OFF-ROAD-TOURS · AFRICA
55-Day Trans Africa 4x4 Expedition West
The Trans Africa Go West expedition is a 55-day guided 4x4 crossing from Europe to Cape of Good Hope — through Morocco, the Western Sahara, West Africa, the Congo Basin, Angola, and Namibia.
The Journey
Guided 4x4 Crossing: Europe to Cape of Good Hope
Sixteen countries separate Europe from Cape Town — this expedition covers them all. The route follows the Western Sahara coast, crosses the Sahel, and pushes into the Congo Basin — earth’s second-largest rainforest. You navigate border crossings with no tourists and jungle tracks most operators don’t touch.
This is an expedition in the operational sense: no guaranteed stages, no fixed accommodation, no package tour safety net. Overcross provides route knowledge, expedition leadership, and logistics. You bring the 4x4, the experience, and the readiness to adapt. Departure: December 26 from Tübingen.
Key Highlights of the Trip
Key Highlights of the Trip
Europe
Germany, France, and Spain form the paved run-up to the continent. The route south through Lyon, Barcelona, and Málaga covers roughly 1,550 miles before the ferry crossing at Gibraltar puts Africa in front of the convoy.
Germany & Spain to Gibraltar
The expedition kicks off December 26 at 5 a.m. at Overcross HQ in Tübingen. The convoy rolls south through Lyon and Barcelona, reaching Málaga before the crossing to Gibraltar. From there, it’s 10 miles to the ferry to Africa. Roughly 1,550 miles (2,500 km) of paved road to reach the starting line.
Morocco
Morocco opens with the green northwest before the route turns south through Marrakech and over the High Atlas. Further south, old Dakar tracks lead into the desert. The last night before the Sahara is a kasbah with sand outside and stars overhead.
Morocco: Marrakech to the Desert
After the ferry crossing, the convoy drives through Morocco’s green northwest region. In Marrakech, a full day in the medina, souks, and the Djemaa el Fna. The next day the route climbs the Tizi n Test Pass into the High Atlas. Further south, tracks follow old Dakar Rally lines. Overnight stop in a desert kasbah.
Western Sahara
The expedition follows the Atlantic coastline through disputed territory. Long straight roads across sandy plains and rocky desert replace the mountain terrain — a preview of what the Sahara delivers.
Western Sahara Coast
The route follows the rugged Atlantic coastline south through Tan-Tan into the Guelmim-Oued Noun region. Western Sahara is disputed territory annexed by Morocco in 1975; the convoy passes through El Aaiún, its largest city, en route to the Mauritanian border. Long straight roads across sandy plains and rocky desert.
Mauritania & Senegal
The Sahel zone begins in Mauritania — the landscape shifts from desert to dry savannah. A river ferry crossing into Senegal follows, passing the colonial port of Saint-Louis at the mouth of the Senegal River.
Mauritania to Saint-Louis
The convoy crosses into Mauritania and tracks south. The Sahel zone begins here — landscape transitions from desert to dry savannah. A small river ferry crossing into Senegal follows. The route passes the colonial port of Saint-Louis where the Senegal River meets the Atlantic. Open savannah and grasslands ahead.
Senegal: Dakar to the Border
From Koungheul, the route moves inland through dense forest and grasslands. Tracks become more demanding entering the Senegalese interior. A stop at the Great Mosque of Touba — the largest mosque in Senegal and spiritual center of the Mouride Brotherhood — before the push south toward Guinea.
Guinea
Guinea has notoriously scarce fuel and corrugated tracks that test both vehicle and driver. Dense rainforest in the south, dry savanna in the north, and village life that hasn’t changed much regardless of what’s happening in the capital.
Guinea: Fouta Djalon to Kankan
Guinea has notoriously scarce fuel. A pre-positioned 500-liter depot at a lodge near the Fouta Djalon Plateau keeps the convoy moving. Corrugated tracks through dense rainforest and dry savanna. Village stops along the route give a direct read on local life. The stage ends near Kankan, Guinea’s third-largest city.
Ivory Coast
The Ivory Coast gives the convoy a choice: coastal paved road or technical sandy tracks through mangrove forest. Either way, the day ends on the Atlantic.
Ivory Coast to the Atlantic
The route continues through the Ivory Coast with the option to take coastal paved road or technical sandy tracks and mangrove forest depending on group pace and conditions. The day ends at a small beach lodge on the Atlantic, with fresh fish and the transition from jungle to coast settling in.
Ghana
Ghana’s South Atlantic coast leads through authentic fishing villages to Accra. A buffer day here handles vehicle maintenance before the convoy continues east.
Ghana: Coast to Accra
The convoy tracks along the South Atlantic through fishing villages before the approach to Accra — a marathon driving day through construction zones. An overnight near an industrial district in Accra doubles as a vehicle maintenance buffer day. A Lebanese mechanic workshop nearby handles repairs and spare parts.
Togo & Benin
Togo and Benin deliver the Voodoo Coast — the birthplace of the religion — before the Atlantic lodge at Cotonou sets up the Nigeria briefing.
Togo & Benin: Voodoo Coast
The convoy crosses Togo — birthplace of Voodoo — and drives into Benin, reaching the capital Porto-Novo and then Cotonou. A lodge right on the South Atlantic with a sunset briefing covers what comes next. Route planning for Nigeria happens here before the crossing.
Questions about the tour itinerary?
Our tour guide is happy to answer any questions about the day-by-day route, stops, and details.
Nigeria
Nigeria demands preparation. Checkpoints every 10 miles, a security contact in Lagos, and a route through the most populous country in Africa that runs from the megacity to remote southern forest camps.
Nigeria: Lagos to the Cameroon Border
The border into Nigeria — 220 million people, the most populous country in Africa — requires patience. Checkpoints appear roughly every 10 miles (16 km): passports, licenses, vehicle registration, extended discussions. The convoy checks into a hotel in Lagos where the local security contact meets the group. After Lagos, the route runs through farmland and sparse southern regions, camps along the rainforest and Ebonyi River, then the border into Cameroon.
Cameroon
Cameroon is one of the hardest stages of the crossing — hot, humid, demanding off-road through largely deforested jungle. A four-star recovery day in Yaoundé with a mechanic contact before the final jungle stages to the Congo border.
Cameroon: Jungle Stages to Yaoundé
Cameroon opens without entry stamps at this crossing. Hot, humid, demanding off-road through largely deforested jungle in the north — Chinese logging operations are actively at work. An overnight before Yaoundé is the last field camp of this stage. In Yaoundé, a four-star hotel provides recovery. A French mechanic contact handles vehicle repairs. Two more hard off-road stages through Cameroonian jungle follow before the Republic of Congo border.
Republic of Congo
Congo-Brazzaville is home to the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and a gorilla encounter by river boat. Brazzaville is a resupply stop before the DRC crossing.
Republic of Congo: Gorillas & Brazzaville
The barrier opens into the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville). The convoy passes through the Odzala-Kokoua National Park — one of Africa’s oldest protected areas. A boat trip upstream with two rangers produces a close encounter with a gorilla population. Camp dinner with the rangers follows, with a direct donation to their operation. Brazzaville is a day’s drive for resupply.
DR Congo
The DRC transit is two days across terrain most operators don’t touch — Kinshasa on one bank of the Congo River, direct crossing to the Angolan border.
DRC Transit to Angola
On the opposite bank of the Congo River from Brazzaville lies Kinshasa. The convoy makes a direct two-day transit across the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Angolan border. The crossing is straightforward in plan, demanding in execution.
Angola
Angola’s coastal road runs past deserted beaches and quiet fishing villages. Luanda is a high-cost resupply stop with 1,700 km to the Namibian border from here. The highlands deliver the Tundavala Gorge before the border.
Angola: Luanda and the Coast
The coastal road through Angola runs past deserted beaches and quiet fishing villages toward Luanda. The capital serves as a fuel and food resupply point for the 1,700 km (1,056-mile) stretch to the Namibian border. The drive south from Luanda to Lobito passes the port city’s beaches before the route turns inland.
Angolan Highlands to Namibia
The off-road route climbs into the highlands. The Tundavala Gorge near Lubango — a dramatic viewpoint in the Serra da Leba region — is the main stop before the convoy crosses savannah south toward Namibia.
Namibia
Namibia is where the expedition pace shifts. Etosha for the safari, Windhoek for resupply, and the Namib-Naukluft desert for the approach to the final border.
Namibia: Etosha to Namib-Naukluft
Etosha National Park — approximately 22,000 sq km (8,500 sq miles) — is the safari stage of the expedition. From there, the route runs to Windhoek, once the capital of German South West Africa, for resupply. The Namib-Naukluft National Park follows before the final push south toward South Africa.
South Africa
The Cape of Good Hope is the endpoint. The Swartberg Pass brings the convoy in from the north. Vehicles go to shipping, the group marks the finish in Cape Town.
South Africa: Swartberg to Cape of Good Hope
The convoy crosses into South Africa at Neilersdrift and follows the Orange River south. The Swartberg Pass Road through the Swartberg region brings the group to the final stage. Cape of Good Hope: the symbolic endpoint of the expedition. Vehicles go to the shipping company, logistics close out, and the group marks the finish with dinner in Cape Town.
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Trip includes
- Pre-expedition meeting at Overcross HQ in Tübingen
- Expedition management and leadership for all 55 days
- Online tour guide connected via satellite tracker
- Satellite phone for emergencies on support vehicles
- Travel security certificate (insolvency insurance per BGB §651r) — mandatory for all Overcross trips
- Status and location reports to emergency contacts (on request)
- Printed and digital map material for the full crossing
- Visa and border support — guidance and embassy coordination
- Tour folder with full expedition preparation information
- Equipment and packing list for pre-departure preparation
- Assistance organizing the carnet de passage application (no deposits or bank guarantees provided)
- Organization of vehicle transport logistics
- Post-expedition debrief meeting (on request)
- Rental vehicle coordination available through external providers, billed separately
- No fixed services (accommodation, fuel, meals, transport) included in the expedition fee
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December 26, 5 a.m. at Overcross in Tübingen, Germany. Alternative meeting points: at the Strait of Gibraltar and in Marrakech for participants arriving earlier.
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Yes. This expedition is designed for participants driving their own 4x4. Land Rover Defender, Toyota Land Cruiser, Hilux, Nissan Patrol, Mercedes G-Class, and INEOS Grenadier have all been on previous crossings.
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Rental vehicles can be arranged through external partners, billed separately. Contact us before booking to confirm current rental options and availability for your departure.
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No mandatory modifications are required. You’ll receive a detailed equipment and preparation list. A stock vehicle with minimal additions is typically sufficient for the crossing.
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All Terrain tires are sufficient. Mud Terrain tires are an option but not required for this expedition.
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Two or more years of off-road driving experience is recommended. You need to handle prolonged off-road stages, border bureaucracy, and changing conditions without support beyond the convoy.
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No. This is an expedition, not a package tour under §651a BGB. The fee covers organizational services — expedition planning, leadership, and satellite support. Accommodation, fuel, and meals are not included.
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Expedition management, satellite tracker and phone, pre-departure meeting, map material, visa and border support, carnet de passage assistance, equipment list, and BGB §651r insolvency insurance.
Terms and Conditions of OVERCROSS
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