A little over a year ago Ross had an idea. He talked to me about the idea and then it went away. A little while later the idea came back but in full force. Never underestimate a tiny idea in a dormant phase! I was initially skeptical but I can’t compete with the sheer determination Ross has when it comes to seeing the birds of the world. So with that said, it’s time to announce that we are on our way to a TEN MONTH overlanding trip to Africa. We plan to take a fully equipped 4×4 Toyota Hilux over some intense terrain and out into the wildest of wilds. We will be spending our time living out of a rooftop tent and out in the bush, birding along the way.
While it may sound crazy to leave our “normal” lives behind, we did it with only a minimal amount of hesitation. We left our jobs (temporarily), put our car in storage, packed up our things and flew to Johannesburg, South Africa where we picked up our Hilux and hit the road.
We bought a 2017 Toyota Hilux from Bushlore Africa with 186,000km (115,575mi) fully equipped with a fold over rooftop tent, 60L water tank, 160L diesel fuel tank, and all necessary camping gear, including a 40L refrigerator, sleeping bags, pillows, camping chairs, table, propane stove, pots, pans, and all cooking utensils.
We plan to visit 15 countries but before I devolve into all of the details about where we are going, I’ll let this graphic speak for itself:
I can’t even begin to offer a guess as to how far we will drive over the course of this adventure. What I do know is that the terrain will be rough, the roads at times will be practically nonexistent, border crossings might be challenging and we will be putting this {hopefully} indestructible Hilux to the test. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity and along the way I know we will have some unforgettable experiences. When we look back on this trip in 30 years I know we won’t regret having left the USA in the dust for a little while. It’s time to embrace the dust of Africa.
As always I’ll do my best to keep this blog up to date and yes, we will be writing trip reports along the way so that other DIY birders can do this as well. And if anyone is looking to buy a very nice truck in 10 months, with a few more Kms under its belt, we will have one for sale! Stay Tuned!
Hello Ross and Melissa,
We have been following you in your asian adventures, it was really great. You give us informations for the Seram Thrush. You are doing a dream, impossible to do when you have some jobs like ours. It’s a great challenge, but what a tour ! We have visited only 5 countries of your tour. We are looking forward for your blog. We say good luck to you, have fun, and find as many birds as you can. I come back to Uganda for the second time in 1 month for Oberländer’s Ground Thrush and Black-eared GT, But it will not be an adventure like yours.
You make us dream, don’t stop
Thierry & Marianne Quelennec
Thanks! Good luck with the ground thrushes. Please let me know how you make out as I’ll be very interested in finding them in a few months!
Hello Ross
I will tell you if i found the thrush and the exact place. I hope we will succeed.
good luck to you
What a strange structure on the roof. Camping on the ground no longer good enough for you then? 🙂
It just increases the options. (And also keeps us from getting stepped on by elephants!)
Wow, I’m envious! Someday we hope to do a mega-trip like this. It seems much more efficient than the week or ten-day jaunts that we are stuck with for now, and which often offer diminishing returns on new species. Best of luck, stay safe, and I look forward to reading your updates.
Watching you from Steeplechase!❤️Hugs across the miles. Be safe.
Best of luck and be safe. We will be checking for new posts every day. Take careful notes!