Transafrica Expedition: West Route to Cape Town

After the crossing, we drive through the green northwest region, known as the vegetable pantry. In Marrakech, there's a full day for the old town, souks, and tanneries. At the Djemaa el Fna, we let ourselves drift among jugglers and spices. The next day, we go over the Tizi n Test Pass into the Atlas Mountains. Further south, we follow old Dakar tracks. Overnight stay in a kasbah in the midst of desert sand with a starry sky instead of Netflix.

Continuing south towards Dakar, the namesake city of the probably legendary rally of the world. We cross the border into Senegal on a small river ferry that hopefully won’t sink during our crossing, and pass the charming colonial city of Saint-Louis, where the Senegal River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Now we are in the Sahel zone - a transitional region between the Sahara in the north and the dry savanna in the south, and at a cool camp by the sea, we will be able to savor the best dinner under palm trees ;-) Dakar, legendary due to the Paris Dakar rally, which first started in 1979 and for decades led across Europe and North Africa, with the final finish at the beach of Dakar, not far from Lac Rose, where the salty water shimmers pink in the evening sun, and we raise our glasses to our stage destination. A mix of perfectly developed highways out of Dakar into the vastness of the Sahel zone and suffocating dusty tracks takes our off-road expedition today under the "studded tires" through open savanna landscapes. From Koungheul, the route runs inland through dense forests and wide grasslands. The route is becoming increasingly challenging and exciting; we are getting into "real Africa." A cultural highlight of the expedition in Senegal is the Great Mosque of Touba, regarded as the largest mosque in Senegal and the spiritual center of the Mouride brotherhood, a place of impressive architectural power and religious significance.

We cross the border into Guinea via a small border post, a country full of challenges, traditional villages, and notoriously empty gas stations. Fuel is scarce, as the main fuel depot in Conakry was blown up on December 18, 2023. Peter, a Bundeswehr comrade from the old school, has set up a fuel depot of €500 worth of liters at his lodge near the Fouta Djalon plateau by the Tinkisso River to traverse the country. Not far from the lodge is Dabola, here on the railway line to Nanken and Conakry, we go on a shopping tour to African Hermes, Rolex, verutschi, and other "luxury brands" which are simply referred to as food here ;-) Despite all adversities, Guinea fascinates with its "still" dense rainforest in the south and the dry savannas in the north, spectacular rock plateaus, and countless rivers. The population is young, hospitable, ethnically diverse, with groups like the Malinké, Peul, and Soussou, each speaking their own languages and maintaining their own musical traditions and culinary cultures. In the small villages, we regularly stop, not only because of the corrugated iron gas stations for the Khele, but also to get an authentic glimpse into the local cuisine. Women are pounding cassava, children greet us with laughter, while steaming pots of rice and smoked fish over the open fire provide an aromatic welcome menu. Depending on the availability of fuel, we reach Kankan, with around 191,000 inhabitants the third-largest city in Guinea, a bustling hub with markets, mosques, and a hint of colonial past, nestled in the dry heart of the country.

Welcome to Ghana. Along the South Atlantic, we drive through authentic fishing villages before fighting our way through seemingly endless construction sites towards Accra. This day is turning into a marathon day in 2025 - a tough stage that challenges us physically and mentally. In Accra, we spend the night in a simple, clean accommodation lovingly run by "Bella" called Beauty, near an industrial area. The so-called Beauty Hotel is "yuck" on the outside but "wow" on the inside - with simple but delicious Ghanaian food. Here we set a buffer day for maintenance or repairs on the vehicles. A workshop with the Lebanese mechanic Mohammed is just a stone's throw from our accommodation and a central point for spare parts procurement.

At the border to Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa with around 220 million people, it is said: stay calm. In the late afternoon we reach Lagos, which we internally refer to as the "Gateway to Hell." In Lagos, we are met with a program that could hardly be more contrasting: The adventure travel group checks into a five-star luxury hotel, where the manager Philipp is already waiting for us. He can organize the complex transit through Nigeria in advance, and here the guide also meets the local security officer. In Nigeria, there seems to be a checkpoint every ten kilometers, where passports, driver's licenses, and vehicle registrations must be presented - often accompanied by lengthy discussions to avoid having to pay any "fees." We are prepared. We discuss the details of the transit and the behavior at the checkpoints on-site with the team.

After leaving the vibrant metropolis Lagos, our route takes us through diverse landscapes and fertile farmland. We reach the sparsely populated regions in the south. Nigeria ranks 161 out of 193 in the Human Development Index (HDI) - this is particularly evident in these areas: there is a lack of almost everything that is available on every street corner in Lagos. Accordingly, the accommodations and camps along the dense rainforests and on the banks of the Ebonyi River towards Ugep are quite simple, where we then cross the border into the authoritarian regime of Cameroon.

The barrier rises and we find ourselves in the Republic of Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, to avoid confusion with the Democratic Republic of Congo. We traverse the Congo Basin, the second largest tropical rainforest on Earth.

In Odzala-Kokoua National Park, one of the oldest national parks in Africa, lowland gorillas still live. With two rangers, we travel up the river by boat. After about ten kilometers, we come across a small population of gorillas. The sight is impressive and the experience absolutely worthwhile.

Back at the camp with the rangers, we leave a donation after dinner. The Republic of Congo ranks 153 out of 193 in the Human Development Index, indicating a low level of development. Our visit is important for the rangers as it generates desperately needed income.

The capital Brazzaville is a day's journey away. In the city with over two million inhabitants, we restock our supplies and fuel.

In Etosha National Park, we take a safari through the diverse wildlife. The protected area covers approximately 22,000 square kilometers and is one of the most important wildlife reserves in Africa.

After that, we continue to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia and once the capital of German South West Africa. Windhoek offers an interesting mix of African lifestyle and German order. For us, it is an important supply point for the "jump to the last stage" to South Africa. Here in Namibia, the relaxed part of the journey begins.

We continue the tour to Namib-Naukluft National Park – one of the most impressive desert areas in the world.