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The planning of our route is to be taken extremely seriously. Mark and Charlie
have been delegated this task. With Mark's energy and organizational abilities
and Charlie's geographical expertise they are well suited to their role. Any advise
or queries can be addressed to them and they will be happy to respond.
The African continent is as physically dramatic and challenging as it is politically.
The route we have eventually decided upon will not be set out in stone but rather
will be the most suitable at the time of departure. Unforeseen physical and political
situations are likely to arise and force us to adapt our route and find alternatives.
Our trip will begin at Demelza House, where a big send off is being planned.
From here we will drive to Dover and cross to the French port of Calais, from
which we will set off in a south easterly direction, through the legendary wine
region of Cote d’Or and towards the Alpine city of Grenoble. From the town
of San Michele we can enter Italy and follow the northern coast road as far south
as Brindisi. A short boat ride will then carry us to South Western Greece from
where we will drive through mountainous terrain stepped in ancient history, to
Istanbul in Turkey. As was the case during the crusades, Constantinople is still
regarded as the divide between the Eastern and Western worlds. The next leg of
our journey would carry us to Antakya and then in to the truly alien conditions
of Syria. Here we head south along the deserty road to Damascus, regarded to be
the oldest inhabited city in the world. This is a city of contrast offering mystical
charms of ancient cultures. Eventually reaching the boarder town of Der’a
we intend to enter Jordan. Following its impressive river valley we pass through
the city of Omman and beyond to the port of Aquaba.
“The African continent is as physically dramatic and challenging
as it is politically.”
From Aquba a boat will deposit us in Egypt and onto the shores of the African
Continent. Crossing the Suez canal we head to Cairo and then on via sights such
as the pyramids of Giza, one of the seven wonders of the world. Travelling south
through the deserts of Egypt we will follow the River Nile, the hub of its fertile
land. Once in Aswan it is possible to board a ferry and safely enter Sudan via
the boarder crossing at Tadi-Halfu. On condition that the political state of Sudan
is still stable we intend to travel quickly to the capital Khartoum and on to
the Ethiopian boarder at Metema. Ethiopia, credited with being the original home
of humanity, is often associated with famine yet offers a rich and little known
architectural and cultural heritage. The Blue Nile falls, credited as being one
of the most impressive on earth contribute to the natural wealth of this country.
We arrive in Kenya, famed for its wildlife, at the boarder town of Moyale and
head south to Nairobi. From here we make our way north west to project number
one in Kisumu near the shores of Lake Victoria. We are due here in mid October.
Project number two takes us close to Kampala in Uganda, home of the famous
Mountain Gorilla. Uganda has almost regained the stability it once enjoyed and
is, for now, relatively free of tourists. After a month in Uganda we head south
around the shores of Lake Victoria into Tanzania. Our route will take us to the
Serengeti National Park, Kilimanjaro, through the Massi plains and on to the spice
Island of Zanzibar. Sights that for many represent quintisentual Africa. Indeed
Eastern Africa, with its mixed Arabic and African roots, based in trade and the
horrors of slavery, provides intrege and fasination. The landscape of east Africa’s
interior is dominated by the Great Rift Valley stretching as far south as Mozambique.
Its coastline is dominated by tropical climate and breathtaking beaches.
Towards the later part of January 2001 we are due to arrive in Malawi. Following
the shore of its lake we reach Mozambique via Zobue, cross the Zambize River and
onto the so called Tete Corridor. Heading south through the mountainous National
Parks not only do we encounter stunning waterfalls and gorges but the Bazaruto
Arpegilao, renowned as the most outstanding part of Africa.
Arriving at the border town of Nomaacha, near the capital Maputo we must pass
through Swaziland, the smallest country in the southern hemisphere, before entering
the provence of Kwazulu in South Africa. Driving through the battlefields of the
Boer and Anglo-Zulu wars we arrive in Pietermaritzbury, the location of our final
project in mid February. The last leg of our journey will take us along the aptly
named Shipwreck coast to Port Elizabeth, Cape St Francis, through the Little Karoo
desert and on to Cape Town.
Once the trip has been completed our equipment will be shipped home and we
will return by air. The entire journey will be undertaken in two suitable 4x4
vehicles. We are hoping to have these donated.
[Read on >>]
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