Make My Trips Train

Our crew Graham and Colin landed yesterday in Tunis to get our truck and get everything ready for the 58 days Oasis Caravan in Istanbul, from February 14 .

Graham says things are almost normal there for all life days with busy streets and buzzing medina with the population local, but very few tourists . The stores have shelves full again and cafes are back in business . The only reminders of events are reservoirs in places and a curfew midnight when most people are inside anyway.

Graham was also informed by the Tourist Office of Tunis that we should not encounter any problems on our land route through Tunisia to we're all set to go Monday

An update of Oasis crew Claire and Steve, Africa Nile Trans Cap for the journey from Cairo ...

group in the southernmost part of Africa-Cape Agulhas

"Cape to Cairo" the title of a travel dream overland I've wanted to do since being a child. to say that I'm a little excited about it would be an understatement! Steve and I finished preparing Gunga (our truck) in Harare and it's finally time to go .

No matter how many times we met new bands, I always get excited and a little nervous to know that I 'm going to spend the next 16 weeks. of course, as ever day 1 I am relieved that everyone seems nice and again there is no sign of serial killers (Bonus). Now, the first stop of Cape Town is Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the continent where the cold waters Atlantic meet the warmer Indian ocean as usual to take the scenic route and in this case to see the beautiful coastline and countryside where our first African animals seen are ostriches. This flightless bird whose eye is bigger than its brain defends with a kick that can floor a lion that raises the discussion (and this could be my favorite question in ages) "Does that make ostriches good guard animals? "a subject meditated / joked about for many a training day to come ... thank you Anna!

Beware of killer ostriches

Do you think they have sampled a few drinks?

the next day we took the short drive to Stellenbosch where we made that the area deserves its title of capital of the South African wine. We are happy to announce, after 20 tastings, he did! Happy with our wine and cheese fix, we head north to Namibia through the Cedarberg Wilderness area of ​​the Western Cape. A passage from simple border, a night camping on the banks of the Orange River, and then we hit the southern Namibia deserted roads.

It is winter here and the nights are cold but very clear and the stars are amazing! Bush camping in the desert is one of my favorite parts of these trips by land. Cook Group today to serve a delicious hot dinner around the campfire (and breakfast too!) Then headed to the spectacular Fish River Canyon and Sesriem to explore some of the oldest and highest dunes sand in the world. Namibia had a lot of rain recently and the normally semi-arid desert is in bloom. There are wild flowers which usually is rocky scrub and abundance of herbs attract wildlife to places we do not usually see. We saw springbok, kudu, ostriches, foxes, zebra meerkats and already the road!

All good so far, there will be a good trip ... ..

Claire and Steve

(The Dream Team!)

Meet Dave one of our earthly pilots who recently joined Oasis in Africa. He gave us some information about his life before Oasis.

"I do not care what the artist Roy Sebern of thinking when he applied the nickname bus carrying more the Merry Pranksters cross country and back. The name was . about both the bus and the idea Mad Neal Cassady was behind the wheel, a driving force for the pursuit, Burroughs, Ginsberg, Kerouac and Kesey Neal is one of many heroes in my life he possessed a genius.. which was both inspiring and infuriating and in many ways, I continued ghost.

After reading Kerouac on the road to seventeen, I quickly took a bag and west of Ohio with thirteen dollars in my pocket, thumbing my way to Seattle. I walked the nine miles, a fear of the unknown and the known keeping me from sticking my thumb . Finally, the pace of the road started and I find a groove. I learned the ropes, talked to the cops, slept in ditches, taking green tomatoes with migrant workers, dishes washed, trucks located, and jumped a train or two. There was always a dog-eared novel stuck in my back pocket.

The road continued to keep its grip throughout my life. I lived in a VW Kombi for several years, while commercial fishing in Key West and Alaska, a trip that may seem odd, but allowed me the wonders of the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Banff, Yukon, Yellowstone the Redwoods, Rushmore, Mesa Verde, and Baja Mexican cities when they were still safe. My career has led to the licensing of a captain who allowed me to travel most of the Caribbean, the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America, and a zany journey from England in southern Spain through the Strait of Gibraltar. I had a Mexican green card to work the oil fields in the Bay of Campeche, backpacked throughout Central America, Colombia and flew on a drunken whim New Years Day with one of the few people I know who is also not afraid to hit the road.

Twenty-five years later, I still love the road and the people I meet along the way. Now it's time to take the wheel again and chase the ghost of Neal. I head for Africa to lead an expedition vehicle around the continent Oasis Overland. Porter twenty-four like-minded souls in the back of the inn bearing will be just one of the joys. I welcome Hemingway Ghost in the snows of Kilimanjaro, the ghost of Markham in the sky Kenya, the ghost of Livingstone on the shores of Malawi, and the bickering spectra of Speke and Burton along the Nile. I welcome this noble street in South Africa, where Mandela and Tutu lived, the majesty of Victoria Falls, the power and secrets of the Congo River, the dunes of Namibia, and the Serengeti plains. The polyglot gives us lyrical names like Limpopo, Mubotu Sese Seko, Ouagadougou, and Kalahari. I look forward to plant his feet in roads and alley ways where previously my mind traveled; Zanzibar, Zimbabwe, Timbuktu, Mombasa, Cairo, capital Brazzaville and sister Kinshasa, Kigali and Dakar

The only way to catch the ghost of Neal Cassady is to travel - .. Furthermore "

If you would like to live some of the places that Dave will travel and follow the footsteps of some of his heroes then check our earthly journeys Africa!

Jackie, our office in the UK, participate in our Trek Morocco Berber Migration tour in May this year. This single 11 day trip involves hiking the High Atlas mountains with a Berber family and their goats as they make their annual two-way between the summer and winter pastures.

Jackie practice currently walking hills as often as she can! 22 ^e and 23 ^e in April, she participated in the South West Coastal Path walk to the 40th anniversary, the company 23 miles along the Cornwall southeast coast. She also managed to raise £ 150 sponsorship for the ongoing maintenance and development of the road.

Unfortunately there was no opportunity to practice his skills breeding goats along the way, but she experiences these skills on his pet guinea pigs! She is convinced that it must be quite similar

Elephantine Island in the Nile River

I landed Aswan in Egypt Friday 13, with many of my friends and family think neither the date nor the destination a good idea. It was only a few days after the tragic plane crash in the Sinai, but 16 years since my last visit to this laid-back city on the Nile. I arrived without incident (and without my luggage had not made the short connection in Cairo) and was soon enjoying warm climate both Aswan and warm welcome.

Time does not permit me to visit the sites usually high on the list of tourist sites such as Philae Temple, the High Dam stationary flight and Elephantine Island I do not get to walk in souk, enjoy a high tea at the chic Old Cataract Hotel and stroll through the beautiful and peaceful botanical gardens.

A gift shop rather dusty in Aswan

16 years ago was long before the Arab Spring and I definitely notice some differences. The lack of tourists and tourist shops was extremely apparent. Walking through the souk, the dozens of souvenir shops were handed over to the sale of every day goods. The owner of a tiny existing floor shop floor opened its lounge upstairs for me. It was like a treasure, memories stored, carpets, clothing and various trinkets stacked on shelves and collect dust.

High Tea on the Nile in Aswan

I find the more expensive price, but the pressure to buy less. In fact, attention to the tourists seemed to be less completely, still called to "come to my shop! 'But not the insistence he used to be and no apparent attention to be paid to some Western female tourists I saw that before would have been a lot of unwanted attention for showing too much bare skin.

Sunset on the Nile at Aswan

other things have not changed at all since I last came here. The warm, relaxed atmosphere, the kindness and hospitality of our local agent Mohamed Abouda, the beauty of the Nile and its green banks and how the Egyptians seem to just make things happen, as my luggage appearing as magically the next morning.

Tour of Egypt with Oasis Overland

L Egypt is a country shrouded in mystery and legend. This land of all ancient things is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. There is nothing more magnificent than contemplate the pyramids or the Sphinx. This is a must visit destination

Overland Tours in Egypt

Oasis Overland features several tours in Egypt! That will appeal to all types of travelers. Browse our various tour opportunities in Egypt before making your final decision

• included Egypt -. A tour of 10 or 14 days in Egypt that will lead you in Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Dahab. This trip will take you to all Egypt must see attractions. For more information on this tour in Egypt

• pyramids and Sinai -. This 10-day tour of Egypt will take you to the Cairo, Luxor, Dahab and the Red Sea and expose you to the greatest historical attractions of Egypt. For more information, click here

• Dive Dahab -. If you are looking for diving tours in Egypt, you will not want to miss this exciting tour of 8 days that will take you most beautiful diving spots in Cairo and Dahab. View the full itinerary for this diving tour in Egypt

• Egypt and Jordan -. The longer our visits to Egypt. A visit to both countries this trip 18 or 14 days you take in Cairo, Luxor and Dahab in Egypt and Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea in Jordan. Some of the sites you will see on this fantastic tour include the Pyramids, the Museum of Egyptian history, the Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings, world class diving spots in Dahab and the amazing red rose rock city of Petra carved. For more information on this tour of Egypt and Jordan

• Breaks Cairo weekend -. Escape to Egypt for a long weekend with the 4 trips to Cairo day. You will visit all the attractions of Cairo including the Pyramids of Sakara and Dahshur, Giza Pyramids, Egyptian Museum in Cairo, a cruise down the Nile and the famous Khan el Khalili Market where you can shop till you drop. Click here for more info on this tour in Egypt offer.

For more information on travel by land and the different tours offered in Egypt, please contact us by phone, fax or email. We are always ready to discuss one visits

We give a 10% discount on all trips to Egypt booked before the end of April 10, 2011. simply enter the code egypt10 at the end of your booking form and we will update your travel 10%! What about the experience on one of our new Egypt and Israel path

Please note :? Discount does not apply to trips to Egypt are already discounted (as our May departures already reduced £ 100)

Our Chris and Steve administration sent this second update of their trip in Egypt ...

"the rest of our week in Cairo went and we took a number of suppliers and partners. While tourist numbers are down in Egypt there seems to be enough visitors (largely through because Russians, Eastern Europeans and new visitors to places like India and China) Egypt painting trips to enable local tourism companies and hotels to keep their core staff employed. Steve and I are Monday the pyramids went to visit a new Bedouin-style restaurant (called 'Sehraya', although we have not fully understood the translation) that one of our local partners longstanding Ramy, opened a few months ago with some . his friends We were certainly impressed with it, not least in view of the great pyramids "

" on Tuesday Steve we were all impressed by going on a morning run - it was almost an hour ! He left the Hotel Havana (where our travels in Egypt start) and ran along the Nile to face Zamalek Island and back. Not surprisingly, he sees no other joggers! In this chaotic city traffic congested premises must have thought 'what is this crazy tourist to do! We then checked a few hotels before meeting with Tamer 'Tommy' and Hamada, two key leaders Egyptologist Circuit Oasis Overland. Keren, our tour manager based in Egypt, the five of us spent the afternoon to discuss the past year and talk about new ideas, changes and improvements in travel in 2013. I very pleased to announce that all our regional travel Explorer visitors Aswan will now include dinner with a local Nubian family. We think this is a big plus visits. "

" Our journey also took us near Tahrir Square where we visited the Egyptian Museum. It's always interesting to see objects in there and we are pleased that all our tours have time to take in this interesting visit. Outside the museum we could still see evidence of some of the events that occurred on. Tahrir Square was certainly the focal point for a lot of media coverage, but Steve and I felt very safe around both there and in Cairo in general. "

" We spent most of our last evening watching AL Jazeera at the hotel that showed scenes of protests at the palace of the president. Fortunately, even with tens of thousands of pro and anti-government supporters, it seems that the rally passed peacefully. "

" much as usual, we sampled local food. It was a useful visit to Cairo and are both very pleased that the Egyptian spirit is still alive and well. While the number of tourists may be down, the enthusiasm of the Egyptian people about their amazing country is certainly not. "

Chris and Steve

If you are interested in traveling to Egypt have a look at our Egypt tours

Do you plan to travel by land along the Silk Road through Central Asia? I do not know if overlanding for you? Nellie Huang WildJunket recently traveled to Bishkek on our trip to Istanbul and wrote this excellent review, well balanced on what it is like to travel overland through Central Asia ...

Voyager Central Asia is the stuff of dreams, evoking images of golden sand dunes, vast steppes, yurts and ancient exotic architecture. For centuries, this region was closely related to the Silk Road and acted as a hub for the exchange of goods, people and knowledge between Europe and Asia. The first travelers came to this region in 0 BC and since then it has attracted an influx of travelers Route silk over centuries.

Stretching of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan in the Tien Shan mountains on horseback between China and Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia is a massive region of varied geography. Traveling the Silk Road, the crossing of at least a major portion of the desert, climb the mountain passes, and avoiding the roads are blocked by meters of snow even in summer. As if that was daunting enough, the mountain of paperwork that you have to overcome and the lack of infrastructure in this part of the world are sufficient to deter the most hardened travelers.

In this difficult but exciting road, I chose to travel on a road trip with Oasis Overland, a British tour operator specializing in travel by land. To dig a little history of Silk Road and retrace the footsteps of Marco Polo, the Bishkek Istanbul trip brought us through six countries -. Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Turkey

So amazing sites were in abundance, it was the trip overlanding himself who made the trip memorable. For those considering traveling by land in Central Asia , here is a detailed review of my experience which will hopefully give you a better idea of ​​how it is like to travel in the region.

How overlanding as Central Asia?

For the uninitiated, let me explain what a road trip is. It typically involves travel to a large, multipurpose truck that packs in kitchen facilities, storage space, camping tents and capacity for 10-30 passengers. Travelers are expected to help in the kitchen and pitch their tents, and it is all about teamwork. For this trip Silk Road, there is a good mix of camping in the backcountry and stay in hotels while exploring cities. Although the degree of comfort generally varies based on price of the tour, do not expect to be delivered in five-star luxury that most of the land expeditions involve camping and participation travelers.

Shipping Travel: flexible itinerary and a lot of freedom

First, to join an expedition by land, you must be flexible and spontaneous situations unexpected can happen at any time. If you are looking for a fixed route where everything goes well, then this is not the kind of trip for you. Itineraries may change due to unforeseen circumstances. For example, we had to change our route in eastern Turkey as violent riots take place throughout the Kurdish region. Our chef and driver made sure to follow the news and talking to locals in the area and the office abroad to find the best route to avoid areas at risk. We felt we were in safe hands and of course, we find ourselves in a difficult situation at all.

Indeed, it is this flexibility and unpredictability that I like about this particular trip . The tour operator takes care mainly of the ride and party logistics, while you explore on your own. On our trip, we had a lot of free time to explore and do whatever we wanted - and that meant that we could easily meet people and have random encounters as we would if we were traveling independently. During some parts of the trip (as in Turkmenistan and Iran) having a guide is mandatory under the law on tourism of the country, but that did not restrict us in any way. In fact, we may choose to explore on our own or take a walk with our guides and ask any questions we had.

The Bishkek Istanbul trip I did was also a new travel brand Oasis Overland, it was only their second time doing it, so they were still finding their way around and try new stops different routes and hotels. I thought our tour leader through and Malcolm pilot did a great job and behaved very professionally, although it was the first time in this region too. They had clearly done a lot of research in advance and were able to answer most of our questions and provide recommendations on the way. He certainly felt more like I was traveling with a friend rather than a tour.

Self participation

In an expedition by land, you should have an active participation in the daily management of travel .

journey is headed by a leader and driver, but you still need to do your part and help with various tasks, whether preparing meals, pitching your tent or clean the truck.

passengers are divided into groups and cooking are given the charge by the tour leader for grocery shopping and cooking. It is a fun way to get to know each other and sample food cooked by passengers from different parts of the world. The food is only covered by Oasis Overland camping or making lunches trucks; so do not worry about missing local food, there are many to try.

I really enjoyed the self-participation aspect of an overland trip, it made me feel like part of a team and that we work together on this adventure.

When you are camping with people 24 hours a day for months, camaraderie certainly forms a strong link between you and your travel companions.

There are many more in the review of Nellie ... Read more on the blog WildJunket.

A big thank you to Nellie to allow us to reproduce his Blog. We hope to see you on the road one day

The country breathtaking Libya is vast in the country as it is diversified in people. With cultural foundations established by the Romans, Phoenicians, Greeks, Ottoman Turks and Italians, Libya presents trips ancient history in a contemporary Arabic setting .

Join us in our exploration of modern Libyan times. Travel through the desert and into the heart of area countries meet the same most seasoned adventure traveler .

Leptis Magna Tours

Leptis Magna, otherwise known as Magna Lectis are the relics of the city of the ancient Roman Empire (although it was initially established by the Phoenicians) located in the city of Al Khums on the Mediterranean coast (about an hour from the capital of Tripoli).

the historic city was once considered one of the largest in Africa while under Septimius Severus, a native of the region.

Leptis Magna Museum presents some of most valuable artifacts "regions , including recently discovered mosaics dating from about 00 years.

hundreds "I examined mosaics across the Roman Empire, but I have never seen such a vibrantly realistic representation of a human being ... the image of the Gladiator lying is nothing less than a Roman masterpiece ... " -. Mark Merrony archaeologist

a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ruins of Leptis Magna includes a theater, amphitheater, basilica and the market place and are considered one the best preserved sites of Roman times.

Get in touch with us for more information on Libya Leptis Magna trips and visits .

See tours land deals in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America to find the perfect adventure travel option for you.

With about 83 million inhabitants and thousands of years of history (including centuries of foreign occupation), Egypt is really a melting pot of many cultures and influences.

Tours in Egypt: what to do

Egypt tours and experiences that await the traveler, can be summed up in black and white. There are some activities that are important to cross your list during the tour in Egypt .

• Visit grandiose temples at Abu Simbel.
• Take a wagon pulled by horses at Karnak Temple.
• Visit the Valley of Kings (Wadi Biban el-Muluk), former burial place of the Egyptian royal family.
• Discover the valley of Workers (Deir el Medina), the village of the builders of the Valley of the Kings.
• Enjoy folk music, belly dancing and traditional Egyptian Sufi dance.
• Dine on Egyptian cuisine, and savor the flavors of Africa and the Orient in a destination.
• Learn the intricacies of ancient history at the Museum of Egyptian history.
• Visit the area of ​​Khan el Khalili bazaar in Cairo.

Book Tours Egypt

not everything can be planned in advance and it's up to you live the adventure as takes place . overlanding visits Egypt guide you through the country, but we do not know what experiences await

Some trips are longer than others, depending on the route -. they can range from a few days to several months. Explore the visits in Egypt and across the African continent and set out for a trip of a lifetime

Some of us in the oasis office r about to go to Glastonbury Festival. Does anyone out there heard of the annual Festival of Stars in Malawi or if you know someone who has had experience of it and what they thought of him

Our congratulations go to the Egyptian people for a firm stand and see the resignation of President Mubarak. Our thoughts are with our local friends and partners in Egypt - we hope that everyday life is back to normal for them and that the coming years to make the changes they want to

Bush Camping & dinner is prepared!

one day Oasis crew to put Malcolm and Iain, Africa on the journey of the great Adventurer Oasis Overland

We are in Kampala, capital of Uganda, today after a pretty crossing the Kenyan border easy yesterday. The border was pretty crazy, with a queue 6 km from clearing waiting trucks. We asked a driver near the front how long he had been there and he cheerfully responded "only 3 days!" That seems like a fairly rapid transition from usual standards. Fortunately we "passenger vehicles" (still can not get us to use the word "b") do not have to wait in the queue!

So all together, it was less than 2 hours for us to get through the Uganda side in Kenya then, and drive quite stunning, first through the beginning of the Nile, near Jinja and Kampala in itself where traffic slowed considerably us! After a sunny morning, we saw the rain clouds approach that we stopped for lunch, and almost made a dry, but a good tropical storm cut our lunch a little shorter than we intended.

Cook Group made us proud last night with an excellent chili con carne with flatbreads-made truck. We are a full terrestrial truck with 24 travelers at present and some budding chefs will show! goat stew for Africa tonight night is a brave choice and we are really looking forward to it.

Today, we all have a free day in Kampala. Most of the time pottering and shopping for the crew, and many of the group entered the Kampala city to explore. Kampala, like most African cities, is a place where the wealth gap is quite obvious. You can sit in a nice cafe, which could be anywhere in Europe, but a walk around the corner and the slum reminds you that it's not like that for most people in Uganda.

One of our group had some lawyers inside their tent and thus suffered a monkey trying to get raid this morning. This is a new method of awakening we have not seen before!

We're on a bit of a calendar to present to obtain in Rwanda on the good days for our gorilla trekking allows us have an early start tomorrow, continuing west city in Uganda , Kabale, before crossing to Rwanda for 3 nights. Gorilla trekking is obviously a highlight in this part of the world and the band are excited that more than anything at the moment

Yes, it is true - after 14 years of operation of adventurous overland travel for children mainly 20 to 50 years, we are now beginning our first families Adventure Tours! So if you have children aged 5 years or more, you must not miss, bring your family in Egypt, Jordan or Morocco with us.

These trips are a wonderful opportunity for families to discover ancient sites all incredible and everyday life in these countries while still having time for fun in the pool or on the beach.

We departures most weeks of the year and include 8, 9, 14 and 18 days adventures. A trip 8 days in Egypt costs £ 535 per adult and £ 495 per child (based on 4 people traveling, flights not included).

Family Travel Egypt

Egypt in particular is a revelation for children who have heard about the iconic Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza and perhaps the legendary valley of the Kings near Luxor. Your family may also spend an evening with a local Nubian family in Aswan, sharing their evening meal, try henna painting by hand and find out what the Egyptian daily life is like for them. Fun activities like riding a camel or take a wagon pulled by horses are also included as well as some optional such as snorkelling in the Red Sea or take an air balloon flight over the Valley of the Kings.

Why take a family trip to Egypt with Oasis Overland?

• Just one family per trip
• a Sim card is provided so that parents have direct contact at all times with their guide and English Operations Manager Oasis Overland Egypt-based
• children pay a reduced price up to and including 16 years
• Egyptologist guide to all major sites of Egypt
• Accommodation is small hotels, local ownership, with air conditioning and private bathrooms and most have pools
• travel is private minibus, sleeper train and flight included from Luxor to the Red sea (instead a very long bus ride)

Visit our regular and family trips to Egypt and Morocco .

Egypt and Jordan trips with family to come to our website soon! In the meantime, please Contact Us if you are interested in traveling to both Egypt and Jordan with your family

It has been a while, but Cade sent us a burst of new blogs from Africa Trans shipping . Here he describes (in his unique style!) A typical day on the road ....

The prefix `trans` derives from the Latin word meaning" through. When I think of the action to go to something, my mind immediately throws in memories of puberty and glass pane windows. The truth is that, despite the fact that I warned before the onset of puberty and to a lesser extent the window pane, in both cases, I never really knew what to expect. To date, their memories grueling and painful send shivers down the back and serve as a reminder that any expression waving the prefix "trans" immediately implies a high level of endurance and a large element of surprise.

True to its name, shipping Trans Africa is proving to be exceptional to the rule. Our surprise daily dosage comes in the wake of more twists and turns than the London A-Z, while our endurance is tested by the fact that we are in about as many countries as we do in cheap flip-flops plastic. So much so that to better convey the extent to which the elements of surprise and endurance are obvious, it is best to take a step back and rather than looking at the puzzle as a whole, focus on one piece or one day.

Select and explain a day that truly captures the mood , gasoline and throughout the whole adventure is an option I considered briefly before quickly drop into the basket "too hard." So I choose a day that was just a pretty good laugh, opened my laptop and began spreading my verbal diarrhea on the keyboard. This is my account the day 88 :.

The fire crackled and popped in kettles Pots and pans echoed in the kitchen and at the right time, Dan`s laughter bellowed after he 'd heard what I assumed was said another of his old jokes. Some the wake of the group towards the sun, some are waking up to their bellies and others simply sleep through the static. For the past three months, it is the combination of these three sounds that came to serve as my daily alarm.

The familiar smell of my sweat-soaked pillow crawled to my lips and tickled my nostrils. I carried me out of bed, put on my dirty old four short days and went to the fire to hear the next in a long line of Dan`s self-proclaimed "belters." The tone of my skin was now uniform tone of the earth. My flip-flops were mismatched, my coffee was tasteless and my body odor around me as awkward silence after an inappropriate comment. It was just another day at the office.

First on my agenda as any other day was to remember where we were exactly. This is a task that seems relatively simple in theory, but when your lifestyle is you spend so much of villages that you make to, is much more difficult in practice. In this case, we were surrounded by tractors and agricultural equipment on a common Benin. Where exactly was this town, I could not tell you until my coffee good start, but what I can say for now is that we were two days in a stretch of five nights bush camp begins in a town called Ouidah Benin, and ending in the Nigerian capital Abuja. After a thorough yet quick calculation I quickly concluded that we were currently located somewhere between the two.

With this, the next on the agenda was for me to work on where we were exactly. Fortunately, this morning I am not the only one to do it. Nicola, a worker from the town invited us to his village in the morning so had to take my place in the hot seat of navigation in the cabin and guide the way.

Although much of our time during the training days are spent with our noses in books or greeting children from the village, I have that the majority of our days are spent actually getting on the nerves of everyone and pushing each other to the brink of insanity. With humor and sarcasm that our tools, we toil away in profusion for the sole benefit of our own fun and simply pass the time. This leads me to my third task on my very important agenda; to annoy the crap out of Gareth. And I told myself that if I had to bring my A game most irritating, it should be a two-morning coffee. So I poured another cup and another cup my meditated attack.

Nicola informed the group that we should be visiting voodoo King his village and if we should be lucky, it might give us a hearing. In the West African nation of Benin, Voodoo remains the religion of the state and is part of the culture of the country so it was not surprising that while in Benin, we had to learn a little more about this culture. Seeing that we rank so highly, it was not surprising that sooner or later we were to be greeted by royalty. He would have our group in his home, we speak through an interpreter, answering all our questions and bless us in prayer before sending us on our way.

I must say that the element of surprise came when having promised take us directly to the king's house, field truck to a stop at a pineapple plantation in outskirts of the village.

See, for 88 days now, trying to convince Gareth as pineapples grow of land has been gradual and painful as pulling teeth. For 88 days Gareth has insisted that the existence of pin trees combined with the fact that Apple grow on trees, is conclusive proof that pineapple grow on trees. So after having a quick note to Nicola, he was more than willing to provide with Gareth closure he needed and organized a small tour and spontaneous pineapple plantation. While the tour was our yawning mouth wide open catching flies, Gareth was forced to stand front and center with attention.

Gareth returned to grateful truck, but assured us that It would be confirming the validity of our "theory of pineapple plantation on Google at the next opportunity nonetheless. And with that, the big pineapple debate of 2013 was on another temporary hiatus and we were back in the truck on the way to the Nigerian border.

Passing through an African border is usually long is fixed and painful and a stage for the endurance element. The problem with crossing by land is that you basically have two immigration points fight, an output and an input. Although generally the officials at the outlet are happy to see the back of you and the entrance officials are looking for any excuse to prevent you from entering, it means that the output is usually fast while the entry is tedious. The officials, however, do not always respect these guidelines.

I jumped out of the cab on arrival at the border and in a case minutes of the Benin immigration had our passports stamped and sitting in the middle of the desktop stack. But before I could say, lickety-split, officials process the request at the end I pay a "processing fee" which prompted to turn an old stand-off. Our passports were sitting in the middle of the table, as the net on a tennis court, while immigration officials and I rallied our respective arguments back and forth on top of them. After a short period of time many jokes, I take a break in the game to lift the passports stack below the ransom they were detained, slipped them under my arm and made my escape.

Our arrival at immigration Nigeria on the road, it was obvious that the officials could not be more welcoming. While our passports were processed at the speed of a snail, officials welcomed us to set up the camp in the field of immigration Nigeria where they were insistent, we had to spend the night as guests. So we set up our tents, our fire started and immediately made us at home.

Due to the fact that no official money changers in Nigeria and the banks will not change foreign currency in Nigerian Naira, if you want to local currency in Nigeria, it is necessary to do so illegally on the black market. Seeking their assistance in this matter, immigration officials are quick to call their contacts in the neighboring village. Half an hour later, their contact arrived and started to exchange our money illegally on the black market, but insisted on doing so in safety immigration reasons. And with that, we knew we had to contradictory colorful world of Nigeria.

As the sun was setting over the nearby town, I cracked another beer and took my seat by the fire. The embers slowly turned dark, empty beer bottles sounded like they hit the pile, and the laughter of the immigration officer bellowed as old Dan jokes were well received by the public again.

Although I have to say that, as sure as it began as another regular day in the office, on the day 88 actually just ended up as just another day at the office. The kingdom to ransom, unpredictability that I am come to expect from each day was as powerful as the stench seeping through the pores of my skin. Although in normal circumstances the day would be classified as memorable, the truth is that it faces the same fate as any other day on the Trans Africa trip: To be thrown back on the stack where it will be lost among the mound made up of memories and mishaps.

I went to bed that night with the knowledge that if I did not know what this trip trans send me through, what I knew was the fire would again cracked, pots would clang again and the old jokes Dan morning have his laughter resounds in the villages. While there was little else I could be sure I knew two things. My alarm was set for another day at the office and in spite of all short and curly, puberty is not got shit on Africa

Adventure Holidays

What is your idea an adventure holiday? Some prefer the adrenaline pumping, stomach knotting physical adventure to blow up planes, out of the mountains and bridges, bike on the steepest slopes and white fast navigation in a raft, canoe or tube.

adventure for others may just share experiences with the locals and their travel partners in environment [quiestauxantipodesdelamaison. An adventure holiday sales Oasis Overland real life experiences of travel with many exciting activities available around many destinations.

Top-Notch Adventure Travel

Although our adventure holidays are packed with amazing experiences waiting to be explored, there is much more room to spur-of-the-moment kind of adventure other tours with official routes.

Our adventure tours extended holiday let more of a personal journey in comparison with time bound tours often dart between destinations and points of interest, rushing to meet the timetable rather than allowing you to enjoy the moment.

for more information on travel tours Oasis Overland , please request a brochure.

Adventure Trekking

Get to know the locals and make yourself comfortable in your new environment - or climb to the top, take a leap of faith a bridge, get a view from above bird's eye with a helicopter or microlight or strap yourself in the race of your life with many travel adventure opportunities that await ! Adventure trekking through a destination you are interested in presenting you with the holiday of a lifetime!

Your adventure holiday is what you make of it. Soak sunsets and views. Take a look at special offers Oasis Overland to see what adventure holiday deals are available for you

For many years, we used donkeys to explore the impressive Valley of the Kings on our travels in Egypt Explorer regional and Overland Adventure. Unfortunately, because of the amount of traffic and the size of buses and coaches using the same route, it is not as safe and enjoyable as it used to be. So we decided to change the day and use a coach to take us to the Valley of Kings and offer the possibility of a long hour ride donkey around the villages of the West Bank.

The Villages donkey ride is very fun and very interactive with the people who usually get entertainment in return! It is also much more interesting to experience the Egyptian village life that trotted along main roads as before.

In Egypt, we try to put as travel expenses directly into the local community and the economy as possible. Our local representative Tayeb sourced donkeys for the Kings trip Valley of its own neighbors of the family and the village for the past five years, allowing them to earn extra income beyond their subsistence farming. We will continue to support these families with a tour of the villages ass and hope you will too!

The journey costs £ 4 and can be booked on site during your trip to Egypt.