South Africa - Botswana - 3 weeks adventure!

[Christian P.]

South Africa - Lesotho 2008

So the time has finally arrived! I am going to reunite with my Troopy!

:wings:

I am leaving San Francisco tomorrow direction Montreal then Johannesburg on the 24th.

A few weeks ago I had my truck towed from the storage place to a local 4x4 shop (http://www.n14x4.co.za/) to take care of some repairs/upgrades (transfer case, new rear bumper with dual spare tire carrier, etc).

In theory I should pick up my truck back at my friend’s place on the 26th. From there, we will hit the road again.

The exact journey will depend on several factors, but roughly:

-Johannesburg to Kruger National Park

-Kruger to Bostwana (Chobe, Okavango Delta, Maun)

-From Botswana down to Cape Town.

:arabia:

Last time I visited Okavango but I missed on Chobe/Victoria Falls so I am hoping I’ll have enough time to drive up there this time.

This whole area is gorgeous.

I will then put my truck back in storage in Cape Town until the next (hopefully much longer) expedition – either driving across Africa up to London or shipping across to South America.

Here are a few pictures of us during our journey in Australia…

I sooo can't wait to drive it again!

 

[Spikepretorius]

Great trip!

1. Do yourself a favour. Contact N1 4x4 and check that your vehicle is ready! They've been known to be tardy and to compound that, this time of year South Africa comes to a standstill and you get nothing right. You don't want to rock up here and your vehicle isn't ready for you.

2. When in Cape Town give us a shout and maybe I can treat you to a beer or point you in the direction of the right places to see.

3. Our local forum (see the link in my signature) is busy with the final details of establishing a Member Roadside Assistance Scheme. If you break down or have an emergency, on tar or in the bush, you contact a moderator (me) and we see who is nearest to come and help out. We have a thing where we have the co-ords of the areas where each guy is prepared to help. My local number is Oh ate too 8811187. Make a note of it somewhere.

 

[grahamfitter]

I'm jealous - have a bunny chow for me

The rafting and bungee jump at Vic Falls is definitely worth it if you like that sort of thing. Its pretty cool hanging from the bridge with an upside down view of the falls upstream and the river downstream.

Watch out for baboons if you camp at Vic Falls - they're the local organized crime mob and steal everything you're not actually holding!

Cheers,
Graham

 

[Martyn]

Have a great trip. Keep us posted as you progress.

I hope you have booked something in the Kruger, it's a busy time of year. They should have space in some of the primitive campgrounds.

Are you thinking of re entering into South Africa through the Transfrontier Park?

The West Coast is beautiful when you can see through the fog !!

Go well.

 

[Spikepretorius]

The West Coast is beautiful when you can see through the fog !!

Unfortunately they've missed the best time of year for the west coast. Late winter/ early spring is the time for blankets of wild flowers as far as the eye can see for hundreds of kilometres.

 

[Christian P.]

All,

thanks for all the comments!

-re: N1 4x4 - yes, I was very aware of the pre-Christmas rush...the great news is that they delivered my truck back to my friend's place yesterday.
So hopefully they did a good job...and my transfer case won't fall down...

-re: roadside assistance. This is awesome. I will look into that when I have the chance.

-re: best season to visit West Coast...one thing I have learned of all my travels is that it's really hard to be at the right place at the right season all the time...but I will keep that in mind for our next visit.

-Re: Kruger. yes I did the bookings already. Balule (primitive) and a cabin somewhere else (Prekotorius or something similar)

-re: Cape Town. Spike, I will let you know when I get there. I'd love to meet you. I am actually looking for a place to stay (with Internet access) for the last days of our trip . I am thinking of renting a little cabin/apartment/etc somewhere in or around Cape Town.

-re: Transfrontier Park - Not sure where that is exactly but I will look on my maps.

thanks again! I am getting so excited/anxious!

 

[Spikepretorius]

-re: roadside assistance. This is awesome. I will look into that when I have the chance.

Nothing to look into. Just hang on to the phone number and call if you have problem that you can't deal with.

I am thinking of renting a little cabin/apartment/etc somewhere in or around Cape Town.

Roughly how long would you be in Cape Town?

Are you thinking of re entering into South Africa through the Transfrontier Park?

Not my expertise but I read recently that you can only use that point of entry if you spend a specified minimum period of time in the park. This is to avoid unwanted traffic through the area.

 

[Christian P.]

TIA....this is Africa...

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!

First update from South Africa. Everything is well and we are having a blast!!!

I already have so much to share but I’ll try to keep it short for now…

For a variety of reasons, we have decided to change our route.

Instead of going up from Kruger to Botswana, we decided to go South through Lesotho and along the coast.

There is just so much to see and do around here it’s really hard to choose…I’d already seen Okavango and we need more time to truly explore everything else I want to visit in that area (Kalahari, Chobe, Vic Falls, etc). Also the weather is really nice and hot and we found ourselves attracted to the beaches.



It was a really tough decision but in the end we are really happy with it! We literally fell in love with Lesotho. It was an incredible surprise.
The Drakensberg area is simple gorgeous and is a 4x4 paradise…

original here:

http://www.pbase.com/2aroundtheworld/lesotho_2008
Bye!

 

[7wt]

Too cool! Glad it's all working out for ya, keep the pics coming.

 

[Spikepretorius]

When you get to the south you just HAVE to pencil in Baviaanskloof. It's just after Port Elizabeth. But that southern area is just so nice with so many places to see you're going to have to zigzag back and forth a bit to take it all in. Just allow yourself plenty time to do the stretch from PE to George/Mossel Bay.

Incidently, Baviaanskloof is actually a public road from the days of the ox wagons that has just been left to deteriorate and travels through a conservation area that has been declared a World Heritage Site.

Edit: deleted the link. all the pics are no longer there But google Baviaanskloof and you'll get plenty

 

[Christian P.]

a few more...

 

[Christian P.]

still in Lesotho - at Sani Pass

hurry up if you want to visit - they have major plans to pave the whole thing....there was a poll you could fill up at the Custom as a lot of people are protesting this.

 

[Christian P.]

and a few more for today...

 

[jeff@work]

your trip looks like a lot of fun, just looking at the pics makes me want to go out and take a trip right now!

 

[Christian P.]

When you get to the south you just HAVE to pencil in Baviaanskloof. It's just after Port Elizabeth. But that southern area is just so nice with so many places to see you're going to have to zigzag back and forth a bit to take it all in. Just allow yourself plenty time to do the stretch from PE to George/Mossel Bay.

Incidently, Baviaanskloof is actually a public road from the days of the ox wagons that has just been left to deteriorate and travels through a conservation area that has been declared a World Heritage Site.

Spike

thanks for the input - I did not know about this place. I will make sure to check it out. We are in Umtata right now (Zululand) and we will be heading to the coast today.

Also, I might be looking for a place to put my Troopie in storage in Cape Town. I may have found something but no final confirmation yet, so if you know of anything please let me know.

thanks again