4x4 Routes through Southern Africa (PDF)

What better feeling of excitement and anticipation can there be for lovers of the outdoors than getting behind the wheel of a 4X4, turning the key and edging out of the driveway to start an outdoor journey of discovery, a great off-road adventure?You and your family have no doubt spent many hours researching likely destinations, preparing yourselves and the vehicle, and selecting the style in which you would prefer to spend this time together experiencing the diverse wonders and sense of freedom that an off-road holiday offers. There are as many options for an off-roading holiday as there are 4X4 models. You could:go it alonehook up with a few close family friendsmake new friends and join a club outingsign up with a commercial off-road operatorYour choice of accommodation could be:staying in chalets and lodges campinga combination of chalets and camping fully cateredpartially cateredself-catering. Your decision as to the style in which you choose to undertake such a trip will most likely depend on a combination of certain determining factors, such as: your personal level of off-road driving training and experienceyour family's overlanding expertiseyour family's likes and dislikesthe level of preparedness of your vehiclethe kit you have accumulatedthe time you have available to plan and book your tripthe availability of all family members (annual leave, school and university holidays, house-sitter, dog-sitter, etc.)and last, but not least, the budget. But herein lies the beauty of embarking on a multi-day, expedition-style off-road tour of the type written about in this book. There is literally something for everyone. Some people are adequately prepared to undertake a week-long trip into the Tankwa Karoo or Richtersveld National Park on their own, while they wouldn't dream of driving into Kaokoland or Angola unless under the stewardship of a trained and competent off-road guide. Some simply do not have the time or know-how to do the route planning, make the reservations, calculate logistics and safely lead a group, while others regard all this as fun and an integral part of the trip. Depending on your knowledge of navigation, your bush orientation, your ability to set up backup plans for unforeseen eventualities (be they mechanical, medical or otherwise), you may choose to do your trip with an experienced friend. If you do not know anyone that fits the bill, you would probably join an organised convoy, where you quite literally tag along or 'follow the leader', without (hopefully) a further care in the world! After all, you are on holiday, so if someone else can assume the mantle of responsibility, why not?This book is a compilation of popular Southern African off-road adventure tours with the emphasis on guided, self-drive, expedition-style (multi-day), self-catering camping trips - a bit of a mouthful, but a comprehensive description nevertheless. Its intention is to stimulate interest in off-road touring among those who haven't tried it yet as well as to suggest new destinations to those who do have some experience. All those 4X4s that ply the highways need to get into the bush at least once in their lifetimes! We acknowledge that there are many extremely experienced and highly skilled off-road drivers who have been doing some of these routes for years. There are also experts in specific fields of interest - such as geology, flora, fauna, rock art, photography, geography and history - who may not find great depth in our descriptions of the experiences on these tours. We have not attempted to impart in-depth detail, but rather to provide an overview across many aspects. The aim is to provide interesting information about the places that we visit in order to make the tours more exciting, captivating and pleasurable to all occupants of the vehicle, not only the driver. Most of the routes described are not difficult from a driving point of view, although some do contain specific obstacles that are more challenging, where a certain level of expertise is required. (Fear not, your 4X4 guide will see you safely through.) The focus is therefore not on showcasing routes that challenge the drivers, but tours that interest and stimulate all participants, while introducing the whole family to new destinations, new sights and sounds, and a fantastic and healthy lifestyle based on respect for and preservation of our natural heritage. A selection of top off-road guides and operators have contributed chapters about routes that they regularly travel with groups of off-road tourists. They range from club guides to part-time commercial guides and full-blown off-road tour operators. What they all have in common is a love of the outdoors, an appreciation of nature and a willingness to promote the off-road lifestyle and share it with the public. These professionals know their routes like the backs of their hands and are able to impart information on the places of interest along the way, while ensuring your safety and enjoyment of the great outdoors. (See page 222 for more information on them and their companies or clubs.) We have selected 20 tours in Southern Africa, eight of which are within South African borders and the rest to neighbouring states, with the Serengeti migration tour being an extended expedition up to Tanzania. This is by no means a comprehensive coverage of Southern Africa's off-road destinations, nor do we wish to imply that they are the most popular. Suffice it to say that they are all routes that we, the guides, love and enjoy and they are a good sample of what you can expect the next time you venture off the tar. Jurgens Schoeman of Live The Journey Tours shares his immense knowledge of the Angola, Khaudum/Caprivi and Namib Desert routes, while Andr van Vuuren of Explore Africa Adventures shares his Serengeti Migration and Liuwa Plains experience. Simon Steadman of Mafunyane Adventures describes the Kgalagadi and Central Kalahari Game Reserve trips, and Johann du Toit of African Expeditions takes us on a tour of Lesotho. Andrew Brown of the Offroad Adventure Club writes about longer trips to Botswana and Zimbabwe. Johan Snyman, who is an expert on the Kaokoland area of Namibia, has submitted a chapter, as has Hugo Potgieter of Mozambique 4X4 Safaris on his favoured area of Southern Mozambique. Of the trips within the borders of South Africa, Dave van Graan of Masazane Expeditions writes on the Soutpansberg, Greg van der Reis of the 4X4 Offroad Adventure Club covers the Richtersveld, and Philip Sackville-Scott of Sackville Safaris presents adventures to the Tankwa Karoo and Cederberg, the West Coast, Namaqualand and the Transkei Wild Coast, and also follows the Molopo River and the Old Ox-wagon Route. Some routes are only operated by concession holders, while other areas pose too many dangers for you to attempt venturing there on your own. The benefits of being led by a trained and experienced off-road guide are many - not only from a safety point of view, but particularly in that you will be taken to, and shown, sights that you could easily have driven straight past, not knowing that they were even there. As most of these destinations are hundreds if not thousands of kilometres from home, who knows when you will get the opportunity to return?This book is aimed at all off-road enthusiasts, irrespective of your experience and the type of vehicle you own, or wish to own some day, as long as it is a 4X4. We hope that you enjoy reading it and that it leads to your contacting one of the 4X4 guides to book your family on an off-road adventure of a lifetime!