Week 1, 2 & 3: GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SLOVENIA, CROATIA, BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA, SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO, ALBANIA, MACEDONIA AND GREECE Usually everyone heading east just transits through Europe in a mad rush to reach Istanbul and enter the Middle East. We however think there are quite a few worthwhile stops along the way and in order to really soak up the changes each new country offers us we take it easy and stop off in a few of the more interesting European locations. Germany’s efficient campsites give us the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the truck and the country villages we pass through offer us the chance to sample the fresh beer and spicy bratwurst the country is famous for. The sobering Dachau Concentration Camp will also be visited before arriving in Austria. Salzburg, architectural wonder and birthplace of Mozart, is well worth a couple of days exploration. Here we camp is in the surrounding mountains where the hills are alive with ‘The Sound Of Music’ before moving south through the beautiful countryside into the lovable Slovenia. This tiny country is crammed full of beauty and the friendly locals make for a pleasant stay. A few of our stops here include the Venetian port of Piran where you can dive WWII wrecks, the picturesque capital city of Ljubljane, the underground gorge within the Skocjan Caves and the fairy-tale Lakeland scenes around Bled. From here we move on to Croatia, Europe’s best kept secret! With almost 6000km of coastline, the scenery is incredible with fine beaches, lush islands, unspoilt fishing villages, lakes, waterfalls and wonderful walled cities. East meets west in Bosnia and Hercegovina where the slow road to recovery has at last made this country an exciting new destination definitely worth visiting. Amazing mountain scenery and swirling green rivers lead the way to the ancient friendship bridge at Mostar and the revitalised capital city of Sarajevo is a fantastic place to soak up the history of this intriguing land. Serbia and Montenegro is another fresh destination where the winding mountain roads lead us to isolated pockets of welcoming people glad to see the return of tourism. Highlights here will include a visit to Kosovo and the stunning Durmitor NP. Albania is yet another rarely visited treasure which is home to gorgeous beaches, ancient Citadels and hair-raising mountain passes. The capital city Tirana is the blissful heart of the country and the laid-back café culture is contagious. In Macedonia the smooth mirror of Lake Ohrid is a fantastic place to relax and the hike up to the mystical Treskavec Monastery offers views to die for. The buzzing capital of Skopje is also worth a visit before moving on to Greece. Here we follow the beautiful Mediterranean coastal route via picturesque fishing villages and deep blue bays. Fresh seafood is our staple diet down here and is a magnificent last taste of Europe.

Week 4 & 5: TURKEY Istanbul, the city that separates Europe from Asia has it all, and you will revel in the history and culture it offers. Turkish baths and Turkish delights are the order of the day! The battlefields of Gallipoli are the setting for Dawn Service on ANZAC Day and along with thousands of other Ausies, Kiwis, Brits and Turks, we pay our respects to those who died here in 1915. A truly moving experience! Historic Troy, the great ruins of Ephesus and the Roman Baths at Pammukale are real highlights on the journey down to the magnificent Turquoise coast. Here we camp on the beautiful lagoon of Oludeniz where Greek ghost towns and overgrown Roman amphitheaters hide in the surrounding forests which are best explored on foot. Saklikent gorge is only a moped ride away and skydiving and mountain biking are popular activities here for those who enjoy adrenalin! Further down the coast we find Olympos with it's eternal flames glowing amidst the pine clad mountainsides that sweep down to its fine beaches. Inland on the plateau we reach the fairy-tale wonderland of Cappadocia with ancient caves, churches and underground cities carved into the geologically diverse land. Belly dancing is a big affair up here and so is the local drink 'Raki', be warned! Further south is our last stop in Turkey where we cross Roman bridges and climb up mount Nemrut Dagi to marvel at the huge stone heads that lie there motionless.

Week 6 & 7: SYRIA and LEBANON The bustling city of Aleppo is our first stop and the wonderful Arabic markets will have your senses reeling. We continue south but no longer by road. We now navigate our way across the hard Syrian Desert where we will meet the blue-eyed Bedouins and trade water for goat’s yoghurt. This is a spectacular route where we will also undoubtedly encounter numerous scorpions, snakes and monitor lizards as well as some remote ruins. The crossing ultimately leads us to the magnificent ruined city of Palmyra, the buildings now pink with age. Well worth a day’s exploration, this site is undoubtedly the jewel in Syria’s crown. We now head east to the majestic Crac des Chevaliers, the magnificent crusader castle where Richard the Lionheart once resided. Crossing the border we enter Lebanon and head straight for the glorious ruins of Baalbek where we camp for the night and get to sample a traditional Lebanese meal. Next day we head for Beirut, a surprisingly modern city but with evidence of the recent war still scarring many of the buildings. Here we have a couple of days to explore the revitalised capital before returning to Syria. Damascus, the world’s oldest capital city, is a myriad of souqs, wonderful mosques and buzzing cafes. We will need at least two days here to appreciate it’s full beauty. Our final Syrian stop is at Bosra’s ancient amphitheater, considered to be the world’s best-preserved.

Week 8: JORDAN Our first stop in Jordan is at Jerash, wonderful Roman ruins that will take you back in time. We continue on to Mt. Nebo, one of the world’s most revered Holy sites where Moses was buried. Close by are the well-preserved mosaic maps at Madaba. Following the ‘Kings Highway’ we have the option of visiting the numerous castles that abound on our route before reaching the magnificent ancient city of Petra, ‘The Rose Red City’ where we have a couple of day’s to explore all the wonderful temples, monasteries and monuments carved into the multi-coloured rock faces. Here we provision ourselves before entering the Wadi Rum Desert. We use our own vehicle for this spectacular desert drive allowing ourselves plenty of time to explore the area where Lawrence of Arabia once roamed as well as getting a true feel for the blissful isolation the desert offers. A brief stop in Aqaba and then we’re off to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea. This salty body of water is incredible and provides the buoyancy for that classic photo, reading the paper while floating!

Week 9: ISRAEL and PALESTINE Please bear in mind that tourists are not targeted in the current conflict between Israel and Palestine and we will not take any unnecessary risks during our visit. Please be aware that we may decide not to enter at all. We will review the situation closer to the time of entry (this also includes Lebanon). Our base for exploring this treasure trove of history is Jerusalem, possibly the most interesting city in the Middle East. The four quarters of this ancient city hold some of the world’s most religiously revered sites and a few days here gives you time to explore many of the most famous including the ‘Stations of the Cross’, the ‘Dome of the Rock’ and the ‘Wailing Wall’.. Bethlehem is close by with the ‘Church of Nativity’ and the ‘Sea of Galilee’ is only a short drive away. Nazareth and Tel Aviv can also be visited on day trips. Back down on the Dead Sea road we have the chance to climb the snake path up to the ruined city of Masada perched atop a glorious mountain before continuing on to Eilat and the Red Sea where snorkelling reveals an incredible underwater world.

Week 10, 11 & 12: EGYPT We arrive in the Sinai Peninsula and hug the Red Sea coast camping next to the water where the coral reefs are rated as some of the best in the world. The hippy village of Dahab is our base for a few days allowing us time to explore the area fully and enjoy the sumptuous seafood feasts served nightly. This is the perfect place to undertake a dive course. In the heart of this desert peninsula we take one evening to climb up Mount Sinai and sleep atop this barren mountain awaiting the glorious sunrise. A lunch stop at the Suez Canal breaks up our journey to Cairo where our applications for Sudanese and Ethiopian visas will be made. This thriving metropolis is of course also home to the incredible Great Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx which definitely deserve a couple of days exploration. The Cairo Museum is also full of ancient treasures and a day can easily be spent wandering it’s huge halls. The older pyramids at Saqqara are also close by as well as bustling markets that sell everything from Shisha pipes to camel hair carpets. A fascinating city! Our journey now takes us west into the Sahara desert and the relatively remote oasis of Siwa where Alexander the Great once camped. The sight of turquoise water in a vast wilderness of sand is a truly inspiring sight. Two days on a rough desert track now takes us east to the lush oasis of Bahariya, thick with palms and famous for it’s natural springs hidden deep in the Black Desert. Further south, the Black Desert now gives way to the incredible White Desert, home to some very strange gleaming white rock formations where we camp for the night before arriving at the small untouched oasis of Farafra, famous for its dates and apricots. Our route takes us past two more oases, Dakhla and Kharga, and it is from here that we can explore the forts, temples and tombs that lie dotted around the area. Snaking it’s way through the vast Nubian Desert we now reach the Nile River and the wonderful city of Luxor where we get to visit Karnak Temple as well as exploring the Valley’s of the Kings and Queens by donkey. Amongst other treasures you will be visiting the Colossi of Memnon, Hatshepsut’s Temple and the tombs of Ramses, Tutankhamun and Nefertari. This is an unforgettable day! Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city, is our next destination. Our hotel, close to the Nile and the bustling local bazaar, is a great base for us to explore the nearby Philae Temple and Unfinished Obelisk, as well as embark on a felucca tour around Elephantine Island, Kitchener’s Island, the Nilometer and the Tombs of the Nobles. That evening, dinner and a cold beer can be enjoyed at one of the floating restaurants. An early drive the following morning takes us to the magnificent Sun Temple of Abu Simbel situated on the banks of Lake Nasser and our return journey takes us over the Aswan High Dam where you get a spectacular view of the whole area. Our evening is spent visiting the Nubian Island Sehel, where we enjoy the local cuisine by dining with a Nubian family in their traditional home. Next day is the start of our 2 day felucca journey down the Nile where we will be visiting the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu. Traditional food is prepared on-board by our personal chef and our nights are spent around a roaring fire on a sandy beach. We sleep under the stars. Back in Aswan we make final preparations for our ferry journey across Lake Nasser into Sudan.

Week 13 and 14: SUDAN Our 16 hour ferry ride ends in Wadi Halfa, a nondescript transit point where after registering we continue south through a beautifully rocky landscape dotted with numerous tiny villages from where we can buy our food and get our first taste of the country. This journey may take a few days until we reach the pleasant town of Dongola spectacularly located on the banks of the Nile River. This is a busy little place and the friendly locals make for a pleasant stay and offer a good insight into the Sudanese way of life. The ruins of the Temple of Kawa are just across the river and make a great day outing. After a couple of days relaxation we now return to the so called ‘road’ and work our way southeast to Karima where we can visit the remote ancient pyramids and temple complexes that occupy the area. Our next destination is the Royal city of Meroe, perhaps Sudans most spectacular sight where a cluster of narrow pyramids stand tall in a drmatic windswept location littered with ruins and well-preserved hieroglyphics. Moving south we pass the Nile’s 6th cataract before arriving in the capital Khartoum. Built at the confluence of the White and Blue Niles this surprisingly modern city is a welcome taste of civilisation and the tree-lined boulevards and riverside restaurants make it a great place for us to relax and soak up the atmosphere. The traditional suburb of Omdurman boasts the country’s largest souq and the camel markets are also a must-see! Providing the political situation is acceptable we now head for our last stop in Sudan, the pleasant town of Kassala and it’s beautiful green hills where the hiking is fabulous.

Week 15, 16 & 17: ETHIOPIA This wonderful land is steeped in mystery and remains still relatively untouched by tourism which makes for a great adventure. Our first stop is the historical town of Gondar, known as Africa’s Camelot due to it’s series of castles and churches. A guided tour around the city’s monuments and squares is a good way to soak up the history of this former capital. We continue on to the Simien Mountains National Park where you have the chance to explore the park on foot and even bag Africa’s 4th highest peak, Ras Dashen. The parks large variety of wildlife and stirring views make it a hikers paradise. Next, the modest town of Aksum is a star attraction littered with the ruins of palaces, underground tombs, stelae and inscriptions. Even Queen Sheba’s bath is still in use here, albeit as a laundromat now! Further south we arrive at Lalibela, a beautiful place where the churches are carved right out of the bedrock and the monks still roam the dimly lit passageways with the echoes of chanting filling the air. Bahar Dar boasts a perfect location on Lake Tana’s southern shores and is our base for exploring some of the monasteries that occupy the lake’s 37 islands. The source of the Blue Nile is also close by as are it’s impressive waterfalls that can be heard thundering from miles away. The cool highland air of Addis Ababa is our next stop where we are welcomed by a wonderful mix of past and present coexisting harmoniously. Africa’s largest open air market, the Merkato, is a fantastic experience in shopping and the city’s bountiful nightlife will keep you up till sunrise. South of Addis we enter the fertile and lush Rift Valley where a string of glorious lakes offer us idyllic camping opportunities. This is Mother Nature at it’s best and we also have an opportunity to visit Bale N.P. which is home to some wonderful wildlife including the rare Ethiopian wolf. The valley offers superb hiking as we wind our way down to Kenya.

Week 18 & 19: KENYA Our first stop is at the Marsabit N.P. which is home to a good number of elephants and plentiful bird species. We camp in the park at Lake Paradise which offers excellent hiking allowing you to get up close to the wildlife. Mt. Kenya N.P. is our next destination where you have the option of climbing Africa’s second largest mountain renowned for it’s fantastic scenery. We now continue on to the capital city Nairobi where the cinemas and shopping centres are and a welcome taste of civilisation. This is an intriguing city and some highlights include Karen von Blixen’s house and Nairobi N.P. where herds of wild animals graze in the shadow of sky-scrapers. Moving west we reach the tranquil shores of Lake Naivasha and Hells Gate N.P. where cycling is a popular way to see the beautiful gorges and boiling hot springs. No trip to Kenya would be complete without a visit to the Masai Mara National Reserve and we are fortunate enough to be there for the annual migration when millions of wildebeest, zebra and antelopes stream in from Tanzania all followed by the big cats in search of an easy meal. Great photo opportunities! Our journey continues west to the shores of Lake Victoria and the Kakamega Forest, a huge slab of virgin tropical rainforest where we camp in the heart of it all with ample time to explore the area and relax a bit before entering Uganda.

Week 20: UGANDA Jinja is our first port of call here and is also the source of the mighty Nile, the world’s longest river. We base ourselves at the stunning Bujagali Falls where the white-water rafting is exhilarating. We continue on to the vibrant capital Kampala where the nightlife is fantastic with great bars and restaurants on every street corner. Our next few days are spent chilling out on the palm-fringed beaches of the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria. Boat trips, fresh-water fishing and explorations of the lush rainforest are all popular activities during your stay on the islands. In Uganda’s southwest corner we find the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the Mgahinga N.P. which together are home to half the world’s mountain gorillas. It is here that we will experience the unforgettable thrill of trekking through the dense vegetation to find the gorillas and spend an hour or so sitting in the jungle with them. The brooding Virunga Volcanoes and misty mountains make an excellent backdrop for this truly special occasion.

Week 21: RWANDA This fresh and exciting country has only recently re-opened it’s doors to tourism and the small but beautiful capital city of Kigali is our first stop where we can get a feel for this rejuvenated land. The city commands stunning views over the endless hills this country is famous for. From here we move west to Lake Kivu and the tiny town of Kibuye, an up-and-coming beach and water sports resort. It is also from here that we can visit the Nyungwe Forest N.P., one of Africa’s largest protected rainforests offering superb scenery and fantastic walks where you will encounter chimpanzees and colobus monkeys as well as a multitude of other fauna and flora.

Week 22: BURUNDI This country really is going to be an adventure for us as there is so little information about the land and no tourist infrastructure at all. Now that the internal tensions have died down we will be some of the first foreigners to enjoy it. Bujumbura is the capital and our first stop. Spectacularly located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika this city will be our point for gathering the information we need to explore further afield. Burundi does claim to be the country where Livingstone and Stanley famously met and also claims to have the spring which is the source of the Nile, how true we don’t know but we can make our own mind up when we get there.

Week 23 & 24: TANZANIA Back on the shores of Lake Victoria we reach the town of Mwanza, rarely visited by tourists and therefore a great place to kick back and soak up the real Tanzanian way of life. It is here that you will have the opportunity to safari in two of Africa's most famous wildlife parks, the the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. These spectacular reserves are where we can immerse ourselves in the real beauty of Africa. Here is perhaps the best place for spotting all of the 'Big Five' in one day. The waving golden grass, flat-topped acacia trees, distant blue hills and wildlife-rich plains all make this a perfect place for us to enjoy and appreciate nature. Our next stop is definitely our biggest reason to stop, Mt. Kilimanjaro. This perfectly shaped snowcapped volcano is a magnificent sight and those who choose can take the time to climb it and enjoy unsurpassed views over Africa. We continue on to the bustling city of Dar Es Salaam but we base ourselves on one of the more quiet tropical beaches just a few kilometres from the city centre thereby giving us the best of both worlds. It is also from here that you have the option to catch the ferry over to the famed island of Zanzibar with its pristine white-sand beaches and impossibly turquoise sea. The island is also steeped in history and the old stone towns date back to a time of slavery and spice trading. The best way to explore the whole island is by motorbike which will get you to the remote villages dotted around the area. Back on the mainland we head southwest for Malawi via a string of remote Nature Reserves that we may choose to visit at our leisure.

Week 25: MALAWI The beaches and clear waters of Lake Malawi at Chitimba make it an irresistible first stop where snorkelling will reveal an underwater world full of brightly coloured tropical fish. Slightly south of here we visit the mission station of Livingstonia located high upon an escarpment offering some of the most spectacular views in Africa. The small bustling town of Nkhata Bay has an excellent craft market and friendly dive schools offer open-water courses at unbelievably low prices. Much of our next few days are spent camping on the lakeshore while working our way south to the beautiful Cape Maclear. This areas hilly landscape is quite simply idyllic with large boulders and baobab trees sweeping their way down to a long white beach and sparkling bay. Many of the nearby islands are home to a large population of fish eagles which are regularly seen hunting. Kayak trips are popular here and a great way to see the indigenous wildlife. We now head west via the capital Lilongwe and arrive in Zambia.

Week 26: ZAMBIA For some unknown reason this country is not on the main tourist route which means we will take full advantage of the peace and quiet it offers. Our first stop is at the South Luangwa N.P. which is positively tranquil compared to the others we have visited so far and is also home to lions, hippos, buffalos, leopard, giraffe, rare wild dogs and numerous antelope species. Following the Great East Road towards the capital our trip is broken up by a suspension bridge which crosses the Luangwa River where we camp for a couple of days enjoying the hiking and canoeing in the area . Our final stop here is at Lusaka, the country’s nerve centre, where a day or so can easily be spent exploring this colourful capital and wandering the bustling Cairo Road where anything can be bought or sold.

Week 27 & 28: ZIMBABWE Entering in the north we arrive at Africa’s largest man-made lake, Kariba. The whole area is more of an unfenced game reserve than a town and elephants and buffalo can regularly be seen on the main road. From here we can rent a houseboat for a couple of days to explore the lake where hippos and crocodiles can be seen lazing on the shore and the roar of lions can be heard throughout the night. The lake is also a fisherman’s paradise with numerous species present including the fighting tiger fish. From here we head for the Mana Pools N.P. where the most exhilarating aspect is that we can walk through the park unaccompanied, and yes – there are lions, buffaloes and elephants! Canoe trips can also be done along the tranquil lower Zambezi River which is excellent for game viewing and camping out in the bush. We continue on to Harare where we have a chance to indulge ourselves in fast-food and shopping malls, a blissful treat after a long time without. Further on we reach the Great Zimbabwe Ruins which are the largest in Africa south of the Pyramids and offer a good insight into this once powerful ancient city. Moving west we pass through the peaceful town of Bulawayo and reach one of Africa’s most spectacular sights, Victoria Falls. At 2km wide and 100m deep it is with good reason that the locals refer to it as ‘The smoke that thunders’. The area is also crammed full of activities which include rafting the grade 5 rapids of the Zambezi, bungee jumping, abseiling, game viewing and flying over the falls. This is a thrilling farewell to Zimbabwe.

Week 29: BOTSWANA Our first stop is at the undeveloped Chobe N.P. which is home to an amazing amount of elephants as well as all of Southern Africa’s other animals. Our 4x4 truck ensures that we reach the remote spots which are best for wildlife viewing. The watery wilderness of the Okavango Delta is our next destination and is considered to be one of the world’s best sights. We base ourselves in the northern part known as the panhandle where we have the option to use the services of traditional villagers who will show us around the delta in dug-out canoes known as ‘mokoros’. This maze of waterways and islands is home to an astounding amount of animals including lions that are not afraid of water and birds that flock here from around the world. You will not be disappointed!

Week 30 & 31: NAMIBIA Just across the border from Botswana is a delightful area known as the Caprivi Strip. This is the perfect place to chill out on the banks of the Okavango River and enjoy a beer at the thatched roof bar overlooking the hippo pools. Heading west we notice how the wetlands now give way to the dusty desert that is more associated with Namibia. The Etosha N.P. is undoubtedly one of Africa’s greatest wildlife-viewing areas and will be our home for a couple of days. What makes wildlife spotting so easy here is the fact that the area is so flat and all animals must come to drink from a few watering holes, which they do in their hundreds, thereby providing us with great photo opportunities. We continue on through Damaraland to Twyfelfontein where an extensive gallery of African rock art is on display and dates back 6000 years. We now reach the Skeleton Coast, so named for it’s treacherous coastline that has taken the lives of many unwary ships. Here we find Namibia’s highest peak at Brandberg as well as the Cape Cross Seal Reserve which is as famous for it’s putrid smell as it is for it’s Cape Fur Seal population. The adrenalin fuelled town of Swakopmund is our next destination from where you can rent a quad bike and race around endless orange sand dunes or take to the air and sky-dive over some amazing scenery. Sandboarding, camel riding and deep sea fishing are other options, but no matter what you choose to do, the nights are always spent partying at one of the bars! The picturesque Namib-Naukluft Park is a days drive away and is famous for having some of the world’s highest sand dunes, most notably Sossusvlei, where the red dunes are part of one of the oldest and driest ecosystems on earth. Further south we reach the dramatic Fish River Canyon which has been gouged out by torrential waters over thousands of years. At 160 km long, up to 27km wide and 550m deep this is a great place for hiking with heart-stopping views.

Week 32: SOUTH AFRICA Crossing over the Orange River we enter Namaqualand, a serenely beautiful landscape of low scrub that bursts into a colourful sea of flowers in the spring. We follow a desolate road south to the small town of Springbok and carry on through the vast Cederberg Wilderness Area until we reach the beautiful Cape winelands region. Here we indulge ourselves in a day tour of the area's most famous wineries including Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek before continuing on to Cape Town. This spectacular city that lies at the base of Table Mountain is our final destination and is commonly regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful cities. There is no lack of activities in this town and the seafood feasts and late night bars make a perfect end to a journey of a lifetime!