Drive UK to South Africa.

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Landie Lover

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Hi all,
I am a South African and have been living in the UK since 2001. I bought a Freelander about a year ago and has been the best car I have ever driven by miles! I am so in love with that car. Of the research I have done, it is going to cost me litrally an arm and a leg to ship the vehicle back to South Africa with the customs and taxes etc so I have dropped a bombshell on my Fiance by suggesting I might drive it back to South Africa from the the UK.
Now, before I go into any lenghty discussion, I would like to know if anyone has ever done this trip? Can you suggest a good route baring in mind the fractions etc going on in Lybia and Egypt at the moment. Any advice from the users here is most appreciated. Thanks in advance!:welcome2:
 
Landie Lover said:
it is going to cost me litrally an arm and a leg to ship the vehicle back to South Africa with the customs and taxes etc
Click to expand...

Whilst there is currently a raft of North African countries with a difference of opinion regarding who should lead them, generally speaking the entire width of North Africa is unstable at the best of times. Indeed as you head south, areas of the east and west coast are inherently dangerous.

An arm and a leg may actually be a cheap option compared to loosing your life :eek:

Just a thought :rolleyes:
 
Hi,

Do it! Trip of a lifetime!

There's plenty of info out there, and far more knowledgable people than me, but I believe Morocco down would be a safer, cheaper, quicker option at the moment, tarred roads all the way to Dakar (I've heard). 3 guys did it in 11days in a disco not so long a go.

Apart from this great forum, try searching google, other forums, maye some helpful links below;

The HUBB

Expedition Portal Forum - Powered by vBulletin

Expeditions. Remote area operations. Logistics. Planning. Promotions :: Max Adventure

Overland from London to Cape Town : Africa and The Middle East Forum - Travellerspoint

There's a lot of info out there, hope the above is of some help,
Cheers, Mark
 
Yeah, but the 3 guys in the Disco in 11 days went via Saudi - not an option if the vehicle is right-hand drive.

Also, would you not need a carnet to get the vehicle out of the UK and across various countries, with duties payable when you didn't return it to the UK. SA will probably have import duty of some stupid amount, irrespective of whether the vehicle drives in across a border or arrives in a shipping container.

I agree it would be a trip of a lifetime, not sure I've seen many overlanding tales in a Freelander.
 
Thanks to all of you for your replies. I will delve deeper into the links you sent and continue my research. Might trade my freelander in for a Defender. Might do the job a bit better??
 
I think you should ask yourself the following questions.

How much will it cost to get the basic kit needed for such a journey.

How much will my expenses be, fuel/food/accomodation (then double this figure).

How long will it take to get all necessary visas.

Am I going to be eaten by an animal.

Can I afford to take x amount of time off work.

Am i confident in my ability to do this alone.

Do i speak any other languages.

Then look again at the price of transporting it by ship and ask yourself if you still think its expensive.

If you are going to do that trip i suggest you take a good 6 months at least to plan and prepare. I would say do it as an expedition where time isnt important rather than only because you want to save a few quid on transport costs.
 
Another important factor is the amount of Kidnappings going on in that neck of the woods. Recently a whole load of Catalan aid workers were abducted. They were in convoy at the back. Still trying to get them free as far as I know. Loads of extremists in Africa now. Not as easy to do this sort of trip as it once was. GB reg could spell trouble.
 
I did the south africa trip in a series 2A in 1972 qnd the only country i had to avoid then was Uganda but now i think that route is impossible due to political situations in many of the countries we went through
 
Thank you all for your advice and links. I am getting married in July this year and heading back to South Africa (flying) shortly after this. I simply don't have enough time now to prepare for a journey of this magnitude. To those of you who have sent me personal messages, I thank you. Best of luck.
 
storm99 said:
I think you should ask yourself the following questions.

How much will it cost to get the basic kit needed for such a journey.

About 5000GBP for top notch stuff, roof tent/fridge/tools/min spares/sat phone

How much will my expenses be, fuel/food/accomodation (then double this figure).

I spent about 25000GBP for 2 but that included some 5* stuff, diving, driving into Ngorogora never considering a budget on the trip.

How long will it take to get all necessary visas.

Get them all along the way, you'll have to spend a couple of days in places like Cairo/Addis - Khartoum/Kampala depending on whether you go North or South but most places are on the border.

Am I going to be eaten by an animal.

I very much doubt it - although I was confronted by a lioness 2m away at night at Ngorogora.

Can I afford to take x amount of time off work.

Can you afford not to?

Am i confident in my ability to do this alone.

It is a piece of **** with a bit of patience.

Do i speak any other languages.

Entirely unnecessary everyone has some English along the way. Learn a bit of the local languages for fun and to be polite but at border crossings etc English is standard.

Then look again at the price of transporting it by ship and ask yourself if you still think its expensive.

What about the benefits of the experience?

If you are going to do that trip i suggest you take a good 6 months at least to plan and prepare. I would say do it as an expedition where time isnt important rather than only because you want to save a few quid on transport costs.

I planned in 3 hours 'round a fire in Botswana, drawing a map of Africa from memory when I decided to do it and then an afternoon online when I got back to Cape Town. Buying some extra kit, having it fitted and getting rid of two apartments took a few weeks. We had no predetermined route and just went from country to country on a whim. We added countries as we went (Zim & Rwanda) We got Carnets as we needed them. No one we met en route had a fixed plan either. The only people who seem to think it's necessary are those who haven't done it. Visa, Mastercard, DHL and the internet can fix anything you need along the way.

You ain't going to save by doing the trip as opposed to shipping but it is much more rewarding.
Click to expand...

AYP - Pity he's not doing it now. I only did because I got divorced in South Africa - maybe he'll do it in a few years ;)
 
Im planning a similar trip with three friends in reverse, we shipped our 110 out to Durban. Costs about £900 in shipping (Sheerness to Durban, 26 days) and about £500 in port fee's.

Driving is going to be much more expensive, but you wont regret it
 
I wouldn't trust my Freelander to get me to France, let alone South Africa!

If you do it, take off the prop shaft and get some gaffa tape to make sure the doors don't fall off. If it's a 1.8, take a spare engine and put it in the boot.
 
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