The big trip-SA-Tanzania

[lukestrugnell]

Its about time I know but better late than never so here is a trip report from my 2 month trip last year Oct-Dec.

Botswana
We (my girlfriend and I) started off from Alldays where I lived at the time and headed over the border (Platjang) which was a pleasure. Our first stop was Kubu Island which took us almost all day. The pans were really lekker and we had a great first night. The old lux performed well on its first long leg of the trip but I did manage to break the wire to the radio and to the light in the back. So that night I fixed that!

From here we headed North and eventually made the tar road to Maun. We headed into Magalakadi nat park and camped the night here. It was quite lekker but game was concentrated around the river so game drives were short!

The next night we went to Maun and stayed at the old Bridge backpackers (in the camp site) I can recommend this place a lot and we landed up here for a few nights. We went on a makoro trip organized from the back packers for one night and two days. This turned into a complete dog show when our guide got drunk and naked! Pretty funny afterwards but not cool when your forking out almost 2 grand each for that pleasure! Old bride landed up refunding us for that trip in full which was very good of them considering they have no say over who guides you, its all a concession and run by the community! Old bridge has a really lekker bar, campsite and ambiance for anyone wanting to stay in Maun overnight!

The next morning after fuelling up 6 jerry cans and my 90 litre tank we headed for Moremi! Wild dogs on a kill with Hyena’s hanging around greeted us to Moremi! We spent two nights here and had an awesome time. The park was lekker but camp sites were in the process of being rebuilt and a bit buggered! At third bridge the Hyena’s and Baboons are a real hassle and I recommend going armed with a Katty for anyone intending to stay here! The hyena stole my slops and rubbed itself against us in the middle of the night :>

From North gate we camped in the Kwaai river concession area and of our entire trip I would say this was the prettiest area and best game viewing! Well worth a nights bush camp here!

Savute was next and after struggling through the soft sand to get to the gate, and seeing a cheetah hunting, it was lekker to eventually arrive in the camp. We also pitched up with no booking but it was not a problem as we camped in the “reserve” sites! Tons of ele’s lions and a very relaxed leopard were highlights of Savute! Our ground tent was a bit freaky at night with the elephants wandering around camp no further than 2 meters from the tent!

The next morning we headed to Linyanti camp site. The road was a struggle at first, with a steep very sandy hill to negotiate near savute camp site. I made it half way when a discovery sailed passed hardly sweating! Unfortunately for my ego they pulled me to the top of the hill! We made the rest of the mornings drive to camp easily and were greeted by a really awesome camp site! I really recommend this! Our discovery friends were in camp too and a bit of afternoon fishing cemented the friendship!

The next morning the discovery, with its duel battery wouldn’t start :> and me with my single battery started first time! So after helping them we headed to Kasane! This was a fun road to drive and very sandy! Half way we had to assist some fellow travelers with 20l petrol as they had under estimated their consumption in the sand!

Kasane was very welcome with cold beers and burgers at Safari lodge!

We stayed a few days here with my friend and did the usual activities, catching some lekker fish was good fun!

Here the hilux developed a radiator leak and luckily another friend, a mechanic in the area, sorted it out for me!

A few days later we headed over the border,

Zambia

Kazungula ferry was a nightmare but TIA, and lots of money payed out we were across. The day didn’t improve with the worst road I have driven between Livingstone and Lusaka making progress very very very slow! To make matters worse I had to pay a bribe of R1000 to a cop to avoid going to jail in Lusaka when we did arrive! He apparently saw me skip a traffic light from a kilometer away :> Eish!

Kariba was next on the list and this was very lekker, we stayed at eagles rest and chilled by the pool and on the beach for a few days! Mosi beer went down very well :>

From here we headed to Lower Zambezi National park for a free stay with another contact at Chongwe River lodge! The drive in was a beast with lots of holes, and tsetse flies making it uncomfortable to say the least!

We eventually arrived and were treated like kings with free drinks food and activities at the lodge. Canoeing, game drives and more fishing were the highlights as well as oliver the resident Ele bull who wanders around in the camp completely relaxed!

I almost lost the hilux here when the starter caught on fire. Luckily the extinguisher worked quick and I saved the engine and vehicle! Luckily I had also taken another starter motor and between me and the mechanic at the anti-poaching camp in the park we had her running again in an hour! I recommend taking a fire extinguisher!

The drive out of the park was equally as rough and we were chuffed to make Lusaka again from where we cracked on to South Luangwa, our next destination. We camped half way at a site I don’t remember.

South Luangwa has always been on the top of my list to visit and it was as lekker as expected. We stayed in crocodile camp just outside and this was a very nice spot with south African owners. Game viewing was good and after a lekker few days we headed on to Malawi!

Malawi

The friendly country lived up to its name and we felt the most welcomed in this country of the lot! Pizza’s and cold drinks just after crossing the border went down a treat! We headed to Senga bay and spent a few nights camping and swimming on the lake. Malawi Beer Kuche Kuche was the best and cheapest of the trip! Another problem with the lux here when she stalled and wouldn’t starts again, turned out to be a loose wire just above the dizzy, guess those pot holes in Zambia took there toll! That fixed quite quickly we were on the road north to Tanzania.

An awesome little campsite on the beach just south of the Tanzania border was a lucky find and we had a relaxing evening here watching the local fishermen work and kids play on the beach!

The Tanzania border was an unknown as we were unsure about the carnet story! This was no problem however but a bit of delay at the border (2 hours) saw us through!

Tanzania

The cops immediately pulled us over once inside and luckily we had no problem as my girlfriend spoke Swahili and this eased our passage the entire trip! I recommend learning the basics such as Shikamu, etc

We drove to iringa and had a lekker night at a farm camp site! The iringa market was the next mornings highlight followed by a terrible drive to Dar es Salaam!

We stayed in a camp site full of overland trucks near Bagamoya for the night after finding nowhere to camp in Dar

The next day was onwards to Arusha and we stayed half way for two nights in Lesoto, which is a really amazing place up the mountains, lovely and cool and scenic!

From here we made it to Arusha where we stayed for about 4 nights! Masaai cattle markets, Ngorongoro, Arusha craft market were the highlights. The Ngorongoro crater was off limits to us apparently pick up vehicles are not aloud down into the crater. A great pity but at least a money saving experience!

We then headed back to Dar and stayed in the same camp site as before.

The next day we took the ferry over to Zanzibar where we stayed in stone town for two nights and then on to the beaches for another two. Stone town was amazing and the highlight for me was the food market and the labrynth of passages around the town. You feel like your in a Wilbur smith novel walking around here and checking out the slave market etc!

The beaches were overated but this may be because I was mugged on the beach at knife point and the punk too my camera and lots of money. Luckily he left the vehicle papers and passports! TIA right!

So after making a plan for more bucks we headed back to stone town and back to Dar for another night at our favorite camp site :>

Another beastly drive back to the Malawi border camping once again at Iringa was the next two days activities!

Malawi

We decided to come back to Malawi for two reasons, 1: our intended route down the coast of Tanzania was a dodgy one with the ferry over to Mozambique said to be very unreliable, 2: shortage of bucks after the robbery

So back to Malawi, which again was a pleasure and down down down to the Mozambique border near Tete!

Mozambique

After a struggle to get over the border with language issues we headed down to tete, another terrible road and a rough days driving! We camped in the “camp site” on the Zambezi in Tete run by a friendly couple.

Due to our robbery and money shortage we now had to cut out some of our Mozambique route and so we headed directly for the coast and Barra where I was planning on doing my dive course!

We stayed at Barra reef lodge and dived with Russel and his crew! This was really amazing and another highlight of the trip. My girlfiend who has done over 200 dives said it was the best diving she has had and it was my first 5! I recommend this place and the crew there!

From here we basically headed to Komatipoort border and eventually back into SA

South Africa

We are HOME, and happy to be here, with fuel prices normal and currency you understand but sad as well that the adventure is over! The nights camp was a somber one!

Conclusion

With 15 000km’s done what can you say but wow that was great! We had amazing days and crappy days and that’s, I guess what overlanding in Africa is all about!

Would I do It again…..I plan to!

Lessons learned: take a spare starter, don’t walk on the beach in Zanzibar with a back pack, have lots of patience, and trust in the lux to get you home in one piece, slightly battered and tired but home!

[Scooter]

Nice Luke, sounds like a cool trip.

It is such a pity when bad things happen in Africa. The bad roads and wild animals are all things that we can deal with, but when it comes to people who think they should own what is not theirs, it makes me mad.

I understand they are poor etc but hey, ever tried asking for something with a please and not a knife/gun
Eish, just urks me.

[Family_Dog]

Good report, Luke! Pity the thugs stole your camera, I'm sure you have lost some irreplaceable photos & mementoes of your trip.


-F_D

[Spartan]

Hey Luke
Watse tyres het jy gebruik en watse suspension het jy op jou Lux

[lukestrugnell]

Ha ha I had standard suspension and Firestone ATX 215 R15's on.
Was really impressed with them, didnt get one puncture!

Fellow travelers always laughed at us cause we did it cheap, no fridge, ground tent etc. Amazing what you dont actually need!

Luckily the day before I had changed memory cards, so didnt loose too much. Was lucky!

[2.8 d/cab SFA]

awsome report, tx

[Spartan]

Luckily the day before I had changed memory cards, so didnt loose too much. Was lucky!

Nou waar is die ander fotos dan, neeman moetnie so lui wees nie ons weet jy het baie geskryf en was dalk moeg maar dit was gister

[lukestrugnell]

Ha ha ok sorry man

ek het 2000 photos so sal n bietjie tyd vat om al die photos hier te sit :D

[2.8 d/cab SFA]

tx keep the pics coming

[BenHur]

Luke

Nice report. I am with you man, you do not need all the fancy brand name stuff to go on a trip. Lately I started realising the less comforts we take with the more time we have to spend enjoying yourself out in nature, as you do not need to spend all that unnessasary time packing and unpacking and caring for / cleaning all the stuff you lug along.

I see you in Joburg now, what do you keep yourself busy with lately?

[lukestrugnell]

Thanks BENHUR

Ya im now based here working for the endangered wildlife trust doing specalist consultancy work on birds and power lines! Trying to minimise the impact of these lines on our sensitive species.

[BenHur]

You must keep us informed of what you are busy with in the "Out In Nature" section on the forum.