Rci - The Long Way Down - 10 Practical Tips To 4x4ing Through Africa

But it always helps if you have some insider knowledge from those in the know who have been doing this for years. Taking to the great African continent in your own vehicle is a very liberating experience.

Here are the top 10 practical tips to 4x4ing through Africa.

Ok so your 6 ply extra soft toilet paper may not be available everywhere but surely you can survive with 2 ply! Yes Africans use toiletries and they also eat. Nor 3 months supply of dehydrated army rations, toilet paper and soap; there is no need to pack 6 months supply of shampoo. The biggest mistake travellers make is to over pack. 1.

Of course it is different that is why you chose to travel through Africa. So don't expect it to be as such and don't complain and make stupid comments about it being different. Africa is not like home. 2.

It will be at least an hour, put the kettle on and make a cup of tea; if you are told something will take 10 minutes. We Africans have time" This statement was made to me years ago in Dar es Salaam by a very wise old man; "You white people have a watch. 3.

Don't bother asking a local in a village the directions to a place 200kms away - chances are he has never been there but to save face will convincingly tell you how to get there (sending you off in the wrong direction). Most places do not have street names nor numbers but are described in terms of landmarks. Whenever asking for directions get a second and third opinion and then you may actually be lucky enough to find where you want to go. "It is just down the road" can mean anything from 3kms to 300kms in African distance. 4.

Unless you know you have done something wrong and want to get out of it do not pay bribes to the police. When a policeman asks for some money for Chai (cup of tea) he does not really want a cup of tea but wants some money from you. Like everywhere in the world the police can be very friendly or very grumpy. It is not uncommon for police to stop you simply to say hello; police check points are the norm all over Africa (as is the weaponry). 5.

The longer it takes you to get out the vehicle the greater the chances you will have a crowd of onlookers. There are always tens of kids intrigued by Mzungus (white people) and they are not shy in coming right up to you and watch while you do your business; the reason. Go behind the bush and do your business; stop the car and immediately get out, but if you do this there is one golden rule. Is the best advice I can give; do your business in the bush. Even if you don't pass out from the smell 10 metres before reaching the toilet the mess in and around the toilet will surely bring on some kind of seizure; unless it is Southern Africa don't bother. Australia or the USA we assume that service stations are the ideal place to stop for a quick toilet stop, coming from Europe. 6.

Another trap is quite often roads will change names but the new edition map still has the old names on it. A few months ago I bought the new edition map of Nairobi (capital of Kenya) only to discover that either half the roads had not been built yet or simply did not exist. Maps bought locally are not always accurate. 7.

" Cash is King. The teller took a good 5 minutes punching away on his calculator buttons before turning to my client and saying "I can change this USD$50 traveller's cheque but to do so will cost you USD$56 in fees and charges! A couple of years ago I was leading a West Africa Trans when one of my clients in Cameroon went to the bank to change up USD$50 into CFAs. They do attract hefty fees, regardless what Thomas Cook or AMEX tells you, travellers' cheques are also only good as emergency backup and. Actually you will be met with very blank stares if you ask to pay for fuel with Visa/MasterCard. Most places between Cairo and Cape do not accept credit card. Credit cards should only be seen as emergency backup only. Put it on Visa. 8.

Reality is the writers cannot possibly visit all the places in the guide book and in this case the service referred to in the LP stopped 5 years prior to me arriving. Back of a pickup and the final 2kms by foot), donkey cart, ferry, hiring a leaky boat, back of a truck with farm animals, the route I wanted to take this particular day seemed too easy (according to the Lonely Planet) and should have been 1 bus ride and ferry but turned into 7 modes of transport (bus. It was not long before I discovered that although a handy guide book it was not always accurate. In 2000 I left my home in Australia armed with a backpack and lonely planet guide to South America. Never believe everything you read. 9.

Windy and no more than 13 degrees Celsius, that day it was raining! "Freezing" was her response but an agent in the UK had told her Africa was hot and she didn't need any warm clothes. I asked if she was cold. A poor virgin traveller arrived in Nairobi to embark on her 8 week journey to Cape Town in August dressed in only shorts and T-shorts. "Shorts and T-shirts all the way". 10.

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