sufficient for Western Tanzania.

Pierre
Ek sien jul tracks is op T4A se roetes wat hul aanwys vir Tanzanie. Baie dankie jou files is IMPRESSIVE, ek gaan n paar ouens lus maak met jul fotos!
Groetnis

[luangwablondes]

You can download the Tanzania Road and Track kml from 4shared:
http://www.4shared.com/file/34489941...adstracks.html
It opens in GE and you can compare with T4A.

couple misc files
http://www.4shared.com/file/34483418...Landmarks.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/34483423..._Boundary.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/34484961...ear_Gombe.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/34486156...be_Trails.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/34486573...nd_trails.html


This is the 1st time I tried this site, so let me know if there is a problem.

[PierredW]

Pierre
Ek sien jul tracks is op T4A se roetes wat hul aanwys vir Tanzanie. Baie dankie jou files is IMPRESSIVE, ek gaan n paar ouens lus maak met jul fotos!
Groetnis

Plesier. Dit was werklik 'n toer van 'n leeftyd en ek wil verseker terug as dit moontlik is. Wil dan Kenia en Uganda insluit. Tyd is egter 'n probleem omdat dit ver is so soontoe en terug vat 'n hele klomp van jou dae weg. Het al gedink om die bakkie van Durban na Dar Es Salaam of Mombassa met 'n boot te stuur en dan te vlieg maar het nog nie dieper daarop ingegaan nie.

Kobie het 'n datalogger saamgehad wat die tracks in detail gelog het maar hy het die data per ongeluk uitgevee. Ons het toe net my tracklog wat ek op die GPS V ge-save het en met sy beperkte geheue is die track punte ver uitmekaar. Mens kan darem sien waar ons was en as jy die tracks per datum volgorde highlight kan jy sien hoe ons gevorder het. Ek het nie geweet hy het die tracks na T4A ge-stuur nie, daardie tyd was daar niks vir Wes-Tanzanie nie.

Ek het baie fotos en 2 videos, jammer ek kan dit nie by jou kry nie dan sal jy baie mense lus maak om saam te ry. Die reisverslag dek meer die hoogtepunte.

[Dookie]

Some usefull reading, as suggested by various Overlanders, would be
Getaway Guide Cape to Cairo. Author Mike Copeland. Sunbird Publishing. ISBN 1919938079.

[Rampie]

Ek het nie geweet hy het die tracks na T4A ge-stuur nie, daardie tyd was daar niks vir Wes-Tanzanie nie.

Ek het baie fotos en 2 videos, jammer ek kan dit nie by jou kry nie

Ek het T4A Pro 6.03 en die pad wat jul gery het overlay amper presies met wat hulle wys.

Die posgeldtjies se betaal is die minste wat ek kan doen as jy dit gekopieer kan kry.....

[Rampie]

You can download the Tanzania Road and Track kml from 4shared. ... This is the 1st time I tried this site, so let me know if there is a problem.

Thanks, all the files downloaded easily!!

[Rampie]

Johan Badenhorst van Voetspore TV program was so gaaf om my kopie van hul boek wat ek op hul website www.voetspore.co.za bestel het, te onderteken. Ek dog toe die man klink verskriklik gaaf en stoot my luck en vra boonop nog hul GPS tracklog Kilimanjaro toe ook.

Is dit nie Lekkerrr as ons eie bekende mense nederig en gaaf is nie? Kyk hy stuur toe die databasis vir Garmin GPS en se boonop ek mag dit met julle deel. Die file is groter as die forum se limiet, so stuur my 'n PM met jou epos adres as jy daarin belang stel.

Johan se boodskap hieronder:

Andre,

Hier was ons roete van Pretoria tot by Kili.

Let spesifiek op die kortpad deur Botswana by Stockpoort. Jy sal sommer baie tyd spaar. Vir die res was dit maar die gewone grootpad. Ons het ʼn draai gaan maak in Livingstone, asook in Dar es Salaam. Ek sal nie aanbeveel dat julle die pad oor Dodoma vat, rigting Kili nie. Dit lyk korter op die kaart, maar die pad kan in ʼn baie swak toestand wees, veral as dit gereën het.

Ons het in 4 en ʼn half dae gery tot by Moshi. Dit was maar hard, en soms tot laat saans. Dalk gevaarlik met al die vragmotors op die pad.

Groete

Johan

Mooiloop

[PierredW]

Ja dit is baie gaaf van hom. Ek volg die Voetspore reekse vandat ek DSTV het en geniet dit baie. Die huidige een is beter as die een voor hom, hulle wys meer van die omgewing en spandeer minder tyd aan kos - 'n beter balans. Ek gaan nou 'n PM stuur