In 2002 Henry and I spent four months teaching in a remote area of North West Kenya. During that time we had an opportunity to explore many different areas of Kenya and its neighbouring countries, and as so many people who visit this magical continent do, we fell in love with it. One particular adventure in which we hired a 42 year old Land Rover and drove all the way to the famous Masai Mara allowed us to experience the beauty of Africa with the freedom of the open road and the self-sufficiency such a vehicle complete with tents and cooking facilities offers. It was while on this safari that we talked of how amazing it would be to drive the length of Africa with nothing but a tent and camping stove for company. So four years later we are now on the verge of undertaking this adventure of a life-time. What makes this expedition so fulfilling is the fact that it will benefit Tusk Trust through the sponsorship we have raised. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of family and friends who together with a small number of sponsors have helped us approach our target of £50,000. Many people have asked us how we came to choose Tusk Trust as the charity to support given the huge variety of other Africa based charities. First of all we decided we wanted to support a conservation charity. We were undertaking this adventure because we had become enchanted with the beauty of the African landscape, the uniqueness of the wildlife and the ancient cultures the remained in the face of a modern world. We realised the considerable threat that these aspects, which embodied the continent were under and how much their survival meant to Africans and visitors alike. Whilst there are very many other equally worthy causes, Tusk appeared to be wide ranging in the projects it supported. Its focus was on making long term differences rather than temporary 'quick fixes'. It is also a charity that punches above its weight, there are only three full time staff in their small office in Dorset, but reading their achievements made them appear monolithic. For us it meant that we could support a charity with considerable stature whilst being able to deal directly with the delightful CEO Charlie Mayhew and feel that we were really helping them rather than watching our fundraising disappear into an untraceable sea. The fact that so many of the projects are situated in countries we are going through has the added benefit that we will be able to go and see where the money will help as well as being able to lend a hand at the sharp end of operations. What has struck us the most in the course of planning this expedition is our naivety at the age of 19 about just how diverse the African continent is. Back in 2002 we slightly thought that driving the length of the continent would just be like one very long trip to the Masai Mara. Following the extensive research that we have had to do for the drive we have realised that not only is no country the same, but customs and ways of life vary tremendously even within countries. Knowing which hand to eat with, whether it is ok to show the soles of your feet, which countries consider eye contact a sign of trust and which see it as disrespectful, are all things that have made learning about the continent not only fascinating, but also crucial to its successful navigation. One of the more tedious parts of planning a drive through Africa is the amazing amount of paperwork that has to be completed. Visas have been often hard to obtain, international driving licenses, yellow fever certificates and of course the worst of all: the Carnet de Passage. This is a document that ensures that you will not sell your vehicle within an African country. It has to be stamped when you enter and stamped when you leave. In order to obtain the document it has to be insured for 800% of the car value and a hefty insurance premium paid, or alternatively you can attempt to persuade your bank to underwrite the 800% amount. This is all to ensure that no African country misses out on any import duty for vehicles sold. Another obviously important part of planning such a drive is preparing the vehicle. Unlike other similar driving expeditions such as the Mongolian rally, driving through Africa requires a very reliable and strong vehicle. Roads, when they are not impassable during rainy seasons, are often horrendously potholed or corrugated. In order to attempt to ensure the safe passage of a vehicle in these conditions there are really only two feasible options: A Toyota Landcruiser or a Land Rover, which are two of the most capable of the off road vehicles. We have the latter and are taking a Discovery rather than the more workhorse like Defender model, as the Discovery provides a little more comfort. Our Discovery bears little resemblance to one bought off the rack. The suspension has been raised and changed and the tyres changed to cope with large obstacles. The boot has been converted into a mobile garage and kitchen with shelves of spare parts and tool boxes along side ones filled with saucepans, camping stoves and a fridge. The back windows have been covered with sheets of metal to deter prying eyes. The roof is also filled with an assortment of items vital to the success of our drive. A high-lift jack, sand ladders, table, deck chairs, jerry cans and an awning all find their home above ground. We will be joining them at night in our roof tent, which is small but easy to assemble and most importantly mosquito-proof. Friends and family have shown great concern about the safety of the trip. Whilst it is easy to put on a brave face and reassure them that we will be fine, it is easy to lose track of the number of threats that face us. We could contract any number of tropical diseases the most likely being malaria which has been known to kill within three days. Given the poor quality of roads, other vehicles and driving in nearly all of Africa, we will have to be very careful not to be involved in a major road traffic accident. Aside from the threat of serious injury, local police can be quick to point the finger of blame at outsiders, confiscating vehicles and offering accommodation in the local prison. The medical threats are exacerbated by the virtual non-existence of adequate medical facilities in many regions we are travelling through, particularly Sudan and Ethiopia. As a result we are taking a comprehensive medical kit complete with a range of unusual supplies such as field dressings, clotting agent, antibiotics and sterile needles. However, with only rudimentary medical training it is questionable how effective these precautions will be without supervision. Other threats include the wildlife. Whilst playing a large part in the magic of Africa, they pose a considerable threat to us while bush camping. It is easy to hype up the threat of exotic wildlife, and those who have travelled to Africa will know the relative safety that national parks offer tourists. However, outside of these parks the animals are wilder and there are no park rangers for comfort. In the far North of Kenya there are increasing reports of man eating lions that are unable to find other food during the drought they are experiencing in the region. In Ethiopia large packs of hyenas have formed, that are so aggressive they have chased lions and other big cats out of certain areas and who will have no qualms doing the same to us. Snakes are a real danger when so far from medical help. Normally snakes give humans a wide birth; however, they are likely to be attracted to the warmth of the engine after a long days drive to avoid the cold desert nights. There are stories of snakes appearing through the steering column of cars belonging to those who forgot to check the engine block before setting off the next morning. Undoubtedly the biggest worry we have is the threat posed by certain people we will come across. As Westerners we are automatic targets for theft ranging from pickpockets in the market up to armed carjacking and kidnap. Whilst our Land Rover offers great freedom, it is also hugely attractive to thieves and draws more attention to ourselves than we would ideally wish. Carjacking is prevalent in many African countries, particularly around big cities. For example, there are on average ten carjackings reported in Nairobi every day. We will have to be very careful and possibly lucky not to add to these statistics. Many of the more human orientated threats only really came to the forefront of our concern a few weeks ago when we had a days training with a retired SAS officer named Charlie McGrath. His company, Objective Security, specialise in training people to cope with adverse conditions and threats whilst travelling. The training was invaluable, but really highlighted for us just how many risks were involved in such an expedition. In the course of an interesting morning being shown AK47's and handguns and being told what and what not to hide behind when being fired at by high velocity weapons compared with low velocity ones as well as where we were likely to find landmines, we began to gain a sense that this was not going to be relaxed and fun trip, but more a constant struggle to survive the drive in tact. Whilst we were being trained to deal with worst case scenarios, his concern that we planned to travel alone through South-East Sudan highlighted that the odds of something going wrong were perhaps not as slim as we tried to re-assure ourselves. Whilst the fighting in Sudan is centred around the Darfur region, armed groups have been known to move around the Southern region through which we will be attempting to traverse. Bearing all this in mind one may well ask why on earth we still want to go. I am sure our mothers would be far happier if we did decide to abort. However, we believe that life is about a balance between security and freedom. The more freedom one has the less security there is and vice versa. In Britain we are lucky to have considerable security but it comes at a price. Africa offers a huge amount of freedom but security suffers. With a youthful spirit of adventure, we are willing to take certain risks in order to hopefully experience a genuine once in a lifetime adventure. It will be a journey that is not so much about getting to our destination as it is about making the most of the journey itself and we fully intend to do this. As the famous American golfer Walter Hagen once said, 'Stop and smell the flowers' and that is exactly what we plan to do when it is safe to get out the car.