Innehållsförteckning för October - November 2020 från Go! Drive & Camp

Land Rover has just announced that it will now make its Advanced Tow Assist system available on all its models. Nowadays, trailer sway control is no longer a novelty and it’s widely available on several new cars, including Land Rover models. (It’s an electronic system that kicks in as soon as it becomes aware of your trailer or caravan swaying. It typically reduces engine power and applies brakes to certain wheels to counteract the sway.) But with the Advanced Tow Assist system, Land Rover trumps other manufacturers in terms of towing a caravan. In addition to the reverse camera (these days commonly used by manufacturers), Land Rover now adds four more tow-friendly gadgets: you can adjust the height of the tow ball above the road surface before you hitch, the…

The V-Class was launched in South Africa in 2015 and was surprisingly successful given its steep price and relatively small target market. Then, in 2019, it got a facelift and Mercedes-Benz South Africa says sales figures of the V-Class exceeded its wildest expectations. It is with this renewed confidence in the V-Class that the new V300d, which is even smarter than its brothers, comes to Mzansi. What do we have here? The V300d almost boasts with all the luxuries of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but at the same time it also wants to distinguish itself from a suit’s company car and market itself as a tour van for a prosperous family. The V-Class is a minibus similar to the VW Caravelle, but more luxurious than the Hyundai H-1 and Ford Torneo.…

Any camper will tell you that a tent is a singularly important purchase when you’re going camping. There are a number of factors that you need to consider as you start your search for the perfect tent. Our Facebook friends shared what they’ve learnt in their years of camping – and everyone seems to agree on these five tips for rookies. “I suggest you get two different tents… a lightweight nylon one for normal camping, and a canvas dome tent for when you go camping in the wilderness.” – Harald Spiwak 1 How many will be sleeping in it? This may sound strange, but don’t buy a four-person tent if there are four of you. That ‘four’ implies you are squeezed in like sardines, sometimes with someone lying squarely accross…

Not everyone aspires to one day have a Jurgens Penta or Conqueror Commander in their towing combination. Or perhaps their families just aren’t that big yet. Even recent retirees, who may have automatically been granted an EB when the legislation changed at the start of the new millennium, might not necessarily want afull-sized caravan as they can be cumbersome to manoeuvre at the campsite in your golden years. And then there’s the issue of space. For many folks, the prospect of a smaller caravan is mightily attractive. Whether your caravan or trailer is braked or unbraked, remember that the trailer’s maximum gross vehicle mass (GVM) is not allowed to exceed the towing vehicle’s tare weight. But also, for any unbraked caravan (or trailer) with a GVM of 750 kg or…

Rivers and I are not friends. I have dozens of stories about close encounters with them – the first from my toddler days, when a crocodile nearly got me in the Umlalazi River outside Mtunzini. My parents were so traumatised by the event that they never taught me how to swim. In my clumsy early teens, I once fell out of a canoe, while wearing a life jacket, in the Keurbooms River near Plettenberg Bay, and because I was a poor swimmer, it took me an eternity to doggie paddle to shore where Iwas picked up by jeering friends. Over the years, I would continue to brave some or other river, only to repeatedly retreat, drenched and with my tail tucked between my legs. But yes, I did eventually learn…

Crossing two continents to get to the ZA sticker My wife, Lorraine, and I are currently on a self-drive tour from Scotland on our way through Africa. When we arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, we bought your July issue that had the magnetic ZA sticker. Now, your sticker has found its place on our UK-registered Toyota Hilux, between the mandatory ‘GB’ sticker and our Scottish one that says ‘Ecosse’. ( ‘Ecosse’ is French for Scotland. – Ed) We’re still on our way to Cape Town, but have been in Kenya since 3 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We began our journey on 13 June last year and have already travelled through 27 countries. Most of them so far – 23 in total – have been in Europe. We even made…

Monkey tricks “I took this photo at Skukuza where this vervet female was watching visitors closely – she was probably hoping for some leftovers. The little one had been drinking from her for a while, but fell asleep in her arms.” You can’t help but smile when you see this photo. Even though the mother takes up by far the largest section of the pic, you can’t miss the peaceful face of the little one. Even if you look at the mother’s face first, your eye is drawn to the little one, which makes it the focal point. Also, the adult monkey looks away from the young one, outside the photo border, and that also spontaneously draws your eye to the little one. Other than identifying with that little monkey’s…

Earlier this year, Xtreme Outdoor’s owners added the Armadillo XTR 302 as a new model to its range. The sleeping area of this caravan, designed for two people, extends from side to side to the right of the door as you get in. This newly completed caravan has also taken into account suggestions and feedback from their customers, says co-owner Jason Collie. While up to three designers were involved in designing (and redesigning) the Armadillo range of caravans, with the 302 they have now established a solid foundation for caravans going forward. The manufacturer uses Al-Ko products for the axle, brake system, jockey wheel and corner steadies. The frame of the chassis itself is made of steel – and for some of the beams, they’ve used 3 mm steel instead…

There’s plenty of accommodation in Maputaland’s coastal strip. Here are the campsites where we either spent the night or investigated and found the facilities satisfactory. Cape Vidal has 50 stands, all with electricity, under dense shade trees and next to the sea. It’s a popular resort so consider yourself lucky if you get a stand at short notice. Price R280 pd out of season and R840 in peak season. Contact * 033 845 1000 isimangaliso.com bookings@kznwildlife.com The Futululu Caravan Park is located 17 km south of St Lucia and there are 35 stands under giant trees that cast more than enough shade. There is also a swimming pool and the management runs guided tours to surrounding attractions. Price R250 pn for 4 people out of season and R400 in the…

This is the oldest of all the camps in the Kruger National Park. There are four groups of stands next to one another, all more or less along the fence. About 10 of the stands against the fence each have a permanent tent and are held back for special bookings. It is a great camp with two bathrooms – one by the first stands and the other at the farthest point. The laundry ismore or less in the middle and the machines operate with R5 coins. To wash dishes, you walk past the first bathrooms. The kitchen is in the square building that has no side walls (as in most of the Kruger’s campsites). Here you’ll find a washing-up area, a couple of electric two-plate stoves and instant boiling water.…

The route kicks off 850 m east of the Glen Reenen campsite on the R712 regional road. A brown road sign with the standardised symbol for a mountain pass marks the turn-off. Turn right here and drive up the mountain on the 9 km Blesbok loop. It is atar road maintained by park management and any sedan will be able to handle it. However, we would advise against towing your caravan here as the road is quite narrow and you’re likely get hooted at if your towing combination blocks another motorist. Unhitch the caravan at the Glen Reenen campsite rather and drive the trail after setting up camp. At the first fork, roughly 1 km after leaving the R712, turn right to get to the Langtoon Dam lookout. From here…

“I bught this 1995 Nissan Sani 3.0 V6 4x4 in 2000, which had clocked up just about 100 000 km in the five years before I owned it. After my wife Danielle drove it around town for two years, we decided it’s time that it got used for overlanding excursions. Now we call it ‘Bush Master’. Over time Igradually kitted the Sani out with the usual modifications associated with trips like these, including an Old Man Emu raised suspension, Front Runner roof rack and drawers, dual-battery system and a National Luna fridge/freezer. On the roof rack we carry an Oztent RV5 canvas touring tent, jerry cans and sand tracks. Depending on where we’re going, we also pull out a Toyota Fortuner 3.0 D-4D to tow our Jurgens Xcape, though that’s…

The previous generation Suzuki Jimny has many limitations, and it takes the patience of Job to live with this vehicle for a decade, says Cyril Klopper. I bought abrand-new Jimny in September 2010, which makes it exactly 10 years old today. Because it is mainly used for holidays, it has passed the milestone with less than 100 000 km on the clock. My Jimny has been to Mozambique, lesotho, Eswatini and Namibia (the latter three times). It only has a few modifications: a Front Runner roof rack and Thule roof box, a T-Max winch, Old Man Emu suspension and breather hoses for the diffs so I can drive through deeper water – just not too deep because a Jimny is light enough to drift. To date, my Jimny hasn’t let…

Maintaining a vehicle involves taking care of all its components, not only the usual items that are replaced during your annual service. An often-forgotten piece of the puzzle is your battery, probably because it’s one of those units that only really need replacing every few years or so. But the national lockdown and travel restrictions didn’t help matters much, leaving not just thousands of campers stuck at home, but regular Joes who’ve never pitched a tent before. It didn’t take long before neighbours and family members called around asking for a jump or a push. Here at Drive & Camp we received an email from reader Hansie Myburgh, who wanted to know how to keep his towing vehicle’s battery in good nick while he wasn’t camping. Drive when you can…

This isn’t the German firm’s first rodeo as it has already established itself as a go-to name for converting luxurious off-roaders into vehicles that can accommodate the whole family in Europe. GehoCab’s range includes the Findus, Kora and Hekla models that are made to fit all sorts of modern SUVs and bakkies. The one that would be most likely to have appeared locally would be the midsize Kora, which is suited to the likes of Ford’s Ranger, Nissan’s Navara and the VW Amarok. The new entry-level Fiete model has now been announced and will fit the Defender. All the campers in the line-up feature similar retro-inspired styling, with a wide window at the head of the bed in the alcove above the vehicle’s cabin, and a short rear overhang. The…

and we might publish them here. We’re not looking for traditional ‘prize winners’, just regular pics. Think of the type of pic you’d use as your Facebook cover photo; or something charming, such as kids warming their hands over a campfire. Whether the pic was taken with an expensive DSLR camera or a cellphone, if it’s good enough for your photo album it’s good enough for us. Johan Marais wins a Drive & Camp camera bag worth R650 – congratulations! Send your photos and contact details to leon.botha@media24.com…

New vehicle sales figures are starting to rise after the national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NAAMSA reports that 147 365 passenger vehicles, 66 942 light commercial vehicles and 13 883 medium to heavy vehicles were sold in August 2020. These figures are 26% lower than those of August 2019, but they are an improvement on the preceding months after the start of the pandemic. Toyota SA leads the way with 7 743 total sales in all vehicle categories, followed by Volkswagen with 5 181, Ford’s 2 810, Hyundai with 2 460 and Nissan with 2 198 new vehicles sold. Somewhat more worrying is the sharp decline in vehicle exports. It has fallen by 47% compared to 2019, but industry experts say exports will increase once international borders reopen…

Maputaland in northeastern KwaZulu-Natal is a flat, sandy and wet region with Mozambique on its northern border, the Tugela River to the south and the Lebombo Mountains to the west. Geologists say the wide coastal plain was submerged 100 million years ago, and today Maputaland is characterised by dozens of lakes, lagoons, wetlands and grasslands, as well as huge dunes more than 150 m tall that remained after the sea receded. If you stay on tar, you could easily drive the length of Maputaland in five hours, but why not take a back road? It first takes you through elephant country and from there along the coast to the Mozambican border. If you remember your passport – and lockdown rules allow – you could even visit Ponta do Ouro for…

It is quite understandable that people think the Big Five is the main drawcard that makes the Kruger National Park one of the most popular camping destinations in the country. This is, of course, partly true, but the management of the Kruger’s campsites must get credit too as they provide consistently good service. Apart from the satellite camps – Balule, Tsendze, Malelane and Maroela – you’ll find fuel at the rest. The shops are also known for being fully equipped and stocked. You won’t see an overflowing rubbish bin in any campsite, and even in winter someone is always somewhere keeping the place tidy by raking leaves. (By the way, you don’t get to camp on a green lawn, so remember your woven ground sheet.) The power points also testify…

Malelane, about 11 km from Berg-en-Dal, is the southernmost camp in the Kruger National Park. The average game-park camper would usually head for Berg-en-Dal, as it is a large, neat camp. But not everyone favours comfort, and that’s where Malelane comes in. Here, you get only astand, a bathroom and nothing else. The stands are to the left of the gate and extend in an L-shape away from you. The short leg of the L runs in the direction of the Crocodile River. The stands all slope down to the river and there trees are few. The recycling bins are all over, while the taps are more hidden. Look for a power point before you pitch camp – we only saw four of them. If you pitch in the corner,…

Bakkies and his wife, Petro, are no strangers when it comes to camping. They’ve camped several times with their children in a tent at the boat club at the Ebenezer Dam near Tzaneen. Bakkies is a qualified electrician and decided it was time for an off-road trailer. He started his search by checking out ads for one. But because he lives a few hours’ drive from Gauteng, he couldn’t get one of those as they’d already been sold by the time he could go to take a look. He therefore decided the time had come to build one himself. The only question was whether to build one from scratch or whether to buy an existing one and then rebuild it. The latter option won the toss. Bakkies tells us more…