The knowledge: African road trip
Every week a reader gets a chance to put a travel question to the Been there community. Check out how this works
This week's dilemma:
A group of us are planning a six month trip to South Africa and east Africa. The idea is to buy, hire or lease a vehicle in Cape Town, drive round the tip and up the east coast as far as Kenya, at which point we'll be looking to get rid of the car.
We've looked at some buy-back options, but there are horror stories around scams and it doesn't seem particularly financially clever. However, buying a second-hand car brings its own problems - unreliable quality, paperwork for border crossing, selling an SA-registered car in Kenya.
Is there anything we should be looking out for, or anything to avoid?
Any help is very much appreciated.
Wil Grace
The expert's reply:
Do not be put off by the many negatives of African bureaucracy and the costs involved as there are huge rewards of over-landing in Africa in your own or a hired vehicle rather than having to travel at the pace of a tour company itinerary. However do be prepared for many frustrations, plenty of heat, dust, mosquitos and the low periods as well as the highs.
There is no reliable way of buying a vehicle in South Africa and selling it in East Africa that does not rely on endless patience negotiating a lot of red tape, time and luck. For most people its not a practical option. Even if you find a private buyer who is a fellow traveller to take the vehicle off your hands when you get to Nairobi they will struggle to get the vehicle registration and other paperwork changed into their name.
If you really need to buy a vehicle and want to sell it after the road trip, your best plan is to buy and sell in South Africa. The same rules of car purchase and sale apply there as they would at home. However you will need to allow extra time to finalize the sale and ensure the paperwork is complete. Don’t expect to buy a vehicle and use it on some of the worst roads in the world for six months and then get your full money back! Africa is very hard on vehicles and keeping them running to European standards is almost impossible. Even finding the correct grade of oil to put in a modern 4x4 in remote filling stations can be tricky.
Because of vehicle thefts, documents are frequently checked and border crossings can be drawn out affairs if all the paperwork is not 100% correct. This is even more tiresome if you head into Saharan Africa where a colleague once spent nine days on a border merely because one digit was incorrect on a customs carnet.
For this reason many car hire companies have sprung up in South Africa offering vehicles and equipment of varying standards and prices. They will be able to supply all that you need for your adventure.
Ask yourself the following question: am I after an adventure where I am happy to take life and the odd break down as it comes or is total reliability and confidence in the vehicle more important to me? Choose your hire company accordingly. You tend to get what you pay for. But ask the company how they will recover the vehicle if you are stuck in the middle of a national park in Botswana and how you will contact them when you are outside the areas of cell phone coverage to tell them you have a breakdown. The realities are often relying on messages being sent via safari camps or over the national parks radio network. The more comprehensive companies supply you with a satellite telephone while others will offer them as extra equipment.
For many people the breakdowns and delays are all part of the adventure and are taken in their stride however for some the unpredictability of Africa can be too much, particularly if you are on a shorter trip.
When planning your African road trip be realistic in your own abilities and remember that there is no AA back up in most of Africa. Before you hire any vehicle you should always ask the following questions:-
1) How old is the vehicle.
2) What is the mileage.
3)What are the exact insurance terms. If you have an accident and write it off how much will you be liable for and will you be responsible for getting the vehicle back to the hire point. Be especially careful about the small print and accidents where no other vehicle is involved. There have been cases where people thought they were fully insured and ended up losing large deposits.
Many fully equipped vehicles from hire companies are modified with extra equipment which may take them outside the manufacturers recommended limits. For example a heavily laden roof rack with two fixed roof tents may make the vehicle dangerously top heavy and liable to roll over.
Sadly road accidents are one of the largest causes of tourist deaths in Africa so you will need to be confident in your ability to handle the unpredictable road situations.
One tip to save on insurance costs is to take out a separate insurance policy before you go to cover high insurance excess payments. Extrasure has an online policy, but check the policy is the right one for your trip length.
Remember the traffic rules are different in every country along the way so dont be surprised when a traffic officer wants to check over your vehicle in detail or asks if you have any red meat on board at an animal control fence.
Africa is full of surprises and the key to a good holiday is to take it all in your stride and enjoy the full experience.
Other sources of information:
www.extrasure.co.uk
www.t4a.co.za
www.overland.co.za
www.fco.gov.uk
Have you considered shipping a UK registered vehicle ( L/Rover or equivalent) for use on your tour in view of period of travel? There are UK based vehicle preparation companies who specialise in overland travel - vehicle supply as well as assist with shipping and optional "buy back". In other words a full package! Be aware you are not allowed to just leave a vehicle in a country at end of your tour as this infringes temporary import regulations. However, you will need a customs document called a "Carnet de Passages en Douanes" available from RAC allowing temporary import of the vehicle into certain countries without payment of duty and tax. The problems of vehicle unreliability and scams can be avoided.
For more details, call RAC Carnets on 08000 468 375.
Paul Gowen
Your quest is not unusual. I have a number of friends of mine who have
done this successfully by buying a vehicle in Cape Town and re-selling
back in South Africa. The problem comes if you try and sell your
vehicle outside the country - it becomes much harder, due to paperwork
and import regulations. If you intend to buy and resell in SA you will
need some time on your side to buy a good vehicle and sell it when you
return or have a friend or contact who is willing to do it for you. An
agent will resell but you will have to pay a commission.
Alternatively there are lots of people doing trips from here and it
might be worth taking an advertisment in a couple of the outdoor
adventure mags or on websites, to see if people would be interested in
having their car driven back from a one-way trip. Ie. they drive from
Cape Town to Dar-es-salaam and you could offer to drive it back for
them for a fee over a period of time. It might be worth trying. I
don't think the ads would cost that much.
The advantage of this is that South Africans who go on overland trips
have their vehicles kitted out very well and take their expeditions
very seriously. Your question could be posted on one of the 4x4 forum
blogs to test the water.
Buying, I think, would be the best option for your length of time. You
can have cars checked out easily, you can get insurance through the
countries that you travel through and if you have an old landrover or
Toyota you can pick up spares easily as you move around. I met some
good friends of mine on one of these adventures and they bought an old
series 3 Landrover in Cape Town and drove easily through SA, Namibia
and Botswana.
Below are some websites to have a look at.
http://www.sa4x4.co.za/
http://www.outthere.co.za/
www.getaway.co.za
http://www.fourwheeldrive.co.za/
http://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/
http://www.autotrader.co.za/
Good luck in your planning, it's very exciting and there is so much to
see along that route.
Jo Sinfield
There is often the urge to find the latest and "best" gear to drive in Africa, however many would argue that older more simple vehicles are a much better option. I am currently driving from London to Cape Town in a 1989 Toyota Landcruiser, it is simple and reliable with plenty of spare parts all over Africa - nobody has a bad word to say about it. 1989 seems to be quite new in many places. Newer cars with lots of electrics and Turbos cannot be easily fixed on the roadside or by local mechanics.
Personally I would not bother with buy-back schemes or finances as they quality of the vehicle may well be below pare and crossing boarders if you don't own the car could be even more diffficult.
Go and look at lots of second hand cars (even in the UK) so you know them inside and out - also look on appropriate forums such as Toyota Landcruiser Club South Africa for vehicles for sale. Good vehicles hold their value very well in Africa, you may find yourself making some money if you get a bargain!
As for formalities and paperwork, firstly importing a car into South Africa is nearly impossible so starting there makes it easier. Selling the vehicle in Kenya could well be problematic, but with time and a good vehicle it will be possible. The easiest thing to do would be to find a group of people who want to do the reverse of what you intend, so it always stays a South African vehicle.
Getting a Carnet will help with boarder crossings, but you will get stung for various fees (Zambia for example have a carbon tax on 4x4, at around $100) but if you are patient it won't be as bad as you think. You are also not going near Egypt which helps massively in terms of cost!
Gwyn Roberts
www.overlandinthesun.com
London to Cape Town for SolarAid in a partially solar powered vehicle
This week's dilemma:
A group of us are planning a six month trip to South Africa and east Africa. The idea is to buy, hire or lease a vehicle in Cape Town, drive round the tip and up the east coast as far as Kenya, at which point we'll be looking to get rid of the car.
We've looked at some buy-back options, but there are horror stories around scams and it doesn't seem particularly financially clever. However, buying a second-hand car brings its own problems - unreliable quality, paperwork for border crossing, selling an SA-registered car in Kenya.
Is there anything we should be looking out for, or anything to avoid?
Any help is very much appreciated.
Wil Grace
The expert's reply:
Charles Norwood runs Safari Drive, a self-drive safari company operating out of five bases in Africa. He said:
Do not be put off by the many negatives of African bureaucracy and the costs involved as there are huge rewards of over-landing in Africa in your own or a hired vehicle rather than having to travel at the pace of a tour company itinerary. However do be prepared for many frustrations, plenty of heat, dust, mosquitos and the low periods as well as the highs.
There is no reliable way of buying a vehicle in South Africa and selling it in East Africa that does not rely on endless patience negotiating a lot of red tape, time and luck. For most people its not a practical option. Even if you find a private buyer who is a fellow traveller to take the vehicle off your hands when you get to Nairobi they will struggle to get the vehicle registration and other paperwork changed into their name.
If you really need to buy a vehicle and want to sell it after the road trip, your best plan is to buy and sell in South Africa. The same rules of car purchase and sale apply there as they would at home. However you will need to allow extra time to finalize the sale and ensure the paperwork is complete. Don’t expect to buy a vehicle and use it on some of the worst roads in the world for six months and then get your full money back! Africa is very hard on vehicles and keeping them running to European standards is almost impossible. Even finding the correct grade of oil to put in a modern 4x4 in remote filling stations can be tricky.
Because of vehicle thefts, documents are frequently checked and border crossings can be drawn out affairs if all the paperwork is not 100% correct. This is even more tiresome if you head into Saharan Africa where a colleague once spent nine days on a border merely because one digit was incorrect on a customs carnet.
For this reason many car hire companies have sprung up in South Africa offering vehicles and equipment of varying standards and prices. They will be able to supply all that you need for your adventure.
Ask yourself the following question: am I after an adventure where I am happy to take life and the odd break down as it comes or is total reliability and confidence in the vehicle more important to me? Choose your hire company accordingly. You tend to get what you pay for. But ask the company how they will recover the vehicle if you are stuck in the middle of a national park in Botswana and how you will contact them when you are outside the areas of cell phone coverage to tell them you have a breakdown. The realities are often relying on messages being sent via safari camps or over the national parks radio network. The more comprehensive companies supply you with a satellite telephone while others will offer them as extra equipment.
For many people the breakdowns and delays are all part of the adventure and are taken in their stride however for some the unpredictability of Africa can be too much, particularly if you are on a shorter trip.
When planning your African road trip be realistic in your own abilities and remember that there is no AA back up in most of Africa. Before you hire any vehicle you should always ask the following questions:-
1) How old is the vehicle.
2) What is the mileage.
3)What are the exact insurance terms. If you have an accident and write it off how much will you be liable for and will you be responsible for getting the vehicle back to the hire point. Be especially careful about the small print and accidents where no other vehicle is involved. There have been cases where people thought they were fully insured and ended up losing large deposits.
Many fully equipped vehicles from hire companies are modified with extra equipment which may take them outside the manufacturers recommended limits. For example a heavily laden roof rack with two fixed roof tents may make the vehicle dangerously top heavy and liable to roll over.
Sadly road accidents are one of the largest causes of tourist deaths in Africa so you will need to be confident in your ability to handle the unpredictable road situations.
One tip to save on insurance costs is to take out a separate insurance policy before you go to cover high insurance excess payments. Extrasure has an online policy, but check the policy is the right one for your trip length.
Remember the traffic rules are different in every country along the way so dont be surprised when a traffic officer wants to check over your vehicle in detail or asks if you have any red meat on board at an animal control fence.
Africa is full of surprises and the key to a good holiday is to take it all in your stride and enjoy the full experience.
Other sources of information:
www.extrasure.co.uk
www.t4a.co.za
www.overland.co.za
www.fco.gov.uk
Readers replies:
Have you considered shipping a UK registered vehicle ( L/Rover or equivalent) for use on your tour in view of period of travel? There are UK based vehicle preparation companies who specialise in overland travel - vehicle supply as well as assist with shipping and optional "buy back". In other words a full package! Be aware you are not allowed to just leave a vehicle in a country at end of your tour as this infringes temporary import regulations. However, you will need a customs document called a "Carnet de Passages en Douanes" available from RAC allowing temporary import of the vehicle into certain countries without payment of duty and tax. The problems of vehicle unreliability and scams can be avoided.
For more details, call RAC Carnets on 08000 468 375.
Paul Gowen
Your quest is not unusual. I have a number of friends of mine who have
done this successfully by buying a vehicle in Cape Town and re-selling
back in South Africa. The problem comes if you try and sell your
vehicle outside the country - it becomes much harder, due to paperwork
and import regulations. If you intend to buy and resell in SA you will
need some time on your side to buy a good vehicle and sell it when you
return or have a friend or contact who is willing to do it for you. An
agent will resell but you will have to pay a commission.
Alternatively there are lots of people doing trips from here and it
might be worth taking an advertisment in a couple of the outdoor
adventure mags or on websites, to see if people would be interested in
having their car driven back from a one-way trip. Ie. they drive from
Cape Town to Dar-es-salaam and you could offer to drive it back for
them for a fee over a period of time. It might be worth trying. I
don't think the ads would cost that much.
The advantage of this is that South Africans who go on overland trips
have their vehicles kitted out very well and take their expeditions
very seriously. Your question could be posted on one of the 4x4 forum
blogs to test the water.
Buying, I think, would be the best option for your length of time. You
can have cars checked out easily, you can get insurance through the
countries that you travel through and if you have an old landrover or
Toyota you can pick up spares easily as you move around. I met some
good friends of mine on one of these adventures and they bought an old
series 3 Landrover in Cape Town and drove easily through SA, Namibia
and Botswana.
Below are some websites to have a look at.
http://www.sa4x4.co.za/
http://www.outthere.co.za/
www.getaway.co.za
http://www.fourwheeldrive.co.za/
http://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/
http://www.autotrader.co.za/
Good luck in your planning, it's very exciting and there is so much to
see along that route.
Jo Sinfield
There is often the urge to find the latest and "best" gear to drive in Africa, however many would argue that older more simple vehicles are a much better option. I am currently driving from London to Cape Town in a 1989 Toyota Landcruiser, it is simple and reliable with plenty of spare parts all over Africa - nobody has a bad word to say about it. 1989 seems to be quite new in many places. Newer cars with lots of electrics and Turbos cannot be easily fixed on the roadside or by local mechanics.
Personally I would not bother with buy-back schemes or finances as they quality of the vehicle may well be below pare and crossing boarders if you don't own the car could be even more diffficult.
Go and look at lots of second hand cars (even in the UK) so you know them inside and out - also look on appropriate forums such as Toyota Landcruiser Club South Africa for vehicles for sale. Good vehicles hold their value very well in Africa, you may find yourself making some money if you get a bargain!
As for formalities and paperwork, firstly importing a car into South Africa is nearly impossible so starting there makes it easier. Selling the vehicle in Kenya could well be problematic, but with time and a good vehicle it will be possible. The easiest thing to do would be to find a group of people who want to do the reverse of what you intend, so it always stays a South African vehicle.
Getting a Carnet will help with boarder crossings, but you will get stung for various fees (Zambia for example have a carbon tax on 4x4, at around $100) but if you are patient it won't be as bad as you think. You are also not going near Egypt which helps massively in terms of cost!
Gwyn Roberts
www.overlandinthesun.com
London to Cape Town for SolarAid in a partially solar powered vehicle