Oh, Ha Ha Philip, like I haven't heard that one before... ;-) (read
this line with a sarcastic tone...)
Good advice generally from Philip, however, I'd suggest rather
shipping the vehicle unfitted down here, and doing the fitments here.
Much of the stuff that gets fitted in the UK is made in SA anyway
(Frontrunner, EasiAwn, Howling Moon, B'rakah, Safari Centre, etc.)
If the shipping cost is acceptable, I'd ship the vehicle to
Johannesburg (although it's 400km inland, Jo'burg is considered a
cargo port) and have it fitted in Jo'burg.
Why do I recommend fitting in Jo'burg? Well several reasons really:
1) There's plenty to do here while you're spending a few days fitting
the vehicle.
2) Jo'burg is far more business-like and customer oriented than Cape
Town and Durban, so you'll get more competitive pricing, and better
service.
3) Jo'burg fitment centres have FAR more experience with the products.
4) Jo'burg makes an excellent base in which to gather information
about routes, planning, last minute purchases etc. I can't emphasise
just how much bigger Johannesburg is than any other city in Africa,
not in sheer size or population (it has a lower population than Lagos
and Cairo), but in terms of infrastructure, access to amenities,
business opportunities, access to information, access to expertise,
access to local and imported produce etc. etc. etc.
5) It's only about 400km from Jo'burg to the Botswana, Zimbabwe,
Mozambique, Lesotho, or Swaziland borders. Cape Town is 1600km away
from Jo'burg. Even southern Mozambique (and Jo'burg) is 600km from
Durban.
Regarding your route... You need to plan VERY carefully if you want to
drive from Europe through to South Africa.
At the moment your best entry into Africa is probably through Morocco
or Tunisia as Algeria is a nightmare, Libya can be very problematic,
and there is quite a lot of difficulty with foreign registered
vehicles in Egypt.
If you get into Egypt or Djibouti or Eritrea, then you have two
significan problems along your route: Somalia and Sudan. I strongly
advise agains Somalia. There is a VERY GOOD chance that you will
either lose the vehicle, die, or both. Sudan will be a problem in the
south where it is currently very dodgy.
Once you're in Kenya or Ethiopia it's plain sailing (and very
enjoyable) all the way to Cape Town, no matter which route you choose.
Personally I'd go Kenya, west into Uganda, south through Uganda into
Tanzania, east across Tanzania, and then south to Malawi. South
through Malawi, then south east into Mozambique. You then go south all
the way through Mozambique, or you go south to Beira, and then head
west into Zimbabwe, then south to SA.
I don't know the westerly route too well, but you have several problem
countries: Equatorial Guinea is a problem, and Central African
Republic is a definite no-no. DR Congo is a VERY dodgy country to
travel through because of an unstable political climate, and because
of sheer beaurocratic non-sense. Both CAR and DRC have virtually no
road infrastructure, and it's foolhardy to travel through in only one
vehicle.
I agree with Philip that travelling in Southern and Eastern Africa is
more than interesting enough for several years worth of travel.
Regards,
Marc
On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 22:02:20 +0100, Philip
wrote:
>By the way. People all over can repair landrovers as Marc says. You
>know why? They are always breaking down!
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