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Who goes on
an overland tour?
Part of the fun of Overlanding in Africa is mixing with like-minded
young-at-heart adventurers. It's the kind of adventure where
you get your hands dirty, muck in, help out and participate.
If you enjoy meeting new people and pitching in with daily life
on the road then this is the ideal way to explore Africa and
share your travelling experiences. Together you can discover
the beautiful places, the abundance of animals and get to know
enthusiastic, friendly travellers like yourself. You’ll
also discover more about yourself and your own capabilities.
The majority of overland travellers are in their 20-40s, though
they are often younger or older. Overland tours attract anyone
from teenagers on “Gap” years to older people that
want to travel in their retirement. It’s not about age,
but attitude and tolerating other people. Everyone on tour wants
to see as much as possible, make new friends, and above all
have fun. You must be a flexible, easy going, independent person,
with team spirit. You don’t need to be super fit, but
you do need to be able to climb in and out of the vehicle, pitch
your own tent, carry equipment – those potential overland
passengers with serious muscles that can lift a heavy sack of
charcoal will be appointed fireman immediately!
People of all nationalities partake in overland tours, but it’s
worth remembering that the crew only speaks English. Some people
join trips together with a friend or partner, but many travel
on their own. Group sizes normally range from between 6 and
27, depending on which tour you choose and what vehicle is used.
Overland trucks take the bigger groups whilst on the shorter
tours, Land Rovers or mini buses are used and carry 4 to 12
people.
Are you a potential Overlander?
Click
here to find out...
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When to go
on an overland trip
Africa’s seasons vary greatly and if you decide on one
of the longer overland trips, say from Nairobi to Cape Town,
you are likely to travel through a variety of climates, and
will undoubtedly encounter both good and bad weather along the
way. East Africa straddles the equator but remember it is a
misconception that everywhere on the equator is hot. Many people
are quite surprised at how cool Kenya and Uganda get, and this
is because apart from at the coast, most of this region is high
above sea level. The short rains arrive in October and November
when there is a pounding of rain most afternoons before the
sun shines brightly again. These rains are not too inconvenient
whilst travelling, but it is the endless long rains from February
to March when you might want to avoid travelling in East Africa.
It’s not much fun rolling up a wet tent every morning.
Summer below the equator is from November to February when most
days are clear and sunny. The tropical coast of Mozambique gets
a pounding of rain in February and March and this is not the
best time to travel there, whilst the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe
and Zambia becomes excessively hot during October and November
before the onset of the mild and cooling rains. Botswana and
Namibia receive little rain but can get hot in summer and surprisingly
cold in winter. These are desert regions, and like all deserts
temperatures drop sharply at night. Camping out in the depths
of winter here, July through to August is quite uncomfortable.
South Africa has a moderate climate all year round though Cape
Town is wet and windy in the depths of winter when Table Mountain
spends most of its time under cloud, and Johannesburg gets a
pounding of dramatic electrical storms over summer. If you are
looking for a shorter trip in one region, it is worth considering
these climatic differences, but if you want to go from east
Africa to southern Africa or visa versa, you’ll get the
lot…
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