Vehicle: There has been a great deal of debate over which vehicle is best for a major overland trip, particularly a journey through Africa. It really comes down to a choice between the Toyota Land Cruiser or the Land Rover Defender. Having owned Land Rovers for a number of years, we were in no doubt as to which vehicle we would use, it had to be a Land Rover. However we have decided to use a Td5 110 Station Wagon, although most people have said that we should be taking a 300Tdi model, widely accepted as the overlanders choice. We purchased "Jambo Mbili" as we call our Defender, new in February 2005, since then she has covered some 30,000kms, more than half of which has been in Morocco. Although the 300Tdi is favoured by the majority, there have been a number of expeditions that have used the TD5 model, and of course Land Rover use Defender TD5's on their G4 Global Challenge events. After reading Kingsley Holgate's book "Capricorn" following the invisible line and watching the television series "Along the Tropic of Capricorn" of his journey around the world with his family in two Defender Td5 110s we felt pretty confident that a Td5 would cope with our own journey through Africa. Vehicle preparations include....... more

Medical: It is important to plan well in advance for the necessary vaccinations needed for a trip through Africa. Some vaccinations are essential while others are well worth considering....... more

Paperwork: There is obviously a good deal of paperwork involved in a journey of this kind. Organizing everything is both time consuming and can also be expensive....... more

Electronics: Taking along modern electronic equipment on an overland trip through Africa may at first seem a little bit strange, after all many countries in Africa have little if any modern technology. But GPS, cameras, laptops and mobile or satellite phones can make a difference and help you get the most from your safari........more