Uganda - Madrid Is it possible?
 

Hi everyone,

We are planning a trip through Africa, the idea is to fly to Uganda pick-up a friend who will be leaving his job.

The route Uganda-Kenya-Ethiopia-Sudan-Egypt-Libya-Tunis-Algeria-Morocco

The idea is to do it in 3/4 weeks, google maps does not dare to say a route (I guess that nobody had the guts to cross all those countries)

Can you please tell me the biggest handicaps to this route and possible alternatives?

Thanks so much,

On the first glance at your route, I'd say Libya is currently a no go for security reasons. Second thing would be the Algeria-Morocco border, which has been closed for a while now.

The rest is doable.

Biggest handicap? At some stage the border guards won't let you pass. If not before, you'll be told to turn back at the Egypt-Libyan border. Haven't heard of a soul who made it into Libya from Egypt as a tourist in the last couple of years. Chances are you don't want to cross Libya (and Algeria) anyway.

Are you gonna buy a car in Uganda? The paperwork involved might also be a showstopper. Others might know how far you'd get and how expensive it is. There is lot material here on hubb about the Sudan-Egypt border.

If you wan't to reach Spain from Uganda by car it will either be along the west coast of Africa or possibly by ship.

Good to know! As I said still a lot of work to do in this route.

Thinking about the west route, which I would also say that is not an easy access. What would you recommend? I have been also thinking about doing the route to the south-west, maybe it will be more safe, the idea will be to reach Cape Town. Is that a better possibility?

The paper work will be done by a friend of us that is working there, the problem maybe will be to leave/sell the car if finally we do the south route.

Thanks so much,

Thanks so much for your comments. I have also described another route, please tell me what do you think of.

Thanks,

Selling an Ugandan car in SA makes you an international car dealer. With taxes and everything. I'm not even sure how that works in Europe, if for example a Spanish national tries to sell a Polish car in Switzerland. I'm sure it's interesting, but who knows. People who have sold cars (or have given them away for free) in Africa will chime in with advice. Shipping it out might also be an option to check out.

Going south through Tanzania should be easier concerning visas and security. If you don't know about: the french and british foreign offices provide online maps with areas they consider bad to be in. Check out the reports of people who did it or are doing it at the moment. Also depends on what you want to see. If it is your first time in Uganda, going to see the Gorillas and other wild animals instead of counting border crossings might be things to discuss.

Lots of people "have had the guts" to do most of the route you describe. However, you have a lot of research to do before even contemplating what you describe. The border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed for about 40 years; there is a war going on in Libya; and the border between Egypt and Libya has been closed to tourists for some time.

Most of the information you need can be found on this forum. You will need a Carnet de Passage for your friend's Ugandan registered vehicle and I don't know how easy this will be to obtain in Uganda. The Carnet de Passage is the vehicle's "passport" which means you will have to return the vehicle to Uganda or import it into Spain. I don't think Spain will allow you to import some old Ugandan vehicle into the country, but only you can find out this sort of information from the Spanish authorities. Egypt insists on a Carnet de Passage. You could ship out of Egypt to Europe which is, at the moment, the only way to get a vehicle into/out of Egypt.

Also look on the Africa Overland Network.

Good luck!

Thanks so much for all the information! The idea then will be Uganda-Tanzania-Mozambique-Sudafrica.

About the car...yeah, it is a big issue. Not sure what to do, maybe "selling" it will be easier.

Thanks so much

Hi
I,am interested to see if you were able to do this trip you were planning as I,m in Madrid and looking to cross Africa.