Driving from London to South Africa

Aswan, Egypt

Aswan, Egypt

One of the best things to happen to me earlier this month began in the toilet. I was staying in a super cheap hotel in Aswan, Egypt, and the shared toilet was — well, imagine 40 people who neither aim well nor, because the flusher is broken, flush. Then imagine a front desk staff that doesn’t think this is a problem.

I checked out the next day and moved to the Kelany Hotel. It was twice the price, but they had clean bathrooms, helpful staff, and one of the best breakfasts in Egypt. In addition, in the rooms to either side of mine, they had couples in their late twenties/early thirties who were traveling not with backpacks but with rather rugged-looking Land Rovers. They hailed from South Africa, the US, and, to a lesser degree, England, and were on their way from London to Cape Town. Here in Aswan they were waiting for the weekly ferry across Lake Nasser to Sudan.

Over the next two days we spent a lot of time together — a meal by the Nile, recovering from the scorching heat on the rooftop pool. We talked about visa regulations, life and purpose, how their journey was informed by their faith, about the joys and challenges of group dynamics.

During their five-month drive and as they move deeper into Africa, they plan to visit different NGO projects and Christian missions to better understand what kind of work is being done in Africa.

To learn more about Tim and Natasha, as well as Nick and Lana, visit their website at www.changethruhope.com. They’re a bit behind in their blog but hope to catch up as they have time. For more about the popular London to Cape Town route, google “London to Cape Town by Land Rover” and you’ll be off to a good start.

Posted by | Comments (2)  | April 15, 2010
Category: Adventure Travel, Africa, Images from the road


2 Responses to “Driving from London to South Africa”

  1. Sam Says:

    This is really interesting. I’ve always fancied a rugged road trip as a travel experience and London to Cape Town would certainly be that. Realisitcally I’ll be attempting something less challenging to begin with, but nevertheless this is inspirational stuff.

  2. Barry Says:

    Wow, this sounds like a real adventure! I bet you have to be a good driver to even attempt something like this…