Driving to Hakskeen Pan
Discussion
This evening whilst thinking about Bloodhound, I decided that I'd like to go to Hakskeen Pan to see Bloodhound run in both the years that it will be there for. I mulled the thought over, and decided that it would be fun to drive there. My idea would be to buy a LWB high roof van, then convert it to something that I can live in for at least a couple of months, and can cope with the terrain in Africa. I would want air con, and the interior done to a high standard. I'm thinking of a budget of £15k would be enough for the whole trip.
What I'd like to know is how long would it take to drive to South Africa? Is my budget feasible? What sort of equipment would I need to take?
I would like to know if I'm mad for thinking of doing it, or am I a normal pher?
What I'd like to know is how long would it take to drive to South Africa? Is my budget feasible? What sort of equipment would I need to take?
I would like to know if I'm mad for thinking of doing it, or am I a normal pher?
Start checking the overlander sites. www.Horizonsunlimited.com is good for motorbikes but i'm not sure about 4 wheels.
15K sounds a tad optimistic to me: (buying, converting, running, repairing, driving a van to SA and back including food, diesel, ferries, boarders, inevitable breakdowns and repairs etc etc etc).
Sounds loony tunes: The best plans always are. Do it!
(would a landy with a roof tent be the most suitable? Can you find something already prepped?)
15K sounds a tad optimistic to me: (buying, converting, running, repairing, driving a van to SA and back including food, diesel, ferries, boarders, inevitable breakdowns and repairs etc etc etc).
Sounds loony tunes: The best plans always are. Do it!
(would a landy with a roof tent be the most suitable? Can you find something already prepped?)
http://www.adventureandrew.com/africa/index.html
That will give you a flavour! Would love to do it myself, probably will one day
That will give you a flavour! Would love to do it myself, probably will one day
Fort Jefferson said:
The terrain of Africa is the least of your worries, it's the Politics, wars and AK47 bearing residents that would worry me.
At the moment this, unfortunately.The usual route south heads to Egypt and down. Either from Italy to Tunisia and then Libya (
) or round the med via Syria (
). It's possible to ship to Egypt but I've heard horror stories about opening the container to discover a stripped car, or down the West coast but they have their own issues there with fighting and the going is far harder.scdan4 said:
Start checking the overlander sites. www.Horizonsunlimited.com is good for motorbikes but i'm not sure about 4 wheels.
15K sounds a tad optimistic to me: (buying, converting, running, repairing, driving a van to SA and back including food, diesel, ferries, boarders, inevitable breakdowns and repairs etc etc etc).
Sounds loony tunes: The best plans always are. Do it!
(would a landy with a roof tent be the most suitable? Can you find something already prepped?)
How much do you think it'll cost? My reasoning for a van is because I'm a fussy eater, so I'd bring as much food and drink with me as possible. I would like something already prepared, so I'll look for some nearer the time.15K sounds a tad optimistic to me: (buying, converting, running, repairing, driving a van to SA and back including food, diesel, ferries, boarders, inevitable breakdowns and repairs etc etc etc).
Sounds loony tunes: The best plans always are. Do it!
(would a landy with a roof tent be the most suitable? Can you find something already prepped?)
As for the security of Africa. I've checked on the Foreign and Commonwealth website, and it appears it is do- able, if I go along via Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
I think it would a fun thing to do plus it will be a great experience, and that's I'd like to do it.
paulrussell said:
How much do you think it'll cost? My reasoning for a van is because I'm a fussy eater, so I'd bring as much food and drink with me as possible. I would like something already prepared, so I'll look for some nearer the time.
As for the security of Africa. I've checked on the Foreign and Commonwealth website, and it appears it is do- able, if I go along via Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
I think it would a fun thing to do plus it will be a great experience, and that's I'd like to do it.
I have no idea! I have only done trips on motorbikes so no idea of 4 wheeler costs. But.As for the security of Africa. I've checked on the Foreign and Commonwealth website, and it appears it is do- able, if I go along via Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
I think it would a fun thing to do plus it will be a great experience, and that's I'd like to do it.
A van able to go to SA and back (which will have some rather rough stuff involved I would guess) will surely cost more than 5K - my guess would be approaching 10K
It will have to have tax, insurance, service, a few spares - say another grand
Its a fair distance - google maps says 8500 miles each way. That will be shortest route, so guess at 20K return - how much diesel is that?
Google says you will cross about 10 countries - each will have various combinations of permits, visas and bribes at varying tariffs, say £300 a country average (again, just pulling a figure out the air) - another 3 K (each way).
Will it break? (yes) What will break (who knows) and how much will it cost to fix when it does? Will it involve fedexing a heavy part from the UK to Timbuktu to fix it or can the local guy do it with an arc welder and optimism? (damn that lack of magic crystal ball. You should have a fighting fund though)
You'll probably get through a few spare tyres and filters at the least.
How long will it take? You'll need to eat, drink and make merry. My guess would be 2 months each way? You'd want to enjoy the journey and not be driving all day every day. Making miles across africa could be hard going - some days may be 50 mile days max (off roading down dirt tracks all day) so it will take time. And again on the return. With incidentals, but slumming it you'd still have to spend say 500 a month minimum on living - that adds up. (The advice I was given is the faster you move and the more you drink the more you spend. You don't sound like you are considering dawdling or living on roadside trucker fayre.)
You'll need health insurance. some hundreds.
Are you assuming the truck will be sellable on return? There'll be a sturdy depreciation loss there after hammering it to the southern hemisphere and back.
and, and, and. It all mounts up and I am really not the best to advise - there are plenty overlander sites out there and they will be able to give far better estimates than myself.
But, and this is the really important bit, it will be awesome. Really really awesome. Not easy, but amazing, involving, interesting and something that if you are half serious about it, you'd regret not doing. You'd always have a "What if...." nagging you!
Have a look for Nick Sanders or Dan Walsh if you want good motivational writing about sturdy roadtrips (again, both motorbike based).
Ewan McGregor and t'other bloke did it in three months and did about 12k and felt they'd missed out on huge amounts and would have loved to do it slower. We took seven months and did 23k and missed out on plenty.
The record for Cairo to Cape Town is ten days iirc and that's two people taking it in turns to drive as fast as they can for 24 hours a day. So assuming you only do six hours a day (which still doesn't leave much time for doing anything else like sightseeing or fixing the car) that's 40 days minimum.
Don't worry about food too much. There are decent supermarkets in Cairo, Khartoum and iirc Addis Ababa, and loads further south.
The record for Cairo to Cape Town is ten days iirc and that's two people taking it in turns to drive as fast as they can for 24 hours a day. So assuming you only do six hours a day (which still doesn't leave much time for doing anything else like sightseeing or fixing the car) that's 40 days minimum.
Don't worry about food too much. There are decent supermarkets in Cairo, Khartoum and iirc Addis Ababa, and loads further south.
scdan4 said:
I have no idea! I have only done trips on motorbikes so no idea of 4 wheeler costs. But.
A van able to go to SA and back (which will have some rather rough stuff involved I would guess) will surely cost more than 5K - my guess would be approaching 10K
It will have to have tax, insurance, service, a few spares - say another grand
Its a fair distance - google maps says 8500 miles each way. That will be shortest route, so guess at 20K return - how much diesel is that?
Google says you will cross about 10 countries - each will have various combinations of permits, visas and bribes at varying tariffs, say £300 a country average (again, just pulling a figure out the air) - another 3 K (each way).
Will it break? (yes) What will break (who knows) and how much will it cost to fix when it does? Will it involve fedexing a heavy part from the UK to Timbuktu to fix it or can the local guy do it with an arc welder and optimism? (damn that lack of magic crystal ball. You should have a fighting fund though)
You'll probably get through a few spare tyres and filters at the least.
How long will it take? You'll need to eat, drink and make merry. My guess would be 2 months each way? You'd want to enjoy the journey and not be driving all day every day. Making miles across africa could be hard going - some days may be 50 mile days max (off roading down dirt tracks all day) so it will take time. And again on the return. With incidentals, but slumming it you'd still have to spend say 500 a month minimum on living - that adds up. (The advice I was given is the faster you move and the more you drink the more you spend. You don't sound like you are considering dawdling or living on roadside trucker fayre.)
You'll need health insurance. some hundreds.
Are you assuming the truck will be sellable on return? There'll be a sturdy depreciation loss there after hammering it to the southern hemisphere and back.
and, and, and. It all mounts up and I am really not the best to advise - there are plenty overlander sites out there and they will be able to give far better estimates than myself.
But, and this is the really important bit, it will be awesome. Really really awesome. Not easy, but amazing, involving, interesting and something that if you are half serious about it, you'd regret not doing. You'd always have a "What if...." nagging you!
Have a look for Nick Sanders or Dan Walsh if you want good motivational writing about sturdy roadtrips (again, both motorbike based).
Thanks for the reply. Once Bloodhound is finished at Hakskeen Pan, I'm going with the idea of shipping it back and I'll fly back. I'm aware some things will break, and will need to bring loads of spares with me. I've been looking for minibuses to be true fall, as I think having windows would make better living conditions. I know I'd have to raise the suspension by a few inches and have some undercarriage guards. I'm also wondering if I might be wise in converting the van to four wheel drive. I know some Transits are four wheel drive, so I might be able to find the parts in a scrapyard somewhere.A van able to go to SA and back (which will have some rather rough stuff involved I would guess) will surely cost more than 5K - my guess would be approaching 10K
It will have to have tax, insurance, service, a few spares - say another grand
Its a fair distance - google maps says 8500 miles each way. That will be shortest route, so guess at 20K return - how much diesel is that?
Google says you will cross about 10 countries - each will have various combinations of permits, visas and bribes at varying tariffs, say £300 a country average (again, just pulling a figure out the air) - another 3 K (each way).
Will it break? (yes) What will break (who knows) and how much will it cost to fix when it does? Will it involve fedexing a heavy part from the UK to Timbuktu to fix it or can the local guy do it with an arc welder and optimism? (damn that lack of magic crystal ball. You should have a fighting fund though)
You'll probably get through a few spare tyres and filters at the least.
How long will it take? You'll need to eat, drink and make merry. My guess would be 2 months each way? You'd want to enjoy the journey and not be driving all day every day. Making miles across africa could be hard going - some days may be 50 mile days max (off roading down dirt tracks all day) so it will take time. And again on the return. With incidentals, but slumming it you'd still have to spend say 500 a month minimum on living - that adds up. (The advice I was given is the faster you move and the more you drink the more you spend. You don't sound like you are considering dawdling or living on roadside trucker fayre.)
You'll need health insurance. some hundreds.
Are you assuming the truck will be sellable on return? There'll be a sturdy depreciation loss there after hammering it to the southern hemisphere and back.
and, and, and. It all mounts up and I am really not the best to advise - there are plenty overlander sites out there and they will be able to give far better estimates than myself.
But, and this is the really important bit, it will be awesome. Really really awesome. Not easy, but amazing, involving, interesting and something that if you are half serious about it, you'd regret not doing. You'd always have a "What if...." nagging you!
Have a look for Nick Sanders or Dan Walsh if you want good motivational writing about sturdy roadtrips (again, both motorbike based).
When I get back, yes I'd like to sell the van, and I know it won't be worth as much as I'll put in it. I've just counted 8 non EU countries to get to South Africa, so I think I might save a bit of money by staying in some countries longer. This trip will only go ahead if I can borrow most of the money from my parents, as I don't have anywhere near the money to be able to fund the trip myself.
Bill said:
Ewan McGregor and t'other bloke did it in three months and did about 12k and felt they'd missed out on huge amounts and would have loved to do it slower. We took seven months and did 23k and missed out on plenty.
The record for Cairo to Cape Town is ten days iirc and that's two people taking it in turns to drive as fast as they can for 24 hours a day. So assuming you only do six hours a day (which still doesn't leave much time for doing anything else like sightseeing or fixing the car) that's 40 days minimum.
Don't worry about food too much. There are decent supermarkets in Cairo, Khartoum and iirc Addis Ababa, and loads further south.
As I hope to do the trip twice, I might see about taking longer to do the journey in 2017. One thing for certain if the trip does go ahead: I'll be buying 2 22" Smiley stickers, and putting them on each side of the van.The record for Cairo to Cape Town is ten days iirc and that's two people taking it in turns to drive as fast as they can for 24 hours a day. So assuming you only do six hours a day (which still doesn't leave much time for doing anything else like sightseeing or fixing the car) that's 40 days minimum.
Don't worry about food too much. There are decent supermarkets in Cairo, Khartoum and iirc Addis Ababa, and loads further south.
I didn't know about the supermarkets, so thanks for that information Bill.
Double check as we did the trip in 2005, they are/were Carrefour supermarkets.
Don't get too hung up on 4x4. If you're not straying off the main roads then very rugged would be fine. There are a couple of rough stretches (again nigh on the years ago so could be Tarmac now...) in northern Sudan and Northern Kenya but the rest is more or less ropey Tarmac.
The key for vehicles is to keep it simple, standard and light and if you can then choose something used locally. So Land Cruiser/Rover, Hilux or Hiace, or IIRC Mitsubishi(?) Canter is the light truck of choice.
Don't get too hung up on 4x4. If you're not straying off the main roads then very rugged would be fine. There are a couple of rough stretches (again nigh on the years ago so could be Tarmac now...) in northern Sudan and Northern Kenya but the rest is more or less ropey Tarmac.
The key for vehicles is to keep it simple, standard and light and if you can then choose something used locally. So Land Cruiser/Rover, Hilux or Hiace, or IIRC Mitsubishi(?) Canter is the light truck of choice.
Bill said:
Double check as we did the trip in 2005, they are/were Carrefour supermarkets.
Don't get too hung up on 4x4. If you're not straying off the main roads then very rugged would be fine. There are a couple of rough stretches (again nigh on the years ago so could be Tarmac now...) in northern Sudan and Northern Kenya but the rest is more or less ropey Tarmac.
The key for vehicles is to keep it simple, standard and light and if you can then choose something used locally. So Land Cruiser/Rover, Hilux or Hiace, or IIRC Mitsubishi(?) Canter is the light truck of choice.
Cheers Bill. I'm thinking on the lines of a LWB High Roof MK6 Transit minibus, with the rear converted for storage and living accommodation, van rear doors so a spare wheel can be mounted on one of the doors, a roof rack again for storage - particularly for a couple of jerry cans, that might be needed - solar panel on the roof to provide electricity and an awning mounted to the side.Don't get too hung up on 4x4. If you're not straying off the main roads then very rugged would be fine. There are a couple of rough stretches (again nigh on the years ago so could be Tarmac now...) in northern Sudan and Northern Kenya but the rest is more or less ropey Tarmac.
The key for vehicles is to keep it simple, standard and light and if you can then choose something used locally. So Land Cruiser/Rover, Hilux or Hiace, or IIRC Mitsubishi(?) Canter is the light truck of choice.
I'd like to be reasonably comfortable on the journey, that's why I chose a van. I've looked into it and there's a ferry that runs from Turkey to Egypt twice a week, and it appears you can just turn up and buy a ticket if you turn up early enough. I've also thought of buying a sat phone for two reasons, one is to try to reassure my parents that I'll be ok, 2 is in case I injure myself and I can't drive, I'll be able to get whatever medical help there is out there.
I would not advise traveling through Africa, its a dangerously savage hostile place - not suitable for Europeans. Living in South Africa, planning to leave for Europe someday hopefully. Been living amongst Africans my whole life and know them well, you will stick out like a sore thumb and be the target of all sorts of unsavoury characters, schemes, hostility etc. As far as terrain, fauna, flora, safety is concerned Africa can't touch Europe
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