Innholdsfortegnelse for August - September 2021 i Go! Drive & Camp

In the seventies, camping on the KZN North Coast was quite different to today. You could even camp ‘wild’ in places with no amenities – it was not only free but also safe. One such place was at the Amatikulu beach and the so-called ‘flat rock reef’ north of Richards Bay. Only a few people knew where to turn off the R102 onto the twin-track leading to this secluded beach. This was of course before the days of the N2. Getting to the beach meant serious business for your off-roader. I had an old Series 3 Land Rover Defender and my friend Mike Hutchons an even older 2A. Kevin Holland, another friend, had the latest Landy with its new six-cylinder in-line petrol engine. The first thing you did when you…

The outdoor equipment manufacturer Wild Accessories adapted its range of canopies and says they are now even more dust- and waterproof. According to owner Christiaan du Toit, the team at the factory in Silverton, Pretoria, are constantly looking for ways to improve their products. “We’ve been in the industry for almost four years by now, and you cannot rest on your laurels. That’s why we’re constantly looking for ways to improve. We also use the latest technology to make sure we give our customers not only value for money, but also peace of mind that they don’t have to be nervous about the dirt roads in Africa. That’s why our canopies are guaranteed for two years.” Wild Accesories canopies are made of lightweight aluminium and are rust resistant. A system…

In South Africa, buyers can choose from a multitude of off-road caravans, but only a handful of them have a built-in bathroom. Tuff Cats has joined the club with its Dindingwe. A timely decision when you consider the COVID-19 pandemic. When you have your own private bathroom, you don’t have to share facilities in the campsite. But it’s not just the bathroom that appeals. The outdoor kitchen and sleeping area are wonderfully spacious, and the caravan is perfect for a couple or even a family of four. Pride of place As with the other three Tuff Cats models – the Nzudzi, Shumba and Mbada – the Dindingwe has a galvanised chassis and an aluminium hull. All have an indoor basin and space for a cassette toilet, and the three other…

The Free State landscape is mostly expansive and flat, but it’s a different story on the province’s eastern border: the Maluti mountain range runs like a natural cut line between the Free State and Lesotho, and that’s where you find the world’s most famous natural phenomenon, the Brandwag rock in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Golden Gate is therefore high on many a tourist’s list, but oddly enough, you can count the number of campsites in the area on one hand. Besides Golden Gate’s own campsite, Glen Reenen, a visit to the Uithoek Nature Park is worthwhile. It is the newest campsite in the area, a place where you can relax in absolute silence at the northern foot of the Ventersberg. If you want to stay in the area…

“We’ve been camping with our tents for many years and also raised our children, Gretha (7) and Marius (5), to enjoy and appreciate this lifestyle. The biggest tantrum Marius ever threw was because we didn’t go camping! This past Easter weekend, we looked for a spot to relax and I found the Blinkwater campsite at the Citrusdal Lodge online. Reviewers had only good things to say about the place, about 10 km outside Cirtrusdal. As it’s not too far from our home, I made an enquiry. The rates were quite acceptable, we loaded the car and headed there. TELL US MORE ABOUT THE CAMPSITE? We were pleasantly surprised with it. The photos on their website don’t do justice to how neat and well thought through it all is. Everything is…

FISHING RESORT BIG FISH CARAVAN PARK FISHERMAN’S PARADISE Barely 700 m from where the N2 at Jeffreys Bay crosses the Gamtoos River, you’ll find the Big Fish Caravan Park on the shore. The resort runs for almost a kilometre down the river, and its barely 5 km from where the river flows into the sea. That means you’ll find marine fish ‘inland’. There are 38 sites, 14 of which are in a row next to the water. All the stands are nicely level and on grass. Each has a tap with municipal water, a built-in braai (with a grid), a light with its own switch, and a power point (blue Fredlin plugs). Two separate bathroom buildings contain 14 family bathrooms, each with a sink for washing dishes next to it.…

The first of BMW’s GS motorcycles, the R80G/S, was introduced in 1980 and dominated the Dakar Rally from 1981 to 1985. Adventurer Ed Culberson then used an 80G/S in 1987 to drive the entire Pan-American Highway – from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska to Ushuaia in Argentina – crossing the infamous Darién Gap for the first time with a land vehicle. The GS was therefore never an obscure motorbike, but it was a niche machine in a time when the rest of the world obsessed over superbikes. People paid little attention to adventure motorcycles back then. The GS evolved over the years into the 100GS (980 cc), followed by the 1100GS and then the 1150GS. The latter was a breakthrough model for BMW when actor friends Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman…

Caravan design is a specialist field. Then there are also seasoned architects like Bennie Cilliers from Bethlehem who come up with a caravan that’s quite simply in a league of its own. Although Bennie is the mastermind behind the Okapi, the business in the meantime has been sold to the owners of Van Zyl steelworks in Reitz in the Free State. But, for such a new product, there is already a lot of interest if you look at the waiting list. With its round nose, the Okapi looks quite different from other caravans, and inside, the layout and luxurious finishes are as original. The hull is made of fibreglass, which means the caravan is virtually maintenance-free. What’s more, the Okapi is up to taking on Africa’s worst roads. Press all…

Tangled Tree recently expanded their ecofriendly range to a three-litre bag-in-box. This lovely range consist of a Chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon, Butterscotch Chardonnay, Spicy Shiraz and Tropical Sauvignon Blanc. The Tangled Tree range, with its lower carbon footprint, is not merely an embodiment of Van Loveren’s commitment to sustainable winemaking but also tells a story of love, find out more at tangledtree.com. Follow Tangled Tree wines on social media at @tangledtreewines (Facebook & Instagram). Prize includes a mixed case eight three-litre Tangled Tree wines.…

I recently purchased this 1963 Hymer Eriba Troll Tourer 9 caravan for R49 000. The caravan is in great condition and completely standard. Items such as the pillows, curtains, gas stove and sink look untouched. And there is actually a heater – if you look at the roof, there is even a small chimney for the hot air. The previous owner says the caravan was first registered in the country in 1980. Its kerb weight is 713 kg and the gross vehicle mass is 900 kg. It’s therefore also equipped with brakes. I wonder how many of these special caravans there still are in South Africa. I purchased the Hymer early this year and haven’t taken it camping yet. I’ve had quite a few Slipstream pop-up caravans, but my back…

Bon appetit! On a quick weekend to get away from the pandemic-ridden world, Piet van Rensburg and his wife Amanda from Pretoria came across a bunch of greedy lilac-breasted rollers in the Kruger National Park. “We camp with an Echo 3 off-road trailer and spent the night in Lower Sabie. That day we drove out on a dirt road east of the camp. There was quite a bit of wind when we came across a flock of lilac-breasted rollers feasting on centipedes. Some of the lilac-breasted rollers even flew in front of the car for a bite before sitting on a branch next to the road again. I also saw one catching a chameleon. I took this photo with my long lens and a teleconverter, without needing to crop it…

The latest Land Rover Discovery – in its third iteration – was launched in early 2017. As is customary with vehicle manufacturers, the time has arrived for its first facelift after five years. The 2021 model has new uninterrupted LED strips in its headlights that look more complete than its predecessor’s LED daytime running lights. The front bumper’s air intakes are slightly larger and the rear bumper’s skid plate, that used to be faux metal, now matches the body paint. The license plate cavity in the rear hatch remains asymmetrical – designer Gerry McGovern insists it’s the best place for a license plate – and it is now highlighted by glossy black plastic panel to drive Gerry’s opinion home. Inside, the touchscreen in the centre console has been replaced with…

The international launch of the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 took place on 10 June this year via a video broadcast on YouTube. Ten days later, the first vehicles were sold in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and by the time you read this, a cargo ship with the first consignment of Land Cruiser 300s will have moored in Durban’s harbour. The 300 series is built at the Yoshiwara plant in Japan – it’s always a good sign when a product is manufactured in its country of origin. What do we have here? The 300 Series is the first new Land Cruiser since the 200 Series made its appearance in 2007. At the time of going to press, Toyota was still cagey with the exact details, but what we do…

Henties Bay is famous for its fishing waters that attract anglers from across Southern Africa. But a hundred years ago there was no town here. Back then, in 1929, Hendrik (Hentie) Stefanus van der Merwe shot a rhino. He had heard about an American museum offering good money for a complete skeleton of a rhino, so he took a small hunting party into Damaraland to find one. Rhino shot and bones collected, Hentie and his party ran out of drinking water. They headed for the coast, and then southwards until they found water near the mouth of the Omaruru River. Once he had sent off the bones and collected his reward Hentie returned the following December to build himself a small holiday shack. Gradually, more people did the same and…

It’s easy to figure out why Dinokeng is so popular. Where else can you drive for about an hour from a city, pitch your tent in the Bushveld and watch the Big Five from your own vehicle? Also, the winters north of the Magaliesberg are much more bearable, and on warmer winter days you can even get out your shorts and cozzies. Back when the Dinokeng Reserve was established, there weren’t many campsites, but nowadays things look quite different and it seems as if a new campsite pops up every month or so. The Afsaal Caravan and Bush Camp is one such place. Owners Pieter and Louise Snyman settled here a few years ago when they retired. A while later, they started thinking of a campsite and they got to…

The route starts on the R74 regional road at the lower end of the Sterkfontein Dam in the Free State. At a road sign (S28.52302 E29.07693) for the Retief Pass and Retiefklip, follow the S19 Bergville Road for 2 km to a signpost for the Kaalvoet Vrou and Retief Pass. Here you can turn left and visit the statue of Susanna Smit – according to legend, this Boer woman squared off against a British commissioner and told him: “I’d rather cross the Drakensberg barefoot than be under English rule.” The Retief Pass to which the road sign refers is on private land and you must get permission from Sollie Prinsloo of Dumbe Berg Accommodation to drive there. This pass was declared a Heritage Site in 1977 because the Voortrekker Piet…

“My off-roading hobby was kickstarted when my parents gave me a Suzuki Jimny. The Jimny isn’t the biggest vehicle and pretty soon I started to run out of space. Luckily my grandfather Johan Marais offered his Isuzu KB 280 LE single cab to me a year and a half ago. He purchased it brand new in 1997 and had meticulously maintained it in the 22 years he owned it. In the time that I’ve owned the KB, it’s been through extensive modifications to keep up with my touring expectations. Speaking of which, this bakkie’s taken me all around South Africa’s coastline and along our borders. The KB’s got a club-cab canopy over the load bed, with dual spare wheels behind it. It’s also got an auxiliary diesel tank and a…

Minibuses are some of the best types of towing vehicles available: not only do you have more than enough space for passengers and luggage, but your caravan also won’t hold you back due to its wind resistance. Just about every off-road trailer and bush caravan – and some road caravans – are small enough to hide behind a minibus. A less obvious advantage is reversing. Because the towbar sits almost on top of the rear axle, a caravan won’t jack-knife so easily and reversing is easier. The longer the distance between the rear axle and the towbar, the more sharply the caravan reacts as you turn the steering wheel – and if the caravan’s wheels are also close to the towbar, it’s even worse. That’s why it’s significantly more difficult…

Many of us, when given the option to purchase yet another gadget rather than struggle to MacGyver something, probably go with the former. However, some of the serious camp boffins among us prefer to don their smartie caps, pull out some superglue, and go through their household items to put something clever together. DIY dishwashing Just two issues ago we featured a folding dishwashing table with folding worktops that doubles as a workspace. Luckily for Yvonne Siebrits Hattingh from Vredenburg, her husband is quite the handyman, and put one together for her himself. “My husband Gideon built this sturdy dish-washing station for me. It’s a little high, but I can wash what I need to in soapy water in one basin, rinse off in the next and place the clean…

KOMODO DRAGONS (VARANUS KOMODOENSIS) Wild Komodo dragons are found only on Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands. Komodo dragons will eat almost anything they find, including deer, water buffalo, pigs, smaller Komodo dragons and occasionally humans! They have powerful legs, sharp claws, shark-like teeth and even poisonous saliva. Dragons will calmly follow their bitten prey for miles, using their keen sense of smell to find the victim’s corpse. They have huge appetites and have been known to eat up to 80 percent of their body weight in a single go feeding ! . & Camp Augustus-September 2021 | 115…

Have you heard of the Inkwe, Kovu, Zazu and Zaki? These are all existing models of Jaguar caravans, and all the names refer to big cats. But this is not where the similarity ends: all these caravans share the same pop-out folding bed (or two). These types of beds have become the norm in many off-road caravans, but not all campers like them, because in the bush only a thin canvas separates you from wild animals. One solution to this dilemma is a return to conventional caravan design. Here, the bed is inside the caravan with solid walls, but it retains the capabilities of an off-road caravan. Jaguar’s answer to this is the Sabor. Up close Besides sleeping safely inside the caravan, the owner of Jaguar, Jacques Serfontein, thought of…

The 2021 model Nissan Navara’s technology, safety and performance have been upgraded and, according to Nissan South Africa, the result is greater driving pleasure, greater comfort and improved load capacity, making the Navara a leading bakkie in its category. “Our continuous improvement process has seen us re-engineer the entire range of models to produce a Navara that’s perfectly suited to South African and ultimately African conditions,” says Stefan Haasbroek, head of marketing at Nissan South Africa. What do we have here? The latest Nissan Navara is powered by the well-known 2,5 ℓ turbodiesel engine that’s been in service for some time. The biggest advantage of continuing to keep employing the faithful old engine is that customers, especially businesses, can budget in advance for operating costs such as fuel consumption, maintenance…

You are in one of the most beautiful parts of the Free State, you may just as well make a detour to Golden Gate and stop in at Clarens. The public road between Clarens and Phuthaditjhaba (the R712) runs through the park. About 17 km outside Clarens, drive through a gate (unmanned when we were there). The Golden Gate Hotel is 3 km down the road on the right, with the Sentinel towering over the area to the left of the road. To the right, just before the turn-off to the hotel, is one of those large yellow steel frames through which you can take a photo of the area. It is a few steps up the hill, and here the family can pose inside the frame for your photo…

From when their children were young, the Schoemans encouraged them to think for themselves, and so today they still do, sometimes quite unconventionally. Jurie reckons Helena should get the credit, as she’s the one who has always encouraged them to embrace their creativity. Their second child, Stefanie – or Dita, as everyone calls her – not only has a passion for plant-based food, but shares an interest in small mobile living spaces, called tiny houses, with her partner, Jaydon Meidlinger. Jaydon, with his architectural genes, built them a tiny house with reclaimed wood. The construction followed after many hours of reflection and discussion – sometimes quite heated – with Stefanie. Finally, the tiny house is 6 x 2,4 m in size (and 4 m tall) with a bedroom upstairs that…

This is my third Jeep. The first was a 2003 Grand Cherokee 4.7 HO, but I sold it because of its high petrol consumption. After that I owned a number of other vehicles, including a Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan X-Trail and a Kia Sportage, but the Grand Cherokee stood out for me. Then I bought another Jeep, this time a 4.0 Grand Cherokee, also in the WJ series. Unfortunately, it struggled to tow my Sprite Swing. I then sold the 4 ℓ petrol and started looking for a 3 ℓ turbodiesel in the WK series. I finally found one on Gumtree and got it from a guy in Simon’s Town. The car smoked a bit, but its R65 000 price tag convinced me to take a chance on it. The opulence…

Air supply If you’ve ever been on a guided 4x4 tour, you may remember how the tour guide instructed everyone to deflate their tyre pressure to a certain number. He either bellowed “Zero point eight!” or he was the guy who went to each vehicle in the convoy and suggested a particular pressure that matched the vehicle in question. The latter is a sign of a team leader who knows his stuff. “Drive your rig for several months and change the tyre pressure until you get the right number that works for you” Not all tyres use the same air pressure, and even if each vehicle had the same BF Goodrich multi-terrain tyres, their GVM would differ significantly – it is also about how heavily loaded each rig is, and…

Our northern Botswana tour begins at the community-based Khama Rhino Sanctuary in central Botswana, where we spend our first night before moving on to the spectacular Kubu Island, a granite rock outcrop on the Makgadikgadi Pans, for a night under the stars. The next morning after enjoying coffee and rusks against a backdrop of the iconic baobabs, we head north along the edge of the empty salt pans, testing our 4x4 driving on the sandy terrain. We have a light picnic lunch en route to our next campsite. We spend two days on the banks of the Boteti River, 30 km from Maun. There will be an opportunity to do a flight over the Okavango Delta (own expense), explore the local markets or simply chill in camp before a late…

I am the eldest of three children, and my younger siblings, Hugo and Paul, have shunt some stumbling blocks more than once in my life. We arrived in intervals of two years, and had our disagreements, of course, but we were brothers. Our family has been camping for as long as I can remember, and our parents criss-crossed the country – kids in tow – more than once, socialising around the campfire at night. We all ended up playing squash – and we’d even go jogging a few kilometres in the morning. (But, not all of us enjoyed running.) Dad loved motorbikes, but he no longer wanted to take to the road alone, so he bought us each one. Now we could also challenge one another on various motocross tracks.…

“My father-in-law and I actually planned to do a similar project together, as both of us are fond of travelling. But what we didn’t realise at the time was that our taste in the finished product would be quite different. Whereas he prefers something that is simply practical, I appreciate what is aesthetically pleasing. In August last year I came across an ambulance shell that had gone up for sale. I went to have a look, immediately realised the potential and bought it. Then I found a double-cab Iveco truck and purchased it. After only having a rough plan in my head and a few sleepless nights, the project started. I had a lot of assistance from local expertise in the area; including a skilled spray-painter who did a good…