Crossing Africa (west to east, not north to south). Anyone done it?

Question

My daughter wants to travel overland from gambia to Kenya or Tanzania, thus crossing Africa West to East in the process. Anyone done this, or part of the route? Which are the easy countries? Which are tough?

The countries en route would appear to be: Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo, Uganda, Kenya. Does anyone have any experience of travelling in any of these countries?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Additional Details

Two great answers already - thanks!

Just for info, Katherine (my daughter) wants Gambia because a couple friends are volunteering there and she wants to join them.

And she wants Kenya and/or Tanzania because she volunteered there the last two years, and wants to see the kids again.

And she has about three months in total to play with.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

I've not done it, but am planning to do the south to north route at some point! I've travelled a bit in E Africa, so shall share what I know...

Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda are great for travelling in - the majority of the area in these countries is safe, just check the local advice on the FCO website. For example avoid the far NW of Uganda, and the borders between Rwanda and DRC or Burundi.

As for some of the others - i would avoid if possible Central African Republic as it's pretty unstable, also DR Congo on the eastern side is best avoided due to fighting, rebels etc. Also Chad and Sudan I'd probably give a miss...if I were going to try and do it, I'd probably travel South, go across the very western part of DR Congo, then travel round Congo in Angola (apparently its a lot more stable than it used to be), then through Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya (or could just miss Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya and go for the coast in Tanzania). Its a pretty big detour, but if you read up on the security situation in each of the countries you have listed on the FCO website, you might agree with me!

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-…

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Tough choice choosing the best answer as all three were great, bnut Imicola gets it in the end. Thanks Imicola - you've clearly done a bit of travelling in the region (well... near by anyway) and I appreciated hearing your views. Sound advice I reckon! Thanks

Answer 2

She should concentrate in the southern part just to get experience.
She might consider a route from Cape Town to Kenya or Tanzania. Another option - begin in Namibia and go in a straight line to S. Africa, skipping Zimbabwe, as there is cholera and repressive gov there now and landing up in Maputo, Mozambique.

Option 2 - she might be able to hug the coast a bit from Durban, South Africa - Mozambique - Tanzania - Kenya.
Nb - travelling through parts of Africa may not always be as easy as train, bus connections through Europe unless she is driving. It will take a long time for her to do this trip, so she should allow for time wise around 1 - 3 months.
I have travelled in S. Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland. Such a beautiful part of the world.

Source(s):

Grew up in S. Africa.
http://www.africaguide.com/afmap.htm

Answer 3

Yes, Kingsley Holgate crossed Africa along the Tropic of Capricorn:
http://www.speakersinc.co.za/?contenttyp…
http://ports.co.za/didyouknow/article_20…

Here are some links that deal with African travel advice:
http://www.africatime.com/search/decouve…
http://africa.kligys.com/useful.php?c=53
http://www.africasunnews.com/talk/
http://www.travellerspoint.com/guide/Afr…

And in this link, click on any country to get info:
http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/

Otherwise, I suggest googling travel forums for any country and also travel blogs.

Answer 4

I advice do not go to congo and chad, they are bad places.

Answer 5

This is NOT going to be an easy journey, but it sounds like she has spent some time in Africa already, so that will help. I would definitely not do it as a single woman alone, though.

Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Uganda and Kenya are all lovely, and she should have no trouble, assuming she keeps her wits about her and doesn;t do anything stupid. She should be able to get buses or mini-buses through those countries. Trains in a place or two.

Chad, CAR and Congo are going to be a lot dicier. There are wars going on in parts of Chad and actually in Uganda, and CAR and Congo are notoriously corrupt and/or military dictatorships.

Probably the most important thing to do is to get the visas for ALL countries before entering Gambia. Most of these border crossings will NOT have a way to get the visa at the border.

Three months also seems like a very short time to do this trip. I once went overland from Dakar to Accra (Senegal to Ghana) in 5 weeks and it was RUSHED. She'd perhaps be happier flying to Gambia, spending some time with friends, then going overland to Accra or Togo or Benin or Niger, and then flying to Kenya. It might be a bit more expensive, but a LOT safer.

Sounds like an amazing journey - wish I could come along!