summer overland trip
 

hi

i'm planning on going overland to west africa (or back) setting off sometime in june or july.
i'm not sure of my final destination.
i'm hoping to spend two or three months: have to be back in europe for october.
is this long enough? i would prefer to get further than dakar
any advice? is anyone doing anything similar?

Hi Dom, you ask "is this long enough?"
How long is a piece of string?
Depends what you want to do; you could easily fill years, many go back time and again, always finding something new. I feel that once you've got a taste of the continent, you may end up wanting more. Don't rush it, and I don't recommend setting a destination either. One way to reduce the pleasure of a break is to try to keep to a schedule.
It's going to be hot in summer; do a HUBB search for heat info, water consumption advice (er, drink lots) etc.
You'll love it
Luke

I'd agree with Luke on a lot of the above.
Two to three months is enough to get further past Dakar, but you won't have a huge amount of time on your hands to chill out or take a 500 km detour to see something interesting.
I rode from Lagos, Nigeria to Dublin, Ireland in about 7 weeks during July and August this year. It was a little tight for time and if I had another 2-3 weeks I would have had time to take a little longer in some places.
It was hot, obviously, but not impossibly so. And I say that while having spent most days wrapped up in motorcycle gear.
Head off and have a great time!