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Travel: Waterways Expedition

Waterways Expedition: Part 1

In this two part series, Andrew Middleton documents his journey from Cape Town to Malawi and back in a brand-new Hilux 2.8 GD-6 auto. This month-long, five-country expedition follows southern Africa’s most prominent inland waterways. In Part 1, the expedition tracks new worlds of watery bliss in Malawi and Mozambique, and exposes Africa’s darker (and often funnier) sides including bribery and fear of attack. Does it all go according to plan? Of course not…. The plan, or at least that’s what I called it, was to follow a rough route from Kosi Bay border where we camped, into Moz, then…

The Syncro Saga

An article in SA4x4 of February 2016, titled ‘Shoebox on wheels – Zim, Zambia and Bots in a VW Syncro’ brought back so many memories of our own attempt to drive through Botswana’s Moremi and Chobe game reserves in my dad’s VW Syncro. That was back in October 2009, when we were in our late twenties, and my husband and I and two friends (one being three months’ pregnant at the time) decided after months of research and preparation that we had done enough to tackle Botswana. We’d even had a custom roof rack, the length of the Kombi, made…

Ultimate Adventures: Ultimate Botswana Adventure

BASICS Date: 15-24 February Cost: R11 500 per person DETAILS This tour is for the adventurer that doesn’t have too much time on their hands and wants to experience as much of Botswana’s attractions as possible in a 10-day tour. You will explore three of Botswana’s prime wildlife destinations, camping in unfenced campsites with the wild inhabitants of the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park. Ihaha campsite situated on the banks of the Chobe River is possibly one of the best campsites in Africa and will leave you wanting to return over and over again. HIGHLIGHTS Okavango Delta Savuti Chobe National…

Travel: Karoo

Of lions and lioncloths

How blessed we are to live in a place like South Africa! Our wild spaces are as diverse as they are plentiful, and are largely protected from the destructive forces of the modern world. Take the Karoo, for example. Nowhere else in the world will you find such immense biodiversity in such an arid place. It’s the Amazon Jungle of deserts – teeming with life and desperate to be explored. It was with this in mind that I steered a brand-new Mercedes Benz X-Class 250d in the direction of the R62, in search of something new and something special. CapeNature…

Travel: Botswana

Crossing the pans

I was sitting around a fire with my Dad one Sunday in March, when our general discussion moved to Botswana, a country that has crept into my heart over the last couple of years. We were talking about the Zebra migration every September and October, when the game starts massing in its thousands in the Nxai and Makgadikgadi pans, and then, as if by some group signal, heads to Xhumaga (also known as Khumaga) on the banks of the Boteti River in search of greener grass. We decided this was the year that we should take a trip to see…

Travel: Baviaanskloof

Landy Legion: Defender Trophy 2018

Just inland of the Tsitsikamma lies a narrow, mystical valley, shielded from the elements by two monstrous mountain ranges. Where the Kouga Mountains clash with the Baviaanskloof, you’ll find an oasis of lush greenery along the otherwise arid outskirts of the Karoo, feeding off rainwater that fell far afield of the fertile valley. The Baviaanskloof is so peculiar, in fact, that it forms part of the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site. In all, the area is home to an incredible seven of the eight major biomes of South Africa: ranging from fynbos on one side all the way to…

Travel: Mystery Rally

Mystery Rally 2018

You need a range of skills to take part in the Mystery Rally, not the least of them being able to punch co-ordinates into a GPS and turn out a tasty braai meal for the judges… The Mystery Rally has now become my weekend 4×4 highlight of the year, as I was invited as a tag-along photographer to last year’s event and, for some reason, again to the 2018 rendition. Run by the Western Cape 4×4 and Diff Lock Club over the last (long) weekend in September, the Mystery Rally doubled in size to around 50 vehicles this year. This…

Travel: Angola

The remote Namib Desert

Few people are aware that the mighty Namib Desert extends into southern Angola. This seldom-visited region lies in the very remote south-western corner of Angola, straddling the border with Namibia. My paper maps and GPS show virtually no roads, and not a single town for many hundreds of kilometres. I intend to take a route through some of the most remote, and least inhabited, terrain on the entire African continent. To increase my maximum petrol capacity, I strap a 20-litre container to the spare wheel. Together with the stock tank and my Titan Transfer Tank, I now carry a touch…

Trail Review

Trail Review: Sneeukop, WC

If you need a short trail to put your low-range 4×4 to a mild test, and you are based in the Cape, then Sneeukop 4×4 near Rawsonville may be just the thing. It’s ideal for those who are pressed for time and want to fit in a few other activities (from mountain biking to wine tasting) into their weekend visit, or have family members who are not too keen on spending the entire weekend bumping over rough ground. Whatever the case, as 4×4 trails go, Sneeukop is short and sweet. We used the trail as a quick shake-down test for…

Ultimate Adventures 2019 Calendar

Ultimate Adventures started 11 years ago, with the dream of exploring Africa’s wildest destinations while delivering top-quality self-drive tours that the whole family could enjoy. Attention to detail and personalised service was the foundation of our business, and hasn’t changed throughout the years. We offer off-road adventures in all corners of Southern and Eastern Africa, from the snow-capped mountains of Lesotho, to the wide-open plains of the Serengeti. Ultimate Adventures is our baby, and with our husband and wife partnership comes passion and dedication, differentiating us from the rest. Our mission is to make every adventure memorable and to create…

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