Travellers put their best shoes forward

Travellers normally pack extra footwear - just in case.

But Daryn Hillhouse packed 1600 pairs of shoes for his drive from Cape Town to Malawi - and gave them all away.

The South African entrepreneur completed a 5000km overland rally this week aimed at helping impoverished communities in Southern Africa. He was among 100 participants who made three school shoe drops on their journey to Lake Malawi.

"Shoes are often the most overlooked item when it comes to school uniforms," said Hillhouse from the finish line in Senga Bay, Malawi.

"Hundreds of thousands of children don't own shoes and we think it is unacceptable for a child in the 21st century to be walking barefoot to school - sometimes more than 10km.

"Participants raise the money and they physically place the shoe on the child's foot," said Hillhouse.

The rally, now in its fourth year, is known for attracting some vintage cars. This year's fleet included a 1935 Bentley convertible, a 1953 Ford Anglia and several vintage VW camper vans. He said another major aim of the rally was to promote Southern Africa as a travel destination. "Why do so many South Africans go on holiday in Europe? A big rally highlight for me is seeing the change in people between the start line and the finishing line - how people experience different cultures and appreciate what we have here in Africa."

This year's rally travelled north from Cape Town then the length of Namibia and east along the Caprivi Strip into Zambia. Because of political unrest in northern Mozambique, it was rerouted to Malawi.