Honestly what could be more exhilarating than a 4x4 adventure through Africa? Clearly not an undertaking for everybody, especially the faint hearted, but for those who really want to experience the wild and dusty roads of Africa there is no other way to do it than in a 4x4.
I have a friend, who in her first year as a photographic journalist was offered a job to travel around Africa in a 4x4 for a year! Just herself and three other people in a 4x4 with their equipment and a GPRS! I think it truly takes a special kind of woman to do that. So if going on an African adventure is something which you have always wanted to do, have your ever thought about where exactly you would start?
One route which has proven to be popular over the years as a cross continent route, is the Cape to Cairo route. The sights and experiences of driving through 11 African countries is exhilarating. With its exotic jungles, arid deserts, wild animals, sparse flatlands, and gigantic rivers and lakes, diverse cultures and exotic foods, your senses are heightened as fleeting moments are converted into memories which are stored somewhere inside you, forever.
Be Prepared!
Even though the idea of packing up a few personal belongings, getting into a 4x4 with a few friends, and heading into wild Africa may sound very appealing to some city dwellers- there are a few things you should be prepared for:
? Sleeping in tents
? Mosquitoes
? Cold water splash baths
? Dust
? Heat
? Eating strange foods
? Malaria
? Potholes
? Corrupt officials at the border, and
? Stinky travelling partners
Your own stench might displease you as well! Now I 'm not saying this to put you off from travelling across Africa, but merely to prepare you for some possible realities. I can guarantee you that once you start your journey in a 4x4 you will never look at life the same way as before.
Travelling through Africa has also evoked great emotion in the people who have taken on the journey. People who have lived or spent time in Africa will confirm that Africa is a country of stark contrasts. This often leaves people with more questions than answers and more emotional turmoil than what they expected.
While observing the African landscapes are breathtaking to say the least, it is not the vista's and animals alone which draw people to the continent, it is also the spirit of the African people. The journey really begins when you get out of the 4x4 to meet the people. Meeting people who do not have much yet are willing to give their last to passersby makes one realise how lucky some of us are, as well as egocentric. The sight of children playing on the sides of the dirt roads with their handmade toys- poor yet happy. These are some of the sights which leave people mesmerized by Africa, and what keeps people coming back!
So if you are seriously considering doing a trip through Africa in a 4x4, I say go for it! But do your homework before making the trek because it is going to be a hell of a ride!
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