Innehållsförteckning för September 2017 från Go! Drive & Camp

Our first campfire cookbook, Gooi Kole, is available on shelf from this month. We’ve compiled a selection of some of the best recipes our foodies have made for us over the years. Keep Gooi Kole in your camping vehicle or 4x4 for some great new ideas for tasty camp food. It’s never nice to say goodbye. But for me the time has come. I’m saying goodbye to Cape Town and the magazine world and returning to Bloemfontein and the radio world. (I remain a camper, though.) My two years and a few months at WegSleep and the last two months at go! Drive & Camp were a privilege and an honour. And it was fun, thank you very much. The magazine is…

Our Facebook friends share their advice for those pesky visitors in the campsite. JJ van Rooyen Use a slingshot. You shoot only once, and when they see it again, they quickly disappear. A big problem is campers who feed the animals. It makes them come back because they think everyone likes them. Belinda Bekker Lang We went camping recently and were surrounded by them. The management tried to scare them away with rubbers snakes, but with debatable success. As those in front ran away, the ones in the back just took their place. It was actually kind of funny. Jaline Versfeld The problem isn’t with the people who feed them. The problem is they know that where there are people, there’s food. And they’re not afraid of people anymore and…

Drive to Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s biggest city is very accessible if you’re travelling from South Africa – it’s tar roads all the way. A trip there and back is one of the best self-drive tours you can do in Africa. Visit reserves like Ruaha and Mikumi along the way and take the ferry to see Zanzibar for a few days! See Kilimanjaro. No, you don’t have to climb it, but you should go and gaze at it. Africa’s highest mountain is in northern Tanzania. Along the way you can visit national parks like Mkomazi, Arusha and Tarangire. Go wild in Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Two of Africa’s most famous wilderness areas, and they’re right next to each other! Lions, leopards and cheetahs galore, wildebeest in their thousands, a classic…

The Eastern Free State and Lesotho have great dirt roads and mountain trails, but don’t just take any road and expect to come out unscathed on the other side. Just ask Herman Tolken and Andrew van Wyk from Vredendal in the Western Cape, and Waltie and Trichia van der Walt from Mokopane in Limpopo. Their “quick afternoon drive” outside Clarens turned into a long, cold night in the mountains. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the Van der Walts also had trouble with their vehicle, right there in the middle of nowhere. At least the group could support each other, and luckily for them the farmer couple Bees and Amanda van Blerk rushed into the mountains with their Isuzu KB 300 single cab to help. Beautiful, but... “You could say…

Multi-tools are nothing new. In fact, it dates back to the Roman Empire, when Caesar’s men were equipped with something that is reminiscent of a Swiss Army knife. They used it as cutlery, but the fork, spoon, knife and toothpick folded out just like that famous red knife’s blades and tools. When companies like Leatherman started adding pliers and a screw driver to the design, things changed, and this product became so popular it seems these days you should rather judge someone by his multi-tool than by the way he dresses. LEATHERMAN SIGNAL Big boy The one thing that makes the Leatherman Signal different from all the other models, is the built-in diamond-coated blade sharpener. It also has an emergency whistle and a ferrocerium rod to help you get your…

FISH FACTS How do fish drink? Because fish live in the water, most people think they also drink that water. But you’ll be surprised: It’s true in some cases, but definitely not in all. People drink fresh water, but you can die of thirst next to the sea because the salt in the water will dehydrate you. It works a bit differently with fish: Fish in the sea drink the water, but fish in fresh water do not. Freshwater fish take water in through their mouth and it runs out through their gills. The water is absorbed into the fish’s bloodstream via the gills through a process called osmosis. That’s because the fresh water contains a lower concentration of dissolvable substances (like salts and sugars) than in the fish’s body.…

Kgalagadi is the spot (even for toddlers) We recently returned from a lovely break in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Truth be told, we’re still busy ridding our car and shoes of all the dirt. We would like to give SANParks a well-deserved compliment. We are still new to camping, and our children Rigardt and Marizaan Barnard, and granddaughter Elma-Louise (22 months), travelled with us. We booked a year ago to ensure a spot, because the Kgalagadi is very popular. If you snooze, you lose. We stayed at all three camps – Twee Rivieren, Mata-Mata en Nossob – and were impressed with their bathrooms. There are bath facilities for babies and smaller children at all three of them. It means a lot if, like us, you have a grandchild that isn’t…

“What I find frustrating are the different levels of standard equipment across the range-topping double-cab offerings from the leading brands in this segment.” The United States Declaration of Independence contains the phrase: “All men are created equal”. In that context it certainly rings true. The same can, however, not be said about our beloved double cab bakkies. A glimpse at new vehicle sales will confirm that the double cab bakkie is immensely popular – and for good reason. Versatility is close to the top of the list. I too have now come to terms with the fact that for my next company vehicle, due in October, I’m going to forego a wagon in favour of a double cab. Which one? That’s the big question. The first requirement would be diesel…

The Bouwers family’s motorhomes and off-road camping vehicles need no introduction. Bobo Campers, with Tim Bouwers at the helm, is Africa’s largest motorhome and off-road camping vehicle rental company, supplying to local and international campers who want to explore South Africa. After a few years’ use, their fleet vehicles are made available to campers looking to buy a secondhand camping trailer or vehicle, and if you’re in the market for a new motor-home, off-road motorhome, or off-road camping trailer, head to Motorhome-World, where Dennis Bouwers runs operations. Motorhome-World builds motorhomes and off-road camping vehicles for anything from two to six people for Bobo and the camping market. We camped at three places with the Discoverer 6 motor-home – with space for, yes, six. You won’t be able to drive technical…

Tussen-I-Bome (meaning “among the trees”) is known for its ox-wagon accommodations. But for those who’d rather pitch a tent, co-owner Gerhard van Jaarsveld suggests the 12 caravan stands. Tussen-I-Bome lies just outside of Pretoria, 25 km along on the Moloto Road (R573) just after the Hammanskraal turnoff. After a further 2 km dirt road, it lies next to the road to the left. Where did you hear about Tussen-I-Bome? “Our kids, Marné (10) and Minette (8), visited the area while on a Voortrekker camp. Easter weekend was around the corner, and after their camp we decided to look for a campsite in the same area for the long weekend. Many of the resorts are busy during these times. We preferred to get away from the bustle. I phoned ahead to…

This is a story you’ve heard many times but never seen. Until recently I’ve also only heard about it, but now I can say I’ve experienced it too. Not too long ago we were in the Kgalagadi. Every morning starts with proper filter coffee from the plunger. The first few mornings everything is hunky-dory, but then the plunger’s shaft breaks off right at the strainer. Graham Jones, who was travelling with us, says he has two spare batteries in his vehicle and that we should use these to weld the shaft to the strainer. As they say, no harm in trying. We’re still in the bush for another week and we don’t want to go without our morning coffee. We connect the batteries with the jumper cables, press the one…

“For successful camping timeshare or camping points we’ll have to go about it differently and not make the same mistakes as the fixed-accommodation industry.” At many sales events for timeshare units or clubs that hawk holiday points, a pretty picture is painted for you. It’s mostly exaggerated promises of all the choices of break-away spots for you and your family. All too often they fail to mention the hidden administration costs, excessive fee increases, and fine print making it almost impossible for you as buyer to back out if you want to. And very often this “amazing exclusive offer” that the sly salesman tells you about turns out to be anything but. Take for example the sales trick for accommodation in a sought-after seafront hotel in one of our popular…

The first two models of the new Everest were both given the 3.2 litre turbodiesel engine, and with a vehicle on the tow bar it’s pure towing pleasure. Now, a year or so later, Ford has expanded the range to eight models, but stuck with the diesel engines. Another 3.2 litre model was added, as well as five 2.2 litre models. But even though some of the newer models have the smaller engine, Ford didn’t lose the towing ability. You can still hitch up to 3 t with a nose weight of up to 300 kg. Out of sight The ball side of the tow bar is detachable. It is a solid piece of square steel that fits into the square tube in the fixed part of the tow bar. A…

You don’t really think of Swellendam as the centre of the camping world – and that’s understandable. Because this town lies halfway between Cape Town and George – on the N2 it’s a two-hour drive from both sides – people from the Mother City shoot through to places like Mossel Bay or the Garden Route. The highway also doesn’t run through the town, but to the right of it. It’s on this stretch of road where you should ease your foot off the accelerator because you often see speed cops at the side of the road – sometimes with a camera and other times to send trucks to the nearby weighbridge. Close to this weighbridge you drive over the Breede River, and as soon as you’ve crossed it you see…

LEG OF PORK SOUVLAKI Sticky situation Cut pork leg chops into blocks and make this tasty souvlaki. It’s a much more economical cut than fillet. Ingredients (enough for 4) 500 g pork leg chop blocks salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 2 green peppers 2–3 baby marrows 1 eggplant 1 cup cherry tomatoes ¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup olive oil 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 1 tablespoon each fresh oreganum, dill and rosemary 4 cloves garlic, crushed 125 g feta cheese pita breads tzatziki or Greek yoghurt Here’s how 1 Cut the meat in evenly sized blocks of about 2 x 2 cm, season with salt and pepper, and put in a Ziploc bag. Cut the green peppers, baby marrows and eggplant in evenly sized…

The adventure Our route takes us from Katima Mulilo in Namibia, where we catch our first glimpse of the mighty Zambezi, and back again. Following the course of the Zambezi past the Sioma Falls, we cross the Barotse Floodplains and on through the town of Kalabo. From Kalabo, we enter the Liuwa Plains National Park where we will encounter the second biggest wildebeest migration in Africa. The team Your tour leader is an experienced nature conservationist and adventure guide. He will be in radio contact with you at all times. Three meals a day will be prepared by our bush chef. The coffee pot will brew on the fire from six till late. Our logistics crew will pitch and take down the camps at all the overnight stops we visit.…