Innehållsförteckning för May 2015 från Go! Drive & Camp

There we were, four women sitting on a wall of a dilapidated building in the town Chicualacuala, about 2km from the Chicualacuala/Sango border posts between Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Around us, children were playing and the crowd of curious onlookers grew. And then a child produced a soccer ball and everyone lost interest in us. We were sitting in the shade while one of the vehicles in our convoy, a brand-new automatic 4x4, was being repaired after oil had started to leak out of a hole caused by a rock. We entered Mozambique that morning just after 8am via Pafuri Border Post and our convoy of four vehicles soon stopped to deflate the tyres. We were in great spirits. Sand and more sand, river crossings and the great Limpopo River were…

Festivities in Limpopo The Limpopo Windpompfees takes place in Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) from 30 April to 2 May 2015. There will be performers, veteran cars, and 4x4 and mountain bike challenges. A ticket for the weekend costs R220. Visit www.windpompfees.co.za for more information. Outdoor show at Kyalami The Gauteng Eco Adventure & Travel Outdoor Expo takes place from Friday, 29 May to Sunday, 31 May 2015 at the Waterfall Polo Estate in Kyalami, Johannesburg. Exhibitions by outdoor and 4x4 companies, talks by conservationists, entertainment for children and lots of food will are on the programme. Tickets cost R70 per adult and R40 for a pensioner or a student, and entrance is free for children under 16. Visit www.gauteng.outdoorexpo.co.za to find out more. Send details of 4x4 events and other news to…

I recently had a conversation with a customer and realised there’s an important issue around up-rated suspension kits that many people are not aware of. When you fit new steel springs to increase your vehicle’s ride height, it’s quite likely the springs will settle over time. After a couple of months, your two-inch suspension lift could end up being only about a one-inch lift. Before you complain, read on. After the manufacturing process, a steel spring experiences something called molecular relaxation. Basically, it means the molecules are still settling after being bunched together to form the spring. Manufacturers employ certain techniques to reduce the amount of settling, including shot peening and pre-setting. Shot peening is the practice of blasting the spring surface with tiny balls, which causes minute indentations, relieving…

André Janse van Vuuren 2.7 Toyota Hilux 4x4 (2001) What’s the odometer reading? And how many of those were racked up off-road? It has 344 905 km on the clock, of which I’d say about 40000 are off-road kilometres. Why a Hilux? It is reliable. I don’t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with car trouble. How many owners? I’m the second one. How much did it cost? I paid R215100 in 2002. Yes, 13 years ago! Where has it taken you? We’ve covered large parts of the Western Cape and Namaqualand. We’ve also been all over Namibia – places like Windhoek, Okahandja, Swakopmund and Henties Bay. And you’ll find our tracks in the Namib dunes and the Khomas Hochland. We’ve also been all over Botswana –…

Power Hunt 12 V travel appliances Who needs a power inverter? You might have heard the familiar ping of a microwave oven at a bush camp and assumed its owner has a power inverter. These appliances from Power Hunt make it easier for any camper to heat cold braaivleis, make flapjacks for breakfast and brew good coffee without an inverter. The Power Hunt microwave oven, griddle and coffee machine run on a 12V battery – all you need is a Power Hunt power port to connect them to the battery. The microwave is a 660W model, which means it won’t be much slower than your home appliance. It draws only 55Ah (ampere-hour), and it’s not as if you’re going to use it for hours so your auxiliary battery would be…

Name: Adriaan de Meyer Home town: Pretoria Occupation: Part-time property manager Favourite places: De Wildt 4x4 and Groenkloof Nature Reserve Where to next? Mozambique Dull and boring weekends had been getting the best of me. Let’s face it, you can only do so much hiking and mountain biking before it gets tedious. Something exciting was missing. After much pondering the issue, my friend Francois Grobler and I finally managed to place our finger on the solution one night when a television advert for the latest Ford Ranger came on. Excited, we started comparing 4x4 vehicles in that class.We spoke to everyone we knew who had any knowledge of 4x4s, and a couple of test drives later we were both hooked.We decided the Ford Ranger 3.2 diesel was the right vehicle…

AVOID THE HIGHWAYS Road-tripping South Africa MapStudio, R295 from www.mapstudio.co.za Veteran travellers would tell you the trip is often just as much part of the experience as the destination. Road-tripping South Africa offers a collection of route ideas for memorable trips. It contains 20 scenic, interesting routes, many of them along roads that are not tarred. Experienced travel writers like Fiona McIntosh, Shaen Adey and Matthew Holt did the travelling and the writing. The guide starts with an alternative route between Johannesburg and Cape Town that takes you through Clarens, Graaff-Reinet, Sutherland and Stellenbosch via tar and gravel roads. Another route between Gauteng and the Western Cape takes you through Northern Cape towns such as Riemvasmaak, Keimoes and Pofadder. There are well-known routes, like Route 62, with a…

Dolf Els Southern Ethiopia, p 44 Dolf explored places in the Ethiopian Rift Valley that are far from the regular tourist routes. Why this part of Africa? For me, the Great Rift Valley has always conjured up images of a beautiful, mysterious valley where tribes live who practise age-old customs. I wanted to see if it were true. And it is. High- and lowlights of the trip? Visiting tribal communities in the secluded Omo and Mago national parks was the highlight; centuries-old traditions are still being observed there. It’s just a pity that nearly everyone wants money for having their photograph taken. And then they pose for the camera, which makes it difficult to get spontaneous photos. Would you do things differently on a second visit? I’d like to…

KAMPVUUR FORUM Willie (Leeutemmer) asked on the Kampvuur forum what you should do if you get stuck in sand and there isn’t a tree nearby to which you can secure a winch cable. Other forum members responded with wisecracks and some practical advice. Tertius: Use your wife as an anchor point. Only joking! Use your spare wheel. Bury it as deep as you can under the sand (horizontally). The deeper the better, and hope for the best. Dries de Kock: Look down. There, next to the gear lever, is a button, and next to the button it should say 4x4. Switch it to 4x4... Enjoy your trip in the desert in the 4x4. Ben de Klerk: Just remember to dig the spare wheel out of the sand when you’re done.…

The number of entries will be limited to 120 this year, but anyone is welcome to join the participants in Vosburg as a spectator. Every team that enters has to have a vehicle that can reach Vosburg under its own steam (or try to, at least). The total value of the car, including the purchase price, repairs and modifications, may not exceed R20000. The vehicle has to be 30 years or older, in other words, a 1985 model at least. We’re giving preference to sedans, but exceptions will be made. The team members and the vehicle have to be dressed up and decorated according to a theme; this will earn the team points. The event will be held in Vosburg from Thursday, 1 October to Sunday, 4 October 2015. Visit…

“I made a fishing rod holder that I clamp onto my bakkie’s bull bar with a bolt clamp. This way, I can adjust the angle of the rod to the most convenient position, for instance while I wait for the fish to bite or when I transport the rod. “I designed it to be easily customised to take two or more rods. On the mounting I attach a 400mm-long 50mm PVC pipe with two cable ties. The fishing rod fits neatly in the pipe. “If I want to take more than one rod, I simply use a PVC adapter with two or three lengths of pipe that I also fasten with cable ties.”…

It all started in 2005 with a ban on beach driving. Marthinus van Schalkwyk, then Minister of Tourism, banished 4x4s from South Africa’s beaches, saying they had a negative environmental impact on coastal ecosystems. Soon after, the minister trained his focus on inland 4x4 driving; he said owners and users of inland 4x4 trails needed to regulate their activities better, as some irresponsible 4x4 practices were damaging sensitive sections of the country’s inland ecosystems, too. The minister called for the regulation of drivers, a grading system for 4x4 trails and sensitive areas, and the creation of a representative industry body. In short, he wanted the off-roading industry to regulate off-road driving and drivers. If the industry could not come up with a plan within six months, he said, government would…

The roads: From Addis Ababa, there are good tar roads to near Omo National Park and up the Guge Mountains to the Dorze villages. We chose to drive back roads, ranging from good dirt roads to tracks. The dirt road through Omo was being upgraded. We encountered bad erosion deep in the south (it was the rainy season). Vehicle. If you drive back roads, it’s better to rent a 4x4 vehicle, although you should be fine in a 4x2 in most places. Foreigners may only rent a 4x4 with a driver/guide. A number of companies offer this service. Our arrangements were made through Live the Journey in Wellington ( 021 869 1100; www.live thejourney.co.za), which uses Greenland Tours in Ethiopia. Greenland has three lodges in the south as well as…

Best time to go: In the dry season, from June to late October. Road conditions: The roads are mostly not in the best condition, though usually significantly better around big towns or cities. You’ll encounter potholes in tarred roads and roadworks on many of the major roads (including sections of the Great North Road and the Great East Road). Fuel: Always have a range of at least 1 000 km, as fuel may not be available in the remote parts. Many filling stations accept only cash. Air: A compressor is a must. Tyre pressure has to be adjusted frequently and filling stations don’t always have a compressor. Food and water: Most major towns have a Shoprite supermarket, and in Lusaka and cities like Ndola and Kitwe you’ll find a Pick…

Making a camp fire is an integral part of the 4x4 travel lifestyle, which is why you need a fire extinguisher in your vehicle and close at hand at your camp site. We trawled outdoor shops and suppliers for portable dry chemical powder fire extinguishers and looked into how they work, which is the right one for a particular type of fire and how to maintain your extinguisher. Read on – it could save your life or your vehicle. NOT ALL FIRES ARE CREATED EQUAL Fires are classified by the types of combustible they burn into Class A, B or C, and each type of fire should be extinguished in a specific way. Class A fire – when wood or any other solid like paper, tent canvas or a sleeping…

WHY SHOULD I GO? The trail’s combination of river crossings, sharp ascents and descents, and beautiful scenery makes it a must-do. ON THE TRAIL Trail distance: 8 km (1 – 2 hours). Maximum number of vehicles: No limit. Do I get a map? No, but you won’t need one. Will my car get scratched? It’s unlikely. Should I remove my running boards? It’s advisable, yes. Should I take a compressor? You’ll need to deflate your tyres for the trail, but there’s a service station 5km from Bergwoning that has a compressor. Can we have a braai along the trail? No, but you can enjoy a picnic. Can I turn around halfway? Yes, you can turn around at any point. Will I see any wildlife? The farm has lots of eland.…

Just thinking about a succulent piece of braaied boerewors makes my mouth water. The problem is that it’s not easy to find excellent quality wors in a supermarket. I often wonder why it’s virtually impossible to get the same quality wors today that we used to buy at Morris’s, a butchery in Long Street, Cape Town. I’m even sceptical about the wors marketed as championship boerewors. Fact is, if you want good wors you have to make it yourself.Yet the perfect wors recipe doesn’t just fall in your lap; you have to experiment with the meat and spice combinations. Making wors is not complicated. Like any good meat dish, it consists of a balanced combination of quality meat and the right spices. Not everyone has a meat mincer and the…

MABUA’S LIONS ARE GETTING TAME I’ve been visiting Mabuasehube for a number of years, between six and eight times per year. It is distressing to see how the influx of people, especially those who don’t know how to behave themselves in the wild, has had an impact on this special place and its wildlife. There are unfortunately many visitors to this reserve who don’t abide by the park regulations, not to mention good 4x4 and bush etiquette. I regularly come across visitors who disregard no-entry signs, sit on the roof of a moving vehicle, drive around during the night with spotlights, gather firewood, broadcast animal calls with large loudspeakers, and put out water and even meat at a camp site to lure animals. At one of the well-known camps, someone…

Ashley Leach January to December. Martin Boshoff Definitely in winter. Jannie Botha February and March… when those small yellow flowers bloom, especially after a few drops of rain. Eugene Marais Keep in mind I camp in a tent. It would probably be a little cold in winter. Magriet Burger We’ve often camped in the Kgalagadi in May. It’s not too hot and not too cold. Naomi le Roux July to August the weather is just right: hot during the day and cold at night.…

Imagine you’re 300km from the nearest medical facility and a number of people in your group get food poisoning. Not a pleasant prospect, eh? Let’s take a closer look at the causes, how to prevent it and what to do if it happens. What causes it? Food poisoning is most often caused by bacteria from food that has been poorly handled, stored or cooked. Symptoms include nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, fever and headaches, and they could vary from mild to severe. Some people are more at risk than others – such as young children and the elderly. Bacteria are everywhere – in the soil, on animals, on people and on the things people touch and use – but they are mostly harmless. Some bacteria, however, cause food-borne illness, and it…

Best time of year? Rain or snow makes most of the passes impassable to vehicles. It was middle February when we were there, and we were lucky to have perfect weather. Spring and autumn are the best seasons. Condition of the roads? The route is 95 % dirt road, and most of the roads are seldom graded; they’re often in a poor condition. Give yourself much more time than expected so you don’t have to rush. Do I need a 4x4? You will struggle or damage your vehicle if you try to drive the Bastervoetpad and Volunteershoek in a 4x2. And if it’s just a little wet on either of these two passes you won’t make it. You can drive the other passes in a 4x2 with high ground clearance,…

Villiers says: Dirk’s camera may not be a fancy one, but he took a really good photo with it. The term “picture bridge” is apt. In photographic language, a bridge like this forms a natural frame (even though it is man-made) – it is something in the landscape that you can use to frame your image even before you press the shutter button. I’m happy Dirk finally got the opportunity to stop and take this photo, and that he shared it on the Kampvuur forum. Broaden your outlook It’s not always easy to spot a natural frame for your photo. Dirk’s photo is actually out of the ordinary, because you seldom find such a perfect frame in nature. The challenge to find such a frame is to look wider than…