Vehicles & Equipment

Gone are the days of deck chairs bolted to the floor of an old British Army Bedford lorry: Overlanding transport these days ranges from custom-built modern trucks to 4X4 game viewing vehicles and your Overland adventure may use a combination of different vehicles depending on the tour and destinations.

There are 3 main types of Overland vehicle:

The Truck

It’s the classic Overland vehicle: a big, solid truck that has been custom-built and equipped with one thing in mind: Overlanding. The trucks have also been designed for passenger comfort and security: individual seats, ample leg-room and overhead luggage racks on the one hand, lockers and built-in safes on the other.

You’ll also enjoy great views - Overland trucks have large sliding windows and/or pop-up roof hatches - and you won’t be bored on those long drives: a sound system is part of the deal along usually accompanied by reading material, games and recreational gear.

And speaking of gear, Overland trucks are usually very well appointed and largely self-sufficient. They feature built-in kitchens with fridges and freezers, long-range fuel tanks and huge drinking water tanks while big packing compartments means you won’t have camping gear - tents, tables and chairs - rattling around at your feet.

The 4X4 Safari Vehicle

Some Overland tours will make use of a specially designed 4X4 vehicle in areas where a big and heavy Overland truck cannot go. This is usually in national parks or game reserves when on a game viewing activity and access to these rugged vehicles will greatly enhance your safari experience as these vehicles are usually open-sided (mostly in Southern Africa) or with a pop-up roof (mostly in East Africa) which makes for great photographic opportunities.

Shorter or small group tours may make use of these vehicles for the entire trip and the vehicles are subsequently equipped with roof racks and trailers for storage.

The Mini-Bus

Smaller Overland tours may use a mini-bus or similar either for the duration of the tour or for part of it, particularly if there is a game viewing element and you need to transfer to a smaller vehicle. Mini-buses are more commonly used in East Africa and usually feature pop-up roofs for game viewing.