We are Neil and Hannah Evans, a husband and wife team from Mid Wales. I am a professional photographer originally from Newtown and Neil is an engineer with a farming background from Tregynon. We recently got married and before 'settling down' we decided to take time out from our jobs and head off on the adventure of a lifetime.

Having previously spent extended periods of time in Asia and South America we came to the conclusion that Africa could present the types of challenges we were looking for.

We realised that a continent as large and diverse as Africa could not be done justice by hopping from city by bus, so the romantic notion was born, we would drive from Newtown to Cape Town.

We've been planning for months, but with a leaving date of 12 February our departure is fast approaching. We're estimating the journey will take 6 or 7 months and after a lot of varied advice we're putting our faith in a Land Rover Defender 90 to get us there and keep us safe!

We bought the vehicle through a friend, the owner of a local Land Rover specialists, and have spent the last month modifying and upgrading it in the hope that it will make the 18,000 miles of varied terrain.

We planned our route with two points in mind; where we'd like to go and where would be safe to travel. So on departure we will be heading south east through Europe and into Turkey through the historical city of Istanbul.

From there we will follow the Aegean and Mediterranean seas south to Syria and Jordan visiting the ancient city of Damascus and the spectacular Rose-Stone Temples of Petra among many other spectacular sights.

We will enter Africa through Egypt and follow the River Nile south past the Great Pyramids and the temple complex of Aswan into Sudan where the White Nile will take us right into the Highlands of Ethiopia.

From here we will continue south across The Great Plains and the National Reserves of Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia. Finally driving west past Victoria Falls to the Skeleton Coast into Namibia's western desert, our journey will be complete with our arrival in Cape Town.

There seem to be various problems that could hinder or even halt our journey....... The most obvious would be any mechanical trouble we encounter with the vehicle. While we're doing all we can to get the Land Rover in good shape there's no accounting for random mechanical failure! It was for this reason we chose a Land Rover, as spares are apparently plentiful in Africa.....but only time will tell!

The more serious problem is that of our own safety . We've tried to plan the safest route possible but it is widely known there are many trouble hot spots in Africa at the moment, but with common sense and good advice from fellow travellers we are confident of a safe journey.

Throughout the journey we will be raising money for UNICEF. Details can be found on our website which can be found on the right hand side of the page, where we will also be keeping a diary and a gallery of photographs and films documenting our trip. "

Article written by Hannah Evans