Shipping a 4x4 to Durban from Réunion Island

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a road trip through Southern Africa during the 2025 austral winter—South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi... and if I feel like it, maybe back to Namibia, Botswana, etc. To make this happen, I’d like to ship my 4x4 in a high-cube container and pick it up in Durban. Has anyone had experience with customs clearance at the port of Durban (South Africa) using a CPD (Carnet de Passage en Douane)? Thanks in advance for any tips or firsthand experience on this!

Have a great day! Salar de Uyuni - Bolivia

Hi Fellow Travelers, I replied privately to the specific questions you asked, but a public discussion might help others too. As you know, I helped a French traveler whose 4x4 from Oman was stuck in Durban back in 2018. Since then, the port’s operations haven’t improved. Of course, coming from the east (Réunion Island in your case), Durban seems like the obvious choice—but have you looked into Maputo? Cape Town’s port, though farther from Réunion and a detour from your plans, seems to run more smoothly. (You might already know them: https://www.africanoverlanders.com/container/.) Those coming from Europe usually unload in Walvis Bay and seem to have good experiences.

Let us know how it goes?

Hi everyone reading this, I’ve arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, and my 4x4 should be delivered to me tomorrow at African Overlanders. https://africanoverlanders.com/container/ Can’t wait to start my trip around Southern Africa! Fingers crossed everything’s clean inside the container... Damayanti, a bit stuck at Duncan’s place http://www.bourlingueurs.com

So, does crossing your fingers actually work? 😉