Democratic Republic of Congo: Lubumbashi to Kinshasa

[David Harris]

Agreed. Toyota should put it in their museum. How many other practically stock vehicles could have survived the Congo?

From what I'm reading here, this is an example of how a stock LC couldn't survive the Congo.

Day 26
- Our car's bodywork was badly damaged
- Exhaust broken off
- Two broken batteries
- Rear drivetrain broken
- Front drivertrain broken
- Our gearbox was no longer connected in to our wheels = not possible to jumpstart. Not possible to move.

We walked out...

 

[PirateMcGee]

Yes a LC with a bunch of miles and a bunch of trips already under it's belt has begun to fall apart.....

I would like to see any other stock vehicle try this trip with no lockers, no winch, no armor, etc and see how far they get

 

[David Harris]

Yes a LC with a bunch of miles and a bunch of trips already under it's belt has begun to fall apart.....

I would like to see any other stock vehicle try this trip with no lockers, no winch, no armor, etc and see how far they get

I think pretty much any vehicle would have to be modded to survive this trip in still running condition. Everything has its limits. One of those old flat-fendered Jeeps with the carry handles on the sides would have been great. Just hire a bunch of guys to pick up the vehicle and carry it back to town. :ylsmoke:

 

[PirateMcGee]

lol that would be quite the scene....

I'm still pretty amazed how far it made it, it's like camel trophy solo edition and with limited gear. A defender would have a pretty good chance at making it at least that far though

 

[David Harris]

lol that would be quite the scene....

I'm still pretty amazed how far it made it, it's like camel trophy solo edition and with limited gear. A defender would have a pretty good chance at making it at least that far though

Yeah. A lot of parallels to the Camel Trophy, except that those LR's had factory support, mechanics, multiple vehicles to pull them out or tow them back, and they were new at the start. They beat the hell out of them though. All in all they did pretty well. I think there was a Camel Trophy in Congo if I recall. (Zaire in those days)

 

[MuleShoer]

What??

This kind of statement is just stone stupid and insulting to the author.

From what I'm reading here, this is an example of how a stock LC couldn't survive the Congo.

 

[xpdishn]

Frederik, Josephine what an amazing !!!! adventure ( I know, I've said that more than once before, but that's all I got)

I do hope there is a postscript or is the journey still ongoing?








To the Overland Expo: bring these two over for next years Expo.

 

[K2ZJ]

What what!?!?

This kind of statement is just stone stupid and insulting to the author.

How so? oryxexpeditions was responding to everyone saying the LC was awesome and could handle the DRC. However, in the report they are now walking. That is not insulting to its owners. The LC did not survive, that is from the author himself, why should he be insulted?

 

[Christian P.]

How so? oryxexpeditions was responding to everyone saying the LC was awesome and could handle the DRC. However, in the report they are now walking. That is not insulting to its owners. The LC did not survive, that is from the author himself, why should he be insulted?

Please guys stay on topic. This is not the place to discuss the durability of a vehicle.

 

[Christian P.]

One extra stress factor that Frederik has not mentioned yet is the Carnet de Passage situation. As most of you know, it is required to drive across several countries. I don't know for sure but I suspect they had one, in which case abandonning your truck means that you may also need to abandon your deposit.

 

[RadioBaobab]

For the record: this is not over yet

We were on a 2 year trip, of which this Congo bit is just a very small part. We had sold everything we owned in order to be able to do this trip. The car and its content were (and you can take that very literally) the only things we owned. There was no house at home, no furniture, no clothes. As a matter of fact, there was no 'at home' other then our Landcruiser. And indeed, we had a carnet on this car. We were not just going to leave it there.

As for the dureability of the car: I will post my afterthoughts when the report is finished. Let's just not forget that we were already travelling 20 months non-stop. We had already completed 2 trans-africa's and a trans-asia. 95% offroad, some of it pretty extreme. A lot more gory technical details and insights will come in the next few installments.

Apologies for not providing this perspective any earlier.

 

[xpdishn]

:wings: :wings: :victory: :luxhello:

 

[RadioBaobab]

Sure, but who could take it? Should we send him back for part two?

I would love to go back. It would be much easier if we were equipped to travel in these regions and not lugging our house trough the jungle.

I often think of these people, wonder how they are doing. But I have no means of contacting them.

Thank you for sharing this hair raising story, I can´t wait for more because it is like reading a good thriller. yours hearts must have been pounding fast when you had to leave your jeep and walk towards nearest town.

Leaving your car behind and 'walking out' is a very special feeling. I cannot describe it. We were in your country a few months ago, so beautiful I wish I could go back now!

GOD BLESS You , you are some last people what not many left !!!!

Thanks for compliments. And that counts to everyone who is leaving comments here, it is really appreciated! We had tried a few times already to write down this story, but we always lost our motivation and it never got finished. Seeing that so many people are waiting for the next installment is just about the best motivation there is. Thank you Expedition Portal!

A defender would have a pretty good chance at making it at least that far though

I try to avoid the usual Landrover/Landcruiser discussion as much as possible. I am a fan of both and believe they both have their strengths and weaknesses. Horses for courses! I will touch this subject(briefly) later in the report. You will see it when we get there.

....................what was your plan if you had an un-reparable failure of your truck ?

as one walking out and the other staying at the side of the road is obviously not a choice you had !

Pretty sure you must have had the discussion with your partner !

I think you understand now why I was waiting so long to answer your question. The truth was, we did not have a plan for that specific situation. We do have a great universal plan that works for most situations: "If we have a problem, we fix it!" ;-)

 

[Jahwn]

Like so many others, I can't thank you enough for sharing your adventure with us! What an inspiration.......you two are awesome.

 

[Mr. Leary]

How so? oryxexpeditions was responding to everyone saying the LC was awesome and could handle the DRC. However, in the report they are now walking. That is not insulting to its owners. The LC did not survive, that is from the author himself, why should he be insulted?

x2.

Please guys stay on topic. This is not the place to discuss the durability of a vehicle.

I agree completely.

This section is for expedition reports, not techno babble. These folks have (obviously) survived an adventure that the overwhelming majority of us reading it (including me) would have neither the constitution nor the willpower to even think about undertaking... and this trip report was but a small part of their adventure. Amazing. I know I would never survive the Congo, no matter how "modded" my vehicle was... and IMO taking an attention grabbing heavily modified rig through the Congo would probably get you robbed or worse anyways.

I'm still hanging on the edge of my seat! I'm so glad that there are folks like y'all out there who are brave enough to visit places like the Congo and share your experiences with the rest of us hiding behind the safety of our computers.

Bravo... and if you ever find yourselves in Texas... I'll treat you both to a nice cold Shiner Bock!