The year-long transcontinental expedition, which promised to be one of the team’s most challenging geographic and humanitarian journeys to date began on the 27th of October from Cape Aghulhas. The ongoing expedition involves a 30,000km journey through 30 countries from the southern tip of the African continent to the most northern point of Europe, and then on to the mystical Isle of Anglesey in Wales.
Named the Defender Transcontinental Expedition, it will be the first real-life expedition test for Land Rover’s new Defenders outside of South African borders, across two continents and over some of the most extreme terrain on Earth, undertaken by an experienced team that has already completed 39 gruelling expeditions to every country on the African continent and beyond – many of them world-firsts.
Read more here: https://kingsleyholgate.com/articles/defender-transcontinental-expedition/
It all began with the chaos that welcomed them at the Malaba border on the way from Kenya after dashing through Kenya in their brand new Land Rover Defenders. I will let the Kingsley Holgate team continue with the narration as it happened.
The equatorial heat burns down at Musoma on Lake Victoria, where the friendly staff of a lakeshore campsite are truly astonished by the arrival of three South African-registered Defenders, an old, yellow TZ TDi, and the hungry, grubby group of nine who emerge for a cold Serengeti. Covid, they tell us, has killed their overlanding trade and we are seen as a good omen of a slow return to normality. Let’s hope!
As the sun sets over Africa’s largest lake, it brings back fond memories of a previous adventure in which we circumnavigated the entire lake in an inflatable boat called the ‘Lady Alice’ named after the Victorian explorer HM Stanley’s ’s original boat, and backed up by Bruce and Lumbaye in an old Defender 130. Stanley’s expedition proved that Grant’s discovery of the Nile’s outflow from the lake was indeed the the start of the Victoria Nile. What an adventure that had been.
Soon, there’s a roaring campfire, the sparks disappearing into a darkening sky as Ross dons a French beret and cooks up a gigantic beef stew. Right on cue, a gang of feral cats, feisty monkeys and an entire family of cheeky dassies appear from nowhere and raid the expedition food boxes.
But despite the good cheer, the chatter is mainly about the challenge of yet another Covid PCR test ordeal for the team, crossing Kenya to reach Uganda in the 72-hour window – and the sobering news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It feels surreal to be sitting on the shores of Lake Vic with cold mugs in hand, the Defenders and their Alucab roof tents silhouetted against the glow of lights from fishing boats, talking about a war happening on another continent. But it’s a serious problem for this Defender Transcontinental Expedition; our planned route through Eastern Europe to reach Nordkapp in Norway involves both these countries and their neighbours.
It’s a sad farewell the following morning for David, Aidan and Rayan as they say goodbye to Dieter and ‘Stanley’, the old Shaw Safaris Landy that for a brief period in Africa was their home and now has to go back to Arusha. We squash them and all their kit into the expedition Defenders and the Journey to Jinja begins with a moment of anxiety: only half the PCR tests arrive by email. The others finally trickle in as we push towards Kenya but there’s no place to print the paperwork anywhere en route.
We reach the border post of Sibania; Ross at the helm, on with facemasks for the first time in weeks, hot-spotting off each other’s phones to prove our Covid-free status for the health officials and the usual, frustrating vehicle paperwork.
A quick stop for a Tailgate Café of left-over stew, banana and peanut-butter sandwiches and Shova Mike’s strong pick-you-up coffee, then it’s a mad dash to Kisumu, Kenya’s principal port on Lake Victoria, dodging tuk-tuks, piki-piki motorbikes, bicycle taxis and trucks, to pitch camp at Eric’s spot on the main road to Uganda, to the constant sound of rumbling trucks and barking dogs.
With Shova Mike ahead on his gravel bike, we cross the Equator; it’s an important expedition milestone – we’re now in the northern hemisphere! Being a Sunday, we’re entertained by a colourful church parade complete with blaring speakers pumping choir music and sermons to the faithful, as we quickly swallow down a roadside breakfast of chapati-and-fried-egg rolls with sweet milky tea.
And then to the chaos of the Busia border post: streams of trucks, touts, tarts, piki-pikis, little kids selling bright yellow bananas, Maasai hawkers peddling beaded sandals, border walkers, money changers and chancers all hoping to get some action out of our expedition Landies and their dishevelled bunch of travellers, who are intent on reaching Bujagali Falls near Jinja before nightfall.
And so we wait! Ross finds a fixer in a pink shirt who helps him shuffle the Covid and vehicle paperwork, plus the compulsory payments for TIPs and custom clearance tax, which these days must be drawn in cash from an unreliable ATM and then deposited into a government bank account, to stop the age-old border-crossing corruption. Believe me, crossing multiple land borders these days is not for sissies – not to mention the Covid chaos with rules changing by the day.
Shova Mike becomes an instant millionaire when he changes 250USD and gets a Million Ugandan Shillings. Aidan and Rayan search for their daily fix of WiFi. To pass the time, Sheelagh buys a copy of the Sunday Nation newspaper, which tells us that this year, Kenya’s famous Tusker Beer has reached its centenary milestone.
Four hours later, we’re finally allowed into Uganda, the ‘Pearl of Africa’, and reach Nile River Explorers, our friendly expedition base camp at the source of the Nile that’s home to many a past expedition, just in time to watch the sun set over the world’s longest and most historic river.
Aidan and Rayan instantly get into their swimming togs and with squeals and shouts, shoot down the steep water slide into the Nile. For the rest of us, it’s a grand reunion with old friend and one of the very first Holgate expedition members – Jon Dahl, founder of Nile River Explorers – where the good company, hot showers, cold beers and unlimited ice go down a treat.
Our 72-hour dash across Kenya had been worth it – we’ve made it in time for tomorrow’s most significant humanitarian event of the Kyne father-and-son visit. Soon they fly back to Ireland – will keep you posted.
