South - But Which Way?!

Back in 2002, after 6 years of planning this expedition, Billy finally decided on a route. Starting at the most Northern point of Africa left him with 2 choices... East or West. His desire to go through Libya because his grandfather had been posted there in WWII, decided for him. That and the thought of all those extra border crossings if he went West!

Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Sudan follow on nicely from eachother. At the time, Southern Sudan was not an option because of the war so that left Ethiopia. From Ethiopia, Billy chose Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa. Each country has something that he wished to see or experience.

Since 2002, situations have changed. We arrived in Sudan and discovered we had many more options. The Peace Agreement in the South opened up many doors. We now had a choice of Ethiopia, Kenya or Uganda. Having learned that Ethiopia doesn't allow any animals into the country, we decided to travel directly to Kenya. My sister and her family live in Nairobi, so I definitely wanted to go that way! Unfortunately we discovered that northern Kenya would be a problem for two reasons. The first was safety. To travel the roads into kenya, You are required to be a part of an armed convoy, which as you can imagine, is not easy on horseback! The second was a shortage of water. Fellow travellers informed us that there are long distances with no water. The current situation in Kenya is just the cherry on the top!

The Wiltberger's, having lived in Unganda for 5 years, suggested we go that way. We spoke to Paul Symmonds, an Australian who has lived and worked all over Africa for many years. He told us that Churchill said, "Uganda is bicycle country". If it's good for a bike, it must be good for a horse! We paid a visit to the Ugandan Ambassador and he was very helpful. We discussed our route and he has already organized our horses travel permits.

So Uganda, it is! Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa to follow. Our route south has changed drastically and by our estimations it has shortened it by more than 1000km. Our only decisions to make now are how we travel through Southern Sudan (by barge or on foot) and when we leave Khartoum... Maybe this would be the easiest way!