Westafrica October 2020 Europe to Capetown
 

Hi,

I'm planing to go Germany to Capetown along the Western route mainly.
Ferry to Marocco and then down the coast, followed by a crossing to the east cost in either Angola or DRC.
A 6 months sabbatical is already approved which means time wise I'm not fairly limited to that corridor, the route however is pretty flexible.

I'm pretty experienced with overland travel, did the east coast in 2014, with a crossing east to west in in the south (so this time the plan is to do just he opposite)

I'm a passionate photographer, occasionaly writing for travel magazines.
Well and the facts: Male, 51, Germany, on an F800GS.

Greetings,
David

africa
 

hallo,
david
wie lange planst du deinen trip

ich hätte ab mitte April für ca. 10 Wochen Zeit
h.daimler@gmx.at

gr hans aus Salzburg

Hi David,
Your planned trip sounds interesting. I‘m Swiss, 52 on a KTM 1290 but would change to 790 for such a trip. Did some overland trips in Central/North America and all over Europe but never Africa beyond Morocco.
6 months is too long for me (family) but 3 months would be ok.
Any specific timeline in mind when to start?
Also some of the countries on the route seem to be risky. Any preference yet re route?
Cheers
Jan

Hi Jan, hy guys,

i'll be riding solo on the same route, slightly in the same period; I'm planning to arrive in Tanger around mid september 020, by ferry, and then move south. As by now, plan is to travel from Tanger to Lagos (if god of visas will be kind) and back, passing on the way from western sahara, mauritania, mali, burkina faso, benin. and on the way back on the coastal side (ghana and so on).
Time range: between mid september 2020 and mid december 2020. 3 months is the predicted time (maybe not getting as far as nigeria), start time's decision has been based on the try to avoid the worst of rainy season on the one hand, the worst of harmattan on the other.
motorcycle: yamaha t 700.
it would be nice to share part of the journey
cheers
Vieri

Hi David,

We are a Swedish couple (both 55 years young ;) planning to ride down to South Africa on the west coast autumn 2020. We have ridden around the world 2013-2016, but not conquered Africa just yet. We have managed to ride down Senegal 2018, but had to turn around because of illness. However, now we are fit for fight again and ready to go again.

We both ride BMW F800GS (2012 & 2013)

Cheers
Anders and Petra

Hallo David,
habe hier im Forum auch schon einen post abgesetzt, siehe "Algerien-Niger-Nigeria". Ich (57, aus Wiesbaden )will 9 Monate ab September durch Afrika fahren. (Offroad Erfahrung vorhanden (Namibia, Kirgisien,Chile, Peru) ) Ich gerade, ob die Grenze Algerien-Niger offen ist. Also klassich den Trans Sahara Highway fahren. Ich hätte interesse zusammen zu fahren, eventuell dann auch die Westroute. Kommst du zum HU Treffen im Mai in die Pfalz? Gruß Uwe
Hello, David,
have already posted a post here in the forum, see "Algeria-Niger-Nigeria". I (57, from Wiesbaden ) wants to travel through Africa for 9 months starting in September. (Offroad experience available (Namibia, Kyrgyzstan, Chile, Peru) ) I just wondered if the Algeria-Niger border is open. So I'll take the Trans Sahara Highway. I would be interested in driving together, maybe the west route then. Will you come to the HU meeting in May in the Palatinate? Greetings Uwe

Hi Barraba,
I was posting to David below in this thread and also have done a partner seeking here.
I saw you posted here 2019. Are your plans still up to date?
Uwerd07 (Germany)

Hi David, it's me, Uwe again.
after researching, the way direct through Algeria is not possible.
So are your plans still on go for your West Sahara Tour ?
Uwe

Hi David, hi all.

I'm still planning to go down from Morocco to Nigeria. My Tenere' 700 has arrived; I have a ticket booked for the ferry to Tanger on the 9th of september. That said, I do hope Africa will avoid the most of coronavirus pandemic, and by consequence let european passport holders enter.

cheers
Vieri

Hi barraba,
Sounds good. I will keep my Plans also for September but without Booking.
Lest see the current Situation with Corona.
Maybe we can have a chat in May?
Uwe

Ciao Uwe,
I'd be glad to have a chat in may.
let's see how the situation will evolve, and keep fingers crossed

cheers
Vieri

Hello David,

My friend and I leave Sierra Leone on the 30th August 2020, traveling through Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara and into Morocco on our way back to Britain. I am on a 2020 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports and he is on a Royal Enfield Himalayan. I guess our paths will meet somewhere in the Western Sahara so we keep in touch.

Hello Vieri, hello everyone in this thread.
Due to the Covid 19 Crisi I decided to go alone in autumn, if at all. I will take the route via Cairo to Cape Town. But I think that you have to be very flexible on the way, concerning the passing through.
I wish everyone here a good time.
UWERD07

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tylBA5kaf...ansafrica.jpeg

Here you find two travellers on their Transafrica over the west - how they did handle the situation during corona (one in Togo, one in Namibia):

https://www.4x4tripping.com/2020/04/...westroute.html

For the East Route you find here the most recent (before corona) informations:

https://www.4x4tripping.com/2020/03/...-ostroute.html

Hope it helps for planning :scooter:

Hope some of you will blog also during your journey, and will help others for planning!

Surfy

Not sure what your intention is however neither Angola nor DRC have coastline on the east coast. I assume you mean travelling south to either DRC or Angola, then heading east towards Zambia, and from there southwards, or perhaps continuing to Moçambique before turning south.

Of the two, I suggest that it's easier travelling east in Angola than in DRC, although neither is particularly easy. Any reason for not simply continuing south into Namibia then RSA?

Hmmm...
 

Interesting... the last time I rode down through DRC and Angola to Namibia was in 2006. However, the 700 Tenere arrives next week and I want to go back!

When were you last in that zone?

I lived in the Republic of the Congo for two years a long time ago (when I arrived it was still the People's Democratic Republic of the Congo) and travelled within the country and into Gabon and Angola. Never actually entered DRC although you could listen to the gunfire in the evening from the poolside in Brazzaville.

We were at the Rwanda/DRC border in 2017 and considered spending a week however that was just after a number of Rangers had been murdered in the National Park, and the cost of getting visas plus accommodation led us to decide against a visit at the time (the idea was to look for Gorillas, however I had experienced Lowland Gorillas in (Republic of the) Congo and we then went to look for Highland Gorillas in Rwanda). I had looked into travel in DRC various times and had had each time decided against it.

I first saw Luanda in 1973; spent a lot of time there between 2001 and 2006, and was last in the country in 2017, briefly. The roads were improving, and things were returning to normaliy, however the aftermath of the war was very present. We went north of Luanda to a small seaside village and ate lobster for lunch. A group went to the same village a couple of weeks later, made the mistake of driving a couple of metres off the track and their vehicle set off a mine - very bad news! The national parks in Central West Angola had opened but there was little wildllfe. When we were talking with contacts who had recently been into Southern Angola they said that corruption was a major problem there.

We spent a month in Namibia in 2017 - entering from RSA and leaving to Botswana - we had a great time, travelling through the south, Fish River Canyon, Namib Desert, Damaraland, Kakaoland, Etosha, and Caprivi. The roads are excellent (although on a bike you'd have to take care on the gravel roads because of the risk ofloose gravel thrown up by passing tourists).

I don't think you'd have any problem riding the west coast from Luanda to Namibia, and Namibia itself would be great trip. If you take C27 south from Sesriem to Aus make sure you take highway D707 instead of staying on C27 - the scenery is amazing!

Memories
 

Africa DOES have a bloody history and more than its fair share of tragedy. And you've certainly witnessed some changes. For cultural reasons only, I yearn for the Africa of old. Seeing Macdonalds, KFC, cities where everyone is living on the phone and the invasion by China does not hold the same appeal. Then again, I did not witness any wars or disasters first hand.

You are going back quite a way. My first trip was in the early 90's. I was fortunate to get up close to the highland gorillas in Virunga, DRC (Zaire at the time). We had to cross Lake Kivu at the same time that the river was bringing down floating corpses from Rwanda.

You must have witnessed some profound changes in Angola. They were still reeling from the war in 2006 and bush camping did have an added element of excitement. We worked on the basis that if you were out in the middle of nowhere, far from villages, towns, cities, bridges and strategic locations, that there would have been no point in laying mines there. Also, recently dried up river beds were an option.

Angola and Namibia are countries I would revisit tomorrow if I lived in SA. So, as it is, I will have to wait a bit and plan a longer trip from the top down.

David, My name is Mark Wegener, from the US (Portland, OR). I have been planning a N/S venture from Paris to Cape Town along the west coast since early 2019, originally panning on departing the first week in September, 2020. I finally canceled the flight (with my BMW 1200 GSA) in late June last year. It is now scheduled for September 2021. I will have a passenger and one other rider (so far). I have done Prudhoe Bay, AK to Santiago, Chile in 2015 with the same passenger. Would be fun to join up. We are hoping to go to the HU in France, if they allow Americans (crazy times). Mark

Hi David and Mark (and everyone else).

I'm also eyeing at riding from North to South in September. My name is Sami, an (software) engineer from Finland. Would love to meet up and part or the whole way down.

What kind of timeline are you thinking? For me somewhere around 3 months would be optimal.

Hello everyone,
for the last 5 years I have been traveling the world with sailboats and on foot.
I now have a motorcycle and would like to leave Germany for Cape Town in autumn 2021.
I have little motorcycle travel experience, I don't even know Africa - that's why I want to do it.
But gladly with "experienced" people. And they seem to be gathering here in this thread?
Stephan

Hi, Stephan.

Yes there are a few of us going. Most of Africa is currently in lockdown so we are keeping an eye out. Might not be possible this autum. If it is possible. I am going 100%.

2017 (Namibia and briefly Angola, as well as RSA, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya).

My first time in Africa was 1973-1974 - lived in Botswana, travelled widely in Southern and Eastern Africa. In and out of North Africa from 1993 onwards, with the last couple of visits to Algeria in 2013 and 2015. Lived in Congo 1993-1994, and travelled throughout the region and to Botswana and Zimbabawe. Then from 2001 to 2006 in and out of Southern Africa (again) - RSA and Angola. In 2017 we did a long trip around Southern and Eastern Africa - Nairobi to Cape Town and back.

re changes - the first time I saw Luanda was 1973 - still part of Portugal, I remember lines of refugees crossing the border into Botswana in 1974/1975. Spent a lot of time there from 2001-2006 - with infrastructure in bad shape and lots of social stress. Once went exploring north of Luanda and found a fishing village where we ate lobster and drank beer on the beach; the following week someone else went to see the place and hit a mine... ! We had friends who travelled south trying to reach Namibia, and never made it - very tragic. Last time I was in Luanda it was slowly rebuilding - new high rise offices, new 'buses, but people were having to commute hours a day because they couldn;t afford to live in the centre. The Game Reserve closest to Luanda was open again, however no animals... Last in Angola in 2017, very briefly - lots of stories of corruption, however getting better.

My departure is scheduled for Dec. 2021.

Hi,
How firm is your planning. I am also interested in Europe -S Africa. I only want to if I have some one travelling together.

So, let me know.
Email: djinsital@gmail.com

Djin

Djin,
I'm serious.
However, .... nowadays it's not considered good practice to commit to something without watching the situation at the borders. Morocco will for sure reopen, but I don't know about Mauritania, Senegal, Mali.
I'll check again in Oct. We'll stay in touch.

Wauschi

I think I'm repeating myself, however thought that perhaps I had not answered the question... I was last in Namibia (and briefly in Angola) in 2017, as well as RSA, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya, on that trip. I've been in and out of Angola many times (first saw Luanda in 1973, visited 20 or so times from 2001-2006). I lived in Congo for two years, however it was a while ago now. Lived in Botswana for a year and a half, even longer ago, and have been back only twice since.

Hi Wauschi,

Yes let’s keep in touch.
I have about 3 month to travel.
How much time do you plan for this trip?

Djin

Open end.