**History of Overlanding**:
– Overlanding historically involved droving livestock long distances to open new country or reach distant markets.
– Alfred Canning opened the Canning Stock Route between 1906 and 1910 in Australia.
– Len Beadell played a significant role in opening up the Australian Outback with road construction in the 1940s and 1950s.
– Overlanding with mechanized transport began in the mid-20th century with the availability of four-wheel-drive trucks.
– Early pioneers like John Weston in the 1920s traveled long distances in unsophisticated vehicles.
**Modern Overlanding**:
– Overlanding has become increasingly popular, influenced by events like the Camel Trophy.
– Annual meetings for overlanders are held, facilitated by online platforms for information exchange and planning.
– Many overlanders prioritize preparing their vehicles for the journey.
– Countries like the U.S., South Africa, and Australia have industries focused on producing accessories for overland travel.
– Some overlanders prefer customizing their vehicles for the experience.
**Commercial Overlanding**:
– Commercial overland travel started in the late 1960s, offering tours in specially equipped trucks, mainly in Africa.
– These journeys could last for months and often involved passenger participation in food preparation and setting up camp.
– The Truck Surf Hotel is an innovative overlanding vehicle that expands into a two-story hotel when stationary.
– Commercial overlanding has expanded globally, with routes covering various continents.
– The ultimate adventure was the journey from Europe to Cape Town in South Africa.
**Modes of Overland Travel**:
– **Rail**:
– The Trans-Siberian Railway is one of the longest overland journeys, covering 9,288km.
– The Indian Pacific railway in Australia links Sydney and Perth over 4,343km.
– Japan’s Tōkaidō Shinkansen and France’s TGV have revolutionized rail travel with high-speed trains.
– **Road**:
– The Silk Route historically connected Mediterranean countries, Persia, India, and China.
– Modern Silk Route journeys between Europe and China offer northern and southern routes.
**Overland Routes**:
– **Trans Africa**:
– The Cairo to Cape Town route spans over 10,000km, passing through multiple African countries.
– Commercial routes from Reykjavik, Iceland to Cape Town, South Africa are among the longest.
– The traditional Trans Africa route has become increasingly popular despite past challenges in certain regions.
– **Historical Overland Routes**:
– Commercial overland travel in Africa began with Trans Africa and Cape to Cairo routes in the 1970s.
– The usual route included crossing the Sahara desert into Niger and traveling through Zaire to Kenya.
– Political instability and border closures have altered the traditional route.
– The current trend is for trucks to travel from Morocco to Cape Town, passing through Angola.
– The journey now extends from Cape Town to Nairobi and Cairo.
– **Alternative Overland Routes**:
– Nairobi to Cape Town is now the most popular overland route in Africa.
– Shorter sections of overland routes are available, like the round trip from Nairobi to Kenya and Uganda.
– Istanbul to Cairo via Syria and Jordan is a classic overland route with historical significance.
– Backpackers have been traveling the Istanbul to Cairo route since the 1970s and 1980s.
– The route from Jerusalem to Cairo became accessible after the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
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Overlanding or 4WD Touring is self-reliant overland travel to remote destinations where the journey is the principal goal. Typically, but not exclusively, it is accomplished with mechanized off-road capable transport (from bicycles to trucks) where the principal form of lodging is camping, often lasting for extended lengths of time (months to years) and spanning international boundaries.
