Botswana… A beautiful, wild place, with even more incredible people. My journey to Botswana started with Sanlam Go Cover, and almost ended with me needing to use Sanlam Go Cover too.

I arrived at the Border, taking my very excited first step on Botswana’s soil. I had heard so much about the beauty of this land, the tales had stories of countless amounts of wild animals, creepy crawly creatures, mud and sand so thick you could stuck for weeks at a time. All of these things would naturally leave you somewhat anxious, but there was at least a bit of respite from that worrying, knowing that I had just the day before taken out R1,000,000.00 accidental injury and death cover through the exciting new Sanlam Go Cover App, this insurance was as good as a winch when you need it. Its one of those things that’s better to have and not need, than to need and not have. Except a winch costs a good few thousand, and my week of cover only cost me R246.00 so it was a no brainer!

With my mind at ease, it was time to head to our first campsite. Khama Rhino Sanctuary, the thick Kalahari sandveld being the perfect habitat for both black and white rhino to flourish, amongst over 30 other animal species! So, we were in for some seriously beautiful sightings! The area had recently experienced some heavy rainfall, so we had the miracle of seeing the pans with some water in them, this certainly added something special to the experience! This was the perfect way to ease myself into what Botswana had to offer. The next day was spent lounging around the pool and heading out for a magnificent sunset game drive, where I experience possibly one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, nearly 10 Black, and white rhino’s all coming to the golden pan right as the sun was beginning to set behind the Mopani, where I sat and stared, taking in every last second until the sun had nearly faded away for the night.

My next day would see me head for the Central Kalahari, a place known for its extreme environment. I clocked 40ºC by the time I arrived at my campsite for the evening. This time I had to watch my back. These campsites are incredible wild, and very remote so the likely hood of predators being around was high, and considering I was all alone I couldn’t let my guard down. Even with Sanlam Go Cover looking out for my wellbeing, a chance encounter with a predator was one I only wanted to have looking through the lens of my camera. Besides the heat of the day, I still managed to spot some incredible animals, Lions, Honey badgers, Black backed Jackals, Springbok and Oryx. There are two sides to the coin of being in remote places, one is that there is no one around and all my game sightings were intimate and personal but, there is also no one around at all, and if something was to go wrong, I would be in for some serious stress! Keeping that in mind, I could see the clouds begin to darken and the wind began to gust. The sand around me started to swirl and sting. My plans would change that day, and I would find myself running from a massive sandstorm… Into a thunderstorm. There would be no denying the fact that mother nature was angry and needed some release. I ended up needing to leave the Central Kalahari Reserve a day early, knowing that I didn’t want to be trapped by the incoming storm.

So I made my way to Lehlakane, to find shelter in a BnB for the night. After a shower and a hot meal, my days of exploring and camping in the wilderness caught up with me, and a fantastic nights rest was in order. Upon waking however, I realised that it was the day that I would be heading to an Overlanding Mecca… Kubu Island, on the Makgadikgadi pans! A famous place that many travellers hold dear. With the storm passing, we would find ourselves careening through the Mopani forests, splashing through the pools of mud. An incredibly fun experience, although messy! My Suzuki Jimny was handling every little obstacle I threw at it with ease. I would ride this confidence all the way to pans, where I spent the day driving around and exploring these seemingly endless horizons as dust devils billowed around me. But it was nearing late afternoon and it was time to head back to Kubu Island for my night amongst the Baobabs, and that’s where things changed quickly… painfully fast.

My tires sank through the crust of the salt pans, immediately clogging the tread on my tyres with slick saline mud. With my wheels turning in place I realised that this situation wasn’t going to be much fun anymore. I got out and the vehicle and with the help of my buddy Blaine, we tried to get unstuck. Attempt after attempt, we weren’t making any progress. It would also be Murphy’s law that I decided not to take my recovery tracks with me for this trip because I was certain nothing would happen…. Big surprise… Something did indeed happen, and it got worse. I was trying to shake and lift the vehicle when all of a sudden I heard and felt a click in my lower back. This was certainly not time to be in excruciating pain, there was still mud to be shovelled and a vehicle to be pushed, but I was man down, not know what had happened or how bad the injury really was. However in the distance two shadowy figures grew closer, I grabbed my binoculars to make sure I wasn’t deluded by a mirage.

This Is where Bosta and Billy arrived, I was so excited to see them I greeted each of them with a hug, despite my injured self. They had seen us from their camp and thought we might need some help because we hadn’t moved for a couple of hours. They are two guides known as the Pan Rangers, who live right on the pans, so they know these pans well and have rescued many a weary traveller. They helped dig us out and even gave us some shelter for the night where they prepared a stretcher for me to lie on and recuperate my back. This was yet another moment where the incredible kindness of the people of Botswana was shown to me. That night we pulled all our best food out the fridge and feasted to celebrate getting out and being well enough to tell the tale!

Luckily if things were worse and if my back was potentially further damaged, I would have been covered by Sanlam Go Cover. It comes down to the classic saying, its better to have and not need, than to need and not have. I will never leave on an adventure without recovery tracks again, but I will also never leave without taking out Sanlam Go Cover, because I very nearly needed to use it.

The world is covered in beautiful places and incredible people. At the end of the day, we can let fear of failure or pain stop us from living our lives, and having incredible experiences. So take every little thing that gives you a feeling of confidence to go our there and enjoy yourself, even when you want to do something a little bit crazy!

The post Back Breaking Botswana first appeared on ROAM Overlanding.

When it comes to the Jimny, things are a bit different. Because its a small car with a small engine and is not notably a very stable vehicle on the road, its very susceptible to the changes you make to it and when it comes to tyres it plays one of the biggest roles in altering your power, fuel economy and gearing. So its a tight rope to walk between balancing all of that with on road performance as well as off road performance.

Offroad, there isnt much that can touch the versatility of these tyres. They are strong and puncture resistant, the sipes in the tread are fantastic at allowing the lugs to clear mud and sticky sand. The tread pattern is aggressive enough to deal well in both mud and sand but not too aggressive as to make for an uncomfortable, noisey ride on the road. All of those aspects that allow it to excell at its offroad performance however are due to having extra layers of strengthening and end up have an effect on the weight of the tyre, this is where the tyre really begins to show some of its down sides, the weight severely effects the fuel consumption, it isnt just the weight of the tyre that does this but also the size that I put on, which is a 215/75/15 over the stock 195/80/15. This increasing the rolling diameter of the tyre, changing the gearing ever so slightly, however as I mentioned ealier, the Jimny is very sensitive to change. Now instead of usinf 6th gear most of the time on the highway, if I want to keep up my revs and power at a comfortable position, I have to actually sit in 5th gear, which is going mean an overall incease in fuel consumption as well as a feeling of a loss of power. I’m happy to exchange those for the incredible performance offroad and the peace of

As I drive mostly around town, 90% and 10% offroad, The onroad handling is still important, on road stability felt like it improved by increasing the tread width to 215 over the 195 that originally came with the vehicle, It might be in my head but it almost felt as if though when going through corners that there is a bit more support and it just feels a tad more sturdy and stable both in corners and on the highway. Over all I have been very happy with the tyres, and they are yet to disappoint me! They are wearing incredibly well and I will be rotating them soon to spread the wear around all the wheels evenly over time.

But even knowing all of this, I cant help but wonder if there is a tyre that would give me an even more well rounded perfomance, perhaps trading some offroad performance for a bit better fuel consumption. Another part of me says, stuff it! I want to put on a big chunky set of 235/75/15 mud tyres and have the craziest Jimny in the world! I’d love to know what you think.. Be sensible and build the ultimate Overlander or be crazy and build the Ultimate Jimny… Comment down below to let me know what you think.

#Jimny #SuzukiJimny #BFGoodrichKO2 #Allterraintyres #TyreReview #RoamOverlanding #JB74 #Overlanding #4×4 #Offroad

The post BFGoodrich KO2 : 15,000KM Review first appeared on ROAM Overlanding.

When I was working on building my Amarok I had my wish list of mods, and these guys were right up there! Their bumpers are great looking, however still strong and practical. So when they approached me and were looking for a new Jimny to use to make their first prototype bumper, I leaped at the opportunity with excitement!

I was so excited infact that I wanted to document the entire process, from 3D scans to final fitment! It was epic!

They started by stripping the bumpers to reveal the chassis underneath, the high tech 3D scans would form the basis for which Renier (the Owner and Designer at Wildog) would be able to work from. Finding the right mounting points, crafting the design to work

perfectly with the lines of the vehicle, he really didnt hold back. Even with a nagging and excited Adrian messaging him almost daily to get progress reports and to try and get a sneak peak to share with you guys!

When Renier called me and said he was ready for me to come and film the whole manufacturing process, I couldnt even wait! It was so epic to see my bumpers go through such an intense transformation. Watching the pieces of steel getting laser cut to the hand crafted assembly… I realised the amount of hands that would craft my bumpers was incredible. Grinding, bending, welding, sanding, sandblasting, Ecoating, powder coating, all of these processes all just for one bumper. Its crazy!

Just before the final touches like coating and paint, we did our test fitment, to see how close the scans and designs matched the vehicle. Everything went of mostly without an issue, nothing but a couple mm’s here or there that needed minor adjustments for a perfect fit. Now the waiting game really began! Waiting ever day for the call to come through from Renier, to tell me the bumpers are ready and I can come through for the Final fitment!

That day did indeed arrive. In hindsight it seems like the process was over in the blink of an eye, but at the time every day of anticipation was like a week! I drove out there at the soonest opportunity. The fitment took hours, they had a lot to do! Again they stripped the bumpers, leaving my Jimny naked for the last time. Bolting on the bumpers and getting to work on connecting up the new lights and making sure everything fit perfectly! It has to be solid, because the recovery points and winch plate are going to go under a lot of pressure in the future, so everything needed to be perfect. The rocksliders went on without a hitch! and really finished off the combo!

It was time to take a step back and look at what all those weeks of hard work by so many people had turned into. What an awesome feeling! I dont think it was even a week before I head out to give them their first coat of mud!

You can now place your Wildog orders through me for preferential rates for my viewers! *Only for sale in South Africa*

#Jimny #SuzukiJimny #BumperReplacement #Wildog #JimnyModified #Modified #4×4 #Overlanding #offroad

The post Wildog Bumpers & Rock Sliders first appeared on ROAM Overlanding.

They have recently quit their day jobs to try and persue their passion of traveling and creating! A decision I majorly respect! I thought it would be great to hit the trail together and see if we could compare the performance of their Toyota Fortuner 4.0L V6 with our New Suzuki Jimny.

Helderberg 4×4 is set in the vineyards of Stellenbosch, on the Helderberg farm. Its such a nice spot for a morning drive!

We deflated our tyres in preparation for the obstacles ahead, just to be able to give us a bit of extra traction in tricky situations, it also allows the tyres to wrap around rocks or exposed tree roots. The trail began with a simple steep incline, which was more about tyre positioning than anything else! Its interesting to see the size and wheel flex difference between the two vehicles.

We worked our way up through the vineyards over some pretty casual terrain, a bit bumpy with axle twisters but nothing severe. We then arrived at the obstacle that would put our vehicles to a bit of a test. It didnt seem very hectic but it was a steep incline, with an axle twister and then a turn and another axle twister come up over a steep rise. It was a challenge for Simon to find the right line, and the wheel travel of the fortuner fell slightly short and couldnt give him the grip to move him through the obstacle. The only way he would be able to get through would be to really have a lot of momentum but this could lead to severely damaging the vehicle if anything went wrong. They took the detour route and we met up again a minute or two later.

There wasnt too much else after that to challenge us, so we made our way up the mountain to have a boerwors roll and a beer, to celebrate making it up! Its great to meet new, like minded people! We had a great chat and Simon showed me the progress of his vehicle build and he has recently gotten the import rights for the Blueridge Overlanding equipment which looks like a great way to organise and compartmentalise your equipment and make some extra space out of normally dead space!

All in all as we descended back along the route, I was left with high hopes for the future… I could easily see ROAM and Rolbos meeting up at some time in the future for a great Overland adventure! Im super excited to work on building up the Overlanding community in South Africa and showing the world the beautiful places we have in our country!

The post A morning at Helderberg 4×4 with new Friends first appeared on ROAM Overlanding.

We took the first opportunity we could get to get out of the city and put the new Jimny to the test! With a thunderstorm brewing in the background, we definitely had a day of fun ahead of us.

It started out pretty casually, the first few bumps here and there were criticially judged to assess the performance of the suspensions and to listen out for any rattles or squeeks. It felt well built and solid so It gave me the confidence to start playing around on some of the obstacles!

A lot of the sections were pretty easy and were more there to test your vehicles wheel travel and group clearance, which the Jimny is the top of the class so there wasnt too much of a challenge there.

We continued our adventure, trying to find something a bit more testing…

After finding a couple of nice deep ditches, to drive in and out of, got me testing the Low Range gears a bit.. slowly getting a feel for the car. Next up we had some axle twisters, deep enough to get the new All Grip Pro limited slip diff to work its magic! Especially when we found a particularly gnarly hill, where the one wheel lifted right off the ground as we clambered over the obstacle. What a thrill!

Soon I began to feel more confident! Until it started raining… Rain can turn even the simplest trails into a challenge, and sometimes in Gauteng we can get real downpours. Luckily the rain wasnt too bad and instead just added a bit of slip here and there to look out for.

We bumped into some Jimny fans and they wanted to show us around the trail to the good bits! They had frequented the trail and knew it quite well. They mentioned something about a water crossing, so we just followed blindly… All the time slightly worried that they might be luring us into a trap, just to see our baby drown!

There it was… The crossing.. It looked pretty damn deep! I let our new friends go ahead first, their Mitsubishi Colt had some pretty good clearance and I would be able to judge the depth of the water easier once they went through. It seemed alright, so the put the car in Low 2nd and hoofed it! A bit too ambitious on my end, but I really didnt want to drown my car! Ironically enough I ended up dropping the camera and greating a bow wave big enough to wash over the whole front end of the car! Not a smart move… but helluvah fun!

The rest of the trail would see us up a few long and rocky inclines, but nothing too serious for most 4×4’s.

Overall we had a great time getting used to the Jimny and testing it out a bit.

Many adventures lie ahead!

#Jimny #SuzukiJimny #RoamOverlanding

The post I took the Jimny offroad and got it filthy! first appeared on ROAM Overlanding.

Now for those of you who know me, you’ll know I used to drive a massive truck, the VW Amarok, now the Jimny is a lot smaller and this is definitely going to challenge my creativity with kitting it out for overlanding, but I accept the challenge… because, look how cool this thing looks!! The color looks even better in real life!

So they’ve taken the previous 1.3L, which was known for its incredible reliability and bored it out to a 1.5L, that will give it abit more torque for those tricky situations off-road, and it certainly helps out a bit on the highways too. The interior is simple, but in all honesty that’s just how I like it. It has the modern techy bits that I need, such as satnav (which im still trying to figure out how to load up) and apple car play, which has surprised me with how useful it is. The touchscreen is very responsive and although basic, it is practical. Generally, the features in the Jimny are a lot more exciting than my Amarok, which didn’t even have electric windows or any fancy electronic functions as my particular model was designed to be a farmers workhorse.

A big bonus now is having the 4 seats, countless times in the Amarok I had to borrow a different car just to do something as simple as go out for lunch with some friends. The purpose built off-road nature of the Jimny still has a practical around town functionality built in and that is something I really like. Being able to go into “weekend/work mode” and put the back seats down which gives me plenty of space in the back and if I really need to maximise space, I just pop the front seat down too and be able to carry long objects such as light stands or booms. In the same breathe if I need to take my girlfriend and her friend out for lunch, its as simple as popping the seats up and we are ready to go!

Speaking of seats, the legroom in the back of the vehicle has actually astonished me. I can comfortably sit in the back, which from outside of the vehicle looks like it would be a challenge.

So what does the future hold for the Jimny? In terms of modifications, I think first up will be a roof rack, there are a couple of options I’m looking at, at the moment. Next will be tyres, again there are a few options, I want to find out what the biggest tyre Suzuki will allow us to go without voiding our warranty, which is seeming to be a 215/75/15. Then we have a challenging choice between BFG KO2, General Grabber AT3 and Goodyear Wrangler Adventure… In terms of availability, the BFG and GT come in the size I’m looking at getting, the Wrangler, comes in a smaller size and a bigger size. One thing I learnt about tyre size on my Amarok, is that it can really kill the power of the vehicle if you go too big. On something like the Amarok, because it’s such a long wheel base vehicle, every inch of clearance counts.. With the Jimny having such a small engine, every nm of torque counts. But due to its solid axles and light weight, with just a bit of planning on the trails, you can navigate through and over treacherous sections much easier. So it’s going to be interesting to see where this little beast takes me over the coming years.

I’m considering hitting up one of the many 4×4 trails around here to play around a bit and get used to the vehicle in an off-road sense, then I want to actually head back to the eastern cape highlands and attempt the Baster voetpad pass again, this time with the Jimny. It was a great challenge last time in the Amarok, and I’d love to see how the Jimny tackles it now.

Then I’ll be visiting some friends this week to plan some exciting new modifications to the Jimny, some that haven’t ever been seen before. Then I will also try and maximize the space, for overlanding and lets just see where this all takes me.

The post I bought the new Suzuki Jimny. first appeared on ROAM Overlanding.

I just had to have a first look at the all new Suzuki Jimny, I had been following all the posts on instagram for the past few weeks!

It didnt dissapoint! You can definitely see all the tiny details that Suzuki has learned over the over 50 year lineage of the Jimny, it just feels so good. They have taken it back, yet forward and into the present day at the same time. The styling really makes it look like a mini defender/gwagon, but also pays so much respect to the SJ40 even returning the 4×4 Transfer case to the original mechanical version, so you can actually feel when you change to 4×4 or Lo-range. The rear section of the vehicle can be completely flat, meaning you can have a fridge and drawer system take up the whole back of the vehicle which is great! However if you arent traveling and just missioning around town as a daily driver, you can also comfortably seat 4 adults, that really surprised me! I didnt expect such a tiny car to fit me comfortably in the back, and I am not a small person!

I’m very excited to get behind the wheel of this bad boy, and really put it to the test.

Here are some more images from the day!

The post First Look: The New Suzuki Jimny first appeared on ROAM Overlanding.

National Luna has been the gold standard in terms of portable battery and refrigeration technology for the camping industry, for over twenty years. Their products are pressure tested to withstand the harsh realities of Africa and beyond. Their factory in Edenvale ensures that South African hands craft these products and that at the end of the day, no matter where in the world their products end up they know that its proudly South African. Its also not uncommon to hear people talk about how they have had their National Luna for the past 10 years…

All of this sounds very romantic, but the harsh reality is that most people think with their bank balance in mind. National Luna isn’t exactly the cheapest option out there at the moment, although that is beginning to change, with brands like ARB introducing new models that are roughly twice the price of the National Luna options.

The competition fights back with lower prices, more gadgets and extras. The reality is that if you live in a country with temperate climates, never exceeding 25°C then I doubt you will see much of a valuable difference between these products and I would honestly say, buy whatever fits in your vehicle and makes your wallet happy.

But if you’re like me, and live in a country with a complicated relationship with temperature and weather… Then you will notice a severe difference between the likes of Dometic and National Luna. As the degree’s climb, you will see the one maintains composure and the other slowly begin to panic…

Last year I decided to do the “smart” thing and just buy a Dometic 50L on sale from Takealot, don’t get me wrong, I still love and have a deep relationship with my little fridge however… Our trip to Kruger last year saw her struggle in a way I should have expected. The northern parts of the park were seeing temperatures of 33°C-37°C the back of the bakkie offered little relief from the baking sun during our drives and hardly enough fresh ventilation. So let’s assume it would have gotten to over 40°C in the back of the bakkie while we were driving around viewing game in the scorching heat of the day. I would check in on the fridge and the temperature would go up… and up… until it could barely maintain a frozen state. It was struggling to maintain -3°C, not to mention it was mincing the battery faster than we could recharge it and actually had to swap it over to campsite power (thank the saints we weren’t in the middle of Namibia/Botswana/Mozambique, nowhere near reliable power)

I guess you could say it got the job done, however stressful.

The alternative experience, taking the National Luna 60L dual compartment with to The Richtersveld. The Richtersveld in an excruciatingly hot environment, we were there at a pretty perfect time of the year. In Autumn it was certainly hot, between 30°C-33°C, maybe a bit higher during the middle of day, but not near the horrific 40°C-50°C it sees in the peak of summer. I anticipated slightly high battery usage due to the dual compartments, operating a fridge and freezer simultaneously. Especially considering I wanted to use the freezer almost like a deep freeze and keep the meat at -10°C and then the fridge side nice and frosty at 3°C, I’m a big fan of an ice-cold beer at the end of the day, I also want to keep my vegetables fresh and crisp. It just seemed to be that the NL60 had a bit more of a stable power consumption it wouldnt wax and wane as much as the Dometic CF50. At night when it cooled down, The NL60 would barely use any power, it was incredible to see. I never saw the temperatures retreat even in the peak of the day. That’s not to say I didn’t nearly run out of power in my week in the Richtersveld but we were also charging laptops and cameras off the battery, something I would never have been able to do with a suffering fridge.The dual compartments were life changing and will be sorely missed!

So, it comes down to me having to buy a solar panel, just so my battery doesn’t die and then that doesn’t even fix the fact my meat would still end up defrosting in the CF50 if I was traveling up to Botswana or Namibia.

If however, you are traveling in a station wagon type vehicle like a Disco 3/4, Defender (with semi decent air conditioning and not just some flaps), Landcruiser Prado/200, Pajero or a double cab bakkie with a setup of having your fridge in the back seats… You might be able to pull off using a cheaper fridge, as the ambient temperature in the car when you’re driving in the peak heat of the day will be nice and low if you decide to wind the windows up and pop on the AC. However, for many people, your children/family/friends are far more important to put in your back seats than a fridge.

At the end of the day,

It’s a life lesson learned. I wanted to get something quick and cheap, which I’m not unhappy with and if I posted my CF50 online for sale, I would sell it in no time and get most of my money back. The next time around, I know exactly where the money will go. If you are financially capable, don’t even ask questions or skip a beat, buy the National Luna. You will never look back. If you want to ask the questions however, NL aren’t all talk and no action they have all the tests and data for you to see the quality of their products. I’m also a big supporter of Local is Lekker and if I had known more about the brand before buying my other fridge, I certainly would have thought twice.

The post Some Thoughts on the National Luna 60L Dual Compartment first appeared on ROAM Overlanding.

The Richtersveld

What was supposed to be a solo trip into one of the loneliest places in South Africa, turned into a journey with a good friend, having many new and exciting experiences together; from bathing in the orange river to watching a meteor shower alone in a forest of Kokerboom’s. This would be a trip to remember…

We wouldn’t be setting off from Johannesburg like usual, this time around we would be departing from Cape Town, driving up the west coast through to a special little spot called Fiddlers Creek, near the Vooilsdrift border post between Namibia and South Africa, then into the Richtersveld for 3 nights.

My travel companion joining me on this trip would be a good friend Marcus, he works as a director for a production agency based in Johannesburg which he co-owns. He hadn’t been on a trip like this before, and I don’t think he knew what he was getting himself into! Its difficult being a passenger on trips with hard unforgiving roads, in harsh landscapes, but the rewards far outweigh the difficulties. It’s a different type of relaxation to sitting in the pool sipping on a cocktail.

We would be leaving Cape Town in the rain, for hundreds of Kilometers we drove through the dark early morning, with rain pouring all around. Rain, roadworks and trucks always make for an interesting and thrilling drive… We travelled through darkness, sunrise, the peak heat of the day and find ourselves nearing the end of the day with a nothing but a lazy afternoon sun to guide us into the Fiddlers Creek camp.

What a sensational camp! It has a real feeling of heritage, with numberplates hammered all over the bar, and little trinkets scattered everywhere. We didn’t have much time to dawdle, we hit the ground running as soon as we got to camp, setting up the tent and getting a fire going for the evening. All the while the orange river flowed gently alongside the camp, this was just the perfect end to a long day of driving through the barren landscape’s of the Northern and Western Cape. That night we would begin a ritual of cracking open a couple of ice cold drinks, and enjoying them alongside a delicious meal as the sun sank below the horizon!

An early start to day had us sneaking over to the pontoon, grabbing a seat and enjoying the sunrise with a hot cup of coffee and a couple of rusks.. Every day forward we would make the effort to find a good spot to put our chairs, grab a coffee and a box of rusks and enjoy the sunrise and forget about the journey, the camp chores, and just soak in the scenery for a few minutes before breaking down our camp. Fiddler’s Creek, had fantastic hot showers and ablutions, with a view of the Orange river while you shower! I wasn’t sure when next I would get the privilege of a hot shower, so I made the most of it! After a sizzling of bacon and a scrambling of eggs, we were well fed and ready to pack up and hit the road again.

Heading away from the Orange River would lead us right into the desert, very little but barren rocky landscapes would be the norm for the next day of driving as we made our way into the Richtersveld Conservancy. Sendelingsdrif was our goal for the day, but first we would need to see the towns of Eksteenfontein and Kuboes.

The path to Eksteenfontein was slow going, with some points averaging out at speeds of 10km/h, over all it took us over half a day just to get to Eksteenfontein. We came to find out this road was called Helshoogte, and this wasn’t the last we would be hearing from Helshoogte…

En Route to Eksteenfontein we came across a field of cairns; a small structure made from a stack of rocks. They covered the hills alongside the road, I had heard something about this and that it was customary for travellers who had reached this sacred place, to get out and build their own cairn. I decided to take a bit of a different approach and hopefully leave a bit of a different mark, I’m sure it will be destroyed soon, but It would be great if someone drove past and shared a photo of it or, if one day I returned it would still be there.

Once we passed through the small town of Eksteenfontein, our lives would becoming a bit easier as we hit incredible long stretches of gravel that would see us doing speeds of almost 100km/h, blasting through the tremendous landscapes, whilst dust devils swirled around as the winds blustered through the valley. It really felt like something from Madmax, just with less chrome!

The sun was already setting, and we would be arriving in darkness at this point. However, we weren’t phased, after all the campsite was supposed to be beautiful and the wait would be worth it! Or not. The campsite turned out to be a major disappointment, the images I had seen online were not even half true. We basically camped in a dusty parking lot, it wasn’t near what we expected, but it was a place to setup our camp and rest for the evening. We decided a potjie would be a great idea to lift our spirits and keep up morale! With stomachs full of a delicious hot meal, it didn’t take long for us to be ready for a good night’s sleep. In the early hours of the morning, with the whole campsite asleep, we heard a rustling outside the tent… Marcus decided to get up and peep through the netting of the tent, there scrounging in the darkness for our scraps was a Jackal, crushing the bones we had left outside! We realised that there were a few of them around our tent, it was quite an experience knowing what lurked a few centimetres away from us, at one point I could have sworn It was trying to sniff my toes! You can bet my toes didn’t go anywhere near the edge of the tent for the rest of the night!

We had a lazy start to the day and ended up being the last ones out of the camp. We had no where to rush to. We had initially planned to camp that night at De Hoop, but were instead we decided to heed a recommendation to head to Richtersberg although further away, it was certainly more beautiful but either campsite would have been spectacular. Around every corner we were greated by the stark, forlorn landscapes of the Richtersveld. The only life we encountered was a snake slithering across the road… There is a unique kind of beauty to a place like this, in a land where everything wants to kill you…

We started on the Akkedis Pass, which would lead us to “Die Hand Van God”, which really does live up to its name! Onwards we trekked, winding through rocky gorges, hitting long stretches of dried up riverbed which eventually lead us to a little taste of greenery! We would follow this strange green vein to something much more surprising. Seemingly out of nowhere appeared a strange juxtaposition of green, shimmering water, and white beach sand. It was so incredibly exciting to see this much water after hours of driving through nothing but dust and sand. We struggled to find the road through De Hoop, but eventually stumbled upon a tight twist of a path through some rugged rocks and made our way onwards. I decided it would probably be in our best interests to deflate the tyres a bit extra, after seeing the beach sand I assumed we would encounter more of it soon. I wouldn’t say the drive is very challenging in the Richtersveld, but it definitely is easy to get too over-confident and the possibility of making a big mistake and really damaging your vehicle is high, so I think the discipline of keep it slow and steady will pay off greatly, changing a tyre in the peak heat of the day would be backbreaking stuff.

Arriving in Richtersberg after feeling very lost a few times was a happy blessing. We arrived to a beautiful stretch of river bank that we would call our home for the next day, we managed to get the only shady spot around and decided to not set up our tent right away, but rather make use of the beautiful Orange river right in front of us! I decided to pull out the National Luna fridge I had been loaned for the trip and get some photographs of it. Marcus decided to try and create a make shift fly fishing rod, we werent too sure on the legality of fishing there or not, but he was quite confident he wouldn’t actually catch anything, but would rather have the experience than not!Our afternoon faded away slowly, Marcus decided we would set up the tent and then try and get a bit of a dip in the Orange River to cool down. Admittedly, I didn’t get that far in… I couldn’t shake the feeling of crabs snapping at my ankles and decided that cutting my foot on a rock wasn’t worth the benefits of cooling down. I joked with Marcus, mentioning how I am a lover of land and stability, hence I drive a 4×4, water is far from my interests, He on the other hand is a keen fisherman and lover of all things water, so he had a great time in the river!

We would have an incredible night, cooking mielies and wors over the open flame all whilst the moonset over the river, and the stars began to appear in the night sky. We had a magical sight as we noticed little lights flying over the river, the penny dropped, and we realised that they were fire-flies! I had never in my life seen fire-flies, we had one or two land in our campsite, emitting a faint glow in the floor, but every now and then one would fly up and dart across the river in an awesome display! I would spend the next few hours photographing the milkyway and capturing the beauty of the clear night sky.

The following day we were sad to leave Richtersberg, but we had been reinvigorated by the water and were ready to brave the barren lands again! Our destination today would be the Kokerboomkloof campsite, where we were hope to be the only living things around. The drive to get to Kokerboomkloof would show us the real heart of the Richtersveld, we would drive through sandy riverbeds once more, then on to the wide open stretches of flat land as far as your eyes can see.. All the while in the distance the ever looming Tatasberg grew bolder on the horizon with each passing kilometre. The road came to a split, we decided to see how close we could get up to the Tatasberg. It turns out you can drive right up to it, there is also a little sneaky path further down the side of the mountain, where there is an incredible viewpoint… It was really starting to feel like we were in the middle of nowhere now. We had not seen other humans for hours, actually we hadn’t seen any life.

We held thumbs that this solitude would remain, we just wanted to have that feeling sitting at the campfire being the only ones looking up at the stars, the only ones resting in the absolute silence. The noise of everyday life had lingered for too long, and an escape was essential. To really let your mind settle for just one moment, not having to listen to the worlds problems for just one evening, just to allow the astonishing world around us be the centre of everything. Standing amongst the kokerbooms, with flies harassing us constantly… It just all felt so right.

The stars would put on an incredible show for us that night, with stars falling from the sky every few seconds, dashing across the sky and quickly fading to nothingness. Kokerboomkloof is one of those places that leaves a lasting imprint on your soul. Richtersberg was beautiful too, but this was just something else..

The sunrise the next morning would leave a lasting impression on my mind… The sun peaking over the mountains and lighting rays of haze over the valley of Kokerbooms, we couldn’t ask for a better goodbye! It was a strange drive out of the park… I know we had to go and I was ready to leave, but it also all felt so unfinished… Like the Richtersveld had more to show me, more to teach me. I will have to go back and finish what I started, the next time however I will be crossing that Orange River and pushing my boundary into Namibia, to see a world that promises so much to so many…

We met up with the dreaded Helshoogte again… It would be the route that would leave an almost sour taste in our mouths, it had these horrible “Speed bump” or whatever the actually purpose of these bumps was, there was probably one every 15 meters, they were more disruptive to the vehicle and driving than the actual rocks on the trail… Let’s just say we were glad when it was over and were looking forward to finding some tar!

This would be the last we would see of the Richtersveld, and it has definitely earned its position as one of my favourite places to go! You will see me again soon Richtersveld!

#TheRichtersveld #Northerncape #SouthAfrica #Amarok #Overlanding #Travel #Roadtrip #VisitSouthAfrica #Richtersveld #Staryskies

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This was a test.. to see if a trail could be squeezed into a drive down to family for the Easter Holidays. Instead of swarming down with the masses, I decided to take the long way around, and split it into a two-day drive. I found that besides being able to add a special experience onto the drive, it splits it up into two much more enjoyable trips, especially as a solo driver. A 12-hour drive can just be plain dangerous sometimes.

I was heading to Port Elizabeth, and a few of my bucket-list trails on in the Eastern Cape, so I really wanted to find a way to sneak away and see them. My passenger on this trip was Shandelle’s brother, Kyle. It was his first time doing anything like this and I think it will be a lasting memory for him. I did however forget to pack his mattress, so I’m hoping his memories won’t just be from the horrible nights sleep he had!

Our Journey may have begun in Joburg, but the adventure began in Barkley East. Between Barkley East and Elliot, in the Eastern Cape; Is a dirt road that leads to another dirt road, that leads to one of the most impressive places I’ve been to… The Baster Voetpad Pass. The surrounding area was already incredibly scenic, lush green grassed mountains, littered with trees on the cusp of changing for autumn. With the rain over the past 2 weeks, the little waterfalls were cascading down the mountains, it was already quite impressive. What lay in wait, was going to make that seem average.

It was late afternoon and our drive had now begun for real. With golden light on our backs we bumbled forth! The road was quite bumpy; medium sized rocks dominated the trail, nothing serious but we had to take it slow and steady as to not make silly mistakes. The path had small waterfalls careening downhill over the rocks, we were lucky it hadn’t rained that day otherwise it would have been rather treacherous. We continued to climb, the gradient becoming steeper as we nearest the peak. There is always a building anticipation for getting to the top!

There I was chatting away, paying attention to the rocks up ahead had stolen my attention from the scenery. Kyle stopped me and gestured towards the left window. There it was… The view I had been hunting, I saw a clip on a 4×4 show once, and since that moment I have been trying to find that magical view, and now here it was right in front of me. It’s always a special moment when a dream becomes a reality, no matter how big or small.

We were up so high and so far away from anything that I made the decision we would camp in the outcropping on the top of the mountain. I was going to savour every moment of this view. That night, we didn’t have a luxury meal by any measure… It was 2 minute noodles, but I had not prepared for something this epic, I didn’t even bring my fridge along. This was just supposed to be a quick detour. Our meal may have been lacking, but the view from our chairs while we ate was incredible. I spent all evening taking photographs of the vehicle, some products for a couple of clients and obviously I had to get some timelapse footage just to really show people how incredible this place was. I still fear all of this cant truly relay the majesty of an experience like this.

As the sun set behind us, the land before us was slowly blanketed in shadow, with nothing remaining but crimson peaks, eventually fading into darkness.. The wind picked up and brought with it a memorable chill, that I hadn’t felt since winter last year.

I decided to wake up while it was still dark, I wanted to get some photographs of the night sky but unfortunately the moon only set at 4am, so I had to get up super early! The next step was to capture the sunrise before we had to head out and complete the trail and make our way to PE. I had almost forgotten about the destination, I was enjoying the journey too much!

After all of my photography admin was done, it was time to continue our adventure into what was supposedly the more intense part of the trail. I won’t lie, there were some pretty hairy moments. Yet there were few things that could beat driving through that pass, with the early morning light still catching the dew on the grass. It had its moments where I couldn’t see the trail because of the light blinding me, but regardless of that it was still breath taking.

We would descend around 500 meters over the next hour. The road twisting down and around the mountain, past a few rather difficult to access farms. The scenery of the landscapes reminded me a lot of the Mountains near the Matebeng Pass in Lesotho, yet this seemed to change every few kilometres. We followed mountains, into valleys, across rivers, through pine forests, and finally ended up in flat peaceful farmland. By the time we had made it through valley section of the trail, we had crossed about 4 rivers, and had a long dog leg bend that was just a big churned up mud pit. My gut sank, but I just dropped into low range, popped on the difflock and we yumped through the pit and emerged victorious on the other side! I didn’t bring any shovels or recovery tracks with me, as I wasn’t anticipating this type of terrain! So getting stuck would have meant a lot of digging for Kyle!

We reached a gate, I think this marked the end of the trail. Once we got onto the well graded sections of the pine forests, we got to get out of low range and just enjoy the view as we cruised through the forests and the farms, joining the main road again to continue our trip to Port Elizabeth, hungry and in search of a real breakfast!

Thanks for taking the time to join me on my journey! If you would like to see more behind the scenes and know when and where I am going next, follow me on Instagram! Click Here To Follow ROAM Overlanding

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The post Baster Voetpad: Above the Eastern Cape Highlands first appeared on ROAM Overlanding.