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Destination & Trails

Waterways Expedition: Part 2

Last month, Andrew Middleton wrote about his journey up north from Mozambique to the top of Malawi, exploring dams, lakes and national parks. It was a tough ride, but the trip back down threw up a few challenges too… This month, he heads from Malawi into Zambia, explores Lake Kariba, and moves into Zimbabwe to the incredible Victoria Falls. Then it’s back into South Africa for the return-leg of an epic journey of 12 500km, through five countries, and all in less than a month. We woke up to a blissful campsite on the Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi, knowing…

Kingsley, out of Africa

Having wrapped up Africa, King and crew set their sights on unfamiliar climes, tackling Asia in the first of their Africa And Beyond expeditions. I’m sitting in The Pudding Shop in Istanbul, with delicious roast chicken in front of me, and Kingsley Holgate beside me. It’s my fourth day in Istanbul, and we should have been hundreds of kilometres away by now, exploring the ancient history and magnificent landscapes of Turkey. Instead, we’ve been waiting, and waiting, for Turkish officials to release the two Land Rover Discoverys and the one Defender 130 from customs. And, because of other delays in…

Ultimate Adventures

Ultimate Adventures: Southern Namibia Explorer 2019

This tour to southern Namibia encompasses infinite open vistas, wild and lonely landscapes, and the stark contrasts of sea, sky and ancient desert. We will re-energise our souls in the hot springs of Ai-Ais and marvel at natural wonders such as the Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei and Spitzkoppe. A trip to southern Namibia would not be complete without visiting the historical seaside towns of Luderitz and Swakopmund and experiencing their cultures and cuisine. DETAILS Date: 30 March –13 April Cost: R29 500 per person sharing R7 500 single supplement HIGHLIGHTS Spectacular desert vistas Fish River Canyon Spitzkoppe Sossusvlei & Dead…

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,…

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…