Our online database, better known as Padkos, is a go-to source of travel information for overlanders. Help us keep it accurate and up-to-date by sharing what you know. Here is a guide on how to add, update or correct points of interest.
Tracks and waypoints are essential for mapping Africa but they only capture a small part of the travel experience. The rest lies in the detail of a particular trip. In addition to GPS coordinates, people have all sorts of stories, travel tips and pictures that could be immensely helpful to others.
This is why we established Padkos: our online, searchable database that contains a landing page for every Point of Interest (POI) featured on our GPS maps. From lodges and restaurants to lookout points and hospitals, you’ll find plenty of useful information from those who have been there before. And it’s free to browse!
You can contribute to Padkos by uploading photos or providing short descriptions about the places you know best. First, you’ll need to register on our site.
How do I update a POI/listing?
Once you are logged in, go to the listing you want to update. You can do a name search on our website under: “Search the Map of Africa”.
Once you have found the POI/listing, you’ll see that on the listing webpage there are links at the various information sections. To make a change to a POI, click “[correction]” in order to submit information.
Remember to upload a few photographs as this will increase the listing’s exposure on our platforms.
Go to the listing’s link and scroll down until you see a sub-heading labelled “Pictures”. Next to that heading you will find a link saying “[add a picture]”. Here you can upload up to five pictures at a time, which should be more than enough.
We also encourage you to send through documentation and video links if you have any.
An alternative way to update POI/listings is simply to email us at research@tracks4africa.co.za.
All information updated on our website is filtered through to our other maps and books and will be updated on those products too.
Anything else I need to know?
If you are about to go on a trip and would like to gather information for T4A, email us at research@tracks4africa.co.za. We can provide you with a spreadsheet to fill in as you travel indicating what sort of information we need for towns, destinations, lodging, camping, and so on.
If you would like to submit GPS data from your overland trip, learn how it to do it here.
Useful links
Overview of T4A quality standards for data submissions
