Story & Photos by Louise Orlando and Andrew Barbour

[Louise Orlando and Andrew Barbour, Cape Charles, VA, took their 1960 Series II from London to Capetown 16 years ago. This is the final chapter in their remarkable trip –ed.]

When the Ugandan border guard stamped our passports to make our escape from Zaire complete, we kissed the ground - literally. Freed from the mud, bugs, and cloying jungle of the Ituri rainforest, our spirits took wing again. Ahead lay the fabled Mountains of the Moon and Uganda, once described by Winston Churchill as the “Pearl of Africa.”
After a month in Zaire, we were physically and mentally exhausted. We decided to recharge our batteries at Lake Mburo, one of Uganda’s lesser-known national parks. It consists of classic African grassland, dotted with thorn trees and thickets of scrub. At its center lies Lake Mburo itself, home to crocodiles, a large hippo population, and myriad birds. (…)

Read on »

Story and photos by Louise Orlando and Andrew Barbour
[15 years ago, Louise Orlando and Andrew Barbour, Cape Charles, VA, spent a year driving a 1960 Series II Land Rover from London to Cape Town. Their adventures formed the basis of Andrew’s writing the Fodor’s Guide to South Africa. Part I of their adventure ran in our last issue. Here’s Part II –ed.]
“Mines to the left. Mines to the right. Stick to the piste. Bonne chance!” With these encouraging words, our Moroccan military escort removed a length of chain that hung across the end of the paved highway and waved our convoy of 23 vehicles into the minefield separating Western Sahara and Mauritania. To reach safety, we would have to traverse 50 kilometers of desert sown with anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines. Oh, joy.
The convoy’s engines roared to life and, one by one, our vehicles rolled off the asphalt into the yellow sand that stretched to the horizon. (…)

Read on »