Much criticised and much loved, overlanding has been an
integral part of African tourism for decades. It also has broad appeal for all
age groups. Robert Irwin goes in search of “Overlander
Africanus”.
Agadez,
Niger. Dust. Desert. Delay. Behind us, 12 weeks and 4,000 miles of Africa. Game
parks, villages, markets and the barely passable mud river that is the
trans-Africa “motorway” through the Congo. Ahead, the Sahara. But for
now, 15 overlanders from England, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and America,
of varied ages and backgrounds, are united by one thing. Ten days and counting,
waiting for Algerian visas.
The beer supply dwindles with our
patience. Tempers fray, matching our road-weary laundry. Then a mud brick
building collapses. The only working fax machine in Agadez, our link to the UK,
is flattened. Depression descends with the dust. Nobody smiles. Except Derek,
that is. He greets the news with these prophetic words: “It’s raining
in England.”
Derek is 64 years old. Once he was a retired tailor
from Letchworth. But now, with most of Africa behind and only the Sahara left
to conquer, he is an overlander.
So what is this strange species of
traveller, this Overlander Africanus? What makes twenty-something students,
forty-something accountants and even sixty-something tailors climb aboard a
10-ton, 4-wheel drive truck with 15 strangers and head across Africa?
And, for the better-shod, better-financed traveller who already has a love of
Africa, but also admits to a penchant for creature comforts, is overlanding a
viable alternative to other less rugged modes of adventure travel? Are you
— shock, horror! — a potential overlander? Or should you avoid it
like cerebral malaria?
Overlander Africanus has been bush bashing
across Africa for 30 years. UK-based Encounter Overland started the
trans-Africa wheels turning in 1969. By the ‘80s, numerous other British
firms were criss-crossing Africa. Many were one-truck operators of little
quality or commercial consequence. Others — like Guerba Expeditions,
Exodus, Dragoman and Acacia — began small but developed into respectable,
reliable, bonded tour companies offering a variety of itineraries throughout
Africa.
In the early days, the concept was so simple, cheap and
cheerful it bordered on the naive: 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. They’d have done it. Crossed MMBA — “Miles and
Miles of Bloody Africa”.
From the outset, the difference between
overlanding and conventional package safaris was participation. The passengers
pitched in, taking responsibility for food shopping in local markets, cooking
over an open campfire and making camp in the bush. Early itineraries were
loose, if they existed at all. Within the broad London to Cape Town framework,
expeditions developed according to the interests and input of their
participants. Also, with six months at their disposal, there was enough time to
meet and interact with local people all across the continent.
Today
this basic philosophy of involvement survives intact. However, just as Africa
and the nature of African tourism have 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, logistical back-up and
punctual arrival at their destination. In the competitive market place of the
‘90’s, this is precisely what the established overland firms
offer.
Two Weeks To Six Months
Though the
long-haul trips still operate, overlanding no longer means packing in your job
or your marriage to take six months off for a jaunt across Africa. Recognising
the growing interest in participation, adventure-style travel among educated
professionals who have already travelled in Africa and elsewhere, the overland
companies have developed shorter itineraries focusing on particular regions or
highlights of the continent. Most firms run the classic southern Africa
overland from Nairobi to Cape Town in five to nine weeks. There are also
numerous two- to four-week camping safaris.
Where’s The
Booze?
Are overlanders, as their critics universally claim,
merely a crowd of beer-swilling party animals out for a good time? It’s a
misconception that overlanders just can’t seem to shake. True, there are
beer stops. But where do you really think more alcohol getss consumed? In
overland bush camps, usually miles from anywhere? Or in the bars and dining
rooms of well-supplied game lodges?
Are Overlanders All Dirty
And Scruffy?
Sometimes. Though this is another exaggeration
based on the rugged situations that overlanders occasionally endure.
You’ve heard of water rationing — a cup per person per day? It’s
true. But not every day. Just in the desert, where water is critical and cannot
be wasted. Elsewhere, while you may not have a steaming hot shower every day,
washing isn’t usually a problem. Many vehicles carry hand-pump showers and
on shorter tours there will be more campsites with shower blocks en route.
The Comfort Factor
As anyone who has been to
Africa will tell you, many African roads are sometimes barely roads at all. Of
all the vehicles on tour in Africa, the powerful, 4WD overland trucks are
superbly suited for these rugged conditions. But there is a downside. On the
tarmac roads of southern Africa — the fastest growing market for overland
companies as well as conventional safari operators — these vehicles are
comparatively slow. Consequently, in southern Africa, most ex-military 4WD
Bedfords have been replaced by the faster, smoother Mercedes.
Remember, though, these are not coaches, they are trucks. Vehicle designs vary
but follow a similar pattern. Seating is either forward-facing, coach style, or
inward-facing with easy window access for all. There is a roof seat for game
viewing and lockable storage space for personal luggage, food and camping
equipment. Only Encounter Overland pulls a luggage trailer, but they’ve
been doing it successfully for 33 years. Most vehicles have a waterproof soft
top with roll-up sides for an excellent view, either en route or on a game
drive. Dragoman’s Mercedes is more coach-like, with hard sides, glass
windows and forward facing seats. All vehicles have long range fuel and water
capacity and carry complete camping and cooking gear, including a gas stove for
use when firewood is scarce.
Who Leads The Way?
A lot has been said about overland leaders, much of it critical
and some of it even true. Yes, they do know some pretty lively bars around
Africa — but drinking and driving is a sackable offence. No, they
can’t identify every single mammal, bird, insect and plant in Africa.
Specialist guides with that depth of knowledge work only for the most
exclusive, most expensive operators.
What overland leaders do have is
an excellent general knowledge of the regions they travel to, including
history, politics, flora and fauna.
Though most khaki-clad, up-market
safari guides would never acknowledge it, there are some overland leaders who
have spent many years on the road and can match them in bush craft any day.
They are competent mechanics and fully-trained, licensed and insured to drive
their specialised vehicles, with passenger comfort and safety paramount.
Yes, there are poor leaders, just as there are poor teachers, accountants
and tailors. But most are personable, keen and conscientious. More importantly,
they have the rare, unquantifiable ability to take responsibility for an
expensive vehicle and the well-being of 20 passengers — and still have
fun.
Most companies have two drivers — a leader and trainee.
Predictably, most are men, though Dragoman makes a point of recruiting women,
on the assumption that they are less likely to adopt the “macho man”
image often associated with the job. Only Guerba employs a third crew member as
campmaster, whose job is to organise and oversee on-the-road camping
duties.
The Bottom Line
For most people
considering the overlanding option, the choice of operator and price is
mind-boggling. A five-week tour from Nairobi to Harare ranges from £800
to £1,400. Like everything else in life, you get what you pay for. A
higher price reflects vehicle reliability, support in the event of breakdown
and more highlights (game parks, treks, etc.) included en route. Price can also
determine who your fellow overlanders might be — with “youthful
exuberance” being a more likely label for the least expensive tours.
A Final Word
Back to Agadez. Remember our
retired tailor, Derek? Wonder why he had such a practical, prophetic attitude
toward adversity? Easy — at 64, it was his third overland!
Are
You An Overlander At Heart? Try this light-hearted quiz. You may be
surprised! • Can you picture yourself celebrating New Year’s Eve
sitting on the cement step of a corrugated metal shed, toast ing the Cameroon
football team in French? • Do you value “personal
experience” over “book learning”? • Do you prefer a
canopy of stars and the silence of solitude to a whirring air-conditioner?
• Would you rather barter in the market than pay the marked price in the
gift shop? • Do you know where Timbuktu is? • Can you grin
and bear it? • If you are vegetarian, can you tolerate meat-eaters? Or
vice versa. •Is your age important only to your insurance agent?
• Are you more likely to say “Where’s the bar?” than
“Where’s the shower?” • Is this funny: “Don’t
come to Africa if you can’t take a joke”?
Now, count up your
“yes” answers. How do you score?: 0 Stay home, David
Attenborough’s on telly. 1 - 4 Africa may beckon, but a tent
doesn’t. 5 to 8 Write off for some brochures. 9 What are you
waiting for? Cape to Cairo awaits. 10 If you can bleed brakes as well,
you’re in the wrong job. You should be an overland leader!
Is Overlanding
Safe? And other important issues like “Where’s the toilet?”)
Health and
Hygiene
The two most common health risks on overland tours
are malaria and the scourge of every Third World traveller —
“Timbuktu tummy”. In reality, most gut complaints are self-limiting
and treatable in the short term with the drugs carried in every truck’s
comprehensive medical kit.
Because water-borne diseases like cholera
can spread quickly through a group, they are taken very seriously.
Consequently, overland operators make personal and group hygiene a high
priority. Do you wash your hands with soap and water every single time you use
the loo? On an overland trip, you will!
All drinking water —
usually drawn from a river, lake or local well — however clean it may
look, is purified chemically. Cooking equipment is kept clean and crockery is
normally “flapped” dry in the open air because tea towels are
difficult to keep germ-free.
Passengers receive up-to-date health and
inoculation information prior to departure. Expedition leaders are not usually
medically trained, but they will have practical experience of most common
health risks, particularly malaria.
Malaria prophylaxis is essential
for everyone, to the extent that some companies even provide malaria pills. In
addition, experienced tour leaders will advise you to wear long sleeves and
trousers around the campfire, sleep under a mosquito net and keep your
tent’s screen door zipped tight.
Safety
Heard the one about the sleeping tourist who had his gold teeth yanked out? As
the story goes, it didn’t happen to an overlander in an isolated bush
camp. It happened in a five-star Nairobi hotel.
In Africa, as
elsewhere in the developing world, the tourist is always a potential victim.
But the fact is, most African crime takes place in cities. You are far more
likely to be robbed in bustling, downtown Johannesburg or Nairobi than when
bush camping. Also, expedition leaders know from personal experience the
potential danger spots to avoid.
Yes, there have been incidents.
Recently, an overland group was robbed while camped at a popular waterfall in
Central Africa. The spot had been safe for many years. Suddenly, without
warning, it wasn’t and it is unlikely that groups from any responsible
company will camp there in the future.
Political calamity moves around
Africa like a bush fire. All companies monitor British Foreign Office advice.
However, if they followed it to the letter they wouldn’t be in Africa at
all. In practice no reliable company stays in a country where there is a
genuine, serious threat to safety. For example, the upheaval in Zaire / Congo
and the 1994 crisis in Rwanda and Burundi prompted Guerba to pull out of the
area altogether. Tours were cancelled and alternatives offered. Anyone who
wanted it got a full refund. Lives were never put at risk. Encounter Overland,
Exodus, Dragoman and Acacia all did the same.
As areas once deemed
unsafe stabilise and re-open, overland operators are among the first to return.
Ethiopia and Eritrea are a case in point. After Eritrean independence the
overlanders were the vanguard there, with the more conventional tour operators
following in their tracks. If an overland tour does get caught up in a coup (it
has happened), the plan is simple. Seek refuge at the British Embassy or get
out of the country, whichever is easiest. Personal safety is paramount and if
it means abandoning a vehicle and flying out, so be it.
The
Toilet?
There isn’t one and the reason is simple —
hygiene. Put bluntly, it is an absolute certainty that the personal, “use
once and bury it completely” squattoir is more sanitary than your toilet
at home. It’s the one subject that tour leaders are fanatical about. One
even refused to break camp one morning until every scrap of loo paper was
collected and buried. And they all stayed healthy for the duration.
A Day in the
Life of an Overland Trip. By Robert Irwin
On the road in Africa you move with the sun and keep time
naturally, with your stomach. The day’s chefs have the kettles boiling by
sunrise. You share the dawn with the birds and the monkeys and the odd villager
who’s wandered by to see what’s happening. Strong coffee and tea,
maybe eggs, pancakes or porridge — almost certainly baskets full of fresh
fruit. It all depends on what yesterday’s market had on offer and
what’s left in the larder.
While the dishes are washed, tents are
packed, “constitutionals” are performed and teeth are brushed. If
you’re ready early, you can stroll ahead, trying out your French or
Swahili as you join the villagers on their way to market.
So, what do
you actually do “on the road” to while away the hours between A
(Aketi, say) and B (maybe Bumba)? Well, what do you do on any journey? Read
(Most overland trucks carry an extensive African reference library). Update
your diary. Play cards. Have a snack at the periodic truck-stop samosa stand.
Maybe take a nap.
You can even talk with your fellow overlanders. Who
knows, they might be interesting. Maybe the bespectacled bloke next to you did
his dissertation on crocodiles and his rather quiet wife can tell you all you
need to know about forensic accounting at the Serious Fraud Office. But why not
just sit back and watch MMBA roll on past? Even the endless expanse of the
Sahara or Kalahari is not as monotonous as it seems.
Eventually, your
stomach alarm goes off. It’s lunch. Kettle on. Maybe corned beef
sandwiches. Or fresh veggie and pasta salad prepared last night. Fresh fruit.
Chocolate biccies if you’re lucky. After a brief stretch out in the shade
(if you’re not on washing up), it’s on the road again. More MMBA.
While overlanders may not have thousands of pounds, what they do have is
spent at grass roots level — in the market. The basics come first. Bread,
fresh vegetables and fruit, meat perhaps — enough to keep you going till
the next market town. Then, with the necessities taken care of, the search
begins for life’s little luxuries — Mars bars and English
newspapers.
On the longer trips of four weeks or more, most nights are
spent under the stars in bush camps. On shorter trips there are more commercial
campsites. Facilities vary widely. Some camps are very limited. Others, notably
in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia, rival anything in Europe. (The first hot
bath I ever had at a campsite was in Harare!) Shorter tours usually offer more
opportunity for a lodge or hotel night, with cost and quality varying from
country to country. But for most overlanders it’s the peaceful isolation
of real bush camping that makes the trip worthwhile.
Overlanding means
getting involved, participating in the full range of activities that you’d
expect on most African safaris. Inevitably, as overland tours have become
shorter, fewer travelling days mean more time devoted to actually doing
things.
In East and Southern Africa, with the focus naturally on
wildlife, the overland companies visit most major national parks. In Tanzania
(with the exception of Ngorongoro Crater), Namibia and South Africa, the high
vantage point of the overland vehicle — and the roof seat in particular
— is ideal for game viewing.
Elsewhere, due to local restrictions
or prohibitively high national park entrance fees for foreign vehicles, the
overland firms hire local guides and vehicles. Sights of particular
archaeological or historical interest, such as the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and
Olduvai Gorge, feature on most overland itineraries.
Also, by hiring
local firms and guides for activities like trekking, walking safaris and river
cruises, overlanders do make a contribution to local economies.
