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What should I bring?
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Overlanding and adventure travel
is not like a regular holiday, where you fly to one destination,
are transferred to your hotel and then unpack all your holiday
clothes neatly in the wardrobe of your hotel room. Far from
it. On an overland tour in Africa you’ll be living out
of your backpack
and should consider bringing extra equipment
too: items you’d never need in a Tuscany hotel or on a
beach in the Bahamas. From a torch and water bottle, to a sleeping
mat and mosquito net, you'll need it all on your overland trip in Africa.
If you’ve never been into a camping shop before, now is
the time to get familiar with names such as Leatherman, Maglite,
Gortex, and Therm-o-rest. A camera is always a good idea as
photography is hugely rewarding on an overland trip.
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What medication should
I take?
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Adventurous travel in Africa
poses the risk of exposure to certain diseases. You
must take precautions against these before leaving home.
Your health
should be a priority and an armful of jabs is a small price
to pay to avoid catching something that could make you very
sick or even be life-threatening. Protection against malaria
is essential and most courses of malaria tablets must
be started before you leave home. Cases of travellers
catching malaria in up-market lodges are rare because
they sleep in rooms with fans or air con and have mosquito netting
on every door and window. This is very different to camping out in the
bush, so be prepared. Take those pills and bring plenty
of insect repellent along.
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What visas and currency
do I need?
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Paperwork
and money all need to be sorted out before you leave home. Africa
is not a destination that you can simply hop to on a plane with
a credit card. In some regions banks are unfamiliar with
both credit cards and travellers cheques. You really don’t
want to be in a position where it takes an hour to cash a
US$20 traveller's cheque even though you are the only customer in the
bank! You’ll need different types of money for different
countries and for different situations. You need to assess carefully
how much to bring to cover all visas, optional extras, personal
spending money (for things like souvenirs),
and kitty or local payment. You will not be permitted to travel
without travel insurance and this must be arranged from your
home country before you go.
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