Questions about Africa trips

[solli]

If my dream one time could realise, what do I need too have on my car for a trip too Marocco or Tunisia?
Ok, I know the best thing is too buy a camper, but can I survive in a pickup?
I have a HJ45 pick up and the plan is too buy a roof tent.
Here are some questions about the HJ45:
Is the HJ engine a bad engine in Africa?
Should I put in a BJ engine instead? (if I need parts in Africa)
Tyres/reifen:
I have 33x10,5 b/f mud., are they better than 33x12,5?
If soo, why not 12,5?
How much diesel must I have in the car?
How much water must I have in the car?
What else do I need?

I have seen that there are companies in Germany that have trips too Africa. And if I once time go I would go for a trip that is organiced by a company.
But if I goo on a 3 week trip too Africa and live in my car on a trip like that, do I need too bring food for 3 weeks with mee?
Do you stop by a restaurant sometimes too have a dinner? And what about a shower?

Prices:
How much does it cost? Lets say I'm in Hamburg and wan't too go too Tunisia for 3 weeks. How much money do I need?
What is the prices too the company who arrange the trip? Ferry?
Can I use Visa in Tunis?

I really hope someone could answer some of this cuestions. And maybe you could give mee a tip on a good company (on pm)

[mibod]

you can use your visa to get money from a ATM. The usage of Creditcards for payment is not very popular. For food you can visit several supermarkets, but the biggest ones are in Tunis (Carrefour and Géant), outside they are not widespread. So you should fill up your reserve in advance in Tunis.

[sevil]

IHMO,if your car is in top conditions you can go round the world if you want too.
Get some decents tyres MT, Cooper, BG, Goodyear....
80l fuel, 80 water, some oil. Oil filter/diesel,air, brake parts, hose, belts...You know, just the common things.
USE YOUR GOOD JUDGMENT!!
Money, think of your expenses in Germany an multiply by 2/3.
Get a girlfriend/boyfriend, forget about Co,s, and have fun.
My best advice.
Good luck

[samy]

I don't know Tunisia, but Morocco a lil bit.
Here last winter's trip to Morocco, BJ 45, 80l Diesel, Water in 4l bottles from shops along the way, one stove that screws on top of the medium gas bottles (avaliable in ALL of the country), one standard tomtom gps for the position, one 1:1 000 000 map and a 3m (!) measure tape to roughly define the position the tomtom gives on a paper map, 5 BF AT's (no flat tires) 1 Hilift-Jack (never used) one shovel 19.- supermarket (used twice) 12V air compressor TJM (VERY IMPORTANT) and off to have some FUN! The only doubt is that 3 weeks may be a little short. Especially from Norway down n across...
I probably will cruise round down there from late november to end of feb... legally I AM A COMPANY... you can still ring me when you hit africa

[andrewm]

Tyres Tyres Tyres,

Do NOT use street tyres - you will regret it otherwise.

Make sure you get something that has thick/ multiple sidewalls, like the BFGs.

Tunisia is pretty stress free, but my understanding is that you will need a guide nowadays if you want to head into the sand.

In Douz (last town before the sand begins) there are a couple of ATMs and you can buy everything you need in one of the local shops. There are even a couple of garages that can 'bang' your car back together should you make a mess of it.

The Tunisians travel with old beat up Peugeot 504 pickups, so you BJ4x is definitely better than that. Roof tent is also a great idea, although I imagine mounting it on the pickup may be a small problem without a roll cage...

Whatever you do, do NOT go it alone into the sand - ensure that there is a group of you. You may also want to ensure that someone in your group has a satellite phone if you want to be 'especially' safe - may even be a requirement now....

CHeers

Andrew

[andrewm]

Oops - just saw you had BFG MTs...

They are perfect. As for the size - I have never driven an HJ, so I don't know whether the motor may have a little too little grunt for the large tyres - someone else will need to answer that.

As for refuelling, Douz and El Borma are really the only place to refuel down there. You may have problems getting permission to go to El Borma. Therefore, the more fuel you tank in Douz, the further you can drive from there.

There is a possibility to get fuel at Czar Ghilane, but I can not vouch for the price, nor the quality of the fuel.

Cheers

Andrew

[solli]

My plan is too build a full rollcage too mount a rooftent on.

[wolfshund2]

I have no experience with a HJ45 in Africa,but last month I went with a HJ45 with cabin to the isle of corse for two weeks. Maybe some of my experiences could help you.
Tyres were Yokohama Geolandar 32x11.5 R15 ( AT profile) . Although the old cabin is very heavy and it was very hot, there were no engine problems, even steep hills didnt overheat the engine. The roads were normal, no sand roads or deep sand.
In the drivers cabin it gets very hot driving up the hills with over 40 degrees Celsius outside and the six cylindre in the front working hard.
Another thing that bothers is the 4speed transmission in the hills, second gear too low, third too high, a little bit lack of torque. But I think thats due to the cabin.
Only damage on the trip was a leaking master clutch cylinder that worked on with sealings of a water tap , because ordering spare parts would have taken a too long time.

Greetings

Udo

[solli]

My HJ engine works well, but maybe a BJ engine easier too repair in Tunis and other countries?

And too all of you-thank's for all your answers

[hhm]

My HJ engine works well, but maybe a BJ engine easier too repair in Tunis and other countries?

I would not worry about the engine. 45er Land Cruisers are not very common in Tunisia no matter which type.

Since I have not been to Morocco yet, I can only speak about Tunisia. Tunisia is a small country. And the southern part is a restricted zone, one must have a special permission to go there. You will hardly want to spend three weeks in this area.

By rule of thumb everything south of Ksar Ghilane is in this zone. But this is where the fun is, where the sand is and where you really are in the Sahara.

There are certain conditions to go into this area: number of cars, equipment (eg GPS, Sat phone), a guide has to be hired and depending on the size of the group even guards etc. Going there alone is more or less out of the question, going there in a group would just cost money.

If you're going there for the first time, maybe you should start with something you can handle on your own. Equip your car so you have a few days of self-sufficiency, say 4 days (and another day just in case). so you need water, food and everything else you might need for this period of time. Go to Tunisia, and take a trip though the mountainous area in the north and make your way south to Tozeur, Douz and Ksar Ghilane. Between Douz and Ksar Ghilane you can test being in the desert, learn how to drive in the sand and stay out for a few days without much of a risk.

Car equipment: bring shovels, towing ropes, sand ladders. A good guide for beginners are the books by Chris Scott: http://www.sahara-overland.com/ Chris writes in the Sahara forum of the HUBB: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/s ... vel-forum/

Oh, and if you're interested in seing pictures of what I'm talking about, have a look here: http://travels.mandarax.de

Best regards,
Hans

[solli]

I made it! But in my HJ60.
Soo now I have been in Tunisia and it would not bee the last time I hope...

Pictures on my website:
http://www.offroadgurusolli.net/30786728

My guides:
http://www.blattfeder-gang.de/



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[andrewm]

Congratulations!

Now that wasn't too bad!

And the HJ60s are great for down there! One tough truck!

Cheers

Andrew