Overlanding in Africa, the dream of many off-roaders. Nikolai made it come true: alone, in a BMW X3, a vehicle you’d hardly expect for an adventure like this. For his trips he set himself a rule: no motorways, no campsites, full self-sufficiency, absolute autonomy and 100% adventure. Read here how he came up with the idea of an overlanding tour through Africa, why he chose a BMW X3, how he prepared it and what he experienced on his journey.
Nikolai, introduce yourself briefly: what do you do for a living, how old are you, and what else do you get up to when you’re not driving across Africa?
I’m a self-employed photographer and I help companies strengthen their image and win new customers online more easily. For that I rely on targeted photo and video marketing and exciting FPV drone footage, where the camera angle is shown directly from the flying drone’s point of view with the help of goggles. At the moment I’m working with more and more customers from the outdoor and travel sector. My goal is to be able to live off my trips one day, so that they finance themselves.
Besides travelling, sport is a very big passion of mine too. I go to the gym regularly every week, ride a lot of road bike in summer and am often up in the mountains hiking.
You drove across Africa alone in a BMW X3. How do you come up with an idea like that? Why Africa and why this car of all things?
The trip was never planned like that. The idea came up very spontaneously on my two-month trip through the Western Alps. I was looking for a new destination. First it was Morocco and not 10 minutes later I’d decided to drive all the way to Ghana. But it didn’t stop there. In the end I drove right across Africa from Morocco to South Africa.
My BMW X3 wasn’t a deliberate choice as a travel vehicle. Actually I wanted something bigger. After a long search and far too high prices I decided to do my Africa trip with my X3 too. The BMW once belonged to my grandfather. A few years ago I took it over from him and since then it’s been my everyday car and faithful travel companion. Over the last few years the car has impressed and convinced me again and again.
What exactly did your route look like? Which countries did you drive through? And give us a few numbers: how many kilometres, how long on the road, were there any repairs?
29,200 km, 11 months, 17 countries
From Germany I went to the port of Genoa, Italy. From there by ferry to Morocco. Always along the west coast through West Africa. Morocco – Mauritania – Senegal – Gambia – Guinea-Bissau – Guinea – Ivory Coast – Ghana – Togo – Benin – Nigeria – Cameroon – Congo – Democratic Republic of Congo – Angola – Namibia – South Africa
I travelled very leisurely, since I had no time pressure. In some countries I spent several weeks, in others only a few hours. For example Ghana nine weeks, Togo two hours.
Luckily I had no big problems with my vehicle. My exhaust bracket fell off at some point in Angola and was then expertly tied back up by me with a piece of string.
Three times I had something stuck in a tyre, but luckily only with a slow loss of pressure. In general, problems or breakdowns in Africa are mostly fixed quickly, as long as you don’t need special spare parts. As a precaution I had the important parts with me, plus all the filters, a few bolts, fuses and some small parts.
What was the best thing you experienced on the road? A moment that stuck in your mind especially?
There were many lovely moments. The whole trip was one single highlight. Even though it was often a rollercoaster of emotions and moods, I’d do it again any time!
One highlight was definitely Angola itself. There I visited the Calandula Falls. A large and very impressive waterfall in the interior of the country. My top countries are: Morocco, Ghana, Angola and Namibia. I’ll definitely come back there again!
The second was the border stretch from Nigeria to Cameroon. A 120 km off-road route through the mountains. Real driving skill was needed here. It took me four days for that section. At a relaxed 16 degrees, with clouds and the odd bit of rain again and again, it was one long mud battle.
Were there hairy situations too? Did you ever feel unsafe? I’m thinking robberies, wild animals or other unexpected things?
I never really felt unsafe. Of course the feeling is different in the busy, chaotic African cities and you’re certainly more alert and careful. Most people are just very curious and interested. Luckily I had no hairy situations with people.
But on my multi-day tour through the Hoanib riverbed in Namibia I probably got a bit too close to a desert elephant. I’d been watching it for a while and taken several photos. I always kept enough distance. At some point, though, it got too much for the elephant and it charged off in my direction. … I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast. But where to? The nearest obstacle was several hundred metres away. Luckily the elephant soon stopped again and went back to eating.
How did you prepare for the tour, both yourself and your vehicle? Off-road training? First-aid course? How did you plan your route?
I didn’t particularly prepare myself. In the past I’d already lived in Ghana for over a year and done a voluntary social year at a school there. So Africa wasn’t new to me and I had a rough idea of what was coming my way.
I’d already gathered off-road experience on my other two trips and got to know my vehicle really well. Back then it was even still in standard condition with summer tyres. For Africa I converted quite a bit and made it properly off-road-capable. It was lifted, stronger springs, bigger tyres, a skid plate and a big roof rack. All designed and developed myself, of course.
When it comes to choosing the route, you don’t have all that many options. Many countries aren’t that safe or are unstable. Borders close and the political situation can change quickly. Beforehand I exchanged notes with other travellers and got my information from Facebook groups. The exact route I then always planned on the spot. I had my highlights that I wanted to see and decided everything else spontaneously.
No campsites, no motorways, 100% self-sufficient: that’s quite a statement. Did it work or did you have to flee to the comfort of a hotel or campsite now and then?
Almost. Only when there was no other way.
There are hardly any proper motorways in Africa, and even if there were, I’d always prefer smaller roads with less traffic. I simply love driving slowly through the landscape and looking at everything closely. That’s often how you discover the coolest places or camp spots.
Only in Nigeria did I stay in hotels, as wild camping there is said to be not so safe. The other times I had an Airbnb to sort out visas or to get my car back in shape and clean it. But mostly I camped free out in nature. Often they were just simple little lay-bys next to the road behind a bush, but there were just as many spectacular spots with a great view, or alone in the middle of the desert.
Tell us about the vehicle: which model year, which engine, which tyres? And why exactly this setup?
My BMW is an X3 e83 from 2006. It has a 218 hp 3 litre 6-cylinder diesel engine. Off-road I run the BF Goodrich KO2 in size 235/65/17.
Since I’m no fan of tents, there was only one option for me. Sleeping in the vehicle. I think it has many advantages and is much safer and more discreet than a roof tent. That was very important to me. Altogether the whole conversion, with the interior, suspension parts and the complete roof rack, took 6 months. I wanted to have everything perfect and kept optimising a few things. Step by step I built one thing after another.
There was no exact plan at the start. When one thing was finished I could measure up again precisely and think about how to tackle the next one. Most of the parts were dictated by the size of certain bits of kit. For example the width and height of the bed. The cool box still had to fit next to it and a spare wheel underneath. To this day everything has held up brilliantly and still works exactly as I imagined.
How did the BMW hold up on the tour? What surprised you, both positively and negatively? Would you recommend the X3 as a travel vehicle?
Well, I’m totally convinced by my X3 and can only recommend it to anyone. People often just smile at it, but the vehicle is more than off-road-capable and, with a few simple conversions and the right driving style, ready to explore the world. It’s definitely important to know your vehicle exactly and to know the dimensions, above all the ground clearance. It’s also really important to always stay calm and not stress or rush. With my vehicle I’m often much slower off-road, since I have to pick my line carefully. But in the end I always arrive at my destination unscathed.
You didn’t sleep in a roof tent: how did you convert the car to spend the night in it? Was there a fixed solution or more DIY along the way?
For me it was clear that I’d do everything myself and so adapt it exactly to my wishes. My bed is on the passenger side. First I removed the seat and the rear bench. I made the bed at exactly the right height to stow a full-size spare wheel underneath. In the boot I have a big pull-out drawer on one side with room for all my kitchen and food gear. On the other side there’s storage for clothes, my power station, more electronics, tools and my cool box. Behind the driver’s seat I set up a workspace with a table. There I can also edit my photos in a relaxed way on rainy days, or in the evening watch a film on the tablet in peace.
What did you miss a little on the overlanding tour through Africa, or what would you do differently on the next trip? Is there anything you’d optimise?
I often missed the weather or the European landscape. A nice walk through the forest and the fresh air. Green mountains and lovely roads. By the end I really did miss the regular training at the gym and above all the road cycling. Of course I had some resistance bands with me for training and did lots of press-ups and bodyweight exercises. Every time I was in a big city, I visited the local gym and got an impression of it myself. Even so, I wasn’t homesick or desperate to get back.
There’s always something to optimise, of course 😉 At the moment there are a few conversions on the vehicle. The whole roof rack is being cleared out and loaded up differently again with different equipment.
You’re planning a longer tour through Scandinavia for next year. Do you already have concrete plans for that?
No :D at the moment I’m right in the middle of the preparations and conversions for this year’s tour to the Balkans. It’ll only be a small trip of several weeks, but I’m already incredibly excited. During that time I’ll also be accompanying an off-road tour for my sponsor Horntools and capturing it with photos and videos.
In general I don’t plan my trips much in advance. I set off when everything is ready and I drive off. That’s exactly what I love so much about this way of travelling. Being spontaneous and independent. Maybe it won’t even be Scandinavia, but somewhere completely different, who knows?
And finally: where can people find you online? Website, Instagram, YouTube? Tell us where we can see more of your trips.
For my trips I set up a website specially. There I publish travel reports, photos and videos. There’s also info about my project, a possible collaboration, my partners and soon even more info about my travel vehicle too. https://nikolaifromm.de/aroundtheworld
The latest updates are always on Instagram: @_nfphotography_
Travel videos on YouTube.