Hi K974

We just completed London to Cape Town West Coast Route - you can read about it at Latest news / About us - Langebaan Sunset - Stonehenge UK to Cape Town SA - 2010/11

We posted a lot of info on costs, routes and gps tracks and waypoints etc...happy to take more questions

Couple of suggestions:

5 months would suggest you do the East Coast route - The West Coast (which we did) is twice the distance if you go approx around the coast but it would be a shame to be hammering it and simply riding everyday.

The Rand / $ £ rates are good for buying things in Cape Town / JHB right now and having work done on bikes / 4x4s is cheaper here (we are based in cape Town) this is something to consider. Electronic stuff is expensive in SA.

If you go South to North you can take in a lot of SA, Namibia, Bots, Zim and Moz before you start heading up the East coast proper - this could easily take up a minimum of 3 months as there is so much to see and will depend on your budget and what you want to see. Zimbabwe is amazing with empty game parks and friendly people - a real highlight.

Best time is to start is a tricky one - Summer time is hot and you get rain in Nambia etc.... there are a few season planners that are worth looking at - just search for them and then plan your times accordingly

Southern Africa is not cheap - so watch your spending - game parks etc....are expensive. You can wild camp in Botswana and get close to wildlife for free - maybe too close!!! So think about what you want to take in. We found Zim and Moz cheaper.

There is a lot of more commercial overland traffic on the East Coast route - you wont be short of company at the main campsites - we sometimes found this to be a real pain as they tend to make lots of noise and party.... try the routes less traveled and wild camp where poss.

Hope that helps - contact us if you want more info

Cheers

Nick

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Langebaan Sunset - Africa Overland
http://langebaan-sunset.blogspot.co.za/