Ready to go to Africa on a Vespa

Africa on a motorcycle is a dream of many, I don’t have a motorcycle because I chose to travel with my red 1981 Vespa P200E, and so I fulfill my dream of going to Africa on a Vespa.

Departure is set for Saturday, October 22, 2022 from Conegliano, with plans to arrive in Ghana in mid-December, so almost two months of travel. I am expected to leave for re-entry, again by land, in early January 2023, with estimated arrival in Italy in late February.

Africa on a Vespa: itinerary from Italy to Ghana

The trip to Africa by Vespa at the end of October, returning at the end of February, I thought of it first of all in a climatic logic, in Africa there is no rainy season and the weather is mild, by contrast I leave Italy at the time when temperatures are lower and the weather is harsh. The only problem might come from the Saharan winds that start blowing from mid-December and reach all the way down to Ghana. Such winds are treacherous because of the sand they raise, which is very fine, almost like talcum powder, that gets everywhere and can also cause damage to the Vespa’s engine.

The itinerary is all by land, except of course the Strait of Gibraltar, which I will cross by ferry to Tangier, Morocco. The idea, guideline, of the route is as follows:

Crossing Italy from east to west to the French Riviera, where I will make a stop near Nice at my friend Jean Michael Lopez, whom I met in Iran on the previous trip.

Depending on the weather conditions I will find during those days, I will decide whether to head west to the coast of Portugal, and then go down south keeping the coastal road all the time until I reach Gibraltar. On the other hand, should the weather be adverse, due to temperature or rain, I will arrive in Gibraltar by driving all the way along the east coast of Spain, from Barcelona down. I really hope to enjoy the otion of the coast of Portugal.

When I arrive in Morocco, I will continue from Tangier always heading south, doing the whole coast, until I arrive in Western Sahara, which I will equip always staying on the coast, until I enter Mauritania.

From Mauritania, all the way to Dakar in Senegal. In this stretch, the doubt is about the customs between these two countries i nasmuch as the one on the coast, called Red, seems to be quite problematic to cross, due to pressing controls and corruption problems on the part of law enforcement. The arternative is to cross an internal customs, but in my case I have to check the possibility of transiting by Vespa, depending on the weather and terrain conditions.

From Dakar begins perhaps the most challenging stretch in Gambia, Guinea and Guinea Bissau. This route will be inland, so not on the coast, to avoid having to pass Sierra Leone and Liberia.

I will return to the coast in Côte d’Ivoire, from where I will continue to Ghana, passing the capital city of Accra, until I arrive in Abor, a small country where the In My Father’s House mission is located, run by Comboni Pastor Father Giuseppe Rabbiosi, more commonly called Father Peppino by everyone.

For the return trip it is all to be decided, let’s say I will evaluate based on how the outward journey goes. The idea would be to return via the same countries made on the outward journey, however, following routes all inland, except in the Sahara where I will be forced to do the coastal route again.

Vespup for Africa: Humanitarian and volunteer project

This will not just be a Vespa trip to Africa, it will be much more, a charity and volunteer trip to raise funds and give aspiring volunteers the opportunity to go on a mission trip.

The initiative has been named “Vespup for Africa,” throughout the trip I will try to raise awareness for those who would like to follow me, to raise funds for the mission. They will be useful resources to build multipurpose strattures in the villages, jerry cans for water collection, and to be able to train the most deserving students to enter the teaching profession.

For those who want to, there will be an opportunity to have a wonderful volunteer experience directly in the mission. There are no costs to be borne other than the airfare from Italy to Accra, Ghana’s capital city; dates and times of stay can be arranged according to the needs of the would-be volunteer, subject, of course, to the mission’s possibilities. For more information I can be contacted by email at gianlucapellegrinelli64@gmail.com…

More information is available on the dedicated page.

As for travel documents, the following are already ready: Vienna international driver’s license and Geneva international driver’s license, international booklet, carnet de passage, health insurance, passport, vaccinations. All that remains is to apply for visas, for the countries where needed, which I will do in the country prior to the entry of each nation. The insurance of the Vespa outside the European Community will be done upon entering each country.

Going to Africa on a motorcycle is easier, especially if the bike is an enduro, maybe one of those 90s ones that have little or no electronics. In any case, the Nepal trip was a good stress test, and now I am ready to take on the Sahara Desert as well.

These days the Vespa is being serviced, all ropes and related sheaths are being replaced, gearbox oil, brake iron, tires additional rear headlight. Tightness checks will be done on the shock absorber, license plate, kickstand, roof rack. No internal work on the engine, which currently has 23,000 km on it.

Radical makeover intervention for the front rack, which proved to be totally inadequate. It was reduced the overhang, increased the tilt, and most importantly integrated with a rigid attachment system to the Vespa body.

Africa on a Vespa…, here we come!