An expedition across Africa by jeep is a long road journey for people who want to see the continent in motion rather than through the window of a tour bus. We are designing a route for 2027 that will combine self-drive travel with national parks, mountain areas, deserts, savannah, cities and remote regions in several African countries.
The project is being built as a genuine overland expedition, not as a string of short excursions. The main crew will drive the route in their own prepared vehicle. On some stages additional vehicles from local operators may be used, where the rules of a national park, the state of the roads, border crossings or the size of the group require it.
It will be possible to join the whole journey, lasting around a month or a month and a half, a large regional section, or a single programme in one country. The final order of countries, the dates, the length of the stages and the price will be published once the seasons, the vehicle logistics and the border-crossing conditions have been checked.
The format of a jeep expedition across Africa
The main format is self-drive. Participants with suitable driving experience will be able to take turns at the wheel on the permitted sections. Whether someone may drive is decided in advance, taking into account their licence, the insurance terms, the difficulty of the roads and the decision of the expedition leader. Joining the journey does not automatically mean being cleared to drive.
The number of people on the full route is limited by the capacity of the main jeep. For individual stages, safaris and programmes in national parks, additional 4x4s with local driver-guides may be brought in. That allows more people to join particular sections without turning the main expedition into a convoy.
The route is built around a moderate level of comfort. We do not plan the programme around the cheapest possible nights, but nor do we include expensive lodges purely for the status. Different countries will bring a mixture of hotels, lodges, permanent tented camps and ordinary expedition tents. For anyone who wants a higher standard of comfort, an individual version can be prepared using the best categories of accommodation available.
Which countries are being considered for the route
The exact line of the expedition is still being worked out. The project takes in destinations in East, Southern and North-East Africa. Each country is also treated as a programme in its own right, so you do not have to free up a month and a half and drive the whole continental route.
East Africa
In Kenya the driving route can be combined with a safari through the national parks and a climb of Mount Kenya. The technical climbs of Batian and Nelion are costed separately and require extra time, specialist equipment and a qualified climbing guide.
In Tanzania the natural continuations of the expedition are safaris in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire, a climb of Kilimanjaro and a stay on Zanzibar. Zanzibar will be offered as a separate add-on, so that people can choose for themselves how long to rest after the main programme.
Uganda lets you combine the driving journey with mountain gorilla watching, visits to national parks and routes in the Rwenzori. The site already offers a programme with white rhinos and mountain gorillas, Queen Elizabeth Park and mountain gorillas and trekking in the Rwenzori mountains. The technical climb of Margherita Peak remains a separate mountain programme.
In Rwanda the self-drive stage can be complemented by trekking to the mountain gorillas and a climb of the Bisoke volcano. Gorilla permits are limited, so this section needs confirming particularly early.
Southern Africa
Namibia suits a long driving journey through desert landscapes, Etosha National Park and the north of the country. Botswana adds the Okavango Delta and Chobe, where the overland stages combine with safaris and water routes.
Zimbabwe and South Africa are treated as a large stage in their own right, with Victoria Falls, the wild areas of the south of the continent and stops in the cities. Exactly how the overland link to the neighbouring countries works will depend on the final order of the route and on the rules for temporarily importing a vehicle.
North-East Africa
Ethiopia and Eritrea may become a separate continuation of the project. These destinations call for their own check on the road and border situation, on permits and on whether the areas named are actually accessible, immediately before the trip. They will not be folded mechanically into the main line of the expedition without confirmed, safe logistics.
The whole route, or individual stages
Three formats will be available:
- the full expedition across several countries, lasting around a month or a month and a half;
- a large regional stage joining several neighbouring countries;
- a single programme in one country, joining the main group or with local guiding.
Splitting it this way keeps the expedition character of the journey while making it available to people who cannot leave work for long. The length of each self-contained stage will follow the actual programme of the country, not an artificial ten-day template.
Seasons on a journey across Africa
There is no single ideal season for the whole route. The dry and wet periods differ between East and Southern Africa, conditions on the high mountain routes do not coincide with the best time for a safari, and access to some wild areas depends on the state of the roads. So the 2027 calendar will be built not around one country but as a sequence of the most suitable seasonal windows.
In drawing up the schedule we will also link the dates of the climbs of Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and Margherita Peak to the safaris in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. That will let the Russian-speaking leader run several programmes in succession and avoid loading an expensive intercontinental flight into the cost of every short trip.
What the price will include
The final list of services will be published separately for the whole expedition and for each self-contained stage. It depends on the country, the type of vehicle, the national parks, the accommodation chosen, the permits and the local guiding. Until the costings are approved we do not fix a public price and we do not promise services our suppliers have not yet confirmed.
A single financial model is used for the costing: the local operator’s package, the vehicle costs, the accommodation, the meals, the park fees, the tickets and the Russian leader’s work are all accounted for separately. That will let us show an honest price for one jeep and for two, set the minimum group size, and keep the same standard of service in every country.
Who the expedition suits
The journey is designed for people who enjoy long roads, changing countries and taking part in expedition life themselves. On some sections there may be early starts, dust, heat, rain, broken roads, long waits at borders and nights in tents. The comfort will be enough to recover on, but the route will not turn into a resort holiday.
To take on the whole route you need patience, respect for the team and a willingness to accept changes. The weather, the state of the roads, national park rules and border procedures may all force the schedule to change. Decisions about travel, overnight stops and safety are made by the expedition leader.
Registering interest in the 2027 expedition
You can now register your interest in the whole expedition, in a large regional section or in a single country. In your message it helps to say how long you can travel for, which countries interest you, what driving experience you have, what standard of accommodation you want and whether you are ready to take part in the self-drive format.
Registering interest does not commit you to buying the trip. Once the route, the calendar and the price are agreed, those who have registered will be the first to receive the detailed programme and will be able to choose the full route or whichever stage suits them.