West-Side Story, anyone?

[Endurorally]

Has anyone travelled the West coast recently, am planning a drive to Cape Town, via Cameroon, Gabon, through the Congos to Angola and then Nambibia. Is the coast to Point Noire and then Matardi bridge the least-hassle or should it be turning inland to Kinshasha ferry crossing?
Has anyone done Cabinda recently?

Will be getting all the visas before setting out. Departing London January lst.

P.Y.

[Ride Far]

Two Poles named Kam & Isa have some great west side blog reports here.

Singapore2Poland

I met them in Cape Town in March 09 after riding there from Morocco. They were heading north on the west side on an Africa Twin. They did some serious adventuring thru Central Africa Republic and Chad, it's great stuff.

You can check my blog as well at the sig link below (from Morocco into Congo), it will be updated soon.

Matadi is definitely the place to secure an Angola visa. Not sure how it works getting from Point Noire to Matadi except I'm sure it will be a great adventure!

We entered Congo from Gabon at Nyanga and rode south to Dolisie, Congo. From Dolisie to Brazzaville the road is unpaved and a muddy quagmire if it's rained. Enjoy.

[Endurorally]

Is it good progress to Dolisie coming down from Gabon?

Maybe best to turn to the coast from here to Matardi, via Piont-Niore, giving Brazzaville a miss?

Great photos, nice words, very informative on the road conditions... a fascinating diary!

Im planning to take a similar route, next January, and was rather hoping to crack it in a two-wheel drive small car.... a fact-finding recce for a rally route.

py

The ERA - London to Cape Town Rally 2011

[Ride Far]

Originally Posted by Endurorally

Is it good progress to Dolisie coming down from Gabon?

Maybe best to turn to the coast from here to Matardi, via Piont-Niore, giving Brazzaville a miss?

Great photos, nice words, very informative on the road conditions... a fascinating diary!

Im planning to take a similar route, next January, and was rather hoping to crack it in a two-wheel drive small car.... a fact-finding recce for a rally route

Once you cross from Gabon into Congo at Nyanga the road turns bad. If it's rained recently expect to run dozens of muds ponds, 3 and 4 feet deep with water (actually great fun!) I did see a few small local cars doing this route and it should be doable, depending on rainfall. There's a fair number of people about to help if you get stuck.

Maybe 60 km south of the border, conditions improve. That's because log trucks run the road from Dolisie, and at one point turn into the forest. From that point it's a corrugated but easy enough piste to Dolisie.

Frm Dolosie to Brazzaville (230 miles) -- if it's been raining, you would have a difficult time in a small car. Rain will turn long stretches of this road into muddy quagmires. We encountered many queues of dozens of vehicles waiting for days to pass thru deep mud, one at a time. In the dry season it's probably OK.

Motorbikes and 4WDs can do it, a two-wheel drive car ... tough. Even on bikes it took three days to make 200 miles from Dolisie to Kinkala, where pavement begins. Good luck ~~

Mark

[Endurorally]

Thanks for that info, seems a good reason to miss Brazza, stick to the coast, and cross Matardi Bridge. Our plans now up at:

londoncapetownrally.com

[roadsacallin]

I just came up the west side and am in Barcelona now. Here´s the travel log:

Around the World with Jesse

safe travels,
Marcus