Innehållsförteckning för November 2019 från Go! Drive & Camp

Piet Boshoff It took me 27 hours to cross into Egypt from Sudan. First, the authorities did not want to accept the Carnet  de Passages en Douane (document for international customs and temporary export and import). I slept in my rooftop tent and they helped me the next day. But it took two weeks to leave Egypt at Alexandria. I only found out on the final day what the problem was. This border post’s paperwork and our vehicle’s Egyptian license plates didn’t match. But we didn’t realise it because everything was in Arabic. Cedric Pieterse I’ve been through Lesotho, eSwatini, Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana,  Namibia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia, and have seen many creative methods employed by authorities to relieve you of…

This year’s Hankook Land Cruiser Festival and Africa Record was held from 6 to 8 September at the Sondela Nature Reserve and Spa outside Bela-Bela. Cruiser fans didn’t manage to break their previous convoy record of 413 participating vehicles (2018), but they did set a new record for the most static Land Cruisers: a total of 523 of them parked so as to spell the name “Land Cruiser”. This is 32 more vehicles than last year’s 491. Several trophies were awarded, including the one for the oldest Land Cruiser on show, won by N1 4x4 with their 1959 model FJ25. Johnny Tromp’s LC79 got the award for the highest odometer reading (1 200 000 km), Kerneels van Rensburg for the best equipped Cruiser (also an LC79), and the prize for…

Infanta, the manufacturer known for its Enkulu off-road caravans, has just announced that it will be exporting its caravans – and from early next year will also be importing caravans from American caravan manufacturer Black Series. According to Jurie Swart, Infanta’s manager, the Enkulu 1 and 2 will be exported to America, while the Black Series C12 and C15 model will complement their own series. These two models – the C is short for Classic – show remarkable similarities to Infanta’s own products. For example, the Enkulu’s bed slides out of one side panel, while the entire rear of the C12 and C15 slides out as a bed. The C12 is 4,9 m long and the C15 a full 6,1 m, while the tare weight is 1,5 t and 1,.9…

Swedish carmaker Volvo will soon build its first fully electric XC40 – barely a year after its first hybrid XC40. “Regardless of what kind of power source drives the car, whether it is electricity or fuel, a Volvo must be safe,” says Malin Ekholm, head of safety. “The electric XC40 will be one of the safest cars we’ve built to date.” To prevent an XC40’s battery from bursting into flames when in a collision, Volvo has wrapped the battery in a special aluminium frame protected by crumple zones. The battery is also placed as low as possible to avoid damage – a further benefit of this is that the electric XC40’s centre of gravity is lower than that of its internal combustion versions. The electric XC40 is not only mechanically…

Next to the N2, about four hours out of Cape Town, is a blue dinghy with plastic sails and the name Stilbaai printed in bold letters on an arch above it. It’s on the righthand side of the road where you’d turn off onto the R305. Folks heading to Hartenbos, Knysna or Plettenberg Bay probably don’t pay much attention to this T-junction, but if you step on the brake pedal and take the turn, the road takes you to one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country. Just like the people who travel to Stilbaai year after year, it is one of those places where everyone is satisfied and happy. If you like making new acquaintances and socialising with a large group of people, you need to come…

This five-day itinerary begins in the Mozambican capital, Maputo. The first leg is 70 km long and should take about three hours. This gives you a chance to spend some time in the city first before you lower the tyre pressure to tackle the 4x4 section. Attractions such as Maputo’s old fort (Fortaleza da Nossa Senhora de Conceicao) at the bottom of Samora Machel Drive are interesting, as is the train terminal next to the Workers’ Square (Praça dos Trabalhadores) with its enormous sculpture of a woman to commemorate the first World War. If arts and culture aren’t your thing, visit the seafood market (Marcado de Peixe) in Marginal Drive. Leave your vehicle across the road in the Parque Marginal restaurant’s parking lot (S25.93369 E32.62900) where a guard will keep…

You’ve barely left Caledon, where you just stocked up on supplies, on the windy R316, when the intersection with the R326 comes up 20 minutes later and you prepare to turn off. Vloedbos is marked just 2 km farther on, so keep your eyes peeled for the sign. The gravel road as you get off the R326 gets a little rough in sections, but it’s nothing that a regular family sedan towing a road caravan can’t handle. You turn right into a little gate, wondering just where the road is taking you when the long final left-hander slowly reveals what appears to be an oasis in this bright yellow valley – the campsite is surrounded by hills covered in pretty canola fields. You park to the side of the road…

Before the American inventor Daniel Halladay invented the self-regulating windpump in 1854, the only humans to enter the Great Karoo were hunters tracking migrating game. It’s a harsh world where no farm animal or shepherd can survive without assistance, and therefore, until the advent of the windpump, it was largely unpopulated. The Tankwa Karoo National Park, however, lies in a more moderate part of the Great Karoo that welcomed its first permanent residents, the Khoisan, 10 000 years ago. The park itself was established in 1986 and is named after the Tankwa River that winds through it. The park originally covered 27 000 ha, but over the years, as SANParks bought up old Karoo farms, it has grown to more than 146 000 ha. Within the park, there are three…

“If you’re a nature lover, you’ll enjoy yourself at Balie’s Gat near Ceres, because it’s a real break from the daily grind in that there’s no electricity and also no cellphone reception. All you have is the sun (remember to pack your factor 40 sunscreen), the stars at night, the quiet and the peacefulness. I’m well acquainted with the campsite, having camped there on previous occasions, and I’m also part of a group of like-minded hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. HOW DO YOU GET THERE? A single jeep track provides access to the Balie’s Gat campsite. Past the first hairpin, the road winds downhill to the bottom of the valley. You will need a vehicle with good ground clearance, though it doesn’t necessarily have to be a 4x4. In certain sections,…

FISHING RESORT UILENKRAALSMOND CAMPING VILLAGE WITH A FISHING BEACH Uilenkraalsmond is a municipal resort in the Overberg district. Calling it a caravan park is an understatement, it’s like saying your friend’s Exclusive is a nice little trailer. This place is actually a caravan town. “Uilkraal” as it is commonly called, has 110 stands, 564 semi-permanent units and 36 chalets. As you enter the resort, the camping area is on the far left with the Bushmans River passing next to the resort – it runs into the sea half a kilometre on. This section of the river also forms a lagoon in front of the resort and a good 10 of the stands are next to the lagoon. Uilenskraal’s stands differ in size – some have room for a caravan, a…

The Triton double cab bakkie, which finds itself in a highly competitive market, reminds you of the short guy standing in the back row in the class photo. You can barely see him, but there’s no way anyone can miss that distinctive hairstyle. Similarly, the Triton bakkie’s curves are what strikes you first. These are the curves that first made their appearance on the 2005 model, Triton’s fourth generation. All its competitors had more angular lines. Now, with the fifth generation, Mitsubishi seems to have ironed out the Triton’s curves a bit and it also boasts a nose similar to Mitsubishi’s Pajero Sport. The similarities don’t end there, as the new Triton – like its predecessor – has the same engine (a 2,4 ℓ turbodiesel engine) that saw the light…

Off-road trailers are easier to tow than off-road caravans as they’re smaller and lighter. By contrast, an off-road caravan is nicer to camp with than an off-road trailer because you sleep inside it, on a decent bed, rather than on top in a rooftop tent where you have to make do with a wafer thin foam mattress. The Invader Duo blurs these boundaries because you sleep outside the hull in a tent (but on a decent mattress) and yet it has a dining area inside the hull. So you get the best of both worlds, and although it is equal parts off-road trailer and an off-road caravan, it is also pure camping luxury thanks to a host of helpful innovations. Astern At the rear of the Duo is a full-sized…

Land Rover owners regularly get ribbed around the braai fire, on social media and during virtually any off-road event. The fact remains that you will never convince the guys and girls who endure all that teasing that your Land Cruiser or Patrol is superior to their Landy. Nowadays, there is a revival of the first and second generation Land Rover Discovery. Old Discos are bought up, all the shortcomings are investigated and weak components are replaced with better and stronger parts. The reason for this is because old Discos have become dirt cheap and custom parts won’t bankrupt you either. The upgrades don’t take place all at once, but is spread out over a period of time as you raise funds to build your dream rig. The first step, of…

“ I purchased Ant about a year ago after stumbling across an ad by a gentleman from Noordhoek who had started the build but couldn’t complete the remaining 40 % of the job. With my expertise in the caravan industry as the owner of Western Cape Caravans, I decided to take it upon myself to add the finishing touches to the little caravan. It’s difficult to describe the styling of the caravan because it’s so unique and looks a bit like one of those horse-drawn carriages before the dawn of the modern automobile. The main appeal of this caravan is that it looks like a wooden wagon, and that’s because most of its construction includes the use of yellowwood and blackwood. To finish the exterior, I simply varnished it, added…

We’ll be back! I am writing in response to the article on Mozambique in your September 2019 issue. During April 2019, my husband and I had the pleasure of spending the Easter holiday in Mozambique. In a moment of craziness we had purchased the camp holiday at an expo two years prior and had to use the holiday before December 2019. Easter seemed the perfect time and we decided to drive from Cape Town to White Sands, Inhambane. Prior to the roadtrip I was inundated by comments and opinions on how dangerous it is, how we will be robbed blind, how the political climate will affect us, how family members and friends had been affected by corrupt officials in some way or another. It did not help either that there…

Ol’ fish breath He was actually hoping for an illusive leopard, but Ehan Fourie of Barberton didn’t say no to a crocodile with a fish in its mouth. “Because I live so close to the Kruger National Park, I often go there to see if I can shoot something. This scene was at Sunset Dam near Lower Sabie. It was overcast and I saw many cars parked at the dam. I joined them and saw what it was all about: a crocodile out of the water with a catfish between its jaws. The catfish would flop every now and again, but the crocodile eventually got back into the water with the fish in its mouth.” Photography is a lot about capturing everyday occurrences. It documents what’s happening in front of…

The famous Pretorian Elon Musk recently tweeted that his electric bakkie will be ready in November this year. Elon currently lives in the US and is the head of Tesla, Inc. and SpaceX to name but two. His bakkie plans have been known for some time, but he seems to be giving renewed attention to his electric creation after a competitor, Rivian, received an order for 100 000 electric delivery vehicles from Amazon.com. In February this year, we reported on the Rivian R1T bakkie and speculated whether it would become a reality. Rivian’s first working vehicle is just about ready to go and Tesla doesn’t seem to want to be left in their proverbial dust. Tesla has already launched an electric lorry, the Tesla Semi, but transport companies haven’t really…

Okto has introduced a variant of its Cabana model specifically aimed at towing on dirt roads. The Okto Gravellor’s dimensions are identical to the Cabana’s, but is a good 11 cm higher thanks to the reinforced chassis and a 1,8 t axle. The Gravellor’s tyres are 15” instead of 14”, and compared to the other two models, the Cabana and Villa, the GVM has been increased by 200 kg to 1 700 kg. The Gravellor’s tare weight is 95 kg heavier (1 235 kg) than the Cabana but that’s mainly due to additional equipment such as the outdoor shower, gas geyser and built-in 75 ℓ water tank. Replacing screws with bolts and nuts means the cupboard doors are more tightly secured, and on the inside of the door is a…

Invader held its biggest gathering yet: No less than 24 Invader owners camped together in September for a weekend at De Hollandsche Molen near Wemmershoek. The manufacturer teamed up with Tygerberg Caravans to arrange a getaway for a group of just over 60 people. Invader has been around for seven years and today you can choose from three fibreglass models: The Quattro (for four people), Duo and Cheeky (both for couples), with the Duo their most popular offering. Contact 0861 468 2337 invader.co.za…

The owner of a courier service in Oudtshoorn recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of his Isuzu KB bakkie, although the actual milestone is an astounding odometer reading of 1 700 000 kilometres. Gerhard du Toit, 74, regularly travels between Oudtshoorn and George to deliver parcels. His bakkie, which he has named Roadrunner, is stopped and started between 80 and 100 times a day when Gerhard pops into an office building to deliver an important package. Isuzu South Africa confirmed the odometer reading by checking Gerhard’s service record. “That is a given; you do not miss that 10 000km service for anything. Other than the oil and filter changes, wheel alignment and so on, there is never any major problems when I take the bakkie for its service,” says Gerhard. “You…

Of all the big manufacturers who took a bite of the small SUV market pie, Volkswagen has sure been biding its time. The Touareg has long been a fixture in the full-size end (sharing Porsche DNA certainly doesn’t hurt). And look around you in traffic and it’s not difficult to spot a Tiguan somewhere. The case of the T-Cross could almost be likened to the fable of the tortoise and the hare. Not that any of its competitors have the arrogance of the hare and made silly mistakes, but some of the models that were there right at the beginning of the boom have made impressive tracks as far as sales are concerned. But now might be the right time for the T-Cross to shine. The T-Cross uses the VW…

Rough riders 2014 FORD RANGER WILDTRAK 3.2 TDCI 4X4 AND BUSH LAPA BAOBAB “I used to drive a Nissan Murano and towed a Jurgens Fleetline but eventually decided that my wife Jan and I needed a bigger towing combination, dedicated to our many camping and off-road excursions. The Ranger was being used as a demo when I laid eyes on it, but it would have taken too long for a new order to come through. It was the right colour and basically only three months old at the time, and it had all the right options ticked off, so that’s when I purchased it for around R550 000. I looked at the likes of Toyota’s Fortuner and the Land Cruiser, considering aspects like reliability, robustness and the inclusion of a…

Bull bars and steel bumpers form a crucial part of the makeup of vehicles that have been prepared for off-road touring. Apart from them being stronger than standard bumpers, and heavier as a result, there’s also the benefit that they increase the approach and departure angles. They also provide the ideal spot to house the heavy-duty winch that’s going to pull you out of trouble and to perch the spotlights that show you the way when you’re truly in the middle of nowhere and the night sky is pitch-black. SLIM FIT PIAK Bull Bar While some bull bar manufacturers require that the standard vehicle bumper be cut into so the unit can fit, the PIAK line doesn’t need that if it’s specific to the model. The high-strength steel construction and…

Bobo Campers will have a buy-and-sell day on 16 November: motorhome owners can showcase theirs on the Bobo Campers premises in Benoni and see prospective buyers available in the second-hand market. (Sellers may not display more than three units.) Interested parties can make arrangements with Bobo Campers in advance. In addition to checking out motorhomes, families can relax a little. There’ll be a jumping castle and food stalls for starters, and parking and admission are free. Hours 08:00-15:00. Address 32 Stanley Road, Benoni. GPS S26.116394 E28.284576 Contact 011 395 1020 bobocampers.co.za…

Xavier Gobille, head of Peugeot Citroën South Africa, has said there’s a 1 tonne Peugeot bakkie is on its way to South Africa. He did not want to reveal too much, but confirmed it is not the Peugeot Pick Up currently being built in Tunisia and sold in North Africa. That bakkie is based on the Chinese Dongfeng Rich, which in turn is a cheap clone of the Nissan Hardbody. Xavier has assured the media that the Peugeot bakkie – as of yet unnamed – is completely new and being developed in collaboration with Chinese manufacturer Changan Automobile. Those keeping a watchful eye on the automotive industry will know that Changan’s future Kaicene F70 bakkie (shown below) is really just a reworked Nissan Navara (the D23 platform), which also forms…

French vehicle manufacturer Peugeot is testing its customers’ response to an adventurised version of their popular Boxer delivery vehicle, which is rebadged as the Ram Promaster in the USA. The prototype was recently showcased at an outdoor show in Le Bourget, France, and boasts gadgets that will impress campers and travellers alike. The Peugeot Boxer 4x4 gets its all-wheel drive from the Fiat Ducato 4x4 sold in Europe. The part-time four-wheel drive system favours the rear axle in two-wheel drive mode, but with the turning of a knob on the dashboard, equal power is sent to both axles. The engine is Peugeot’s own BlueHDi 165 which generates 370 Nm of torque and is linked to a six-speed manual gearbox. Inside there is a living space of 10 square meters and…

R336 900 Renault Captur 88kW Dynamique EDC Not the greatest drivetrain combo in the segment, but oodles of character and very high specification level. R395 000 Toyota C-HR 1.2T Plus CVT For a brand that’s often conservative, the C-HR sure is a breakthrough design. It’s on the expensive side, though. R315 200 Ford Ecosport 1.0T Trend 6AT Powered by an award-winning engine and fairly affordable, it’s easy to see why the Ecosport is so popular.…

ANCIENT FISH TRAPS You can also see some ancient history here during your visit. In the Skulpiesbaai Nature Reserve you’ll find the remains of the fish traps built by early Khoi residents – some of them are even used to this very day. The fish traps are basically low stone walls built between the low and high tide marks – similar to a tidal pool. The fish are washed in by the high tide and trapped in these artificial ponds when the tide recedes. According to tradition, the colonists who settled here in the 18th and 19th centuries learnt this method from the locals and expanded the network of traps even further. Today, hundreds of years later, these tidal pools are still visible and it is therefore no surprise that…

After years of planning and deliberation, cancellations and re-planning, the moment had arrived… the Swanepoels and their friends and family would be getting Angola stamps in their passports. Christoff tells us all about it… “We left Pretoria early on a Friday and hoped to get to Ruacana within five days from where we would cross the border into Angola. My wife Suzette and I went in our Toyota Hilux and our youngest daughter, Jurika, and her fiancé, Jacques Steenkamp, followed in his Ford Ranger. It wasn’t long before we arrived at the Martinsdrift border post. Later, when we were due in Namibia’s Zambezi region (formerly Caprivi), our friends the Naudés from Northcliff in Johannesburg would be joining us. Ernst and Adeline and their student children, Suné and Jaco, travelled in…

Full steam ahead Healthy food over the coals in one easy step. Ingredients (enough for 4) 4 small hakes 2 cloves garlic, crushed 5 cm fresh ginger, crushed 1 red chilli, finely chopped grated zest and juice of 1 lime 400 g mixed green vegetables (such as green beans, fennel, leeks and broccoli) 2 tablespoons soy sauce a handful fresh coriander leaves Here’s how 1 Place each hake on its own 20 x 30 cm piece of foil. Combine the garlic, ginger, chilli and lime zest and juice in a bowl and season the fish with this mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. 2 Divide the vegetables and pile them on the fish. Pour soy sauce over each portion and wrap the foil to form packets. 3 Place the…

The first Hilux Legend, the Legend 35, was launched 15 years ago to commemorate the Hilux’s 35th anniversary in South Africa. Since then, we’ve been getting a Legend version of this stalwart every five years. Is the Legend a marketing ploy so Toyota can sell even more of them? Of course, yes, but buyers are not cheated because the Legend 50 isn’t that much more expensive than a 4x4 Raider with the same specifications, plus it boasts some unique features to honour its first half-century on African soil. What is different? Unlike the regular Raider with its chrome detailing, the Legend 50’s grille is pitch black, with an emblem announcing the Legend 50 model name. On the sides, the Legend 50 has black panels on the bottom 10% of the…

For most of the caravan’s history, it has almost always contained wood. Not that wood is a bad thing, but technology has given engineers and designers modern materials with plenty of benefits that suit the caravan industry. Problems that caravans of yore had with wood rot are now a non-issue, and structurally caravans are now stronger than ever. They’re also more resistant to wet weather, more resilient to dents and damage – all while keeping overall mass to an absolute minimum. Invader “We use fibreglass, for several reasons, but mainly because we can build something that’s a lot lighter while also stronger,” says Dan Pierre Louw, managing director at Invader. Fibreglass is also flexible and able to absorb impact to an extent, and Dan Pierre says there’s no scratching or…

There’s a certain risk factor that you’re going to have to accept when you tackle a dangerous task or obstacle. Like when you jump out of an aeroplane with a parachute on your back. Yes, the feeling you’ll have afterward must surely be that of pure ecstasy as you dive like a peregrine falcon dropping from the heavens to snatch up its prey from mid-air, and then have the proverbial safety net of the ’chute that’ll pop up and out and grant you a fairly soft, but more importantly – safe – landing. But you still have a safety net. Recently, on the South African launch of an off-road vehicle that much of the company’s marketing material and international press claimed could ‘fly,’ the local automotive scribes were only too…