Route & GPS data

We spent 3 months in Europe and then crossed into Africa from Southern Spain to undertake the Africa leg.  Our basic plan was based on the classic West Coast / Central Africa route entering via Morocco.  Only 10km of water separates Europe from Africa and the crossing is easy - you just buy a ticket from the terminals directly - (2x people and 1x 4x4 should cost you approx €90 - €115 one way) we went with FRS, early morning crossing 1st Sept 2010.  It was also Ramadan and so very quiet - within an hour of landing we were on our way!  As with most things "Africa" with did change the plan a bit and wizzed through Mauritania because of the security issues and did not venture into Northern / Central Mali.  It was a risk we wanted to eliminate but we had no major problems at all on the trip.

How big is Africa? - We found out that the Western route is a "little bit" longer than you might think.  To give you some idea of the size of Africa the image below might help scale things!!

Europe leg

6396 miles in 100 days, our planned route (red) & actual route (blue) are shown below

 Africa Leg

266 days, our planned route (red) & actual route (blue) are shown below

• Africa leg #1 North Africa / Sahara = 3726 miles in 34 days
• Africa leg #2 West Africa = 4682 miles in 67 days
• Africa leg #3 Central Africa = 3550 miles in 48 days
• Africa leg #4 Southern Africa = 9732 miles in 115 days
  

GPS Data

We also logged all our GPS tracks with way points using our Garmin unit.  The files are posted below for you to download.  Once downloaded, unpack the zip file and save the GPX file to your desktop.  Start up your Garmin Road Trip (Mac) or Trip and Waypoint Manager (PC) and then "IMPORT" the GPX file.  The data should open straight into the map. Let us know if it does not work or link is broken.

Our Waypoint data

We saved a stack of waypoints with comprehensive coverage of:

• fuel stations (some named / mainly branded outlets)
• camping sites / bush camps (each with mini review and costs)
• borders
• embassies - note these tend to move you have been warned!
  
• water points
• shops / food & general stores in towns & villages
• village reference points in remote locations (some named)
• ferry crossing
• warning waypoints for dangerous sections of road / special info
  
• checkpoints where possible (but this was a bit patchy and they tend to move)
• tourist POI or good viewing spots
  

All our way points can be downloaded HERE

• Europe HERE
• Africa leg 1 - North Africa HERE
• Africa leg 2 - West Africa HERE
  
• Africa leg 3 - Central Africa HERE
  
• Africa leg 4 - Southern Africa HERE

Special notes on selected GPS data & routes

Our Congo Crossing Route GPS data here its a Zip file with a gpx file compatible with Garmin as per above, download the zip file, unpack it and then import the gpx file.  NOTE: This route comes with a WARNING read all about it here: http://langebaan-sunset.blogspot.com "Crossing Congo Alternative Route Jan 2011"  Its not easy and if its raining or has been raining DON'T DO IT!!!!

GPS Mapping Software

We used Map data from Tracks 4 Africa in conjunction with Garmin Road Trip Software for Mac.  The company has been generating a community based GPS map of Africa for the last 10 years and to be honest its very good.

 

T4A supply GPS maps for Africa on micro SD Cards or downloadable files and the database is constantly being refined and updated by overland travelers.  If you want to submit your own GPS data when you finish your trip please go to this link http://tracks4africa.co.za/community/submit_data/ and follow the instructions.  You will be helping to refine and improve a very useful resource.   There is a useful forum you can join at the T4A site.  The are also producing paper based maps for Southern African countries including Namibia, Moz and Bots that cab be bought online at http://store.tracks4africa.co.za/c2/T4A-Paper-Maps.aspx

In summary, GPS data is easily transferred to and from your Garmin unit via your laptop using either Mapsource Trip and Way Point Manager (Windows) or Road Trip (Mac) software.  Its very easy to use and you can gather a lot of stats from your trip as well as chart new routes and information valuable to the community.  Before we left we spent a bit of time gathering way point information from other Overland Sites, for tracks and camping spots etc.... (see our links page).

Other useful things to check before you go

Some of the overland websites such as http://www.overland.co.za/ also have various GPS data posted on them.  There is a great camping way points / GPS files to be found at The Hubb.  The zip file is located here  (the same guy that made the camping GPS file made a way point file for Africa mine fields too, this can be found here only really needed if you venture off the beaten track but worth knowing!)

We also got a freeware product called GPS Utility Version 4.20.5 http://www.gpsu.co.uk/  This software allows you to abstract way point data from a variety of GPS file formats and re-save them as Garmin Map Source compatible .gdb files.  This is really helpful as it allows you to quickly build up an archive of useful way points (like campsites, bush camps, sites of interest, fuel stops etc...).  The website also has a links page for all the GPS data you can handle !!!

NOTE: ALWAYS remember to check the GPS datum and way point format for any data you acquire.  There are a many ways GPS data can presented to the end user....make sure you know which is which.....could make a big difference when trying to find a water well in the middle of the desert!  (DD MM SS Vs DD MM.MMM is one to watch out for)

Live tracking using SPOT GPS Messenger

We used the SPOT Messenger on our trip - its basically a "dum" GPS that sends out singles that can be viewed via a web browser so people can automatically track your progress which can also be linked to Twitter and Facebook.  It was a great way to help people track our progress with a handy "check in" facility.  Its also got a subscription that allows for rescue insurance and also allows you to send a single saying you are "OK".  It covers a big chunk of Africa although became a bit hit a miss from Southern Namibia onwards.

Forums

GPS data including way points and tracks and will be hosted here.  We are also going to use a direct link to Google Earth so you will be able to see our actual route and track our progress in semi-real time assuming we can upload the data at points along the way. There are a range of good GPS forums out there to ask questions.  The following proved very useful when getting to grips with our GPS and asking general questions

Sample GPS data linked to Google Earth

By way of an example, here is a Google Earth .kmz file showing our 4x4 tracks on Salisbury Plain - click on the following link Salisbury Plain 4x4 tracks  Unless where specified all OUR data was gathered using our Garmin 60CSx and is compatible with Map Source and Garmin Trip and Way Point Manager / Road Trip and Tracks 4 Africa software. To upload them to Google Earth and save them is very easy as there is a function in the Map Source "View" menu called "View in Google Earth" that uploads your saved track data to Google Earth where you can then save them as .kmz files to post on your website or share with friends.

Disclaimer: We do not accept any liability for any errors or innacuracies for any of the data listed on this website