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ksv2africa's web page
1 landy,1 man,2 women,across africa,no aircon
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PlanningPlanning Planning for this trip started more than 3 years ago in terms of finding answers to questions such as - how to get from the north to the south of Africa or south to north (in Slades case), which vehicle, what to take, who to take and when to go?! The first and last questions need a little explanation (the others are answered on the site). Originally, we were planning on leaving in April to travel through Europe into Turkey. From there we would go around Iraq - via Syria, Jordan and into Egypt. Our timing could not have been better! We decided that at this present moment that route is not an option, until the political situation has settled down. We decided on the West Africa route and a leaving date of August 1st to tie in with the weather and our financial situation. One of the main things to bear in mind when going to Africa is the weather conditions. Dirt roads in the dry season can disappear or degenerate in the rains! Leaving in August meant we were travelling through the lovely European summer and would then hit the Sahara at the end of the month. Although, the height of summer, it is always too hot to cross the Sahara. We would be travelling through West Africa from September-October. A good time to be there, as it is cooler. Crossing North Africa from October through to November is also recommended. Into East Africa for January to April means that we hit short spells of rain after the dry season. We will be in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa at the very start of the winter when temperatures are more moderate. Reading has been a big part of the planning and now as the weeks count down to the big leaving day Chris Scott, Tom Sheppard, Bradt Travel guides, Landrover magazines and pages of downloaded internet sites are literally scattered at Tubbs and orderly filed at the Venters, in several rooms. Talking with other Overlanders and Landy owners has also proved very helpful over the years be it at the infamous Billing Show in July, the Old Sodbury Sort out, Expedition companies, friends, relatives, on the internet or to interested locals at the pub. Don't leave without a feather duster and a sports bra are some of the handy tips passed onto us recently! Books: The Landrover Experience - a users guide to four wheel driving. Tom Sheppard. Published by Landrover. Second Addition 1994. ISBN 0-9514493-46 A Passage to Africa. George Alagiah. Time Warner Paperback 2002. ISBN0-715-3214-2. Africa on a Shoe String. Lonely Planet. 9th edition. ISBN 0-86442-663-1 Healthy Travel Africa. Lonely Planet. 1st Edition. ISBN 1-86450-050-6. Where there is no doctor - A village health care handbook. David Werner. Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-51651-6 Africa by Road. The Bradt Travel Guide:Bob Swain & Paula Snyder, Travel Guides, UK. Courses: First Aid Courses - St Johns Ambulance and the British Red Cross. Red Cross do an overseas travel first course for £50. A fantastic one day's course, which covers everything you might come across in the African bush! Wood work - for carving whilst on the road! All Terrain Services - provided a great 4x4 training day in Andover covering driving techniques, control systems and ground conditions. Really good preparation for the trip and the instructor, Graham, also provided good, practical advice about the African driving environment. Currency What is the CFA and the exchange rate? At the moment using the following as a guide. 'The introduction of Euro notes and coins 1 January spells a new future for a unique African currency tied to the Euro. The CFA-Franc, the currency of 14 African nations was linked to the Euro in a fixed exchange rate of 1 Euro to 655.957 CFA-Francs on 1 January 1999'. http://www.afrol.com/Categories/Economy_Develop/econ012_cfa_euro.htm Current $US/CFA exchange rate can be found at http://www.mbendi.co.za/cyexch.htm Documents: Carnet de Passages en Douane: This document can take a while to figure out. It is an internationally recognized Customs document entitling the holder to temporarily import a vehicle, duty free into countries which normally require a deposit against import charges. The Carnet has up to 25 pages and needs to be stamped on entry and exit. You can go into a country more than once but you need to go through the stamping procedure again . The RAC is responsible for the Carnet so you need to pay them or provide security via either a bank guarantee, an insurance indemnity with RL Davison or a cash deposit. The indemnity is 10% of the Carnet. 50% is refundable on safe completion of document. It takes minimum 1 week to issue. The cost depends on where you are going and rates of custom duty and tax in each country. Custom rates are a percentage of the vehicle so most of Africa is 200% of the vehicle value but for Egypt it is 500%. For very helpful and friendly advice contact Sue Collins sjcollins@rac.co.uk at the RAC, Travel Research Department on 01454 208000 ext 33837. www.rac.co.uk Ferries: Dover : Calais Book early as it is very expensive, especially if leaving on 1st August. We got a great deal in January (£89) for 1st August. Insurance: We went through loads but decided on Campbell Irvine Ltd because they had very good comprehensive cover and extremely helpful with those awkward questions.
Visas: From the UK we tried to get as many visas as possible, to avoid extra hassles en-route. However, for the Brits we couldn't get that many in the UK, as usual it was the South African causing the problem. He needs a couple just to get him out of Europe! See table for more details.
Maps: most are the Michelin Series
Money: Without going into too much detail we will use travelers cheques and credit cards. Cash will be $US and local currencies. Vaccinations: We have had the following Vaccinations
Videos: Lonely Planet Africa Series Websites: http://www.landroverweb.com/Overland/overlandwebsites.htm http://www.sahara-overland.com Health http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/clinics.htm Milage = add as go along |
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