Palermo – Sicily.

Travel overland to Cape Town. We are waiting for the embarkation of our Vehicle to Tunisia. We want to cross the African continent by our camper van. The journey starts in Tunis with final destination Cape town, about 25.000 kilometres through the black continent.

It is end of Novembre and we have a mild winter evening which is typical for the mediterranean coast. We are already on board the ferry, we – that’s me Eric, my wife Alexandra and our female Labrador dog Tara.

From the ferry we have a splendid view of Palermo. We have to wait until the ship is fully loaded. Here begins our uncertain adventure, our long lasting travel overland. After all the hectic preparations we have time to think about our project. Doubts are cast. “Crazy” is what our friends and acquaintances have called us for travelling by car through Africa. “Dangerous” they said – robberies and kidnappings are common there. Yes, we know that, but a lot of fears and concerns seem to us exaggerated. My only concern is our vehicle. An updated two-wheel drive Citroen van with a lot of electronics under the hood. And soon, my concerns are proved to be correct.

Travel Overland The Ferry

Finally we go. The ferry leaves the harbour towards Tunis. We only had two months preparation time. The car got another gear, equipment was organized and a meeting with other companion travellers had to be scheduled, because we do not travel alone. We are in a group of a total of five vehicles on the overland Africa trip, one of which is two tour guides who will lead us through Africa. But it will change quickly as a lot of things go wrong. We will meet on a campsite near Tunis. On board with us are Heidi and Guido, and Ursl and Hans.