Ethiopia to Cape Town 2013-2014
Information on the Journey
While resting in Quebec, we get an Ethiopian visa valid for 6 months (very difficult to get abroad). Then, I leave for Tanzania where I get the vehicle back. For a few weeks, I make changes on the van: installation of an electric fridge, installation of a roof rack, complete mechanical checkup. Later, Gitane comes to join me in Nairobi, Kenya, and we begin the trip.
Our journey starts with the area around Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya. Then we spent almost 3 months in Ethiopia with a small visit in Djibouti. Afterwards, we travel down to Namibia with a few stops in Zambia along the way. We don't explore East Africa since I already visited most of it. After several weeks in Namibia, we go down as far as Cape Town. After a few days in Cape Town, Gitane's trip ends and she goes back to Quebec.
For the rest of this journey that I continue on my own, see Cape Town to Tanzania 2014-2015.
Some data
Travelling with Gitane
| Regions visited: | Kenya (Turkana), Ethiopia, Djibouti, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa (western region) |
| When? | September 2013 to May 2014 |
Timeline:
| Kenya | 1 month 8 days |
| Ethiopia | 2 months 4 days |
| Djibouti | 10 days |
| Ethiopia | 21 days |
| Zambia | 11 days |
| Namibia | 2 months 1 day |
| South Africa | 1 month 6 days |
| Travel Time: | 7 months 29 days |
| Not travelling: | |
| | |
| Total: | 7 months 29 days |
The best
| Kenya | Lake Turkana. |
| Ethiopia | Ethiopian people - the food - Lalibela - Omo Valley - Simien Mountains - Danakil - churches around Tigray - Harar. |
| Djibouti | Lake Assal. |
| Zambia | Victoria Falls - scenery during the rainy season. |
| Namibia | Etosha National Park - Kaokoveld - Damaraland - Cape Cross - Sossusvlei. |
| South Africa | All the Cape Town region. |
The worst
| Kenya | 45-50 degrees Celsius at Lake Turkana. |
| Ethiopia | Ethiopian children (yes, people are either very nice or irksome; especially rural children. |
| Djibouti | Unbearable heat, the country seems dying and run down. |
| Zambia | During the rainy seasons, parks are difficult to drive to. |
| Namibia | Distances are huge. |
| South Africa | --- |
Technical Data
Travellers with a Canadian passport.
Kenya (September 2013)
| VISA | Obtained at the border or airport. $US 50 for 3 months. Road tax of $US 50 for 3 months or $US 20 for 1 month. |
| CURRENCY | Kenyan Shilling - $US 1 = 87 KES |
| INSURANCE | COMESA insurance that covers the country ($90 for 6 months for all the covered countries). |
| DIESEL | $US 1.20-1.30 / litre |
Ethiopia (October 2013)
| VISA | Almost impossible to get on the road - obtained in home country - $US 35, 6 months, multiple entries. |
| CURRENCY | Ethiopian Birr - $US 1 = 18.35 ETB |
| INSURANCE | COMESA insurance that covers the country ($90 for 6 months for all the covered countries). |
| DIESEL | $US 0.95 / litre |
Djibouti (December 2013)
| VISA | Djiboutian embassy in Addis Ababa. $US 130 for 1 month. |
| CURRENCY | Djiboutian Franc - $US 1 = 178.5 DJF |
| INSURANCE | COMESA insurance that covers the country ($90 for 6 months for all the covered countries). |
| DIESEL | $US 1.26 / litre |
Zambia (January 2014)
| VISA | At the border. $US 50 for 1 month. Taxes of $US 62 (depend on km and border posts). |
| CURRENCY | Zambian Kwacha - $US 1 = 5.52 ZMW |
| INSURANCE | COMESA insurance that covers the country ($90 for 6 months for all the covered countries). |
| DIESEL | $US 1.66 |
Namibia (February 2014)
| VISA | At the border, 3 months, free. Road tax of $US 20. |
| CURRENCY | Namibian Dollar - $US 1 = 10.8 NAD |
| INSURANCE | None (not needed?). |
| DIESEL | $US 1.20 |
South Africa (April 2014)
| VISA | At the border, 3 months, free. No road tax. |
| CURRENCY | South African Rand - $US 1 = 10.56 ZAR |
| INSURANCE | None (not needed?). |
| DIESEL | $US 1.30 |
