Overlanding Africa - Do I need a 4x4?
 

Ok so I've been putting off my Africa Overland trip for a few years but this is the year. In December I plan on heading taking the ferry in Spain and then heading down through Morocco, Mauritania etc all the way down to South Africa and then perhaps back up the Eastern side in 2018.

I'll be buying a VW Transporter van to do it in so that I'm able to sleep inside. Now my big question is whether it needs to be the Syncro 4x4 version. There's a significant price difference between the two and non-4x4 versions are much easier to find.

The main thing I want to do with it is to be able to experience wildlife from my own car.

Would this be possible with just a 2x4?

Edit: I know this is mostly a bike forum but I figured I'd ask since I couldn't find any other site with as much useful info.

Type 3?
 

Hi

If its the 1980 - 1992 Type 3 rear engine rear wheel drive then 2wd will be fine. They maintain traction well because the engine weight is over the driveline.

They take larger/wider tyres really well and float on sand well. Take a compressor so you can drop the tyre pressures down really low.

Ditch the original spare and grab two super aggressive mud tyres and use these as your spares. You can swap the rears over if you are going somewhere muddy. You can also add in a hydraulic steering brake system so you can lock a spinning wheel to move power to the one with traction. Sounds complicated but is very simple (google off road steering brakes).

If its the later model front engine T4 or T5 they are no where near as capable sadly.

Thanks so much for the answer! I was looking at T4 4x4s but a nearly perfect T3 popped up online yesterday and I already fell in love with it from the photos. Gonna give him a call tomorrow! :)

In 2010 I planned and did the same trip as you are u proposing, I used a Landrover as I wanted not to use campsites and do my own thing with wild bush camping. The idea was down west in 2010 and up east coast in 2011. Its 2016 and I am still in Africa and currently in Kenya moving to Uganda in 2 weeks and soon to be turning south again to be in malawi by feb 2017.
If I look back to the places I have visted then I couldn't have done without the Landrover, I am totally self sufficient and can stay in the bush for 3-4 days before I need to drive to charge batteries .
Good luck with the trip

I've not been down the West Coast so can't comment on game viewing there but I have spent several years overlanding (in a Land Rover) in Africa and a lot of time in parks in East and Southern Africa.

If your priority is wildlife viewing then your options are going to be limited in this sort of vehicle I'm afraid.

Firstly there are certain places where they only allow 4x4s to enter the park eg every park in Botswana and the Ngorongoro Crater.

As regards the roads rather than the rules I think you would struggle anywhere in Zimbabwe, and anywhere in Zambia except South Luangwa (see below). In Namibia you'd be fine in Etosha and Sossusvlei (up to a point after which only 4x4s can continue) but not anywhere else. In South Africa almost all parks are 2WD accessible, including obviously Kruger, KTP is the exception to the rule. In Tanzania you may be able to get limited access to some of the Northern parks but access in the South is more doubtful.in Kenya I can only think of a couple that are accessible like Hells Gate. In lots of parks you will get through the gate and to the main camp easily enough (because guests are transferred there in 2WD vehicles and use park based 4WD for game viewing) but if you want to self drive you will run into difficulties.

There are some big draw parks where you'll be able to get in but will be limited in terms of what tracks in the park you can take. For example the Serengeti, Masai Mara and South Luangwa all have a network of main/all weather roads that a 2x2 can navigate but many more tracks it couldn't. It will also limit your options on where you can camp in a park (ie you'll be in the main central campsites along with the overland tours as opposed to off in a bush camp somewhere).

I should say 4WD isn't the only factor here. Just as important is the ground clearance you have. The other massive factor is the weather, if you are in rainy season then even the toughest 4x4s will struggle in a lot of places. Obviously the rains come at different times in different places.

In short a lot of parks are only really navigable in a "proper" 4x4. There are still places you can go, notably in SA. The good news is that some of the cheaper parks eg everywhere in SA and Etosha are 2WD friendly. Also bear in mind that in some parks in East Africa park fees mean it can be just as expensive, even sometimes more, to self drive as opposed to taking a budget safari so somewhere like the Serengeti or Mara I would definitely explore that option.

Thanks for the response guys I really appreciate it! I ended up putting a deposit down on the T3 and I'm picking it up next week :) Once I get it I'll be working with my friend who's a VW mechanic for the next couple of months, tweaking it where need be.

I'll definitely look into the budget safari option vs. the self drive option when I get down there - that's really handy to know! Thank you for all the useful input and for not making fun of me for asking a seemingly foolish question :D

With every vehicle you have to plan your route and driving and know the limits.
A T3 will get you most anywhere even if not everywhere.
I think a syncro 4wd would be more difficult to run around Africa.
Hard to get parts and noone is familiar with it.
Nissans and Toyotas are everywhere if you want 4wd, much better choice.
Then there is of course Land Rover, but... :)
My experience is from West and North Africa.

I know people who did it with a normal car. They got pulled through the muddy sections but man their car looked very bad at the end so dont buy expensive new stuff: Ｍｏｔｏｒｒａｄ Adventure Rundreise 50.000 km um Afrika

i agree his vehicle will get him 95% of where he might want to go. You only have to look at what the locals drive. But as the OP said his main goal was wildlife viewing I was Just pointing out that national parks tend to be the exception to that rule.

Still possible though, as already mentioned, South Africa has a wealth of game viewing options accessible to 2WD.

I'm in my 4x4 Jeep Wrangler now going down the West Coast.

While I have not used 4x4 all that much, high ground clearance is an absolute must.

Looking at photos and videos of the roads in Nigeria, Cameroon, DRC etc, I expect to be using 4x4 a hell of a lot, and there will certainly be roads that push the Jeep.

Would you get through in a 2wd? probably, but I also expect you might need a pull from time to time, so it just might take a little longer.

-Dan

Thanks Dan, I'll be working with my friend over the next two months and we'll definitely add some lift to the ground clearance. I figured that was gonna be a biggy since the engine and pan are pretty low on the T3. I'll have all the time in the world for the trip so if I get stuck no worries. Hopefully I'll also have a mate or two that will join me and help with the digging :D

By the way your site is very cool!