What to expect

The Trans Africa is widely known as the greatest adventure you can book.
It is not an easy trip, nor for the faint-hearted; many of the countries have little or no infrastructure. The idea of a 'trans-Africa' hinges on everyone on the truck working together in running the trip, from collecting water to digging the truck out of sand or mud. At times there will be no access to showers, phones, doctors or fresh water.

Everyone will be expected to shop, cook, clean and generally participate in the successful running of the trip this will be organized in a roster system to make sure the workload is evenly spread. When everything is then running smoothly we can all enjoy ourselves and relax a bit. The trip is generally of a very busy nature however we like to take it a little slower than other companies mostly to try to get a better feel for some of the places we visit.

A new level of patience must be found while in Africa, everything happens on "Africa" time. You will soon adapt to the African way and after a while may even wonder why we in the western world do some things the way we do.

You will be amazed at the strange and wonderful things you see. In reality, these things are daily life to the impoverished people of the countries we visit. And you will still be amazed after 40 weeks …… or more.
We provide tents but prefer to often sleep under the stars (especially in north Africa) we will be camping most of the time with some opportunities to stay in budget hostels or hotels when the local payment allows or if there is no option for camping.

The infrastructures in the countries we visit are poor and sometimes virtually nonexistent……. They more often than not ignore standards and "norms" of western society ……. For many in poor countries they survive how they can. This quite often results in amazing inventiveness or just simply cutting corners.

For these reasons and many others we have to be aware of our personal safety, security and hygiene. By simply being aware of all these factors we can enjoy a fun and relatively safe trip through Africa.

It's often said that this trip is life changing…………………that is an understatement!!!

Baringo Man

Beach, Benin

Cooking is done on a roster system to keep everything fair… if you don't know how to cook…. (You will by the end of your trip)

We take a lot of dry good supplies from Spain but along the way also make shopping expeditions, which all passengers will participate in - its lots of fun and all part of being on a Trans.

Fresh food is purchased from local markets - so polish up on your French and bartering skills - more unforgettable experiences.

We carry enough drinking water on the truck for the periods we intend to travel away from towns and cities. We generally find clean drinking water sources along the way. If you feel more comfortable treating this water with iodine or similar water treatment pills or capsules then we encourage this. Bring your own water bottle to refill.

When you head out on this Trans Africa, you may be out of contact with friends and family for long periods at a time. Phone lines can be down, internet connections slow, or non existent. It is unlikely that your mobile telephone will work.

Prepare yourself and your family that you will be out of contact for long periods of time (possibly up to several weeks) so that they know NOT to worry.

If all is going well we may have internet 1-2 times a week in some countries - consider this a bonus but don't rely on it!!!

'The Local payment covers 3 meals a day most of the time (at times we may find it advantageous to eat lunch in small cafes or to have a group meal etc) It covers all camping fees, accommodation and some game park entrances.

The Local fund is NOT a component of the trip cost it is fully refundable. Any portion of the LP not used on the trip will be refunded to you at the end of each stage of the journey. Alternatively on VERY RARE occasions you may be asked to add a small amount to the LP (this would normally be if the tour was delayed due to political reasons or unforeseen natural disasters)

A few quiet beers

Africa is a huge and diverse continent and we will experience all types of weather. If you want to know specifically then it's probably best you do a search on the internet for the month and place. (wonderground

Generally North Africa and the rift mountain area can be very cold in the time of year we will be there. As we move further south into the desert it will be come warm to hot sometimes very hot.

As we get towards the equator it will be hot and humid …. Some of the areas we go to in the rainforest have huge annual rainfalls, however it seems to bucket down in the tropics then fine up for a while.
Southern Africa can vary from place to place and time of year.

It is best to pack for all extremes of conditions … but probably lean towards more summer clothes …. Remember to get light long sleeve trousers and shirts to keep to mozzies off.

Beach, Ghana