Wireless sensor networks allow unprecedented abilities to observe and understand large-scale, real-world phenomena at a fine spatial-temporal resolution. Their application in Developing Countries is even more interesting: they can help solve problems that affect communities. One of the limitations of current wireless sensors is the communication range, with most devices having 100 meters as maximum range. In contrast, many applications require long-range wireless sensor network where nodes are separated by large distances, giving the advantage of being able to monitor a large geographic area. In this paper we will present the results of an integrated approach combining a planning step using simulations and an experimental step carried out using off-the-shelf equipment over distances ranging from 600m to 12km. The results reveal that the simulation results agree with experimentation and show that long distance wireless sensor networks (LDWSN) are possible and that the quality of these links is high. Finally, we discuss the relative efficiency of our solution in terms of range compared to other wireless sensor networks