Nous sommes un jeune couple de 28 ans et nous préparons un séjour de 3 semaines dans l'Ouest Américain en juillet. Nous prévoyons en début et fin de parcours temps pour visiter SF et LA. Ce qui nous laisse environ 2 semaines pour se ballader dans les parcs. Après une première lecture rapide du routard et des nombreux post du forum, cela nous donne le circuit suivant :
Arrivée SF le Samedi 06/07
Mercredi 10/07 : Départ SF au matin -> Yosemite
Jeudi 11/07 entier à Yosemite
Vendredi 12/07 : Départ Yosemite matin -> Death Valley
Samedi 13/07 : Départ Death Valley vers midi -> Las Vegas
Dimanche 14/07 : Départ de Las Vegas vers 11h -> Bryce Canyon
Lundi 15/07 : entier à Bryce Canyon
Mardi 16/07 : Départ de Bryce Canyon matin vers Moab
Mercredi 17/07 et Jeudi 18/07 entier à Moab
Vendredi 19/07 : Départ de Moab le matin pour Monument Valley
Samedi 20/07 : Départ vers midi de Monument Valley vers Page et la lake Powel
Dimanche 21/07 : départ tôt vers Grand Canyon
Lundi 22/07 entier au Grand Canyon
Mardi 23/07 départ le matin pour être à LA le soir
Départ LA -> Paris le vendredi 26/07
Nous aimons les randos à pieds et les activités de plein air (rafting, VTT etc...) J'avoue hésiter pour la location d'un 4x4 type Ford Liberty ou autre qui pourrait nous dépanner pour dormir dedans quelques nuits de transit...Par contre je ne sais pas si il "facile" de trouver ou si vous avez des pistes 4x4 à m'indiquer de manière à sortir un peu de parcours touriste...J'ai moi même un Nissan Navara en France et j'aimerai un peu vadrouiller aussi là bas...(genre CRACK CANYON, et LITTLE WILD HORSE CANYON)... Qu'en pensez vous, Y a t il des pistes intéressante qui permettent d'accéeder à des randos ou autres paysages non accessibles par les routes balisées ?
Je suis preneur de toutes remarques sur le parcours que j'ai commencé à élaborer, même si je sais que d'après les forums, on prend les billets d'avion après avoir étudié son parcours...J'ai malheureusement lu cette discussion trop tard...
Yosemite: 10/07 - Nuit côté Ouest du parc à Oakhurst et El Portal
11/07: il faut déjà parcourir la Tioga Road pour dormir côté Est (Lee Vining ou Bridgeport ou El Portal) car si tu restes côté ouest, la route sera trop longue pour Death Valley.
Las Vegas: une seule nuit c'est trop court... J'enlèverais une journée à SF pour rajouter une journée entière à Vegas.
14/07: Départ très tôt le matin de Vegas, visite de Valley Of Fire en tout début de matinée avant les grosses chaleurs. Puis visite rapide de Zion en faisant par exemple Canyon Overlook et la Scenic Road du parc.
16/07: grosse journée mais en partant très tôt de Bryce tu pourras faire la Scenic Rd 12 en t'arrêtant à quelques points de vue, la traversée de Capitol Reef en faisant aussi la Scenic Drive puis en faisant le petit détour pour Goblin Valley. Pourquoi pas faire quelques pas dans Little Wild Horse Canyon tout proche.
A Moab tu as des pistes dans Canyonlands: Shafer Trail et Potash Rd par exemple.
Si tu ne randonnes pas la journée entière à Grand Canyon n'est pas nécessaire en faisant que les points de vue, je rajouterais ainsi une nuit à Torrey entre Bryce et Moab afin d'alléger cette journée et profiter un peu plus de Capitol Reef.
en complément des "recommandations" de l'Ami ITAT... ne pas oublier que début juillet c'est dans 3 mois ! et si les hôtels ne sont pas réservés ton beau circuit risque d'être sérieusement chamboulé...
il me paraît dommage de ne pas passer du temps à Zion, d'autant plus si vous aimez les rando, si vous n'avez pas beaucoup de temps la rando overlook trail, si vous avez beaucoup de temps à accorder à Zion la rando Angel's landing!!
sur Moab il y a des rando sympas à faire à Arches (delicate Arch ou devil's garden),
pour Little wild horse canyon tu accèdes facilement à la rando qui te permet de bien profiter du slot canyon (environ 2 heures de rando)
pour Bryce canyon et grand canyon, à voir aussi si tu consacres du temps pour faire une rando qui descend dans les canyons ou si tu fais le tour des points de vue,
à Page, il faut peut-être prévoir un peu de temps pour Antelope et Horseshoe bend
pour les pistes 4x4 beaucoup de possibilités à Canyonlands
oui il vrai que pour les hôtels il faut faire assez vite, car à certains endroits la demande est forte et l'offre beaucoup moins (par exemple sur Monument Valley, Yosemite, Death Valley), je ne suis jamais partie en juillet donc je ne sais pas trop s'il y aura encore beaucoup de disponibilités, mais lorsque je suis partie en juin ou en septembre, tout était bouclé 4 mois à l'avance
concernant le principe de rouler le midi, je ne sais pas trop, lors de mes deux voyages j'ai procédé différemment, on roulait plutôt en fin d'aprem pour arriver en soirée au prochain parc à visiter ou à proximité, ainsi on commençait à chaque fois les visites le matin
Merci pour tes conseils et surtout ton blog qui est superbe. J'ai presque l'impression qu'on va pouvoir éviter la foule par moments...
Je me pose encore quelques questions pour organiser une rando en fond de canyon. Si je demande (et que je l'obtiens) nos 2 permis et que je réserve une nuit à Phantom Ranch, on est autonome ? Pas besoin de guide pour la rando ? C'est un peu dur de se rendre compte à plusieurs milliers de km...
Non pas besoin de guide. Et il faut bien un permis. Par contre, attention les nuits à Phantom Ranch doivent se réserver des mois et des mois à l'avance 😕
J'ai laissé tombé l'idée de dormir a Phantom Ranch, mais pas (encore) celle de faire une rando sur 2 jours en prevoyant le matériel de camping. Pour faire ma demande de permis (au 1er mai) j'ai besoin de choisir le trajet que nous allons emprunter. Dans le guide du routard, il y en a 3 (Bright Angel Trail, South Kaibab Trail et Hermit Trail). Nous sommes en bonne condition physique. Avez vous des conseils pour m'aider à choisir le parcours ? Et par la même occasion, si vous en avez pour le camping a choisir ?
On voudrait arriver a San Francisco jusqu’à Los Angeles Par la cote pour ensuite aller a Las Vegas. Quel ville sympa pouvez m'indiquer a visiter sur la cote…
San Francisco Los Angeles Las Vegas grand canyon, Monument Valley et finir par New York... Est Ce que j'aurais assez de temps... Je voudrais louer en arrivant…
Mon époux, notre adolescente et moi planifions actuellement un road trip dans l'ouest des Etats-Unis, nous pouvons le faire entre 23 et 27 jours, nous devons…
Nous allons bientôt effectuer notre petit roadtrip dans l'ouest des états-unis mais avant il me reste à affiner quelques détails. Voici notre parcours: 4…
Nous sommes 5 amis à vouloir partir visiter le grand ouest pendant 2 semaines. J'ai essayer de séléctionner les étapes à voir mais je n'arrive pas à faire une…
Hi there,
I’m planning a trip to Russia and Mongolia, starting from France.
Crossing the border at Poland/Belarus or Georgia/Russia—other borders seem either closed or complicated.
Tourist visas for 3 months with multiple entries.
Do you have any info on Russian companies that cover a 4x4 vehicle for 3 months, and what prices in rubles or euros you’ve paid?
Which bank did you use for expenses? (EuroMastercard and Visa cards no longer work.)
Regarding Russian SIM cards, a new system called "Gosuslugi" has been introduced. How long did it take you to get one, and what steps did you follow?
Hi,
we’re planning to visit a park again.
Could you point us toward the camps in Gonarezhou Park?
>We’re traveling completely self-sufficiently.
We love wildlife.
Thanks for any tips you can share!
JP
Hi there, we’ll be in Mozambique in early December 2026 and we’d like to travel from Vilanculos to Beira by car or bus to reach Beira airport. After that, we’re planning to visit Gorongosa National Park before flying back to France from Beira. From what we’ve heard, the road to Beira is tricky, especially at this time of year (start of the rainy season). Could anyone share their thoughts or suggest a solution? Thanks so much for your help!
Anne
Hi there,
I’m heading to Lesotho in a few days and I’m struggling to find info on the best route between Katse Dam and Sehlathebe National Park. There’s a fairly "direct" route from Thaba Tseka, but the roads seem rough, and we’re not exactly 4x4 pros. Anyone have any tips to share? Thanks!
Hi everyone,
We’re heading to Mozambique in October and are looking for either a 4x4 or 4x2 rental in Maputo, or a driver transfer option to reach:
- Ponta Do Ouro
- Tofo
- Vilankulos
The idea is to be self-sufficient for sightseeing and stops while still being able to access certain lodges or beaches that require a 4x2.
Do you have any contacts, addresses, or ideas to share?
Thanks in advance,
Hello,
We're hitting the road again in 2027 to discover new countries and cultures.
Could anyone give me some tips on driving from Ulaanbaatar to Lake Baikal and the route to take?
Thanks, and safe travels to those who are setting off!
We’re planning a 4x4 trip from Belgium to Central Asia, passing through Georgia, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
For these countries, our national insurance obviously doesn’t cover the vehicle, so we’ll need to get local insurance.
Will it be a problem if the vehicle is registered under person A and the national insurance is under person B? Both A and B will be in the vehicle, and both will be listed as drivers on the insurance.
When we get the local insurance, if we again list A and B as drivers, does the order matter? Could we get stuck at the border for this reason?
Hi,
For those who’ve driven on Iceland’s gravel roads in their own or a rented Duster, could you tell me what tires were fitted on the vehicle?
Were they All Terrain tires or more "standard" ones like all-season tires, for example?
Follow-up question: if they were "standard" tires, did that cause any issues on the gravel roads and rough terrain?
Thanks so much for any info you can share.
Best,
Marc
Hi there,
I'm planning a 4x4 road trip from Darwin to Broome with a rooftop tent in July 2026.
I'd like to know if I need to book overnight stops in advance or if I can just wing it and stop wherever I feel like it?
Some evenings, we'd like to stop and make use of campsite facilities (restaurant, shop, showers, toilets).
What do you recommend?
Do I need a permit?
My rough itinerary looks like this:
Darwin - Kakadu
Kakadu - Nitmiluk
Nitmiluk - Kununurra
Kununurra - Purnululu
Purnululu - El Questro
El Questro - Mt Elizabeth - Bell Gorge - Broome
I’m planning a trip to Iceland for next July-August, with a car and tent, and I’m wondering about booking campsites.
From your experience, is it necessary or even essential to book campsites in advance, or do you always manage to find a spot to pitch your tent?
We’ll also have the option to sleep in the car without pitching the tent.
Does that give us the flexibility to stay outside a campsite for a night here and there?
Hi,
I’m planning a road trip in the Middle Atlas, starting and ending in Fez and heading down to the south of Midelt, the Assoul Massif.... We’ll be traveling with two small 4x4s.
I’m looking for detailed maps of this region that include small roads and tracks.
Last year, we had a fantastic road trip in the Anti-Atlas and High Atlas using Erfahren maps, but unfortunately, they don’t cover the area we’re interested in this year.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Dominique
We’re planning a 13-day family road trip in Morocco this July, with six people in a Toyota Prado 4x4 (renting in Marrakech).
We’ll alternate between bivouacking and small hotels/riads depending on the stops.
Here’s the planned route (in this order):
Marrakech
→ Ouarzazate
→ Draa Valley
→ Zagora
→ Erg Chegaga
→ Lake Iriki
→ Foum Zguid
→ Tata
→ Tafraoute
→ Aït Mansour
→ Tiznit
→ Mirleft
→ Taroudant
→ Back to Marrakech
Our goal:
Atlas Mountains + desert + dunes + plateaus + valleys + a bit of coastline.
We’ll cover about 1,700 km in total.
We’re planning:
Bivouacking in the Chegaga/Iriki area
Flexible for the rest (booking the day before or same day)
Sand gear: traction plates, compressor, tow strap, roof rack
Questions:
Is the Zagora → Chegaga → Iriki → Foum Zguid crossing in July doable on our own (single vehicle, no guide)?
Are there any truly technical or risky sections between Chegaga and Iriki?
Does the overall itinerary seem manageable in 13 days without rushing?
Any suggestions for great bivouac spots or particularly interesting stops along this route?
The points on the route are provisional overnight stops. Some spots will include two nights in the same area.
We’re used to off-road driving, but not yet in the Moroccan desert.
Thanks in advance for your feedback and tips! 😊
Good evening
I could use some advice 🙂
Our trip to Namibia is planned for June/July 2026.
We’re struggling a bit with timing and choosing activities for the part of the trip between Sesriem and Brandberg.
Day 1: Sesriem to Mirabib
Day 2: Mirabib to Swakopmund – visit Swakopmund, overnight in Swakopmund
Day 3: Sandwich Harbour – overnight in Swakopmund
Day 4: Kayaking with the seals + the living dunes – overnight in Swakopmund
Day 5: Moon Landscape, Henties Bay + Cape Cross – overnight at White Lady Lodge in Brandberg
Does this itinerary seem realistic to you? Is Cape Cross really worth the trip? If I had to choose between Cape Cross and kayaking with the seals, which would you recommend?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hélix
My son and I are heading to Georgia this summer to explore the High Caucasus (Svaneti, Kazbek, and Tusheti regions). For this, we’re planning to rent a 4x4.
However, the rental agencies we’ve found prohibit driving on the tracks to Omalo (Tusheti) and/or Ushguli (Svaneti).
Do you know of any agencies in Tbilisi (local and reliable) that allow rented 4x4s to drive on these tracks? If so, which ones?
Hi everyone,
I’m starting to plan an itinerary for September 2027 focused on Zimbabwe and Zambia. I’d love to visit Gonarezhou National Park—I see there are two sectors: the Mwenezi Region in the south and the area around the Runde River in the north. Should I cover both sectors or just focus on the northern region?
For the parks along the Zambezi River, is it better to visit Mana Pools on the Zimbabwe side or Lower Zambezi on the Zambia side?
Thanks in advance for any tips on the parks in these two countries.
Have a great day, everyone.
We’re spending 18 days in New Zealand from 05/04 to 05/21, arriving in QUEENSTOWN and leaving from AUCKLAND.
Any ideas for a road trip that covers the highlights of both islands but only changes hotels every 3–4 nights?
Thanks.
For our trip to Georgia in July, I’d like to rent a 4x4 starting from Tbilisi.
Do you have any rental companies to recommend?
The traditional rentals like Hertz, Avis, etc. seem way overpriced compared to local companies—what do you think? Are they properly insured?
Has anyone here tried Geo Rent Car, Auto 4 Rental, or Sur Price?
Also, I’m looking for info on the condition of the Ushguli–Lentekhi track—is it passable?
Hi everyone,
A well-prepped 4x4, a travel plan across Africa in stages since I’ve got kids to see regularly and work to earn a living.
I’m leaving in November for about a month with the goal of reaching Senegal via Mauritania. I’d love to share this trip with someone who wants to discover Mauritania and a bit of Senegal... and also experience life on board a 4x4 in the desert or bush, sometimes sleeping in the vehicle or in hostels/small hotels for comfort. I want to share this rediscovery because two’s better than one!
Just traveling, exploring, and living! !
I’m planning to explore Argentine and Chilean Patagonia for a month in December 2019.
I’m looking for a rental company (or several) that offers single-cab 4x4 pick-ups with a fitted camper cell for two people. I’m specifically after a vehicle with an indoor shower for extra comfort ;)
So, no vans—at least not from the rental companies I’ve seen so far.
While browsing the forum, I came across the Chilean rental company Holiday Rent. But do you have any recommendations for Argentine rentals?
Because, if I can’t return the vehicle in the same city as pickup, I’d prefer—and it’d likely be cheaper—to at least return it in the same country.
I’m traveling through Argentina and Chile (as well as Paraguay and Uruguay) with a 2019 Toyota Hilux Euro 6. Could anyone tell me if the local diesel is suitable for its engine, or if I need to take any special precautions (like adding an additive, for example) for these countries?
I’d also like to know if driving at high altitudes is possible, and up to what elevation—or if I should worry about the vehicle going into limp mode?
If that happens, what should I do?
Hi there,
Can you tell me if the road between Zagora and M'Gouna is easy or difficult for a 4x4? How much time and how many kilometers should I plan for? I’m traveling in May.
Thanks!
Hi there,
My trip to South Africa is starting to take shape.
However, I'm struggling to figure out the route through Kruger Park. I can't seem to find the information I need about getting around.
Coming from the south, I plan to arrive on Day 1 in the early afternoon at Malelane or Crocodile Bridge.
Do some shopping in Malelane (or Crocodile Bridge main area) and stay overnight outside the park.
Leave on Day 2 at 5 AM for the park. Explore the southern part of the park.
Stay overnight around Skukuza or Lower Sabie. (We don’t want to stay in one of the park’s big camps. We’re looking for a lodge around 200 €.
Head out on Day 3 for a self-drive safari, maybe as far as Orpen.
We’d like to stay in a private reserve on nights 4 and 5.
We’re not sure which one or how to get into a private reserve. Do we need to exit Kruger Park?
On Day 5, we’d like to leave to visit Blyde Canyon (on Day 6).
I’m planning to leave Morocco for the summer but want to leave my 4x4 there to avoid exceeding the famous 6-month limit. I’d like to park it in one of the two Spanish enclaves (Ceuta or Melilla).
Does anyone know of people or companies that handle long-term parking (preferably secure) in either place?
Once the car is parked, what’s the best way to get back to France using public transport?
Is the nearest airport Tanger from Ceuta?...
How do I get there easily, etc. etc.
hello! I’d like to go to Kazakhstan and rent a fitted 4x4 locally so I can drive off-road trails and sleep inside the vehicle... could anyone share some local rental company addresses, please? Thanks! !
I'm about to rent a self-drive 4x4 in Mongolia. Has anyone heard of GOBI.RENT?
Otherwise, do you have any tips for checking this company since there's no info on their website (e.g., registration number on the RCS)?
I’m finalizing my trip starting from Namibia.
When I arrive in Divundu, I’d like to head straight to the Khwai area early in the morning to one of the campsites in the Khwai Development Trust. Is the drive doable with a good 4x4 in a day?
We’ll spend 2 nights in Khwai, then 2 or maybe 3 nights in the Moremi area (Third Bridge/Xakanaxa/Mboma) before heading back to Maun to wrap up our journey.
Is that too much time to spend in each place?
We’d also like to do one or two boat excursions in the delta. Any suggestions for the best options and operators?
Thanks in advance for your tips and advice!
Best,
Patrick
Hi everyone,
I’m planning to explore the western part of Madagascar from May 1st to 5th, specifically to visit the Tsingy. I’ve heard different versions about the road conditions and access to the Tsingy during this time, so I’d love to hear from people who’ve actually made this trip during this time of year.
Have you traveled from Morondava → Tsingy between May 1st and 5th?
Was the journey doable and safe?
Did you have access to the Grands Tsingy, or just the Petits Tsingy?
Thanks so much for your feedback—it’ll really help me get a clearer picture! 😊
Also, if you have any recommendations for reliable and experienced driver-guides, I’d love to hear them.
Thanks again!
