“so you consider yourself British, living in Gibraltar?”

(laughing) “oh no sir, not British!”

“oh, from where then?”

“India, sir”

“ah, and how long have you been here then?”

“63 years, sir”

Day 2 was a day in Gibraltar. Quick walk to the peak, stopping off at the pillars of Hercules, a few minutes with the macaques, and then into town for a quick resupply.

Today will be ferry crossing, then all day tomorrow in chefchouauen (sp?).

Having a hard time with picture uploading, will do when I hit wifi.

Group has 4 Americans (an oddity), 4 brits, and a smattering of Canadians, Australians, Kiwis, and one Japanese. I am one of the least traveled people on the trip. In total we are 19. 12 males, 7 females.

Camping in Gibraltar (Spanish side). Tent is quite roomy. Feeling quite optimistic.

One day at a time.

“No, we don’t muddy things up like they do in America”

What is overlanding? Overlanding is a method of travel that embodies the ethos of “low and slow” and “it’s the journey, not the destination”. It is called overland because you literally travel “over” the “land” (as opposed to planes). Commercial overlanding nowadays typically involves ruggedized trucks that seat ~16–24, have on-board water storage, safes, a small fridge, and plenty of room for gear.

So…is this a tour? While there is a “tour guide” her role will not be like a typical day tour guide to a specific locale. Think of her more like a group leader. The tour guide coordinates visas once we’re on the ground, determines (in conjunction with the driver) the optimal route, and ensures our general health and safety. The tour guide will not be coordinating our days in cities, or telling us what to do on our free time.

Is everything decided for you? It sounds like there’s no freedom. I have no input into the route, nor will I have any responsibility to fix the truck, fuel the vehicle, and things like that. So on the overland truck, I’m like a regular bus passenger. In the cities, and on “activity days”, I will have plenty of time on my own to do my own things.

You’ll be stuck with the same people for 10 months? The “UK to Cairo” route, as it’s called, is broken up into 4 smaller segments: (1) UK to Accra (2) Accra to Cape Town (3) Cape Town to Nairobi and (4) Nairobi to Cairo. I imagine some of the people will be doing all four segments, and some will only be doing one or two.

How many people are on the overland trip? About 20, plus or minus a few.

Who drives the truck? The driver (it’s a dedicated role).

Who cooks the food? We’ll all take turns.

What company did you book with, and why? I booked with Oasis Overland. You can google them — they’re a regular, commercial venture. I booked based on the happy medium of price vs. quality. The reviews seemed fairly solid as well.

You seem like an adventurous guy. Why not go solo? Two main reasons: (1) At this specific point in life, I’d rather be with a group than travel solo, and (2) Many of the places I’ll be seeing are very difficult, if not impossible, to get to with public transportation. I don’t want to be stuck waiting for the twice-a-month bus between two remote West-African cities. Going overland will allow me a much higher “seeing cool stuff to waiting for the damn bus” ratio.

Money, Health, and Home Life

How much is this trip going to cost? My guess is about $25,000

Wow! That’s a lot of money! How did you pay for it? I’m a good saver :) Plus, this is a good deal cheaper than just living in DC

What are you doing with all your junk/house/car/morals? I am bringing my morals with me, thank you very much :) A few boxes of stuff are packed and left in the basement of my condo. My condo is rented to a lovely tenant. My car is being loaned to a friend.

What if you get sick? I’ll get better.

What if you poop your pants? That is certainly a risk. Hopefully it mostly ends up on my underwear, since I have spares, but only one pair of pants.

What if you get [bombed by ISIS/bitten by a venomous snake/fall off a cliff/eaten by a lion]? Find solace in the fact that by taking this trip, I am choosing to live consciously, that travel is both valuable and important to me, and that I consider myself extremely blessed to devote most of my thoughts and energies to the very pinnacle of Maslow’s hierarchy (self-actualization).

Life on the Road

Where do you poop? Hopefully not in my pants. (I am bringing a trowel.)

What will you eat? Food.

What will you drink? Water (and some beer [but not too much]).

What are you bringing? Check out my gear post, it’s pretty swanky.

Why are you so cheeky? The sass is genetic; I get it from my little sister Ariella.

Post African Plans

Why are you going on this trip? I’ve wanted to travel the Cairo to Cape Town segment for over a decade. That segment alone is about 4 months, so I figured, if I am already going through the trouble of renting my place, quitting my job, leaving the country….just go big or go home. (I decided to go big.)

What’s after your Trans-Africa expedition? I have a few options. If I’m totally pooped, I can always come home to DC. I want to go to Nepal afterwards and do some hut-to-hut treks, which is a tad bit more civilized than traversing Africa. I may also climb Kilimanjaro. The world is my oyster!

Miscellaneous

Have you traveled before? Yeah, I’ve been to about 30 countries, including Central/South America, Europe, North Africa, and the Caucasuses. I’ve never done a trip quite like this one though!

What are some of your favorite travel memories? My top five are probably, in ascending order: (5) Western Wall,Jerusalem, Israel (4) Mt. Nemrut, Turkey (3) Igauzu Falls, Argentina (2) Zion National Park, Utah, US (1) Vitosha National Park, Bulgaria

What’s your life motto? Don’t poop your pants.

The ancient Pyramids at Meroe lie to the north of the capital Khartoum. Our drive across the Nubian Desert will see us either hugging the banks of Nile as it snakes its way north or possibly experiencing the vast open desert plains which is dissected by the main train line from Khartoum — making this our only real point of reference. Whether passing through sleepy Nubian villages ,resting in tea rooms, pottering around the local souqs or experiencing total isolation in the middle of the desert — a unique experience awaits me along this not-so- travelled route to Wadi Halfa.

Upon reaching Lake Nasser and the port of Wadi Halfa in Northern Sudan, we board the ferry to Egypt —the ultimate destination on the expedition. The ferry takes about a day and a night and is a supremely relaxing way to travel, and a great opportunity to mix and chat to local Egyptian and Sudanese people alike. We’ll rejoin the expedition vehicle (which travelled on a separate barge) and make our way to Aswan.

We’ll be based here for a couple of days — enough time for me to join a 2 or 3 day felucca boat cruise to Edfu and Kom Ombo. The opportunity to visit Abu Simbel — the massive stone monuments built by the greatest of all pharaohs, Ramses ll, should be a highlight of the trip, before continuing to Luxor.

I’ll have plenty to do in Luxor , including visiting both the Valley of Kings and Valley of Queens. Here, the remarkably well preserved tombs of the ancient rulers - Ramses ll and Tutankhamun -have coloured paintings and hieroglyphics that still seem fresh even after 3000 years. Karnak and Luxor Temples are also both in easy walking distance from the campsite.

From here, the drive takes us towards the Red Sea Coast. I’ll have some time to relax on the beach for a couple of days or tryvarious watersports such as snorkelling, windsurfing, or scuba diving in the cool clear blue waters.

The final destination, Cairo is only a few hours away. Visiting the great Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza sounds like a proper way to end this amazing expedition.

From Nairobi, I’ll have the opportunity to visit the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. Nearby is the Langata Giraffe Centre, where (if I’m lucky), I’ll get the change chance to get up close to feed them.

Our trip continues from Nairobi and heads north into one of Africa’s greatest natural features, the East African Rift Valley. Stretching from the Dead Sea in Jordan down to Mozambique in Southern Africa, this is considered some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. The valley floor seems to sweep on forever and is dotted with volcanic peaks, shimmering lakes and countless springs.

The journey takes us into the heart of the Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha. We camp near the lakeshore where Hippos sometimes feed at night! I’ll have the option of hiring mountain bikes and cycling or walk through Hells Gate National Park — the only game reserve in Kenya in which you are permitted to do so. Or for a less active but equally enjoyable game viewing experience — visit the Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. Both offer excellent scenery & opportunities to spot hyrax, abundant bird & plant life along with several types of gazelle, impala and eland.

A further half day drive through hills covered in tea plantations and rural scenery drive brings us to Lake Nakuru National Park — home to a wide variety of wildlife including Black Rhino, Hippo, Lion, Leopard, Hyena and Giraffe. However, Nakuru is a soda lake and most famous for its pink inhabitants, a flock of almost a million Pink Flamingos which feed noisily along the shoreline.

A mountainous drive with spectacular scenery through the Nandi Hills brings us to our next stop at Eldoret. From here we’ll cross into Uganda, and continue west to the capital, Kampala.

Kampala has had a turbulent past, but these days it is a friendly and safe city. I’ll have a free day to spend in local cafes and nightspots, or if I prefer, visiting a local Chimpanzee Sanctuary and rehabilitation centre on one of the islands on Lake Victoria.

Traveling through Uganda, we’ll pass through a number of small towns and villages like Mpigi and Kyazanga, where I can sample the local wares (and pretend like I’m living on Little House on the Prarie, by the looks of it).

The Virunga range of volcanic mountains and the rainforests on these mountain slopes are home to several families of Highland Mountain Gorillas, where I’ll have the opportunity to trek to see the Gorillas in Rwanda. Apparently only 700 or so gorillas are left! This mountainous area on the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC is their only natural habitat and they are periodically threatened by poachers and political instability in the area. One permit allows you to spend about 50 to 60 minutes with one of the gorilla families. Trekking to find them in groups of 8 people can take anywhere from half an hour to 5 hours. The organisations and well-trained guides that continually monitor and protect the families are conscientious and responsible. There will also be an opportunity to visit the genocide memorial in Kigali.

We then return towards Kampala and camp near Jinja — Uganda’s adventure playground. Here, on the edge of Lake Victoria, the Nile begins its 6700km journey to the sea. We spend the next few days downstream from the source of the Nile. This is a spectacular area, and a superb place to go whitewater rafting or kayaking. I can also organise quad biking , horse riding or a visit to a local education project.

Re-entering Kenya, we travel around the foothills of Mount Kenya before heading into the remote regions of northern Kenya , with some of the worst roads on the entire trip. Nomadic tribes people like the Rendille in Marsabit & the Samburu (cousins of the Maasai) still wear very distinctive and often elaborate dress.

Crossing into Ethiopia, many of the roads we’ll be traveling on are very poor dirt or gravel roads and often in mountainous areas, so travel is slow. Ethiopia has a lot more visual & indigenous history than any other sub — Saharan country.

We continue our journey north heading into the Omo Valley. This little visited region is home to some of the most colourful ethnic groups in Ethiopia. The friendly Hamar people are noted for their ornate, interesting hairstyles and the Mursi people are famous for the clay lip plates and earlobe decorations. An optional 2 day tour will take you into the Omo National Park.

We spend a couple of days in the capital Addis Ababa where we have the chance to indulge in some authentic Ethiopian coffee or explore ‘El Mercato’ — one of East Africa’s largest open air markets. We also spend the next few days organizing our Sudanese and Egyptian visas — before heading onto Bahir Dar via the spectacular Blue Nile Gorge & Falls. Based on the southern edge of Lake Tana , I’ll have the opportunity to organise boat trips to some of the small islands which have Monasteries dating back up to 900 years, and which are still looked after by monks who live from subsistence farming.

In the towns of Bahir Dar and Gondar (the capital of Ethiopia from 1632 until 1868), we spend about 4 days at each , where I’ll be able to organise visits to some of Ethiopia’s most famous sites, including the holy city of Axum and the rock-hewn churches at Lalibela. These date from the 12th Century and have been kept alive by generations of dedicated priests who guard their precious religious and artistic artifacts. The border with (South) Sudan is not far from Gondar, which is my penultimate stop on my grand African adventure.

Our route north then brings us to Dar Es Salaam where we’ll hang out for around 4 nights in a campsite on a beautiful Indian Ocean beach. I’ll most definitely take the ferry out to Zanzibar for the full four days and venture into the narrow bustling streets of Stone Town and its famous spice markets, old slave forts and dungeons. There is also time to relax on Zanzibar’s famous white beaches , scuba dive or snorkel and swim with dolphins!

After leaving Dar Es Salaam we pass a number of small towns and villages along the way and, if the weather cooperates, I may get a sneak peek (no pun intended) of Kilimanjaro.

We will stop off at Marangu ,where I’ll have the opportunity to climb to Kilimanjaro base camp, or take a walk through the lush surroundings passing through coffee plantations, rivers, waterfalls, caves and visiting a local blacksmith. Continuing to Arusha, I’ll hop on board a local safari company for a guided tour through Ngorongoro Crater and Manyara National Park.

In these parks, I’ll practically be seeing all of Noah’s Ark - Elephant, Lion, Cheetah, White Rhino, Buffalo, Hippo, Antelope, Crocodile and Pink Flamingos are all fair game. From here I’ll have a day Serengeti National Park, checking out the wildebeests, before moving on to Kenya.

Heading north via Harare , we’ll cross the border into Mozambique. We follow the infamous ‘Tete Corridor’ which was well known in the days of Mozambique’s long running civil war as the ‘Gun Run’. Thankfully these days things are a lot different! We continue on to the capital Lilongwe in the south of the country where we stop for a few nights nights (hopefully enough time to grab a shower!)

Passing through lush mountainous landscape and plantations, we’ll end up following the coast of Lake Malawi — the countries most dominant natural feature.

We’ll have four or five days here, and I’ll have the opportunity to relax on the beach, snorkle, windsurf, or wander off into a nearby city to have my kidneys harvested. Hopefully the friendly Mozambiquans will leave me enough organs to make it to the next stop, Tanzania!