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History
& what is overlanding? |
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| History
of Overlanding | A trucking
good time | Creature comforts
| 2 weeks or 2 months |
| History
of Overlanding |
People have been travelling overland
since the days of Marco Polo, and it’s the best way to feel
the rhythm and soul of the country you are visiting. In Africa Overlanding
started in the colonial days when the great white settlers travelled
from Europe in vehicles laden with their worldly possessions hoping
to start a new life on the African plains. Then, it was an arduous
task to drive from the top of Africa to the bottom, with few roads,
facilities, even maps. These were followed in the 1960s by hardy young
adventurers in 4x4s that wanted to achieve the Cairo to Cape Town
route and painstakingly eased their vehicles across deserts, through
steamy jungles, and along barely-there roads.
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| A
trucking good time |
Commercial Overlanding
was born in the late 1960s when these first overlanders recognized
that there were other people out there who wanted to travel overland
but didn’t have the unlimited time or money to go in their own
vehicles. In the early days, the concept was simple and cheap: bolt
some coach seats into a second hand army truck, stock it with spares,
tents and food, sign up some punters and hit the road. Six months
later, despite mechanical breakdowns, broken bridges and bureaucratic
disasters, 20 weary but enlightened overlanders would gaze upon Table
Mountain. From the outset, the difference between Overlanding and
conventional package safaris was participation, as it still is today.
The passengers pitched in, taking responsibility for food shopping,
cooking, putting up their tents, lighting fires, and keeping the truck
clean. Early itineraries were loose, if they existed at all, and expeditions
developed according to the interests and input of their participants.
Many of today’s overland companies are still owner-managed by
these first overlanders that a few decades ago pioneered the popular
overland routes in their own vehicles.
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| Creature
comforts |
Today the basic philosophy
of involvement survives intact. However, just as Africa and the nature
of African tourism has evolved, so has Overlanding. As clientele and
expectations have changed, Overlanding has matured. Today’s
overland passengers still expect to pitch their own tent, but they
also want a reliable vehicle, a well-trained and capable crew, and
logistical back-up and this is precisely what we can offer. Over the
years vehicles and routes have constantly improved. Largely down to
better vehicle design with the passengers comfort in mind, and improved
infrastructure in Africa. Where once overland groups would camp in
the bush each night, today there is a wide range of excellent campsites
catering for overlanders and the vehicles, with activities, bars,
restaurants, and facilities. There’ll be few nights where you
won’t be able to have a shower or a beer; whether they will
be hot or cold respectively is another matter however! Many of the
barely-there tracks are now tarred super highways, and where it once
took weeks to drive a few hundred kilometres, it now only takes a
couple of days.
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| Two
weeks or two months? |
Overland trips have become
much quicker and it’s now feasible for people to explore considerable
parts of Africa in just a few weeks. A few years ago you would have
had to jack your job in, say farewell to the family, pack up your
home, and commit to several months of hard slog through Africa. Today
thanks to a comprehensive range of trips and excellent flight links
with Africa and the rest of the world, you can discover the wonders
of Africa on an overland tour that can last from just a week to two
months. There is a far greater choice out there to suit your budget
and time frame, and still keep that job (and possibly the boyfriend)
back home…speak to our consultants about what tour suits your
requirements.
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