UK to East Africa via Morocco, Algeria, Libya

[2CanGo]

Hi, am new to The Hubb so please bear with me. We're planning a trip from Mar 2021 on a motorcycle. UK down to South Africa and back. The route we are thinking of following is UK, France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Sudan etc. Has anyone had experience of making this trip recently?

[Alanymarce]

Originally Posted by 2CanGo

Hi, am new to The Hubb so please bear with me. We're planning a trip from Mar 2021 on a motorcycle. UK down to South Africa and back. The route we are thinking of following is UK, France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Sudan etc. Has anyone had experience of making this trip recently?

Great idea! I think you need to define more clearly the "etc." bit.

- UK-France-Spain-Morocco - no problem, although bear in mind COvid19 concerns.
- Morocco-Algeria - I believe that this border remains closed.
- Algeria - better than it was, however you need to think through how to ensire security. Some areas are OK, others remain a concern. We were last in Algeria a few years ago, I know Algeria reasonably well, and so was not particularly concerned, however you may be better off heading south on the west coast, particularly when you consider...
Libya - I think it's fair to say "forget it"
- Egypt - you won;t be able to get to Egypt from Algeria (see above) - Egypt itself is more or less OK; once again, I'm familiar with the country, however haven;t been for a while. If you decide to travel via ferry from Europe (leaving out Morocco etc.) then note that paperwork is a bit inconvenient, but possible.
- Sudan - I'm not familiar with Sudan, however understand that there are no big issues.
- etc. - the "usual" route is from Sudan to Ethiopia (South Sudan is still insecure), then Kenya (some areas are insecure, however the main central and western routes are OK into Kenya. Then, to explore East Africa you'll presumably want to visit Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. This area is no problem. We were last there in 2017 and had no problems.

[2CanGo]

Thanks for the information. This is our first trip so its all new. We did have concerns about the Morocco - Algeria - Libya - Egypt borders so checked with the various embassies in London. They all assured us that the borders were all open and that there were no issues apart from the border with Tunisia which was closed. Apparently there is political unrest between Morocco and Algeria but its purely political and shouldn't inhibit tourist travel on the borders. As to Libya and Egypt, we are told that the issues are in the process of being resolved and all should be well by March next year. Not sure whether all of this is to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Saying all of that, we have an alternative route in mind. Approaching Africa from Turkey and then into Syria - Jordan - Egypt - Sudan - Ethiopia - Kenya -Uganda - Rwanda - Tanzania and further down. Would this second route be better for us novices.

[Tim Cullis]

Morocco is currently closed to tourists and I don't have a good feel as to whether any travel is going to be possible as early as March 2021.

In the meantime, the embassies are giving you incorrect information. The Moroccan-Algerian border has been closed for decades and won't be reopening any day soon. Your only chance is to take a ferry from Morocco (Nador) back to Spain, then take another ferry from Spain to Algeria. Having said that, ferry services between Morocco and Spain have been suspended for the last six months and there's no sign of reopening.

Libya problems over next year? Very much doubt it.

Egypt requires massive carnet deposits.

There's piles of information on here about all of this, time to do some some more research.

I'd encourage you to consider an alternative route down through 'French' West Africa. Simon Bowles has an interesting trip report on this route at https://ukgser.com/forums/showthread...in-West-Africa

[Alanymarce]

Yes - west coast has become more viable in the last decade or so and would definitely, in my opinion, be better than via North Africa to the east coast. I know Gabon, Congo, Angola, Namibia, RSA so can offer advice if you want to look into this option.

The east coast route from Turkey:

- Turkey, Syria, Jordan - no personal experience to offer
- Jordan-Egypt - you have to transit Israel, even if you go via Aqaba. No idea how this is these days. I've travelled the Sharm el Shaikh-Cairo route and it's fine however I believe that there have been some security concerns recently
- Sudan, Ethiopia - no personal experience to offer
- Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania (and Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, RSA, Botswana, Namibia) - lots of personal experience to offer once you get to this bit of your planning. This area is fine, no concerns and lots to enjoy.

[PanEuropean]

Originally Posted by Tim Cullis

...The Moroccan-Algerian border has been closed for decades and won't be reopening any day soon.

Tim is correct - there is NO WAY that one can travel from Morocco to Algeria or vice-versa. It's simply not possible.

Don't even think about going into Libya as a tourist. The country is in the midst of a long-running civil war. with no end in sight. I used to go to Libya frequently for business, and I have a lot of friends there - all of them advise me that there is no security, no safety at all in the country nowadays. Not to mention no tourist facilities, because there are no tourists of any kind in the country.

Egypt is a massive PITA for foreign travelers who bring their own vehicle or aircraft. The regulatory & paperwork burdens are staggering, and corruption is endemic.

In summary, east-west travel across the North African coast is just not possible.

Michael

[PanEuropean]

Originally Posted by 2CanGo

Saying all of that, we have an alternative route in mind. Approaching Africa from Turkey and then into Syria - Jordan - Egypt - Sudan - Ethiopia - Kenya -Uganda - Rwanda - Tanzania and further down. Would this second route be better for us novices.

Syria is also in the midst of a civil war, although the conflict is not as intense as it has been in past years.

Given that you are self-described novices at making long international trips through lesser developed countries, I think it might be better if you focus on a route that avoids countries what are in the midst of civil wars. This might require you to truncate your trip plans a bit - for example, shipping the moto from Europe to a starting point midway down Africa, and then beginning your journey from there.

For what it's worth, I spent many years in the middle of various African civil wars (Angola, Mozambique, Liberia, South Sudan, Somalia, Western Sahara, Sierra Leone, etc.) during my working career as an aircraft pilot with the Red Cross, and I can assure you that you do not want to be in the midst of someone else's conflict unless you have a massive logistical supply chain and diplomatic presence supporting you.

Michael

[2CanGo]

Thanks for all of this information. Especially the misinformation from the embassies. Time to check out this site for information properly.

[coldgecko]

Hi 2CanGo. I am also planning a trip from the top of Africa to the bottom -- but I'm starting in South Florida (near Miami). I've been waiting on the virus to go goodbye... I have some experience in traveling long range -- Last year I rode from Miami to Thailand and the year prior, I went from top of South America to Bottom (Ushuaia). But both trips were very safe -- and I never felt even close to a risk in the tens of thousands of Km's. But I do have some concern about the Africa trip. I am here to learn about the appropriate safe routing when starting in Morocco. I guess I'm joining in the middle of your conversations -- but I wonder if you can share the route that you think may be safe after talking to others? I'm riding either an F850GSA or a KTM 790 Adventure -- still deciding. What about you?

[TheWarden]

When the virus issue subsides you have 2 west Africa route options

Morocco to Mauritania or Algeria to Mauritania. Algeria route is not well travelled but there have been a dozen or so tourist transits that way over the last year but pre covid. Have a look in the Sahara forum for more details

There are some very good facebook groups with more upto date info than the forums at the moment, might be worth joining those.

[Alanymarce]

re Algeria - things have improved, however personally I'd avoid Algeria.

[TheWarden]

might want to catch up a bit with the situation pre covid in Algeria. Things have probably changed quite a bit.

[Alanymarce]

Originally Posted by coldgecko

Hi 2CanGo. I am also planning a trip from the top of Africa to the bottom -- but I'm starting in South Florida (near Miami). I've been waiting on the virus to go goodbye... I have some experience in traveling long range -- Last year I rode from Miami to Thailand and the year prior, I went from top of South America to Bottom (Ushuaia). But both trips were very safe -- and I never felt even close to a risk in the tens of thousands of Km's. But I do have some concern about the Africa trip. I am here to learn about the appropriate safe routing when starting in Morocco. I guess I'm joining in the middle of your conversations -- but I wonder if you can share the route that you think may be safe after talking to others? I'm riding either an F850GSA or a KTM 790 Adventure -- still deciding. What about you?

So the "top of Africa" would be the summit of Kilimanjaro. The "bottom" is presumably Lake Asal, Djibouti?