Two South Africans have completed an overland trip through Africa from Cape Agulhas to Alexandria. Jaco Liebenberg and Gappie de Klerk intended to end their trip in Denmark but their route had to be changed and shortened due to visa difficulties.
Their vehicle was a Toyota Hilux 2700i 4x4 double cab bakkie fitted with extra fuel tanks holding a whopping 300 litres, a 60-litre water tank, extra driving lights, a winch, two extra spare wheel carriers, two extra batteries and a special canopy with two large solar panels and a 220-volt inverter.
Extra spring blades were fitted to the rear suspension to carry the extra weight and a supercharger to help push it along.
Unleaded fuel is not available in some parts of Africa so the vehicle was tuned to run low-octane leaded fuel - although pre-ignition remained a problem at low revs.
They carried all their provisions in numbered ammunition boxes and bought nothing but fuel on the way - which meant they lived on tinned foods, chips, biltong and soft drinks.
De Klerk said later he lost about 10kg on the 20-day trip, travelling in temperatures up to 45 degrees.
The trip took them through eight countries from South Africa to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and finally Egypt.
They drove mostly on tar roads to Nairobi but in northern Kenya the roads deteriorated to the extent that through some sections they found it better to drive next to the road.
Pressure in their Continental tyres were reduced from 400kPa to 250kPa due to sharp stones in the road as well as very rough patches - fortunately Liebenberg and De Klerk were travelling in the dry season.
The roads in Ethiopia were swarming with animals and people; there they saw what they described as "the luckiest kid in Africa". A Toyota Land Cruiser that had just overtaken them ran right over a child directly in front of them.
The child got up and ran away, badly scared but only bruised.
The gravel road into the Nile Valley dropped 1400m in 15km before crossing the Nile, where they found a sign prohibiting the taking of photographs.
There three men armed with AK47 rifles stopped them; fortunately a UN vehicle arrived and Liebenberg and de Klerk were released.
The roads in the Sudan varied from poor gravel with a lot of sharp stones to good tar - they even came across luxury coaches.
That sinking feeling
In Khartoum they asked for secure parking for the Hilux and nearly lost it in a septic tank as the ground in the parking area started to sink under the weight of the vehicle.
After Abidiya the road became gravel and then disappeared into sand; they switched to all-wheel drive for the first time, navigating by GPS. At Wadi Halfa in Egypt they put the Toyota on a ferry - it's not possible to drive to Aswan
Wherever the road from Aswan to Suez has a solid white line there is also a deep ditch in the middle to prevent overtaking - a very direct approach to law enforcement.
From Suez they were escorted in convoys to Cairo and on to Alexandria; the Egyptian authorities place great emphasis on tourists' safety.
Shared driving:
The two shared the driving, travelling between 14 and 17 hours a day. They covered 11 720km in 20 days, which included 150 hours of actual driving at an average speed of 78km/h.
Their only mechanical problem was a slow puncture in Ethiopia.
De Klerk said Sudan was the highlight of the trip. The people were friendly, many asking to be photographed with the travellers using their own cameras. The country is clean and there is very little petty crime.
Liebenberg was able to leave all his belongings safely in an open camping area while sorting out official documentation.
Ironically, before the trip, the Sudan was the country they were most apprehensive about visiting.