Innholdsfortegnelse for Feb/Mar 2026 i Go! Drive & Camp

Many thanks for Cyril Klopper’s excellent article on the KwaZulu-Natal Battlefields in the OctoberNovember 2025 issue. We’d love to follow in his tracks and have a few questions before setting off. I tow a Nayela Mahem caravan, while my brother-in-law, Jakes van Zyl, drives a double-cab bakkie with a rooftop tent. Is the route suitable for towing a caravan, or for travelling in a double-cab? And are there caravan-friendly campsites at all the destinations where Cyril overnighted? Yes, towing is possible throughout the route. There are no low structures, trees or overhead power lines to contend with. The only potential difficulty is at the war graves at Elandslaagte near Ladysmith, where there’s no space to turn around. That said, the graves are only about 100 m from the main road, so…

South African vehicle conversion specialist Ulterio Motiv recently showcased two of its latest demonstrator builds to Drive & Camp: a Ford Ranger 6×4 and a Toyota Land Cruiser 6×6. According to the company, the aim was to create a platform for customers who need a highly capable workhorse, including campers, overlanders and emergency services. Adding a third axle effectively doubles the payload capacity of a standard vehicle, making it possible to bolt on larger and heavier habitation modules for overland travel, or to fit bigger water tanks on firefighting vehicles. Unsurprisingly, the conversion that attracted the most attention was the Land Cruiser 6×6. By adding an extra axle, Ulterio Motiv was able to increase the gross vehicle mass (GVM) of the Land Cruiser 70 Series to 6 050 kg –…

BorderX’s new Arte Edition rubs shoulders with the very best caravans in its class, thanks largely to the manufacturer’s decision to draw on the expertise of several industry specialists. The Arte is the fifth caravan in the BorderX line-up and has been developed over the past 18 months. It’s a double-axle model loosely based on the Expedition off-road caravan*. Why all the experts? According to BorderX owner Werner Pretorius, the Arte was never meant to be a solo effort. For this flagship caravan, he drew on the expertise of architects, suspension specialists, power-system engineers, established names in the fridge-freezer industry, awning designers and even wifi and internet networking boffins – all brought together and guided by his own hands-on experience. The goal was clear: to match the Arte’s formidable off-road…

Readers of this magazine, and of our predecessor titles, will know we’ve shared many of the Van Stadens’ camping escapades over the years, all enjoyed in their faithful 1981 Sprite Sport. Last year was no different. This time, they tackled a circular journey from Cape Town through the Kgalagadi, on to Punda Maria, and back again via the Drakensberg and Addo. As has often happened before, Elmare (better known as Bossie) was joined by her sister Annette Muller and Annette’s husband, David (or Orrie, as everyone calls him). Johan takes up the story. "We hitched the Sprite to our Isuzu KB300 on Sunday, 21 May, and drove as far as Worcester, where we left the bakkie behind; Orrie and Annette’s Hilux would be doing the towing for the rest of…

In the truest sense of the word, the Defender is a holiday vehicle. It offers cavernous packing space and enough mass to tow just about any caravan with confidence. It’s immediately clear that Land Rover designed the Defender with caravanners in mind: beyond the clever software running in its electronic brain, there’s a long list of practical features that make life with a trailer noticeably easier. These include a digital rearview mirror that can“see”straight through your luggage even when the load bay is packed to the roof, a side-hinged rear door rather than a top-hinged one, a removable towbar and a dedicated reverse camera. Time to hitch up Like many modern vehicles, the Defender requires a 13-pin adapter to be plugged into the vehicle’s wiring harness before you can connect…

"You must always deflate your tyres on gravel roads”; “you can’t get by without a diff lock”; “a short wheelbase is better than a long one” … chances are you’ve heard these statements before, and maybe even joined the debate yourself. The reality, however, is that most of these views live in the grey areas – because very little in offroading is ever purely black or white. We unpack five common beliefs that are partly – or completely – false. Narrow tyres for the win! Before we address this claim, it’s important to understand that only a small portion of your tyre actually makes contact with the ground. This is known as the contact patch, or footprint. Narrow tyres generally have a longer, slimmer footprint, while wider tyres have a…

The Klein Karoo is probably the last place you’d expect to find a campsite with a water park – but that was before Absolutely Wild opened its gates. Owners PJ and Alice Verster built the water park on their farm between Barrydale and Ladismith, laying out 40 campsites around it. The roughly 1 400 ha property lies alongside the R62 and also offers glamping and self-catering accommodation. A keen rugby enthusiast, PJ designed the campsite layout in the shape of a rugby ball. Each luxury stand measures 15 × 10 m, and 10 of them come fully equipped with a private kitchen (including a fridge and microwave) as well as a private bathroom. (Just remember to pack your blue caravan plug.) The standard stands don’t have power points and are…

KRAFTED KAMPERS CANYON 01 For 30 years, Stephan Theron earned his living as an industrial designer in the manufacturing sector. For the last five of those, however, he found himself dreaming of building a caravan of his own – a dream that ultimately gave rise to the Canyon 01. The appeal of compact caravans like this one is immediately obvious. Setup is quick and uncomplicated, no special towing licence is required if the GVM stays at 750 kg or below and as long as the caravan is fitted with overrun brakes, it can be towed by even very small vehicles. The Canyon ticks all three of those boxes. According to Anna Jacobs of Krafted Kampers, the Suzuki Jimny was very much front of mind when the team settled on the…

"Beyond the gate, the road drops again… and then the campsites come into view" If you’ve ever driven the N2 between Cape Town and Hartenbos, Mossel Bay or Knysna, chances are you know about Albertinia. The town is famous for its aloe products and sits snugly alongside the N2, making it an easy place to pull in at either the Shell or Engen garages to refuel and stretch your legs. Both stations also have shops where you can pop in and get a feel for the town’s friendly hospitality. The Aloe Deli is any carnivore’s dream. A large sign above the door proudly announces the house speciality: yellowfat biltong. In addition to biltong and droëwors, you’ll find a wide selection of other meats and sausages to stock up for that…

What brings on these migrations? Migrations boost genetic success, open access to rich food sources and support seed dispersal and biomass transfer. Protecting these movements is vital to the circle of life. Across Southern Africa, these secretive animal movements unfold each year, creating unforgettable photographic moments and a sense of place for those observing. Witnessing these instinct-driven events is truly aweinspiring – a must for any self-drive bucket list. What significant migrations are there to see in southern Africa? Wildebeest and Zebra migrations unfold in places like Zambia’s Liuwa Plains, Botswana’s Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi National Parks. While the small pockets of woodlands in Kasanka National Park reveal a different phenomenon – a migration of fruit bats. PREDATORS AND BIRDLIFE Migratory movements inevitably bring a peak in the number of…

SIMONSKLOOF Pet terms An additional fee applies per dog, and pets must be kept under control at all times. Have we visited before? No. Campsite Eight demarcated bush campsites (with spring water), laid out on soil or grass around a 300-year-old oak tree. Ablutions Three shared showers with gas geysers, as well as composting toilets. Arrival and departure 14:00 and 10:00, although times are not strictly enforced. Contact 023 614 1895 or 081 270 7790 info@simonskloof.com simonskloof.com Nearest town Montagu, 50 km. Road condition 10 km of good gravel road; road caravans are not permitted. GPS S33.616713 E19.728351 LAKE PLEASANT Pet terms Your small dog is welcome to camp, except during the December holidays. Have we visited before? Yes, March 2014 (WegSleep#64). Campsite A shady campsite with 55 stands. Loose-standing…

There’s a reason my children don’t know what the word “adversity” means. When I asked, only one of the three teenagers in my house ventured an opinion: “It has something to do with how fast a kettle boils…” Mechanical mishaps along the roadside are nothing today compared to what they were years ago. You know the story… In my day, proper cars still broke down. Since the 1970s, vehicles have become dramatically more reliable. Is it a coincidence that the culture of mechanical adversity faded just as Japanese cars started making their mark against the big, old American iron? I don’t think so. Once South Africans realised that the vehicles they’d dubbed “Jap Scrap” were actually reliable and light on fuel, everything changed. When my dad sold his 1971 Chevy…

I was paging through the Your Photo section in the March 2019 issue and felt inspired to share a photograph I took in our own garden. The image shows two duikers that regularly wander through our retirement village. I find it a joy to watch them helping themselves to our flowers, even though their visits sometimes cause no small amount of distress among certain residents. I took the photo late one afternoon in May last year using a Canon EOS 7D, with a shutter speed of 1/640 s, an aperture of f/8 and an ISO setting of 1 600.…

Chinese manufacturer BAIC launched its B30 model locally in November last year and simultaneously announced an R11 billion investment in its Coega plant in Gqeberha. The announcement aligns with the company’s stated philosophy of manufacturing vehicles in the countries where they are sold. What do we have here? The B30 pictured here is the range-topping Premium Adventure HEV AWD 1.5T Hybrid DHT AWD – quite a mouthful – but the line-up also includes three front-wheel-drive derivatives, two of which do without hybrid technology altogether. The three additional models and their pricing are the entry-level Elite Adventure (R519 000), Premium Adventure (R549 900) and Elite Adventure HEV at R639 900. The first two are equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), while the two hybrid models feature a two-speed dedicated hybrid…

“To test its mettle, we lined up a compound route of fast tar, not so fast tar, gravel and don’t-go-down-there” You won’t easily forget your outing in the original Duster. Back then, we were all laughing at it, this interloper trying to steal a slice of the dirt-road pie from the likes of Subaru. It was ridiculously cheap – a packet of chips and a burger cheap – but surely it would break as soon as it looked at a Karoo landscape. Well, no. At the top of Bainskloof Pass there used to be a hectic track down to the left (they’ve closed it now), leading to an incredible viewpoint, perfect for a picture of the Romanian disruptor. Without too much thought, we disappeared down, took the shot (epic), turned,…

Franschhoek, the picturesque Winelands town named after the 176 French Huguenots who settled here in 1688, is the starting point for this route. Your first stop should be the Huguenot Monument at the top of Huguenot Street. It’s well worth a visit: entrance costs R100 per adult (R50 for children) and grants access to the monument, museum and a perfumery. Leave the village via Lambrechts Road (the regional R45) and begin the climb into the Hottentots Holland Mountains. Franschhoek Pass was built between 1823 and 1825 by 150 soldiers of the Royal African Corps under the command of Major William Cuthbert Holloway. It was originally a gravel road and only tarred in 1963. Today, the road surface is in excellent condition following extensive upgrades conducted between 2023 and 2025. Be…

There are competing philosophies when it comes to motorcycling, and the two camps that differ most sharply are the technophiles and the purists. The former revel in modern technology and electronic assistance, while the latter believe a motorcycle should be a simple, mechanical machine with as little electronic gadgetry as possible. BMW happens to build a GS for both of them. What have we got here? The first GS BMW handed over to us was the R1300GS Adventure. We had to fetch the colossal machine ourselves from BMW’s media fleet, because apparently there was no one big and strong enough to deliver it to us. (Full marks for subtle bragging, Cyril. – Ed.) It’s an intimidating motorcycle, with a broad fuel tank wedged firmly between your knees and a wide…

Aside from the price difference, the main distinctions between a single-axle and a double-axle caravan are as follows: • A double-axle caravan offers better road-holding, as the weight load is distributed more evenly across the wheels. A single-axle caravan essentially pivots on either side of its axle. • While your chances of a puncture on a double-axle caravan are theoretically doubled, you still have an extra wheel supporting the load if one tyre fails. This allows you to limp along if you can’t change the wheel immediately. With a single axle, a puncture can leave you stranded if the wheel can’t be replaced straight away. • A double-axle caravan tows more smoothly over poor roads. With a single axle, the counterweight rests largely on the towbar, whereas on a double-axle…