Even More musings - Gentle Drive to Kenya

Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

When I ... sorry, if I ever get my project going, I will be driving through the whole of Europe, through Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and finally Kenya.

But then what? I will be in Kenya with a car I cannot sell, because I cannot import it as it is over 8 years old. So what to do with it?

Well, I was thinking (a painful process, especially on a Friday evening), what about driving it back to the UK? Now that sounds like a mad enough idea, but I wouldn't be the first, would I? No, of course not.

So, where would I go from Kenya? I have always fancied visiting Malawi. I don't know why, it is just somewhere that I have read about and it grabbed my imagination. So, do I go through Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, or go straight to and through Tanzania to Malawi. Difficult choice. I can decide that later.

But from Malawi, I will traverse Zambia and Angola, then follow the Atlantic coast north to Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, bits of Mali, then into Mauritania and Morocco. Cross the Med at or near Gibraltar and then through Spain, France and the Channel Tunnel - to home. Simples.

Gentle Drive to Kenya - First Brick Wall

Dreaming of (or maybe secretly planning) a 'gentle' drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

I asked for advice, ideas and comments on my proposed route, I have been told that parts of it are very dangerous. A stretch of a particular road is mined and in other areas, fundamentalists will take a pop at anything that moves - that would be me, then.

I have also been given certain alternatives that would take me through areas that I would have avoided - like the Sahara Desert, Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and northern Nigeria - oops!

So now, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, or rather, a desert and a minefield.

Obviously, Dafur, Somalia and Eritrea are to be avoided - I didn't need advice on that - but I have since been told that Ethiopia is OK (at the moment) by someone who has just driven through there. But everything can change overnight. We could set off and by the time we get to sub-Saharan Africa, the whole political landscape could have changed for the better, or more probably, the worse.

Do I give up? Er, no, I don't do giving up, not without a fight, anyway. So, how about passing through France and Spain, getting the car over to Morocco and traversing that sand-pit called the Sahara. I didn't want to, but, if the eastern route is blocked ...

What would it involve? From Morocco, we would drive to Algeria and turn right (south) to Tamanrasset to Kano (Nigeria), then through Cameroon and CAR, DRC and Rwanda - plain sailing from there. We pass into Uganda and then into Kenya, quite close to our objective, Kisii. Simples, as any self-respecting, Russian meerkat would say.

Another possibility would be to retain the trans-Europe route, but instead of turning left at Suez, we carry on westerly through Egypt and Libya (is that such a good idea?)

Then turn left through Niger, Cameroon, etc., as above.

Frankly, driving through France and Spain sounds a lot less interesting than traversing Europe and Turkey, but if I got shot or blown up, the kids at the Twiga Centre would be very annoyed with me.

So, I am confused. I will sleep on it and be confused in the morning.

Musings on A Gentle Drive to Kenya

Dreaming (or maybe secretly planning) of a gentle drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

I wonder how much the insurance will be?

After all, it is not your regular stroll down a country lane, is it?

From what I can gather, the route from Calais to Ankara is dual carriageway, apart from a stretch in Bulgaria. But once into Syria, it's all change.

And I need to find out the safest route between the Turkish border and the Kenyan border. Should I avoid Lebanon? Or Jordan, or Ethiopia?

Are there any other hotspots I should know about?HELP!

The intention is to visit charity projects en route to give them a bit of publicity. I hope that at least some of them can collect used deep fry oil that I can use as fuel.

What else will I need, apart from tents, cooking facilities? A co-driver, preferably someone with reasonable knowledge of the workings of a 4x4 vehicle would be good. Someone who can put up with a grumpy old man (me).

I suppose that, whatever vehicle I manage to acquire, it will need to be "modified" as well as having a full service before we set out. A sump guard springs to mind. An extra spare wheel wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

More musings, comments and maybe even some thought will follow - maybe.

If you have done this trip or something similar, or have any ideas, please let me know.

More thoughts on ... A Gentle Drive to Kenya

A gentle drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

I slept on this and I am still enthusiastic, although I can see a myriad of problems. Still, it would be no fun without problems.

First off, I need to choose a vehicle. I have decided that I should not spend more than £3,000 (not that I have £3,000 at the moment), which limits the newness.
It needs to be 4WD with hi-lo and probably diff.lock
It needs to be diesel, as I would like to use bio-diesel which I would make on the way.
So what are the options?

• Toyota HiLux - very difficult to find a good one. they are too popular
• Toyota Surf - ditto for models with the 2.8 litre engine
• Toyota Landcruiser - too heavy, fuel consumption too high
• Isuzu Trooper - fuel consumption is high, but this is one strong vehicle
• Land Rover 110 - I am told they break easily and the diesels are underpowered
• Discovery - Hmmm, nice, but a good one is expensive
• Range Rover - thirsty
• Mitsubishi Pajero/Shogun - with the right engine, this could be the one.

The route

I reckon the first leg across Europe (Calais to Ankara) should take about 5 days, allowing 8 hours driving a day. Of course, with an enthusiastic co-pilot/navigator, this time could be halved and that knocks almost 3,000 miles off the total.

From there on, I do not know the state of roads etc. through Syria, Jordan or Israel to Egypt, across the Suez canal and down the west bank of the Red Sea, then to Aswan, Khartoum, Addis Ababa. But I am fairly sure that south of Addis, into Kenya, down to Marsabit the road is pretty awful, and I am not sure about the road to Nyeri and Nakuru either, but from there to Kericho and eventually Kisii, it is not too bad. Any advice on this would be appreciated.

Would it be better to go further west and into Uganda?

Duration? Well, if it takes 5 days to get to Ankara, which is less than half-way, and the roads deteriorate from there on, the second leg could take 10 to 15 days, assuming we hit no snags. Then there are the border crossing delays. I have read that these can take anything from 10 hours to 36 hours. Oh boy!

So, 25 days would be the target, from Highclere to Kisii. That's a long time to be in a vehicle.

We will need sponsorship, so NGOs and charities with ongoing projects on the route would need to be contacted. I will be doing a lot of filming on the journey, and could highlight work done.

We could do with a high-profile patron as well. Within a couple of miles of where I am sitting, I have Lord and Lady Carnarvon (Highclere Castle would be a fantastic starting point!), Andrew Lloyd Webber, Keith Chegwin, and there must be others. In the past Mick Jagger lived not far away and Rod Stewart nearly moved here, too.

There is a lot to think about, but I reckon it is feasible for an old(ish) mildly disabled, grumpy old man can do it.

A Gentle Drive to Kenya?

The dream of a "gentle" drive from home in the UK, through Europe, Asia, and some of Africa to home in Kenya, a total of about 6,500 miles.

When I returned from South Africa, I wanted to go back. I wanted to drive the length of Africa. That was my dream.

Since my first visit to Kenya, I have dreamed of driving there one day - not in my present vehicle as I doubt it would get to Dover - but in a suitable conveyance, an old Landrover 110, for example.

Then, this Christmas, I got a Garmin GPS, into which I can enter Long/Lat. coordinates, so I did. I entered the coordinates for the Junction in Kisii and lo! A map popped up of the Junction in Kisii - brilliant.

So I told the Garmin to calculate the route from my home in the UK to Kisii, and it did, giving a distance of 6,497.2 miles. I love the .2 miles, how accurate is that? And I will arrive at 23:03 if I leave now. It doesn't tell me which day though, just the time.

So, could I do the trip, or will it remain a dream? Frankly, the logistics frighten me more than the trip itself, but then, I get nervous flying out to Kenya, and let's face it, when flying, virtually everything is done for me! It's not like I have to fly the plane. Actually, I wouldn't mind giving it a go, but I would need a navigator, unless I could fly low enough to pick out landmarks.

I had imagined getting sponsorship to cover the trip expenses and make some money for Twiga and KCIS, but people have done the whole of Africa, so a trip to Kenya is a bit tame really. Would I get sponsorship?

And then there's the vehicle. I don't have the funds to buy even the oldest and tattiest of 4x4s, let alone all the kit I would need en route.

I have just realised that I am being very negative, which is not allowed in my New Year's resolution.

So, keeping a positive frame of mind, of course I could do it, of course I can get a suitable vehicle, of course I can get sponsorship.

So, how long would it take, driving through Europe, around the eastern edge of the Mediterranean and then following the Nile (roughly)? 6,500 miles, 8 hours driving a day, at an average speed of ... 15? 20?

I reckon that driving every day, it would take about 54 days or nearly 8 weeks, almost 2 months.

I also reckon we would need about 800 gallons of fuel. At present UK prices, that alone would cost almost £1,000 - wow! That's two return trips to Nairobi by air (off-season, of course).

Next question, could I find someone who could put up with a grumpy old man to accompany me? How about a Kenyan wanting to return home from Europe? I might learn a bit more Swahili on the trip.

I have come to the conclusion that I don't have a clue about how to plan a trip like this, let alone have the ability to raise the money to put it into action.

So, if there is anyone reading this who has a fantasy of driving through Europe to Kenya, get in touch. Add a little reality to my dream.