Things to know before you go:
Although this is an adventure through Africa, half the fun comes from the people in your group: As amazing as the sights and adventures are, the level of satisfaction you gain from this trip is how much you interact with your fellow Overlanders. Many parts of the trip, including Livingstone, Malawi, and Zanzibar, are made or broken by the people you spend your time with. In Livingstone, for instance, most of the time is spent idle: it is during this time that you really have the opportunity to develop bonds. Later on the trip these friendships are very useful: In Malawi, my Austrian friend took me out on a catamaran (turns out he is a certified catamaran teacher), and in Zanzibar my three male friends and I had a wonderful time exploring Stone Town together. Thinking back, both these experiences would have been far less enjoyable were it not for the friends I shared them with. This advice is especially important for couples and friends travelling together. You can have fun with your partner(s), but don’t be afraid to join with the rest of the group. Indeed, if I had to do this trip all over again, I would still go as a single traveller, mainly because it forces you to be proactive in getting to know your group mates.
Realize that the group you start with may not be the group you end with: When we started out in Johannesburg, I sat in the truck looking around, trying to get a feel for the people I would be spending the next 29 days with (or so I thought). However, as people began talking, it became apparent that some of us were going to Cape Town, and others, like me, were going up to Nairobi (turns out, of course, that the majority of the females were off to Cape Town, leaving me with a truck-load of disappointed males). It was only then that we realized that Acacia uses a single truck for different groups until major hub stops, like Livingstone, where groups split up and join with other groups and new individuals for the remainder of their itineraries. This was really the only low-point of a terrific trip, and the general consensus was that of unfairness on the part of Acacia. We had, you see, started out as strangers and were just beginning to become comfortable and friendly with each other, only to go through that whole awkward stage again with another group. Even more troubling was the fact that we joined with a group that had spent a much longer time with each other, and were thus much better acquainted than we were. In the end, the remainder of our trip was really two groups in one, the group from Cape Town and my group from Johannesburg, and we always had a sort of “us vs. them” mentality. It is a toss-up though; someone may have an awful group for the first few days and would call this switcheroo the highlight of his trip, and indeed some of the best friends I made on this trip were new individuals we picked up in Livingstone. It is simply because our original group got along so well that I hold my poor opinion.
Remember that an overland group will have all the same dynamics of any other grouping of people, only magnified: As many of us know from watching Survivor or any other reality show, groups of strangers are not big happy families. Although we were always cordial to each other, and everyone respected everyone else, we weren’t happy and friendly all the time. There were the quiet whispers in corners, bad-mouthing in private and rumours abounding that we all remember so well from high-school. There were a few moments of high-drama on our trip, contentious issues involving people taking sides. I remember a few times, after having a few drinks, sitting off somewhere with other like-minded individuals discussing our beefs and problems. Also there was a certain amount of sexual tension in the air, as one would expect from a group of young, fit singles, and rumours and intrigue in that department kept us all very much entertained. Remember that this trip was a long (but in the grand scheme of things short) 29 days. We were starved for showers and real beds, and much time was spent with nothing else to do but talk: truly fertile grounds for group dynamics to be at play. Looking back, however, the trip would not have been the adventure it was without our group dynamics, and as long as you don’t take everything too seriously (remember, this trip is somewhat like one long dream, your real life at home is not affected by the drama you encounter en route), you can have a great time (like I did) as an amateur field researcher of human psychology and sociology.
Remember that a lot of the “fun” of this trip is self-made: Although there are moments along the way where “fun” is provided for you, such as the activities in Livingstone and the various game-drives and high-lights, most of the time you have to make fun happen. Some of my most memorable experiences on this trip came from these activities. For instance, one of us bought a Frisbee in South Africa, which provided us with an excellent diversion in those moments when there really was nothing else to do. In fact, that same Frisbee now hangs on my wall, signed by the guys I played Frisbee with, a permanent reminder of all the fun times we had. Similarly, in our two beach destinations, Lake Malawi and Zanzibar, we all discovered the joys of beach volleyball, and much of our free time was spent in intense competition (the overall champions were Team Canada, having narrowly squeaked by the very fierce Australia/Ireland squad). The diversions don’t have to be sports related: one night we all gathered around the campfire, and for some reason we decided to sing our national songs…the Australians sang Waltzing Matilda, the Scotsman sang “I Would Walk 500 Miles”, the Swedes sang an old drinking song in Swedish, the English bickered over what song to sing (they didn’t end up singing at all), and I led the Canadian contingent in a rousing rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”. In all it was a rousing good time. On a similar “note”, during the long truck rides we would take turns playing our mp3 players, providing us with a good collection of musical styles and giving us many opportunities to sing along. In Zanzibar we got our jollies by heading out into the confusing maze of Stone Town’s alleys and roads without a map, looking for world-famous sights such as “The Big Tree”, and then trying to find our way back through the maze to our hotel. These are just a few of the many fun memories I have from my trip. Basically, don’t be complacent and expect to have “fun” brought to you; the amount of fun you have comes from your ability to make it yourself.
Remember to keep an open mind with regards to creature comforts: Obviously if you are thinking of going on an overland safari, you are not afraid to get dirty, you are prepared to do some manual labour, and sleeping in tents does not bother you. Still, as the days go on, you end up missing the creature comforts that we take for granted. However, as much as you feel like complaining, take time to view your situation. While travelling through Africa, we saw many desperately poor people and the fact that we lacked showers was obviously quite trivial compared with these people’s concerns. In fact, our lack of creature comforts made those times when we were able to take advantage of them all the more worthwhile. I remember when we finally came across a hot shower, in southern Tanzania: the mood in camp was that of utter jubilation. When we were able to sleep in hotel rooms in Zanzibar, complete with beds, a TV and, even more special, our own bathrooms, I felt I had never known such luxury (despite the fact the beds were far too hard, the shower was cold and drippy, and the TV was all in Arabic). I found our lack of comforts an important wake-up call to how spoiled I really am, and I rejoiced in rediscovering the simple pleasures that I often take for granted.
If you are interested in a quote for this or any other African itinerary
please feel free to contact either your agent or Wild Africa Safaris
directly at 1-800-991-6111.
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