One-Way Ticket: Colorado to South Sudan

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American cattle once looked like this, until the last 150 years of selective breeding killed these genes.



Churches are one of the few beautiful things in Africa architecturally.



Night markets that try to appeal to bus customers are the best. They are trying to appeal to relatively discerning locals who can afford bus tickets, so they try their best. The food is usually fresh and well-seasoned. If you are stuck in a town large enough to have a bus station, see if they have a night market, especially in South Sudan or Kenya.



The storms that move quickly from Sudan down into East Africa are legendary - and for good reason.

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There is, as many have written here, an unspoken rule that you do whatever you can when traveling. Here, Miles, a Bugandan, was driving a Hiace that a major overheating issue suddenly. I worked on it and it was able to limp to the next town to get help, many kilometers away. It still wasn't running cool, but it was running cooler. Blowing the head gasket is worth doing if it means you're not stuck in the bush. Especially on something like a Hiace, where the headwork parts are common.



Me, in a friend's Landcruiser 70 TX, carrying my purchase for slaughter.



Okay, back to Toyota stuff, since this is a vehicle and expedition forum and not a tourism forum, after all.

[Containerized]

There is something about going between nameless places, unfamliar places, that is a wonderful experience. Not just a "new place" or "something different" but the effect is more like you've arrived on a totally different planet. That was my reaction (and my girlfriend's) upon our first visit to Kidepo, the area that encloses the tripoint where Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda meet.









These ferries are common, particularly on the Nile and the lesser lakes of the Great Lakes region of Africa. They rarely capsize or have trouble, though the engines are always the weak point. Watch the ferry before you (preferably the day before), then show up for the first ferry of the next day.



Somewhere near the South Sudan - Congo border:





Near Lake Albert:



Further west, closer to Congo:



On the road back toward Arua, within the ambit of Murchison Falls National Park. These big wrecks are common. I was actually surprised more parts had not been salvaged off this truck, it must have been very fresh.



Sunset on the savannah, somewhere near a village with fewer than ten huts.



The little creatures and moments that are easy to miss while you're packing up the truck, or unpacking at the end of the day.



An effective roadblock.



Not atypical, as far as how much this truck is overloaded.



Waiting for the ferry (crossing the Albert Nile, Uganda - Congo borderlands):



Pedestrians:

[Containerized]

Best to heed these signs warning of landmines. This is near the Uganda - South Sudan border. Landmines are nasty things and they can endure for years and decades post-conflict. They are spread liberally throughout this region, though many have been cleared by cattle and (unfortunately) children. Volunteers and military training organizations have tried to help, but their efforts are a drop in the proverbial bucket when compared to the problem.



This group of four had Paris license plates and was crossing Africa. They had just reached Uganda from Congo. Note the wildlife on their roof. Heavily modified Hilux D4D's.



A curious cub:



FJC next to its big brother.



Container not for tourism.



The creek port (Dubai, UAE).



Another shot near Creek.



Heading back down through the horn of Africa and back toward Uganda.



More abandoned roadside hardware.



A family moment near the falls at Karuma.



Typical load-out for a 10 day trip.



What a luxury it is to have mobile 3G connectivity to the internet. I'd HIGHLY recommend a moble wifi router.



The USB modem plugs right in, and you're good to go. And Orange offers international plans across East Africa. MTN offers similar plans.



Interior, Pelican 1520 case to show legroom in the rear.



Another thing: You can't have enough USB ports to charge phones, GPS devices, etc.



Juba has a pretty simple city layout. It is only somewhat simplified on Garmin's map.



I'd say the same about Somaliland's cities.





A gathering of farmers on the Kenyan border.



A bicycle at maximum gross vehicle weight.



The infamous Nile corridor truckstops.



A more typical African tractor.



And another.



Moving fish. Note the South Sudanese number plate.



Be glad you had that part you needed in your luggage from London. Because this guy doesn't carry it.

[haven]

Absolutely mesmerizing! Thanks for posting your experiences.

Did you have trouble finding gasoline for sale during your travels? Is diesel in better supply?

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Haven - I've heard of some issues with the quality of gasoline, so you have to be careful, but most places have gasoline available. Thankfully, I haven't put anything through the FJC that it's disliked. I'd say the area near the Kenya/SSudan/Uganda tripoint is one of the hardest places to get fuel, but the FJC with four 20L cans on the roof has a fair amount of range. Sometimes fuel is insanely expensive, for instance in Somaliland, but it's available. Diesel tended to be "fresher" historically since they run through a lot of it for heavy trucks, but the explosion of the light (75 and 100cc) motorcycle market in East Africa means that petrol is available almost anywhere. Some places the fuel pump is still something you spin in a big circle, but it's a working pump. As with anywhere, major stations (Shell, Total, Libyoil) have better supply chain, fresher fuel, and better quality control than local guys.

[Containerized]

My conclusions from the past more-than-a-year are the following... this is only a portion of them, but maybe the things most helpful to others planning expeditions.

1) The availability of mobile telephony and mobile internet has improved vastly in the past few years. With a simple 12v DC circuit and one additional fuse in your box, you can have wifi on your truck. Even if only from a safety standpoint, it's worth having. But it's also a vital communications asset, with the ability to use Skype for international calls, etc.
2) Overall, I would say of these places the wildlife in northern Uganda is the most underrated (and the wildlife in Kenya, while beautiful, the most overrated). I would say that if you want to take one drive to a park in East Africa and really have "the experience," that Kidepo is the park to visit (South Sudan).
3) The security concerns in Somaliland and South Sudan in particular seem quite overblown. While the situation now in South Sudan is more tense than it was even a month or two ago, for the most part this country is beautiful expanses of unpopulated space. The rugged terrain and fascinating people are worth visiting.
4) I've re-thought the vehicle for the next expedition, and though it will be Tacoma-based rather than FJ-based, I do think the FJC has about the right length and wheelbase for an expedition vehicle. Its big weakness is the amount of enclosed load space available without removing the rear seats.
5) The cost of containerized shipping has declined substantially, especially on major port routes, and now it is much harder to make the roll-on-roll-off ("roro") argument versus containerizing. Especially if you can get a good rate on the origin port fees.
6) My girlfriend, who is the one with the medical background, has totally rethought our first aid and trauma kit through this process. It began with a small backpack with the basics, a suture kit, etc. Now it's a whole 1520 Pelican case.
7) Related to #6 above, we took a four-day field medicine course together focused on post-conflict zones and found it very helpful. Though much of the material was a review for her, much of it was new to me, and it made us more confident dealing with other (non medical) problems in the field. It also was an excellent teamwork exercise. I would highly recommend this.
8) Don't underestimate the importance of a reliable food supply. We are adventurous eaters and pretty talented at preparing meals in bush conditions. Nevertheless, we found ourselves stuck more than once. The additional weight of that chocolate bar or half bag of granola is negligible and it could completely change you and your co-driver's morale one morning as you pull out of the village. Think about it.
9) We have been very pleasantly surprised by the Garmin East Africa map. It is excellent and works well with the Garmin Nuvi-series units. I highly recommend it for anyone traveling in Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, or Somaliland. Its coverage of Ethiopia is questionable, but there are good UN and Italian maps available of all major roads in Ethiopia. I would also highly recommend the trans nile ferry maps (available in Kinshasa, Arua, Kaya, and other places), which show both routes and schedules and are published often (laser printed); the old maps marked "Series 93" or "Series 95" are not accurate and do not correctly portray the ferry patterns, particularly on the Albert Nile.
10) This is a learning experience. A lot of what we've learned on the road is to let things go. Both of us have "loosened up" a lot. The key is to survive today and do it better tomorrow. Trying to do more than that is just a recipe for disappointment.

Travel safely. Until next time... I look forward to writing another of these posts next year.

[toymaster]

Excellant post!!! I enjoyed it and it brought back some memories. Did not realize I missed Africa so much! When you get back from a journey like that it makes you realize you do not need as much in life as you thought you did.

[Warrenpfo]

Very nice, any more info you can provide on the Mobile internet you have setup would be great.

[Christian P.]

Awesome report. I spent some time in that area and recognized many sites.

Can you tell me more about Somaliland? As far as I know, very few self-driving foreigners go there. Did you drive alone?

How hard was it to get visa? Which border did you enter/exit?

thank you!