What would you do if your bus driver bought six Coca-Colas at the border, cost you your exit stamp, and forced you to sleep outside in malaria country between two countries?
Co-hosts Gunnar Garfors and Jacqui Kunz are back to share part two of their overland travel adventure through West Africa, c…What would you do if your bus driver bought six Coca-Colas at the border, cost you your exit stamp, and forced you to sleep outside in malaria country between two countries?
Co-hosts Gunnar Garfors and Jacqui Kunz are back to share part two of their overland travel adventure through West Africa, covering the final stretch of their seven-country journey through Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Ivory Coast.
If you've ever been curious about what it actually takes to travel overland through West Africa, this episode gives you the unfiltered picture. You'll walk away with concrete tips on visa strategy, border navigation, shared transport logistics, and honest guidance on when to push through and when to bail and book a flight. Beyond the tactics, Gunnar and Jacqui model what it actually means to travel slowly and patiently through challenging terrain, staying flexible when things go sideways. If you're considering overland travel in West Africa or anywhere similarly complex, this episode cuts through the romance and gives you the real picture.
Have you ever had a travel experience where everything went wrong and it somehow turned into the best story you came home with? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you’ll share them by sending me an audio message.
Gunnar Garfors is a Norwegian traveler, journalist, and author who became the first person to visit every country in the world twice. He is known for seeking out unusual routes and lesser-visited destinations, often traveling far beyond typical tourist paths. Jacqui Kunz is a full-time traveler who has explored more than 100 countries and was named “World’s Most Intrepid Traveler” in 2023, recognizing her commitment to exploring challenging destinations and traveling well off the beaten path.
Tune In To Learn:
Why Sierra Leone's land border crossing was a surprisingly smooth and welcoming experience
What Freetown is really like to explore, from the historic Cotton Tree to its beaches and police checkpoints
Why the city of Bo is worth a stop, and where to go nearby to see diamond mining
How a fellow passenger buying Coca-Cola at the border kiosk resulted in an overnight stay between two countries in mosquito country
Why Monrovia has a surprisingly American feel and where to stay, eat, and get cash
When it makes sense to give up on overland travel and just book a flight
How paying for an extra seat in a shared taxi can save your sanity, and why the "imaginary bag fee" is a negotiation you can usually win
Why timing your trip just after the rainy season can make roads far worse than expected
How Gunnar ended up in a Norwegian hospital with malaria, and why taking preventatives seriously is not optional
And so much more
Resources:
Sign up for our FREE newsletter
Gunnar’s website
Gunnar on Instagram
Jacqui on Instagram
iOverlander
Want More?
Overland Travel in West Africa Across 7 Countries (Part 1) with Gunnar Garfors & Jacqui Kunz
5 Surprising Experiences in Africa, How to Transition to a New Career After Travel, and Exploring the African Diaspora With Jay Cameron
Adventure and Conservation - A 6,000 km Tuk-Tuk Journey Through Africa
Thanks To Our Sponsors
Earn Cash Back and rewards on nearly every purchase with Rakuten.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesmore
🎧 Follow the show here— it really helps Adventure Diaries reach more listeners. Thank you. What does it actually feel like to sleep alone in a West African rainforest — the noise, the insects, the pitch-dark uncertainty? In this Season 5 opener, Chris sits down with Jude Kriwald, adventure filmmaker…🎧 Follow the show here— it really helps Adventure Diaries reach more listeners. Thank you. What does it actually feel like to sleep alone in a West African rainforest — the noise, the insects, the pitch-dark uncertainty? In this Season 5 opener, Chris sits down with Jude Kriwald, adventure filmmaker and cyclist, to unpack Alone Across Gola — Jude’s solo ride across West Africa, including a remote jungle crossing in Liberia/Sierra Leone’s Gola region. Connect with Jude Book Jude For Your...more
“At home, mindfulness is an app, a tool to fight the noise. In the wild, peace and calm rule by default … Out in the open, my mind is released from the noise. It sways with the trees and flows with the rivers. It blows over snow tipped mountaintops and down into wide sunlit valleys expanding to fill…“At home, mindfulness is an app, a tool to fight the noise. In the wild, peace and calm rule by default … Out in the open, my mind is released from the noise. It sways with the trees and flows with the rivers. It blows over snow tipped mountaintops and down into wide sunlit valleys expanding to fill its surroundings. The vistas are bigger, but there is less to know.”
- Jude Kriwald
Today, we are taking a journey to one of the most remote and underexplored places on the African continent. The Gola Rainforest straddles the border of Liberia and Sierra Leone, and is home to the Kissi, Mende and Gola tribes. To walk through it would be difficult. To try and a ride a bike, would be insane. Nonetheless that is exactly what adventurer Jude Kriwald decided to do.
At 20 years old Jude knew exactly what he wanted to do. He’d just returned from a 13-month trip cycling from England to India, and he wanted more. He wanted to be an adventurer and dedicate his life to pure joy of exploring the world. But slowly, inevitably, that dream faded as life, and career, took over. Ten years passed. His mental health deteriorated. He would lie awake at night wondering how he let is all slip away.
Until one day, he’d had enough. He flew to Senegal, got on his bike with the plan to spend three-months riding from there to Liberia. But things did not go to plan.
“Alone and in the wild, I am beautifully weird and joyously free. It's not that my rituals and quirks fit in better, they simply exist, unobserved. The road cares not and the sun shines equally on all. In nature I find reprieve. Alone I find myself.”
FIND OUT MORE
Jude made a short documentary film about this journey, called Alone Across Gola. Find out more and connect with Jude on Instagram @judekriwald, You Tube @judekriwald,
FOLLOW US:
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Newsletter: armchair-explorer.com
CONNECT WITH US:
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show and continue to bring this content to you.
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar wrote and presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Jason Paton is our lead producer and our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mentioned in this episode:
Check out the Smart Travel Podcast
This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel at the Link below:
Smart Travel Podcast
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape.com.
For advertising or sponsorship opportunities across the network, see the link below.
Sophy Roberts in conversation with author and journalist Jon Lee Anderson about his life of reportage, from Central America to Liberia to singing to reindeer in Alaska.
