Imagine going on holiday for a month with 28 of your friends; seeing the most incredible sights, sharing special moments with each other that you will remember for life, creating a unique bond from spending almost 24/7 together, creating in-jokes and laughing all the time. It all sounds amazing right? Well imagine that you didn’t know any of these people before the trip but this is what you take from it at the end. This is what is so rewarding about overlanding in Africa.
Although I tend to shy away from organised tours when I travel, it made sense given the sheer size of Africa and that I wasn’t comfortable trying to navigate the continent as a solo female traveler. I had only ever traveled in a tour once through Egypt and while the country itself was amazing, my experience with a tour group was sub-par. But my trip with Absolute Africa absolutely instilled in me why tours do have a time and place and can be a memorable way to travel.
Africa can be an incredibly expensive place to explore. To put it into perspective, I traveled for almost 11 months on NZ $25,000 and five weeks in Africa cost 1/5 of that. Doing your research is very important because although many tour operators may seem similar in their offering, they can vary a lot in price.
Absolute Africa came highly recommended by a friend and they worked out to be the cheapest. They included breakfast, dinners, accommodation and most game park entries. Some tour operators offer all-inclusive packages but I preferred the option where you could pick and choose your extras such as adventure sports, extra game park tours and cruises so that it can fit within your budget. Very important if you are watching your pennies carefully.
There are many different tours that cater for various budgets so you can stay in 5-star game lodges or if you are like me who prefers backpacking on a budget, you can choose the cheapest option.
This meant sleeping in tents almost every night at campsites with no power. Apart from the odd town, we were moving every single day so this meant packing up and packing down our tents most days. Often in the dark and often in the rain. You soon learn to improvise and tools like twine and an EDC utility knife become daily essentials. Think it is only hot and dusty in Africa? Think again my friends. We were travelling in the rainy season so we got used to the rain and the dirt pretty fast! And let’s just say our tents did not smell amazing by the end of it.
Hot showers were a rarity at most of our camping grounds and often you had to be in quick to get what hot water had been heated by the fire out the back. Days without showering were common and laundry options were few and far between. It takes a special (or budget conscious) type of traveler to love overlanding! But you know what they say, it’s all part of the experience. Looking back on my trip to Africa, those are not the things that stand out for me. It’s the amazing people I traveled with and the incredible things I saw and did.
We also had to pitch in with chores every day including cooking, clearing up, packing up the truck and security. With up to 28 people in your group, they never took long and they were a great way to get to know people on a more individual basis.
The experience I took from my five weeks traveling through Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania with Absolute Africa was a wonderful experience that I will never forget.
Overlanding isn’t glamorous but it is definitely the most fun. If you want to experience Africa on a budget, overlanding is definitely the best way to do it!
Alaina McGregor, from Jandals & A Backpack, is a girl who counts hefting her backpack around the globe as part of her regular fitness regime. She has a passion for exploring the world, volunteering, sampling locals beers in every country, taking photos and likes to share her tips for backpacking on a budget.
