Crossing Tanzania (Nairobi, Kenya to Karonga, Malawi)

Day 1 (Nairobi, KE to Kondoa, TZ)

On Sunday we set off at 8am from home after loading up the car from floor to ceiling. The road south to the Tanzanian border town of Namanga was characteristically free of traffic and well-paved (unlike some of the other major Kenyan highways) so we reached the border in a couple of hours.

The crossing was easy and the officials were very friendly though perhaps somewhat bemused by my plans ('so you are coming back in 3 months? you must be looking for adventure') Having already secured COMESA car insurance (valid across East Africa), there were no additional taxes or fees to pay. I've long been intrigued by the fact that Romanians do not need a visa for Tanzania or Zambia and suspect it might be a relic of Ceausescu's charm offensive among non-aligned countries during the Cold War. Any experts on the topic can correct me on this :)

From Namanga we continued around 400km on a beautiful road to Kondoa, halfway between Arusha and Dodoma. It was easy driving, interrupted only by the infamous Tanzanian police checks, at which we were stopped no fewer than five times. A smile and friendly attitude got us through four of the checks but the last one was trickier. The local constable - armed with a card machine in hand, no less - spotted our large LED lights and gleefully pointed out that they are illegal in Tanzania. A baffling exchange occurred on the the theme of the word 'fine' - 'But sir, these lights are fine in Kenya...' 'yes, is fine, you pay a fine!' But finally, having appealed to the May 1st holiday spirit, we were on our way again without having to take part in the corrosive habit of 'gift-giving.'

SIM card negotiations

The adventure - an intro

It’s finally time! I am about to leave on a 3-month road trip from Nairobi to Cape Town and back and am very excited to have family and friends join me along the way. I hope to keep a record of the highlights of the journey on this blog for those interested to hear about it. Hope you enjoy it!

The itineraryThe plan is ambitious - drive over 15,000 kilometers through 8 countries in 14 weeks. To add to the challenge, I will be picking up and dropping off companions along the way, which leaves less room for error than usual for a trip like this. Fingers crossed, it will hopefully work out!

As currently planned, I will be stopping at most of the top highlights in southern Africa, including:
- Lake Malawi
- South Luangwa National Park, Zambia (known for its leopards)
- Victoria Falls
- Etosha National Park, Namibia
- Namib Desert
- Cape Town
- The “Garden Route” (along South Africa’s coast)
- Drakensberg Mountains, including Lesotho
- Kruger National Park, South Africa
- Mozambique Island
- Quirimbas National Park, Mozambique

The journey
So far the trip has elicited one of two types of responses: either “that’s amazing - I’ve been wanting to do something like that for years!” or “ok, but why not just fly there?” So to clarify, the objective is not just to make it from Point A to Point B but rather to explore what promises to be a beautiful, diverse and welcoming part of the world. And hopefully doing the trip by car will make for a more immersive experience, be it through asking for directions to the nearest petrol station or drawing on local “bush mechanic” expertise to fix a blown radiator...

The carFor those with a mechanical bent, I will be driving a 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser 105-series fitted with a 4.2L 1HZ diesel engine. Experienced hands tell me this is a workhorse which shouldn’t cause major issues on the trip. I certainly hope that is true but expect that, like any 18-year-old, my companion may throw a fit or two on occasion. Hopefully it won’t be anything a YouTube tutorial and some local knowledge can’t fix...

The car is equipped with a number of additions to make the the trip more comfortable, like a rooftop tent, an awning, and a fridge. I am hugely indebted to my good friend Saagar in Nairobi, who masterminded the setup and spent countless hours building it into my home for the next 3 months. Big thanks also to his wife Nejal who put up with us during this time :)

This blog
At most, I hope that this blog will shatter some misconceptions about travelling in this region (e.g., “isn’t it super unsafe?”) and inspire people to come see it for themselves. But at a minimum it will serve as a personal chronicle of the experience and a place to distill some key impressions for future reference.

Also, for those planning a future trip anywhere along my route, I hope some of the practical details will be helpful. Please feel free to contact me in case of any questions.

See you on the road!