Botswana, Zambia, Namibia

Tell us about your recent trip. Please add some photographs.
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freeflyd
High Range 4WD
High Range 4WD
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 6:28 pm
Town: Pretoria
Vehicle: 89 2.2 Hilux DC
Real Name: Dawie du Plessis

Botswana, Zambia, Namibia

Post by freeflyd »

Vehicles:

1989 Hilux DC 2.2 4Y. Brospeed conversion. 38inch Weber Carb, Warn Winch, Ironman Suspension, Long Range Tank, Duel Battery, Outback Drawers, 60L Engel Combi Fridge/freezer, Echo RTT, Frontrunner Roof rack, 6 Jerry Cans, Hi Lift Jack and Spade, 80 liter water tanks, 2 x spares. Firestone ATX tires.

Joined at Livingstone by 2006 Land Cruiser Pick Up. LA Sport Winch, Long Range Tank, Duel Battery, 60L Engel Combi, 7 Jerry cans. 140l water tanks. 3 x spares. BFG AT’s

Consumption is for Hilux. The cruiser was about 25% lighter on fuel.


Trip:

Day 1 (670km traveled. Fuel at Pretoria and Alldays)
Pretoria to Limpopo River Lodge.
Left Pretoria at around 8 in the morning. The rain started just south of Nylstroom. We took the dreaded N1 north to Polokwane and then North east to Alldays. As it was still raining, we decided to have lunch in the Alldays Hotel. It was by far the worst food I have ever had to pay for, but enjoyed the bottomless cup of coffee and the company of the two puppies in the bar.

We went further north to Pond Drift, only to be told that we could not cross because of the level of the river. The previous day I had phones to check, and it was open.

We traveled the 60km back to Alldays and then to the Platjan Border post. HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!!!!! It took us all of 5 minutes to deal with both sides and be on our way.

Limpopo River Lodge is also Highly Recommended! 15 minutes from the border. The camp site in on the banks of the Limpopo. Hot showers, flush toilets, great camp site and free firewood. The cost was R160 for the two of us. You can self drive on the property. They have a couple of waterholes and we saw lots of game.

Day 2 :( 455km Traveled. Fuel at Selibi @ 5.60 Pula per Liter)
Limpopo River Lodge to Nata Community Camp Site.
Left Limpopo in the rain. Stopped for fuel at Selibi, the first Botswana Fuel Stop on our route. Petrol is still 5.60 Pula per liter.

It was still raining when we got to Francistown and we decided to have a Wimpy Lunch. The Wimpy is on route through town and pretty much the same standard as the local Wimpy in South Africa.

We reached Nata at around 3PM. It was fairly obvious by the condition of the road inside the gate that there was no option to drive to the pan itself to see the flamingos. We tried anyway, but with a 4Y engine I managed to get the distributor wet closing some of the water on the road and had to turn back to the camp site.

I always prefer supporting the community where camping is concerned, but have to say that the Community Camp Site in Nata is not a great place in the wet season. It’s close to the road, so you hear trucks pass all night, and when you can’t get to the Pan to see the flamingo’s, there is nothing there to see or do. It is however cheap and the ablutions are acceptable and clean.

Day 3 (266km Traveled. Fuel at Gweta @ 5.60 Pula per Liter)
Nata to Nxai Pan
Not a long day. We stopped at Planet Baobab to take a picture with the giant and eater. Then Gweta to fill up with fuel. We saw loads of Game on the tar road towards Maun including Buffalo and Elephant. The access road to Nxai Pan was a pleasant surprise. Because of the rain the surface was hard and hardy corrugated. We went to Baines Baobab to have a look. The pan was filled with water and we saw a Cruiser and a trailer that looked like it had been stuck there for a while. No sign of the owner. They tried to cross a 250 meter wide stretch of water in a salt pan… and got stuck…. I do not understand how someone can do that…

We got to the Nxai Pan Camp site in time for lunch. It was still raining. The camp site was a pleasant surprise. They have re-built it since we were there last in 2005. There are new ablution facilities that have been made Elephant proof with sharp rocks on the ground.

The roads inside the park were still very good. Slippery in places, but never a fear of getting stuck.

Day 4 (308km Traveled)
Nxai Pan to Mankwe Lodge
We left Nxai Pan in the rain and saw more game on the access road out than in the park itself. There was a fresh Lion kill, lots of antelope and lots of bird life!

We got to Maun where we filled up with Petrol and carried on North on the Mababe road to Mankwe Lodge. Mankwe cost us 160 Pula for the night. The camp site is typical Botswana. It feels like you are alone in the bush. There a flush toilet and Bucket Shower. Running water and a basin. Great place!

The host, Socks, informed us that we could drive around on their concession. You can also eat in their restaurant if you wanted to and they will provide you with hot water for the shower if you ask.

Day 5(210km Traveled)
Mankwe Lodge to Savute
Socks informed us the road North to Savute was not passable and suggested that we used the route through Moremi.

We had to backtrack to the Southgate Turn Off and was pleasantly surprised to find that road graveled, smooth and in great condition. By the time we reached South Gate we had seen Elephants, Giraffe, lots of antelope and birds and a Leopard crossing the road.

They seem to be busy upgrading that camp site as well. There are new ablution facilities being built and I assume they will have more reliable water there in future.

As we had time constraints, we simply paid our conservation fee and used the shortest road to North Gate. The road conditions were fine. Pools of water here and there, but nothing too dramatic. They are also busy upgrading North Gate Camp Site.

We crossed over the bridge over the river Kwai, left the park, passed through Kwai Village and went along the river towards Savute. This was my first time on this road and I remember thinking that that must be the nicest road in Africa! There was wall to wall game with hundreds of birds and you could easily spend a few days just in that area!

When you turn north towards Mababe Gate the mud starts. We didn’t have it that bad. There were patches of mud, but perfectly passable. We heard of lots of people that got stuck, but I’m not sure why. We never came close to getting stuck.

The last 2 km’s before the gate was the worst. There were fresh tracks next to the road, so we followed them. By the time you get to the gate the worst is over.

Inside the park we saw vast herds of Zebra, some Lions and herds of Elephant and Giraffe as well as the usual antelope. We obviously took the Sand Ridge Road. We heard later that day that some woman took the March road and got stuck for 3 days before walking out. As far as I know, her vehicle is still there.

We reached Savute at 5PM. It had been a long day! We found that they have 9 camp sites you can book, but if you turn up without a booking, they will let you camp anywhere where there is no numbered camp site. The ablutions were fairly new, but quite dirty.

Day 6 (147km Traveled)
Savute to Ihaha
What a great drive! The road was easy because of the rain. The sand was compacted enough so there was need to deflate the tires. It took us 5 easy hours to reach Ihaha. The worst part of the road was Kavimba Village to Chobe Gate because of the potholes.

We spent most of the afternoon relaxing in the camp and decided on an afternoon drive after 3PM. Although the rain seemed to have stopped, it was still cloudy. We did however see Elephant, Giraffe, Buffalo, Sable and the usual antelope. There was a pair of Bush Buck in the camp as well as a herd of Impala. We had 100 or so elephants come down to the river some 80 meters from our camp and the Baboons and Monkeys in camp did not even attempt to bother us. They have obviously not been fed by humans.

Ihaha camp site has to be one of the best camp sites in Africa. I would love to go back in the dry season as I think you will see more game on that river than you might think exists.

Day 7(37.7km Traveled)
Ihaha Camp to Chobe Safari Lodge
We really took our time and got to the gate at 10:57. On the way we did see the usual game and encountered a huge rain storm. We also saw a massive group of Vultures, but no carcass.

They have re-built Chobe Safari lodge since I last saw it and there is also a lot of work being done to the camp site. The camp site was quite full, and we managed to have lunch in our camp despite the rain.

We did the boat cruse that afternoon. Although it was still raining, we did see some interesting things. Lots and Lots of hippo, some Buffalo and a herd of Puku amongst others.

Day 8 and 9(90.3km Traveled)
Chobe Safari Lodge to Livingstone.
We had no idea how this day was going to go. We wanted to use the Ferry to get into Zambia. My wife is on a UK Passport and VISA costs are very expensive for Zambia and Zimbabwe. We didn’t want to pay for both countries.

The Ferry Crossing was interesting. Botswana side we passed about 8 Kilometers of cueing trucks and went straight to the front of the line. On the Zambia side it was another story.

This border reminded me of the old Beight Bridge Chaos and there is no indication of where to go and what to do. On top of that there are millions of people who want to “help” you by trading money or selling advice for US$.

My advice is to figure it our by yourself. You need to: Do the immigration bit. Free for South Africans, 65$US for UK and 100 $US for USA. Then you need to “import your car” then carbon tax ($40 for 2.2l $60 for 4.2l), then pay the Ferry ($20) then pay the Police (10 Pula) then make sure you have the correct insurance. My insurance company gave me a letter stating that I had 3rd party etc. for Zambia (it has to mention the country and Zambia is not normally covered)

So it cost me US$130 to cross that border.

We drove the 70km to Livingstone and got there before lunch.

Livingstone town is pretty much what I expected. Everyone sees you as an opportunity to get money. No-one is interested in their own currency and no-one is very friendly.

On the way to the falls there is brand new shopping centre with some restaurants and a Super Spar. They accept Rands and US$ and have everything you’d expect in your local Spar. There is no need to venture into town and risk getting mugged or cheated.

We stayed one night at Livingstone Safari Lodge. Reasonably priced at US$6 per person per night and the facilities are quite nice. The 2nd night we stayed at Maramba River Lodge. Cost was US$10 per person per night. The camp site is really nice, but the ablutions are a bit far away. Still my choice of camp site as no-one can bother you there. Up to then we were traveling alone. My sister and Brother in Law were to join us there and accompany us on the Namibia leg of our journey.

We went to the falls twice and used the same entrance tickets. The cost was US$10 per person. I have been to the Zim side before and found the Zambia side a lot more impressive! You walk in the spray of the falls some of the time so a raincoat is a must.

The weather pattern in Livingstone was simple. Bright sunshine from sunrise to about 8AM. Storms and rain from 11AM to Sunset and cloudless skies in the evening.

Day 10(530 km Traveled. Fuel at Katima Molilo @R7.25 per liter)
Livingstone to Popa Rapids

Our Traveling companions met up with us in Livingstone and we started the day with a Helicopter Flight over the falls. The company we went with is called Batoka Sky. The pilot was 30 minutes late, extremely impersonal. I would have expected more for US$100 per person. The flight itself is however something to behold! One of the most impressive things I have done and is highly recommended.

We left Livingstone at 9. The border crossing at Katima Molilo was uneventful for us. There were 3 other GP plate cars that had to offload and had all their meat confiscated. My sister had their Long Life Milk confiscated, but neither one of us had any meat.

We shopped in Katima for a week at a Pick ‘n Pay, saw the toilet in the Baobab and went on our way. We also filled with Petrol. Zambia petrol is over R10 a liter. We drove through an all mighty storm where at some point I had to slow down to 40km/h to be able to see the road. It washed even the toughest Savute mud of our vehicle.

We reached the Popa Falls Community Camp site at around 5, and were pleasantly surprised by the quality and cleanliness of the site and facilities. We paid R180 for 4 people and 2 vehicles and our own Private Camp site.

Day 11(992km Traveled. Fuel at Rhundu, Oshakati and Ruacana @7.25 per liter)
Popa Falls to Hippo Pools.
This day was too long! The plan was to stop at Rhundu for fuel and then ask the condition of the C45 dirt road to Oshakati. Some Taxi drivers told us that the road was terrible and still had some landmines on it. We obviously decided to take the tar road to Grootfontein, then up past Tsumeb to Oshakati, then Ruacana and stay at Hippo Pools. This did mean a distance of 980km for the day.

The next unpleasant surprise was that we got stopped at Mururane Vet Control gate between Rhundu and Grootfontein and they confiscated all out meat. We knew about the restrictions in Botswana, and made sure not to cross borders with any meat, but this was quite an unpleasant surprise as there was no way we could take the time to cook the meat before moving on.

We re-stocked out meat supply in Tsumeb at a Spar. The quality of meat was 10 x better than Katima Pick n Pay and a bit cheaper too. We paid R86/kg for Fillet and R46/kg for Rump… NICE!!!! They also had fresh veggies and really nice fire wood.

We got to Oshakati around 5PM and filled up there with fuel. The idea was to top up the fuel at Ruacana as we were not sure how reliable the supply there was. We had no problem with doing that and arrived very tired at Hippo Pools Community campsite just after 7PM. As I said… The day was too long!

The Camp site itself was incredible! We were the only people there and picked the prime spot on the banks of the river. They have nice facilities with environmental toilets and hot showers and the cost was R180 for the 4 of us.

Day 12(72.5km Traveled)
Hippo Pools to Otjiwewa Community Camp.
We left Hippo Pools around 9 AM and started getting excited about leaving the roads. The drive to Cunene River Lodge is easy and scenic. It’s a narrow, but graveled road with spectacular views. We stopped at the Lodge for a mid morning drink on a wooden deck. They also sell ice, which could be handy.

We left there for the rest of our journey and realized that that is where the road stopped. You suddenly find yourself on a two spoor track and often using low range to go either up or down steep inclines. The rocky terrain is that difficult to negotiate, just slow. There are some steep angles you drive along and with our heavily loaded roof I was concerned about tipping over once or twice.

The first river crossing was quite challenging. I had to deflate my tires to 1 bar to be able to drive through the very loose sand.

We took an hour or so for lunch next to the river and reached the community camp site at 2:30ish to find that it does not exist anymore. We decided to camp under some big camel thorn trees anyway and spent the afternoon recovering from the previous day’s drive.

We were never bothered by the locals and the only sign of life was some cows on the Angola side of the river.

Day 13(72.8km Traveled)
Otjiwewa Community Camp to Epupa Falls Community Camp.

We left camp at about 9:30. The going was slow, but not too difficult. Again the steep angles from the side was the biggest concern. We reached Epupa Falls before 3PM though.

On the trail there are a ridiculous amount of Himba people begging and it made me sad to think that it is our society that turned these people into beggars. The children are only interested in sweets and the adults only in cigarettes. We did not give anyone anything, and I wish I could convince the world to do the same so this does not turn into the rock throwing Lesotho Situation we all know.

Epupa Falls was like an Oasis. Again we used the community campsite. It is closest to the actual falls and we paid R200 for the 4 of us. We swam above the falls and chatted to the friendly locals.

We donated some money to the school in exchange for the right to photograph a Himba Family and agreed to have our dishes washed by someone else in the camp. This we felt was the way to support the community without turning them into aggressive beggars.

If I ever do this trip again, I will stay at Popa Rapids, then Tsumeb, then Cunene River Lodge, and then Epupa Falls. I think that would be a more balanced schedule where you spend no more than 7 or 8 hours driving on your longest day.

Day14 (180km Traveled)
Epupa Falls Community Camp to Rooidrom.
Our original plan was to bush camp at the top of Van Zyl’s pass. Only we reached that by lunch time, and after lunch decided to camp at the bottom of the pass.

The road to Van Zyl’s pass is easy and graveled up to Okongwati. Then you leave the road and things get tough very quickly. There are some real interesting parts of the road and an all mighty rocky climb just before Otjitanda.

Van Zyl’s pass itself is mostly slow going and interesting inclines. We did not find it as difficult as we though it would be… Up to a point. After the viewpoint of the Marienfluss, when you think that the worst is over, the road suddenly stop and you have to really work out a route over the rocks.

There is hair raising 50 meters or so where you really do need someone to navigate you, and after that, again, it is slow going until you reach the bottom.

We took 2 hours to complete the pass and reached the bottom before 4PM.

We decided to carry on for an hour as we heard that you could drive fairly fast over the Marienfluss. As this was late afternoon, it was spectacular to drive through the plains and look back at the mountains lit up by the afternoon sun.

We got to about 10km before Rooidrom where we hid behind a little rocky outcrop and made camp there.

Although this was also a long day, if was full of excitement and very enjoyable. If I had to do it again, I would probably camp at the bottom of Van Zyl’s pass rather than driving the extra hour.

Day 15. (264km Traveled)
Rooidrom Bush Camp to Amspoort
We left camp fairly early, stopped at Rooidrom for a picture and pushed on towards Orupembe. This stretch of the road was also very rough going and unexpected. You cross over numerous rocky hills and through many dry river beds. Very scenic and enjoyable though.

From Orupembe to D3707 road has to be the worst road in Africa! The Corrugation is unbearable and there is nothing to see! This was the way T4A did the Auto routing though, so we stuck though it. When they say it is extreme corrugation, they mean it!!!

Never the less we reached Purros at Lunch time and decided to have a rest in the shade of the community camp site trees. Camp site no 2 is definitely the nicest one there and we spent a good while there, had a shower and emptied some Jerry cans.

We left there around 2 and drove down the Purros Canyon. WOW!!! What an experience! We drove through lots and lots of water, but not mud. We saw lots of game and even an elephant. Past the end of the canyon you cross over some very large open spaces to get to the Hoanib River at Amspoort. Some parts are horribly corrugated and some parts you can drive quite fast.

We reached Amspoort at 5pm and made camp high up against a rocky outcrop on the North Western side of the poort. We were not the first people to camp there either as there is a place to leave your ashes from your fire.

We watched some Elephants and Giraffe in the riverbed until the sun went down and after dinner we were visited by some Cape Foxes.

If I had to do this day again I would follow the Huarusib River down from Orupembe and stay at Purros. If I was there early I would consider doing a game drive and returning to Purros. We were however very concerned about the amount of fuel we needed as Ruacana had been out last fuel stop.

Day16 (295km Traveled. Fuel at Palmwag @ R7.19 per liter)
Amspoort to Aba Huab Camp Site
We left Amspoort fairly early in the rain. The rain stopped within an hour and we spent a good few hours looking at elephants in the riverbed. They were more curious than aggressive, but kept walking straight to the vehicles.

We reached Sesfontein at 11:30 and realized that we both had heaps of fuel left! We decided to go to Ongongo Hot Spring for lunch. It’s about 10km of the road, but very much worth it! What a special place! You do have to pay to use the facilities, but only R20 per person. Nice camp site as well! Definitely recommended!

As we were done early, we decided to do the next 200km to Aba Huab Camp site close to Twyfelfontein that afternoon.

We stopped for fuel at Palmwag. With my 2.2 4Y I used 170l of the 240l of fuel from Ruacana to Palmwag. My usual consumption is 5.6km/l when driving tar roads with the load we had and on this part of the trip it was 4.4km/l. My brother in Law left Ruacana with 280l of Diesel in his 4.2l Cruiser Pick up and used about 140l of that.

We reach the camp site around 4:30pm, had a beer in the bar and pitched camp on the banks of the dry Huab river bed. The cost was R260 for the 4 of us.

Day 17(237km Traveled)
Aba Huab Camp to Spitzkoppe
We left Aba Huab just before 8AM and went to have a look at the rock Engravings of Twyfelfontein. They have upgraded their facilities a lot since the last time I was there 4 years ago. They have a very nice building and office where you pay your fees (R35 per person) and meet your guide. The engravings are impressive and well preserved and the experience is well worth the money and effort.

From there we went to the Burnt Mountain which reminds of a heap of coal by Witbank and did out last little bit of Offroading to get to the D2628 towards Uis. This “D” road was a great surprise and in great condition. We reached Spitzkoppe by 13:30 and decided to do very little for most of the afternoon.

In the late afternoon we went to the Bushman’s Paradise which is very impressive and then ran around the rock Bridge just before the sun went down. The place comes alive when the sun is setting and magical colors appear just before dark.

The camp sites there now have Long Drop toilets, but the only water and shower is still at the gate. The cost was R200 for the 4 of us.

Day 18(948km Traveled. Fuel at Windhoek @ R7.19 per liter and Charles Hill @ 5.60 Pula per liter)
Spitzkoppe to Kalahari Rest Stop
We left Spitzkoppe very early and took the obvious route to Windhoek where we stopped for fuel. I put in just enough to get me to Charles Hill in Botswana as Petrol is still cheaper there.

We stopped again in Gobabis for lunch and then went on to cross the border at Buitepos. The Namibia side was swift an easy, but the Botswana side was quite slow. Immigration was fast, but getting the car papers sorted took an hour because of the amount of people crossing the border that day. They increased the car tax from 40 to 50 Pula, but we were told that you could get a “multi entry permit” if you plan to pass through the country more than once in a trip.

After the Charles Hill Fuel Stop we drove as fast as we could and reached Kalahari rest Stop just before dark. They have Chalets, a bar and a restaurant. The camp sites are really nicely done and the ablutions are perfectly acceptable. The cost for camping was 240 Pula for the 4 of us.

Day 19(728km Traveled. Fuel at Kang and Lobatse @ 5.60 Pula per liter)
Kalahari Rest Stop to Pretoria.

We left the camp at 6AM, Fueled at Kang and pushed on towards Lobatse.

About 3km before Jwaneng I saw the driver in front of us fall asleep behind the wheel, swerve across the road and roll his Bantam Bakkie off the road. He ended on his roof and we stopped next to the car within 20 seconds of him stopping. With the help of a high lift jack and a spade we managed to get the driver out uninjured and winched his car onto its wheels. We had to have one tire fixed in town, used the spare and towed him to a farmer’s Barn just outside of town. The farmer, formerly from South Africa, was really friendly and helpful and deserves a lot of Whiskey for his help! The driver of the Bantam needs to visit church often to thank God that he is still alive. We did manage to fit some of his stuff into our vehicles and his sister, who was driving the car in front of him, could take him to Pretoria.

We had a Wimpy Lunch in Zeerust after an uneventful border crossing and reached home at 3:30PM

Conclusion:
I used some 1240 liters of fuel in 6506km’s. Which gives me an average consumption of 5.25km/l. The only damage to our vehicle is the loss of one spotlight on the horrible corrugation. The only time we used recovery gear was to winch a rolled car back onto its wheels.

The total cost of the trip for 2 was R15 550 which includes everything from the day we left Pretoria until the day we got home again. Fuel was more than half of that cost.



Finally: This trip is not for sissies! Especially the North of Namibia. However, people do it in hired Nissan Hardbodies, so it is recommended for anyone with an adequate vehicle!!!
Attachments
Vic Falls.JPG
Van Zyls.JPG
Purros Canyon.JPG
Ongongo.JPG
Moremi.JPG
Extreme Dust.JPG
Desrt Elephants.JPG
Cunene Echo Trail.JPG
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Re: Botswana, Zambia, Namibia

Post by JBurger »

Dawie, Great report! Very informative and really wet my apatite to follow your footsteps. I did some of the road you covered in ’06 when we visited Epupa. We decided then already to go back because it is such a great place. I am amazed at how much you were able to cover in the short 19 days. Well done! :D :D :D :D

I do agree, some of the tracks (T4A) are the worst corrugations you can ever imagine! :!: :!: :!:
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Re: Botswana, Zambia, Namibia

Post by Family_Dog »

Excellent report, Dawie. Many thanks for such detail. Must have been quite a shocker watching that Bantam roll right before your eyes.


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Re: Botswana, Zambia, Namibia

Post by Scooter »

Fantastic Dawie, makes me jealous. Got to plan a trip like that, got to do it. :lol:
"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realise that what you heard is not what I meant."
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