West Africa Trip

Well, all it took was just a sliver of a millimeter of motion and a smidgen of a newton-metre of force from the distal phalanx of my index finger on the Enter button of my computer keyboard. The ensuing spark of connection allowed Mercury, the roaming god of wealth, to soar across the firmament bearing a sack of gold; bringing it from my bank account to the bank account of Madventure. Thank you Revolut, my secular god.

Yes, I’ve booked my next overlanding trip down the coast of West Africa. The trip starts in Fes, Morocco on 29 October 2023. It end in Abeokuta, Nigeria on 26 January 2024

Countries (13) include: Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. The last three countries are uncertain as there mightn’t be space.

There are two trips. One from Fez, Morocco to Accra, Ghana. I have booked this. The second trip is from Accra, Ghana to Cape Town. I was hoping to book a part place on this from Accra to Abeokuta, Nigeria. Unfortunately, this is uncertain as it’s a popular trip and often booked out. I’ll know if there’s a space for me about two months into the trip. This would give me time to book a flight home and get my Nigerian visa. Or, complete the journey at Accra and fly home from there.I can live with that. Actually, I love the uncertainty of not knowing; like being in control of not being in control.

Originally I was hoping to do a South America trip from Lima to Santiago and from Santiago to Rio de Janeiro but these were booked out and the ones that were available didn’t suit my timeframe. I would like to do the Cartagena to Rio de Janeiro trip by either Oasis Overland or Madventure. They are longer trips and looks very interesting. It would be my next expedition, I hope.

However, if the gods favour me, and why shouldn’t they, I’d love to do the epic Madventure trip across the Americas. Here’s the info from their website:

This epic 8 month overland expedition is one of the world’s last true adventures! On this tour you will visit iconic sights as well as remote areas of North, Central and South America including Denali, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Teotihuacan, Lake Atitlan, Panama Canal, Amazon Jungle, Machu Picchu, Atacama Desert, Torres del Paine, Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls. So sit back, relax and travel the full length of the Pan-American Highway with us from the Arctic to the Antarctic and end at the greatest show on earth, Rio Carnival!

In total you will visit 19 countries on this madventure including the USA, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil.

It would start in June 2025 so I’d have time to save. This would be my dream trip and definitely doable so long as Herr Putin keeps his hands in his pockets and away from buttons.

Anyway, West Africa is not a compensation prize and is a trip I’ve wanted to do for ages. It will probably be the the most difficult trip I’ve made to date as its 90% camping. I’m sure I’ll be grand.

So, four months to up my physical fitness level and drop a few kilos so I don’t get mistaken as a rotorious hippopotamus.