overland safari

Hello again,
Yes Pat is right I am looking for advice from people who have travelled from
Cape Town to Keny on a LOW budget, set your tent up each night style safari.
We are looking at travelling for 6-9 weeks in a group situation, although
not too large a group if we can.
Any recommendations on travel companies to travel with or avoid would be
great.
Thanks Adell

In message <2m1gd.1514$K7.40@news-server.bigpond.net.au>, Adell
<dixidell@bigpond.net.au> writes
>Hello again,
>Yes Pat is right I am looking for advice from people who have travelled from
>Cape Town to Keny on a LOW budget, set your tent up each night style safari.
>We are looking at travelling for 6-9 weeks in a group situation, although
>not too large a group if we can.
>Any recommendations on travel companies to travel with or avoid would be
>great.
>Thanks Adell
>
>
Adell,
It`s not something I`ve done as I prefer to stay in a lodge or hotel.
I`ve seen the overland Bedford trucks in Nairobi that have gone up from
South Africa, so you can do it that way. You must have an agent in
that can arrange that for you. Another good place to check out is the
Africa branch of the Thorn Tree at the Lonely Planet site, there are
lots of budget travellers posting there.
Pat
--
Pat Anderson

On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 07:38:38 +0000, Adell wrote:
>
> Yes Pat is right I am looking for advice from people who have travelled from
> Cape Town to Keny on a LOW budget, set your tent up each night style safari.
> We are looking at travelling for 6-9 weeks in a group situation, although
> not too large a group if we can.
>
> Any recommendations on travel companies to travel with or avoid would be
> great.

Here is the drill : crash into town, get your papers (visa for the next
country, money etc.) in order while planning the next steps and
looking around for means of transportations, hop on whatever bus or truck
that goes where you want to go, and once you get there repeat the drill.
That's the way I did it from Cape Town to Djibouti a few years ago and I
had a great time. From Cape Town to Nairobi took me about nine weeks
including treks, visits to reserves and other attractions on the way. No
travel company required, just a plane ticket, the Lonely Planet guide and
plenty of patience when you are there.

As for the "set your tent up each night", don't count on it. Most often
you will end up in a cheap lodge. USD .5 to USD 10 a night is a common
price range for cheap accommodation. Of course there is wilderness where
you can pitch a tent, but more often than not there will be urbanization,
even if it is just a village, and the local lodge will be a better
option. I always travel with no tent, but I carry a Gore-Tex sleeping bag
shell that enables me to sleep outside in the rain with no discomfort. And
considering the heat, it is often much more comfortable that a tent
because tents lack aeration for tropical conditions.

On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 23:41:41 +0200, "Jean-Marc V. Liotier"
<jim@liotier.org> wrote:

>I always travel with no tent, but I carry a Gore-Tex sleeping bag
>shell that enables me to sleep outside in the rain with no discomfort. And
>considering the heat, it is often much more comfortable that a tent
>because tents lack aeration for tropical conditions.

Jean-Marc,

until that one leopard stumbles over you ... (:-)

Seriously, I do camp out a lot, but I wouldn't sleep out in the
open. I also close the tent door at night. That helps. And I've
had all kinds of animals right at the tent, touching it,
including hyaenas and lions (can't hear leopards).

Does anyone remember that Kenyan girl who was bitten into the
face by a hyaena?

I don't want to scare you unnecessarily, and you can certainly
sleep out in the open in areas that are free of large predators
as well as snakes, hunting spiders, and scorpions, but where in
Africa would that be, apart from very high up on a mountain?

Hans-Georg

p.s. I seem to wear my scare mask today, but apparently this is
the day of the daring traveller. (:-)

--
No mail, please.

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 17:45:29 +0200, Hans-Georg Michna wrote:

> On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 23:41:41 +0200, "Jean-Marc V. Liotier"
> <jim@liotier.org> wrote:
>
>>I always travel with no tent, but I carry a Gore-Tex sleeping bag
>>shell that enables me to sleep outside in the rain with no discomfort. And
>>considering the heat, it is often much more comfortable that a tent
>>because tents lack aeration for tropical conditions.
>
> until that one leopard stumbles over you ... (:-)
>
> Seriously, I do camp out a lot, but I wouldn't sleep out in the
> open. I also close the tent door at night. That helps. And I've
> had all kinds of animals right at the tent, touching it,
> including hyaenas and lions (can't hear leopards).

The wild animal problem is mostly confined to wildlife reserves, but you
are right : where the nightly visit of wild animals is a common occurrence
an enclosed space is preferable and will keep out the unwanted curious
visitor. But on a typical overland trip, only a fraction of the time is
spent in wildlife reserve and the weight and bulk of a tent may not be
justified just for these occasions. If travel is based on a vehicle then
by all means bring a tent even if it is just in case, but if you routinely
walk for some distance while carrying your backpack, as I do, you will
think twice before adding to the already very heavy weight of the typical
overland backpack.

In the beginning there were many things I thought would be worth taking
for comfort or just in case, but after a while the urge of backpack
weight optimization makes hard decisions much easier. But the experience
of each individual will lead to very different decisions about what is
really useful, so it is really a matter of personal travel style.