The African Adventure

The African Adventure with HERO 4x4xplore

2005-10-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hi to everyone who read my website from The Great China Tour in May 2004.

Our car in Tibet on the way to the base camp of Everest

Well here we go again, this time it's Southern Africa and an 11,000 kms drive through Soth Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia. You can read all about the Tour on the HERO 4x4xplore website by clicking on the link, on the right, HERO African Adventure and then click the African Adventure icon.

The Tour starts on the 3rd August 2005 from Cape Town and I will endeavour to post to this site as frequently as possible.

The photo above is of the car at the Barking London container depot being loaded for shipping in June. It's the same Toyota landcruiser that we took round South America in 2001 and China and Tibet in 2004. The container ship left London on the 28th June and arrived a week ago in Cape Town. It has just cleared customs and the Landcruiser is awaiting collection on the 1st August.

That's it for now, but I will post once more before we head south.

SAA Strike!!

2005-10-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Well, with our preparations almost completed, out the blue SAA have gone on strike and all their flights have been grounded! We are due to fly with them on Saturday. A few hasty phone calls and we have seats reserved on the Sunday evening flight with BA to Cape Town. The delay of a day isn't a disaster but the fact that the fare is 60% more, certainly is! The hope is that SAA will resolve the dispute over pay quickly enough to ensure that the weekend flights are back to normal. The latest news is that they are back talking with the unions.

Are we going or not?

2005-10-14T00:48:00.000-07:00

Still don't know if today's flight will go or not!

Flights resumed on Thursday but there are so many stranded passengers around the world that there is no guarantee that our seats will be available. Other participants from the UK and the USA have been hit by the strike. Just hope we all get to Cape Town for the start on Wednesday.

Next post will be from Cape Town.

BA it is

2005-10-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

Now we know. No SAA flights to Cape Town from London today and, its seems, the same tomorrow. Our flights are cancelled and all we can hope is that the full refund promised comes through in our absence.

So, finally it's sorted and we fly with BA tomorrow evening, arriving at 8am on Monday. The first group of participants are off to collect their cars at 11am on Monday, so it will be touch and go for me to get to the hotel in time. If we arrive too late then we'll arrange to pick up the car on Tuesday, which will be a shame as we were hoping to have a free day sightseeing.

I hope that others flying with SAA have managed to rearrange their flights to make sure they get to Cape Town in time for the start.

We are off

2005-10-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

Well, the day to leave on our African Adventure has arrived.

At 7.35pm the BA flight from Heathrow will leave the UK and then arrive in Cape Town at 8am tomorrow.
Don't know what other participants flying with SAA have done to get to South Africa but the BA flight is full and I expect the same goes for the other airlines.

Weather in the Cape is warm with rain in the afternoons.

View of Table Mountain from our hotel

2005-10-11T00:29:00.000-07:00

August 1st - Cape Town

2005-10-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

Surprise meeting at Heathrow with Mary English, daughter of Terence. They were both with us on The China Tour. She was seeing off her aunt and uncle travelling on the same flight as us to South Africa.

Good night flight arriving in Cape Town at 8am yesterday. Short cab ride to our waterfront hotel where we met up with Jingers and several of the group. Our hotel has wonderful views of Table Mountain across the Waterfront shopping complex.

Next, in three cars off we went to collect our cars. No problems at all and seeing my car being washed was an added bonus. Everything was OK with nothing missing! The drive back was fine and we filled up with diesel at 50p a litre!!

More meetings with old friends - David and Patsy Mitchell from New Zealand and Jim Taylor from the States.
Tomorrow it's a trip up the mountain and then to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years

August 2nd

2005-10-09T00:52:00.000-07:00

More participants arrived this morning from London and the States. John and Joanna Brown and the rest of the HERO team are also here, ready for the pre-event meetings tomorrow.

Good weather for our trip to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of his 27 years in prison. The island is only 7 miles from the mainland and a 30 minute boat ride. The tour was very interesting made especially so by the guide who was himself a political prisoner on the island. The prison was finally closed in 1991.

At the end of the tour we went and saw the penguin colony. Apparently there are over 58,000!

August 3rd

2005-10-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

Last day before we start the African Adventure. Signing on from 8am and we all get T-shirts, hats and safari waistcoats with the tour logo. Two route books give us 'tulip' directions for the complete route as well as detailed information about the countries and each day's journey.

Signing-on in Cape Town

Once the formalities were over we decided to drive about 80 miles up the Atlantic coast to the West Coast National Park, which is open at this time of the year for visitors to see the spring wild flowers. We took Dee Anne Croucher, while Kenny sorted out their hire car. It was well worth the drive. Spectacular carpets of white, yellow, orange and purple flowers were everywhere in the park. Ostriches, springbok, eland, herons and even a tortoise that we had to stop for as it crossed the track. An hour later and we had to head back for the medical and event briefings.

The day finished with coach taking us to a fish restaurant at Hout Bay about twenty miles from Cape Town

August 4th - Day 1

2005-10-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

8.03am is our designated start time. The cars are leaving at one minute intervals. At long last after months of preparation the start the Tour has arrived.

John Brown waving off Car No.1, Antoine, Maria and Victor de Hullu from Holland

The cars lining up for the start

The first part of the day's drive is down to the Cape of Good Hope, about 45 miles. As we approached the Cape park we stopped to look at several baboons eating pine cones in the road.

Baboon in the road near the Cape of Good Hope eating a pine cone

A short while later and we were at the Cape of Good Hope. Not, as we were to discover, the southernmost point of Africa, that is at a point some 200 mile east.

False Bay from the Cape of Good Hope

The drive then took us up the western side of False Bay to Simonstown and Fishhook. On the way we saw a colony of South African penguins. Such wonderful animals, ungainly on land, but beautiful in the water.
Next through the beautiful wine growing country to the east of Cape Town and on to our lunch halt at Stellenbosch. A lovely town with many old colonial buildings.

Beautiful Stellenbosch

Then south through marvellous scenery to our overnight stop at the five star resort near Kleinmond, some 15 miles west of Hermanus. So far there does not appear to have been any serious problems with the cars. Let's hope that continues.

August 5th - Day 2

2005-10-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

Spoke too soon about the cars having no problems!!

Up at 6.30am for an early start only to discover that I have a puncture. Get the tyre changed with the help of Jingers as the wheel was jammed on and I needed his expertise to remove it. We left only 15 minutes later than we had planned, at 8.15am. The drive took us south through Hermanus and on to the southernmost point of continental Africa, Cape l'Aghulas. The route was through some stunningly beautiful scenery. Very green, almost like England and quite unlike how I expected South Africa to be. Across wide open fields along gravel roads to Cape l'Aghulas. About ten of the cars were there when we arrived and everyone took turns taking photos at the plaque marking the southernmost point of Africa.

Edo, Veronique, Lynette, Quint and Terry-Lynn Weening at the southernmost point of the African continent, Cape l'Aghulas

An hours drive due north took us to the town of Swellendam. Wonderful old buildings, nearly 200 year's old.

Lunch in Swellendam with Antoine, Maria, Victor, Wendy, Jim, Kaitlyn and Leejun Taylor

The afternoon drive took us due east for about 100 miles to Mossel Bay, our overnight stop. 8 kms short of our destination and disaster strikes for a second time and we have another puncture! Still, I have two spares, so all is not lost. This time it's Mike Johnston from one of the back up cars who helps and an hour later we are on our way. Into Mossel Bay and straight to a tyre place to get the punctures repaired.

Let's hope tomorrow brings better luck.

August 6th - Day 3

2005-10-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

We left Mossel Bay at 8am hoping that the puncture problems of yesterday were behind us. Continuing fine weather makes the driving so much more fun. Empty roads and wonderful scenery make the miles fly by.
We headed north for about 100 kms to our first stop at an ostrich farm. A good short guided tour explained to us what strange birds they are. They weigh up to 125kgs and with a brain of only 60 grams they are not the brightest of animals.

Rosalie Gatsonides 'riding' an ostrich!

We then drove into the Little Karoo, the start of the dry areas away from the coast and then up the Swartzberg Pass, a gravel road that wound its way up to 1500 metres with magnificent views on each side of the pass. Shortly afterwards we stopped for lunch in the delightful old town of Prince Albert. Lunch was followed by the drive taking us east and then south to our resort hotel at Kynsna. The road took us through lovely gorges and mountain passes that were built in the 19th century for coaches.

Following Richard Smith in his Toyota through a gorge north of George

Lady luck was on our side for once as we drove the final few miles into Kynsna. There were terrible roadworks and we came up behind a huge stationary queue of cars and trucks. As luck would have it there was a turning into a small village and the car in front reversed back and turned off. I thought I'd follow and three or four miles later, through narrow lanes, across a railway bridge where we drove on the railway track and then through a small national park and we were back on the main road! We couldn't believe our luck! We arrived at the resort an hour later as the first to arrive. Such a great drive through fantastic country again made me wonder how John Brown finds these way-out places for us!

August 7th - Day 4

2005-10-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

A chance to chill out! Today is the first rest day of the tour. We are staying at the Pezula Resort Hotel just outside Knysna. It is a very well designed development of low rise apartment units carefully concealed in the rolling hills. The resort was opened earlier this year.

View of Kynsna Lagoon from Pezula Resort Hotel

The day has given some a chance to play golf, others to whale watch and us just to walk towards the ocean a mile away. Is it the Indian now, or is it still the Atlantic?

We took a short drive into Knysna and had a marvelous meal at South 34 (named after the latitude) on the waterfront. Knysna is on the edge of a beautiful lagoon and in the evening a trip had been organised on the paddle steamer that cruises the lagoon.

Protea bush in flower

We ended the day, as usual, drinking in the bar with the many new friends we have made. Tomorrow there are two alternative routes. One takes the mountain road into the wild country away from the coats and over 250 kms of gravel with some very rough sections. The other goes along the main road to Port Elizabeth, about 400 kms from here. We have decided to take the easy route to get there quickly and then have my tyres checked and tubes removed from the three remaining wheels. I don't want any more punctures because tubes are failing.

August 8th - Day 5

2005-10-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

As I said yesterday we decided to take the coast route to Port Elizabeth rather than the inland road over the Baviaanskloof, an area of wilderness, with mainly unmaintained gravel roads. Our route took us along the old coast road through lovely pine forests. The road alternated between narrow twisting sections and long straights where 120kph was the norm.

View of the 'highest road bridge in Africa' on the main Cape Town to Port Elizabeth highway

Before lunch we stopped by the sea at the Tsitsikamma National Park. The park embraces a wonderful coastline of mountains and rocky shores with fantastic surf.

Rocky shore at Tsitsikamma National Park, 100 miles west of Port Elizabeth

We met up with kenny & DeeAnne Croucher. Kenny rented scuba gear and went diving.

Kenny doing his interpretation of 'The Graduate'

Lunch followed as a picnic by the ocean, with the waves pounding on the rocks close by, sending up great clouds of spray into the air.

The drive to Port Elizabeth took about two hours along a great, virtually deserted, highway. This will be our last view of the sea as we head inland towards Lesotho and then the Zulu battlefields in KwaZulu Natal, before we return to the Atlantic in Namibia, some two weeks away.

August 9th - Day 6

2005-10-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Today was our first real experience of African big game. Some 100 kms north of Port Elizabeth is Addo Elephant Park. You can drive your own car through the park. So, it was great fun to tour the park at our own pace. We saw elephants, kudu (large deer) and warthogs.

Then jackals, zebra, hartebeest and vervet monkeys.

The park also has lions, black rhinoceros and buffalo. We spent three hours filming and taking photos. At one point an elephant walked across the trach in from of the de Hullu's Landrover.

Just as we were about to leave someone said there were elephants at a water hole next to the park restaurant. Sure enough four adult elephants were drinking at the hole, only a few yards from us.

Watering Hole at Addo Elephant Park

Leaving the park at lunchtime we drove over the Zuursberg pass, a twisting rough track through rugged scenery. Shortly after we returned to tarmac and drove about 200 kms on deserted roads to our overnight stop at the Katberg, a small resort at the end of an extremely muddy track. At one point the road was blocked by a local car being pushed by six or seven people through the mud. A detour over a grass bank, and the help of the locals in providing planks to get over deep ruts, enabled us to bypass the worst section of road. 50 rand changed hands to thank them for their help. My clean car is no more!

August 10th - Day 7

2005-10-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight we are close to the border with Lesotho staying in Rhodes a small town which is a protected heritage site.

This morning we left the Katberg Hotel in mist and drizzle. A steep, very rough and muddy track took us over the Katberg Pass at an elevation of 5,500 feet. We were now climbing into the higher regions of the Southern Drakensberg mountain range, with truly impressive wide open scenery. What has surprised me is how unpopulated the countryside is. After leaving a small town called Queenstown we had a text message from Richard Smith (car 10) to say he was skipping the drive to Rhodes and driving directly to Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, our overnight stop in two day's time. That's one of the good things about these drives; you can go 'off piste' at any time.

Our drive then took us into some really remote areas of the Eastern Cape. We climbed up to nearly 7,000 feet on the Dr. Otto du Plessis pass (I haven't found out who he was). The pass was totally deserted and we were the only people using it. We emerged into a high valley with sheep farms and very few houses or people. The last 60 kms were on good fast gravel roads and we arrived in Rhodes at 2pm.

Outside the Rhodes Hotel with a very muddy Landcruiser

After many hours of driving on dusty roads it was time to get the car cleaned. A local sheep farmer allowed his farm workers to clean our cars.

Tomorrow we climb over the Drakensberg, apparently covered in snow, and then on into Lesotho. More fun for us all.

August 11th - Day 8

2005-09-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

We left the picturesque small town of Rhodes at 8am and immediately we had a very hairy climb up the mountain pass to Tiffindell, the ski resort area about 25 kms from Rhodes. The climb took us up an extremely steep track which emerged in glorious sunshine on the top of the Drakensberg's with snow all around us as we drove towards the ski resort area.

Snow in Africa!

Tiffindell ski resort in the Drakensburg Mountains

All along the road cars from the event stopped to take pictures of the wonderful landscape. The drive down the mountain was not so steep but the view across the valley below was breathtaking.

On the way down from Tiffendell, looking towards Lesotho

Our drive then took us along the border with Lesotho, passing villages that cannot have changed in hundreds of years. Small round thatched houses, painted in many different colours with children running all over the place. Everyone is so friendly and waves as we pass by. The only problem we have is that the children run into the road to try and stop us to get money or food. We made the mistake of stopping and handing out colouring pens but soon realised that once you start doing this then children appear from everywhere and you simply cannot satisfy them all.

Typical houses in Lesotho village

We arrived at the border at 10.45am and quickly entered Lesotho. John Brown's car was there with us as were the Mitchell's and the de Hullu's in their Landrover.

Crossing into Lesotho from South Africa

The scenery in Lesotho is truly impressive. The country is mainly above 5,000 feet and the mountains all around make an impressive backdrop to the wide open spaces. The hills are dotted with small villages and goat herding and some corn growing seemed to be the main activity. It is quite obvious that the majority of the population are very poor. A sobering sight was to see so many placards giving HIV/Aids warnings and it seemed to us that in every small town the only businesses that advertised were undertakers. The aids problem is huge in South Africa and it is only when you come face to face with the reality of the situation that you realise how much damage is being done to the lives of these people and to the economies of these poor countries.

We traversed more passes and lunched at a really out of the way holiday lodge, the Malelela. Great lunch and the usual spectacular views we have come used to on our drive. Three hours of hard driving took us to the captial, Maseru and our hotel, the Lesotho Sun.

So far everyone is getting round OK and apart from a few punctures no one has suffered badly. Some of the hired Nissans have front guards that are coming loose, but apart from that all seems OK.

Tomorrow we cross Lesotho and head back into South Africa at the Sani Pass. Hopefully I will be able to post again then but the mobile signal in remote areas is not 100% certain. Reminds me of trying to get a signal in parts of London!

August 12th - Day 9

2005-09-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

As our timetable only allowed one night in Lesotho, we had to make an early start as we had to reach the border with South Africa before it closed at 4pm at the Sani Pass in the south-east of the country.
Today's run took us right across the magnificent central highlands and then over a succession of mountain passes. Lesotho is desperately poor and as recently as 1998 there was an invasion by South African forces to overthrow the government because of fraudulent elections. Everywhere you go you see signs of extreme poverty. Most agriculture is carried out by manual labour with the help of oxen and donkeys. It is difficult to convey how hard the lives are of the people who live and work in the country.

Two Lesothon woman carrying loads on their heads

Back to our tour. We travelled on mainly gravel roads which varied from bad to horrendous but always accompanied by unbelievably beautiful scenery. Great gorges with rivers winding through unspoilt landscapes.

3,000 metre plus mountains were always in sight and one mountain pass followed another. The sign below made us pause for thought about what lay ahead!

At one point we crossed a bridge that had a plaque on it that reminded us of the time the British Empire ruled in this part of the world.

This bridge was opened on

19 - 4 -1956

E.P. Arrowsmith

Resident Commissioner

Basutoland

More mountain passes followed and I took this photo of two of our cars winding up one of the pasess far below us. The telephoto lens was set on maximum magnification.

Unfortunately the Weening family Landrover broke down and, at the time of writing this, I am not sure if they have managed to make it to the hotel. Our journey ended at 3pm when we crossed back into South Africa and drove the 20 kms to the Sani Pass hotel.

My Landcruiser with Dave and Patsy Mitchell's Niissan on the summit of Kotisephola Pass.

At 3,250 metres the highest point of the whole tour.

August 13th - Day 10

2005-09-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

The end of the Weening's extraordinary long wheelbase Landrover! After breaking down several times yesterday they decided that the time has come to change vehicles. They live in the Cape Town area and are having their Range Rover delivered to the hotel, and the Landrover taken back for repairs. It's a shame as the Landrover is such a special vehicle. Six litre American engine, three rows of seats and every conceivable extra you could want for a trip like this. Unfortunately, the roads John Brown has found for us are simply too much for their car.

The Weening family Landrover at the Sani Pass hotel before being returned to Cape Town

It appears that most of the Nissan hire cars have broken shock absorbers, so this morning the new heavy duty replacements arrived. Early this morning Jingers and Mike Johnson started to fit them.

Jingers with Dave Mitchell fitting new shock absorbers to the Nissan

We have now started the long drive north which takes us as far north as the Victoria Falls in Zambia. The route today took us along country roads with the mighty Drakensberg Wall always present on our left. We detoured off into one of the many beautiful valleys to see caves with ancient rock art. It was a long hike up to to caves on a hot day. We came away slightly underwhelmed as the paintings were very indistinct.

The long walk to the caves with rock art at the Giant's Castle, Drakensburg Mountain range

Lunch back at the visitor centre made up for any disappointment. A further hour's drive and we arrived at our hotel, The Drakensnberg Sun. This evening we have a talk about the history of the Zulu battlegrounds, which is where we drive tomorrow.

August 14th - Day 11

2005-09-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

A nine o'clock start was a real luxury. An hour's drive bought us to the first of the three battle sites we wanted to see, the flat top hill called Spioenkop. The battle was fought between the British and the Boers in January 1900, resulting in a British defeat. It was very sobering to stand in front of the British war memorial to the Royal Lancashire Regiment and see all the English names, so far away from home.

Joanna Brown, Mike Johnson and others in front of the war memorial to The Royal Lancashire Regiment at Spioenkop

Just north of Spioenkop is the town of Ladysmith, which became famous in the Boer War for the siege by the Boers of the British which lasted 118 days. Next we drove to the battle site at Rorke's Drift, re-enacted in the famous movie Zulu, starring Michael Caine. Here the battle took place in January 1897 between 390 British troops and four thousand Zulus. The British held out overnight until a relief force arrived. Eleven Victoria crosses were awarded, the most in any battle.

War memorial to the British dead at Rorke's Drift with poppy wreathes saying 'Never Forgotten'

Our final site was at Blood River, so named because the river next to the battleground ran red with the blood of the Zulus who were fighting the Voortrekkers, settlers who were moving from the Cape Town area into the interior. This battle took place in December 1838 and 464 Voortrekkers fought between 12,000 and 15,000 Zulus. They formed a circle of 64 wagons and with only three wounded they defeated the Zulus, who lost over 500 men.

Wagon memorial at Blood River

The site has the most impressive reconstruction of the wagon circle which was completed in the early seventies. The wagons are like sculptures, made from metal and appear to all intents and purposes to be real thing. To stand in the centre, surrounded by the wagons, is a very moving experience.

A further hour of driving bought us to our overnight stop just south of the town called Vryheid. The day was rounded off by hearing that the de Hullus had sighted the first giraffe!

Tomorrow we cross Swaziland, on our way to the edge of the Kruger National Park.

August 15th - Day 12

2005-09-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

Last night there were great birthday celebrations for Kenny Croucher our ever smiling and joking Texan. Two huge birthday cakes had been ordered by Joanna Brown and then served to everyone. A great way to finish the day.

This morning we were away before seven as we had nearly 500 kms to travel which included crossing Swaziland on our way to the edge of the Kruger National Park.

Just as we left our hotel the sun was rising above the horizon giving us the magnificent sight of an African dawn on the veldt.

A short drive of just over 100 kms brought us to the Swaziland border. There was very little delay as half a dozen of us went through the border controls. Swaziland is a very green country and we were both struck by how much more prosperous the kingdom is than its nearby neighbour, Lesotho. Our first stop was at the Mlilwane wildlife park where we saw hippos, zebras and several species of deer. We looked for giraffes but were unable to find them. Next we stopped at a Swazi cultural village which included traditional dancing.

Whilst there the de Hullus arrived with a 'sick' Landrover. As usual the mechanical skills of Jingers came to the fore and he quickly discovered the fault - a loose rear wheel. The roads here have been very punishing to the cars and once something works loose it doesn't take long for it to become a major problem.

We skirted the capital, Mbabane, and then to my amazement we joined a brand new four lane motorway which took us about 30 kms to the border with South Africa. Three hours more driving and we arrived at the Sabi Sun Resort Hotel. We were delighted to see the Weening family had made it in their replacement Range Rover. We are now just 50 kms from the Kruger Park, tomorrow's destination.

August 16th - Day 13

2005-09-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

We had decided to skip John Brown's suggested highlights of visits to a pancake house, waterfalls and potholes which required driving 300 kms, and take the direct route to the Sabi Sabi Lodge in The Kruger National Park.

We planned to leave at 10am, but best laid plans nearly always have a habit of going wrong. Sure enough as I checked the car I noticed oil leaking from the front of the engine. Jingers was working next to my car checking the de Hullus Landrover to make sure no more wheels came loose. He came over to look at my Toyota and quickly discovered a leaking power steering hose. Thankfully it had only just happened and not much oil had leaked away. An hour later and it was repaired.

We left the Sabi River Sun resort by way of their hippo pool. There must have been at least a dozen hippos, both adults and very young ones, all wallowing in the mud. It made a strange site; the hippos in the pool and the resort's golfers walking close by!

Hippos at watering hole at the Sabi River Sun resort hotel

An hour's drive and we arrived at our five star 'Earth' lodge at Sabi Sabi. A wonderful apartment facing the bush and a watering hole where we can hear the hippos bellowing.

Four o'clock and we were off on our first safari. Six of us in an open Landrover with our guide Sven and a tracker, set off round the park. Three hours of touring and we saw, Cape buffalo , giraffe, nyala (a beautiful deer) as well as numerous impala and water buck.

Tomorrow we set off on our second safari at 6am, so another early start.

August 17th - Day 14

2005-09-24T00:35:00.000-07:00

Even though today was a 'rest' day, we were up at 5.30am to go on our second safari of a three hour drive in the bush. Our driver and guide, Sven, gave us a running commentary on the animals we saw. This time we came upon two groups of white rhino. We were within ten feet of them as they grazed. Two adult females and a young male. Apparently their skin is about an inch thick! Shortly after we saw two more, again grazing and seemingly quite unconcerned about us.

White rhino grazing five yards away from us!

I was quite ignorant of how many different species there are of African deer. Here are the ones I can remember that we saw: Springbok, impala, water buck, nyala, kudu, gazelle.

The beautiful Nyala

Male Kudu

Oryx or Gemsbok at waterhole

All too soon the drive was over and we were back at our lodge. Sabi Sabi consists of three lodges several kilometres apart from each other. We are in the most modern called Earth Lodge, which is a wonderful piece of architecture. As you approach the lodge you cannot see it at all as it is set into the side of a bank overlooking a large waterhole and the unspoilt bush. There are thirteen individually domed roof apartments, made out of a mud coloured concrete which has been mixed with grass to imitate a termite mound. From the front you see a low structure which very successfully 'melts' into the background.

Our 'termite mound' apartment at Earth Lodge, Sabi Sabi

The other two lodges are very traditional with grass roofs and one has only oil lanterns for lighting. They are all five star luxury lodges with impeccable service.

The highlight of our three safaris was the afternoon/evening, drive, when just after dark, we came upon a pride of nine lions lying in the road! We stayed with them as they slowly moved along the road and then into the bush. Always in single file, it was the most fantastic sight as we filmed and took photos. Unfortunately, as you are not allowed to have mobile phones with you on safari, I wasn't able to use the mobile phone's camera to take a photo of the lions. I am using my mobile phone to post photos to the website and so photos of the pride will have to wait till our return to the UK when I will post them to the site.

Back to the lions. They didn't mind Sven's spotlight which enabled us to see them so clearly. At times they walked alongside our Landrover and we could have touched them! Finally, we watched them disappear into the darkness of the bush. Thirty minutes had gone by in a few seconds.

It has been a most wonderful experience to see African big, and small, game in the wild. Tomorrow we drive halfway through the Kruger, a distance of 250 kms, on our way to our last overnight stop in South Africa before heading north into Botswana.

Another elephant, this time close to the lodge

August 18th - Day 15

2005-09-23T23:33:00.000-07:00

Better late than never! Didn't post these amazing photos of the lions from yesterday evening. At times the lions were within a couple of feet of our Landrover. A moment to remember.

We were sad to say goodbye to everyone at Sabi Sabi. It had been such a wonderful two days. One surprise for us after we arrived at Sabi Sabi was that it wasn't actually n the Kruger Park, but adjoining it. All around the Kruger are privately owned game reserves and Sabi Sabi was in the Sabi Sands game reserve.

We set off for the day's drive of 360 kms heading for the small town of Tsvaneen in the Limpopo region of South Africa. After about an hour's drive we entered the Kruger through. The Kruger Park is simply huge. It measures nearly 500 kms from north to south and about 100 kms east to west. Our route north took us within 20 kms of Mozambique. Wildlife is everywhere. Bob and Thelma Howells and their daughter Gemma watched a pride of lions eating their kill, a giraffe. We only drove halfway through the park and that took us six hours as there is a strictly enforced 50 kph speed limit.

We had to stop for several groups of giraffe as they crossed the road. It all made for a memorable experience.

Waiting for giraffes to cross the road in The Kruger National Park

After we left the park another 120 kms took us to our beautiful hotel, The Coach House.

Kenny Croucher our ever smiling and joking Texan at The Coach House Hotel

Tomorrow we cross into Botswana on the longest drive of the tour so far, 700 kms. Should be comparatively easy as it is virtually all on tarmac.

August 19th - Day 16

2005-09-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

We made the decision not to do the 'loop' into the hills that John Brown had included at the start of the drive to Francistown in Botswana. This cut off 50 kms from a 700 kms journey. Everyone seems to be really enjoying the tour and as the days go by we find we are able to spend time with people we haven't yet got to know. Twenty-three cars means you have a very wide range of backgrounds which makes for some very interesting and lively discussions.

Nearly four hundred kilometres of great driving on empty roads brought us to the border between South Africa and Botswana. On the way we saw the first of many massive Baobab trees. They are known as the 'upside down tree' because they have a huge trunk which doesn't taper and the branches look like roots. We stopped beside one and I walked around it to measure its circumference, some 40 feet and this was by no means the largest one we saw.

On to the border which is the mighty Limpopo river. We left South Africa on the southern bank and drove down into the dry river bed.

Crossing the boarder into Botswana driving through the dry river bed of the Limpopo

It was about four hundred metres across to the other side where we climbed the bank into Botswana. When the river is flowing cars cannot cross at this point but pedestrians can use a very rickety looking cable car. Not something I would want to have to do! No delays at the border and within a few minutes we were on our way. A further three hundred kilometres of wonderful straight roads through a dry scrubby landscape and we made it to our hotel.

The number of speeding tickets continues to grow with Alan Crisp the latest offender. A fine of about £10 for breaking the 60 kph speed limit.

Tomorrow we go into Zambia and the Victoria Falls on the Zambesi river. Another day another country. Finally, today we passed the 5,000 kms mark. Only another 6,000 kms to go.

Our Garmin GPS recording 5,000 kms since we left Cape Town on the 4th August

August 20th - Day 17

2005-09-21T00:37:00.000-07:00

A fast, fairly featureless drive of just under 600 kms across north western Botswana to cross the border into Zambia and the Victoria Falls. That's what we have done today, but not without quite a drama at the border.
The Zambezi river divides the two countries and a ferry carries cars, trucks and passengers across. Our problem was that there was only one of the two ferries running at the time. The first time the ferry loaded after we arrived it was completely filled with just one of the enormous articulated trucks waiting with us.

Jim Taylor with his Landcruiser in the queue waiting for the ferry over the Zambezi

David Harris and Rosalie Gatsonides on the ferry across the Zambezi.

So a long wait followed, that is until Joanna Brown and Ursula 'negotiated' with the supervisor loading the ferry to allow it to be completely loaded with our cars. The trip across took ten minutes and after the usual bureaucracy at customs and immigration we entered Zambia. The fifth country of the tour.

We drove the 70 kms to the Royal Livingstone Hotel, which is just above the falls, in forty minutes. After a quick change we took the fifteen minute walk to the Falls.

The magnificent Victoria Falls from the Zambian side

Because it is winter the flow of water is considerably less than in the summer wet season. Even though the water flow was down, the falls are a fantastic sight.

Tonight Mark I'Anson's co-driver David Liddell, as well as his two daughters leave us. They are replaced by his wife, son and another daughter. Terence English has the wife of a colleague joining him for the second half of the tour. We have now covered 50% of the total distance, 5,650 kms.

Tomorrow we make a change to the planned route by only going as far as the Chobe National Park, about 30 kms back into Botswana, where we are staying at the Chobe Game Lodge. The tour meanwhile goes from the Victoria Falls to Maun, a town on the edge of the Okavango Delta. They will stay there for two nights whereas we will arrive on Monday and stay for one night only.

August 21st - Day 18

2005-09-20T01:44:00.000-07:00

We were able to make a late departure from the Royal Livingstone Hotel as we only had 100 kms to drive to the Chobe Game Lodge, just across the border in Botswana.

Breakfast on the terrace at The Royal Livingstone Hotel, with Chris Matthews in the foreground

There were now three Toyota Landcruisers going 'off piste'. Stuart and Sherrie Jamieson from San Diego, John and Elaine Chambers from England and ourselves. The return journey to the ferry and the crossing back into Botswana was comparatively uneventful.

On the ferry back across the Zambezi to Botswana

We all needed fuel, which is 30% cheaper in Botswana than Zambia so we stopped at the first garage after the border to fill up. As we were getting our fuel there was a power cut and all the pumps stopped! Luckily for us the next garage had a generator that could operate one pump at a time, which made for a very slow fill-up.

The drive to the lodge took us a short way into the wilderness of the Chobe National Park. One of the great wildlife parks in the world. It has an estimated population of nearly 100,000 elephants. The lodge was on the southern bank of the Chobe river which is the border with Namibia.

Waiting to take the boat for our Chobe river safari

The river is a natural attraction for all sorts of animals and on a two hour boat ride we saw large herds of elephants coming down to the river to drink.

Elephants on the bank of the Chobe River

They were joined by a herd of impalas. Baboons, hippos, crocodiles and a many birds, including fish eagles all use the river.

Fish eagle

Five metres long crocodile basking in the evening sun

It is a truly magical place, especially as the sun set on our way back to the lodge. At supper we discussed our options for the next day's route. The two alternatives were to drive 650 kms south to Maun, and meet up with the rest of the group or head west into Namibia and drive through an area called the Caprivi Strip. This is a rectangular part of Namibia that extends between Angola to the north and Botswana to the south. Taking this route, and joining the tour a day later, meant we would save about 800 kms and also visit an area of Namibia that is very rarely seen by visitors because of its remoteness. The Caprivi Strip is also an area renowned for its wildlife. A few phonecalls and we booked ourselves into a lodge in a small town called Rundu, some 600 kms west of Chobe.

The adventure continues!

August 22nd - Day 19

2005-09-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

Sadly we only had time for one night at the marvellous Chobe Game Lodge, but at least we had an opportunity to go on an early morning safari before we set off for Namibia, our sixth country of the tour. This time we drove through the park and within a few minutes we came across the most amazing sight of nature in the raw. A herd of hundreds of buffalo was standing watching dozens of vultures fighting over the carcass of a young elephant, whilst a loan female lion tried to scare off the vultures.

Dead elephant with vultures, buffalo and lone lioness attempting to feed off the carcass

The meanest of the big five? A solitary male buffalo

As the lion approached the dead elephant the birds flew away but a large buffalo moved forward to attack the lion, in defence of the herd. The lion was forced to back off. This was repeated several times until finally the lion gave up and walked away. The vultures then flew back and swarmed over the carcass, completely hiding it from view. The whole scene was a vivid demonstrationof how savage nature can be and how even the most powerful of beasts can be defeated by sheer numbers. We moved on and saw another female lion with one cub. Apparently a second cub had disappeared and, according to our guide, it had most likely died.

On the way back we were treated to a very personal recollection from Stuart, our American heart surgeon from San Diego. As a child he had spent time living in the Chobe and we drove to where his house 'Serondela' used to be. The house was demolished when the park was formed in the 1960's and now it is the Serondela picnic area. He then told us that the movie, The African Queen, was filmed on the Chobe river and we stopped at the spot where a charging elephant was shot in front of Bogart and Hepburn!

We then returned to the lodge, said our farewells and our three cars headed off for the border between Botswana and Namibia, about 50 kms to the west.

A final view of the wonderful wildlife in the Chobe National Park - the very beautiful Sable

We crossed into Namibia at the Ngoma bridge, a recently built crossing of the Chobe River. Our drive then took us into the Caprivi Strip This rectangular area of about 500 kms by 200 kms has been at the centre of a struggle between Angola and Namibia and until recently it was dangerous to drive through it without a police escort. Angolan rebels made attacks into the Caprivi and an area that once was abundant in wildlife now has very little because of rampant poaching. The road, apart from a few slight bends was arrow straight for the whole 500 kms. There were very few cars and I can only remember overtaking one van and two cars on the road!!

At the end of the Caprivi Strip our road joined up with the road from Maun. This is the road the main group will be coming along tomorrow on the longest day of the tour, just under 1,000 kms. They have spent two nights in Maun the main town from which you can explore the Okavango Delta. This is a vast wetlands area where the Okavango River deposits its water. The river does not flow to the sea. It's a shame we have missed this but our 'off piste' trip has been such great fun all six of us feel we made the right decision.

Another 200 kms of dead straight road, running alongside the Okavango River bought us to our overnight stop in Rundu. Our hotel overlooked the river and Angola on the other side. Rundu was used by South Africa as the staging post from which they launched their intervention in the Angolan civil war.

Tomorrow we drive a further 350 kms to the edge of the Etosha National Park, definitely one of the highlights of the whole tour.

August 23rd - Day 20

2005-09-18T23:21:00.000-07:00

Because we had taken a much shorter route than the main group, who had driven south to Maun, we had only 350 kms to travel. They had the longest day of the tour, a drive of 980 kms.

We spoke to the hotel manager about Rundu and tourism in the area. He said that five years ago Angolan rebels had crossed the river and murdered five French tourists.

View of Angola, on the far side of the Okavango River from our hotel in Rundu, Namibia

The town was only now starting to return to the level of tourists seen then. Yet another victim of the troubles in so many parts of Africa.

We were able to leave Rundu at the very respectable time of 10:30am. Yet another day of arrow straight roads, but this time alongside the road were stalls selling local crafts - wood carvings, pots and strangely models of Landrovers and helicopters, both made out of wood. We stopped and bought a helicopter as a present for Stuart who had very generously paid for our stay in Rundu. This had been his thanks to us for joining him and Sheri on the three day excursion away from the tour. It had been his idea in the first place. Also it was an appropriate present as Stuart pilots his own helicopter. As we bought the gift, twenty children ran up to us. We decided to give them some biscuits and the lady in charge of the stall organised them to make sure they received one each. We then took photos of them all. Even though they have such a hard life they were all smiling and laughing. A moment to remember.

Our drive west to Etosha took us on our first Namibian gravel roads. These are renowned in the rally world for their smoothness. Apart from the noise of the tyres on the fine gravel, and the occasional pothole, you could be driving on tarmac. The one thing you never want to have happen is to be behind another vevicle, as the dust thrown up is unbelievable. To be clear of the dust, when there is no side wind to blow it away, you need to be about half a mile behind the vehicle in front of you. It makes it very difficult to overtake a slower car as you are completely blind as you get close. The smoothness of the gravel roads means you can travel at quite fast speeds, not much slower than on the tarmac.

A short detour off the gravel road took us to a local monument, a giant baobab tree. They are wonderful trees. This one was 30 metres in circumference, but apparently they can grow to 45 metres. They are amongst the longest living trees, living for more than 3,000 years.

Giant baobab tree

We arrived at our lodge on the edge of the park at about 2pm. At 3.30pm the first car to arrive from Maun was Jim Carr in his orange coloured Discovery. Shortly afterwards Jim Taylor turned up. The last to arrive, at 9pm, were Jingers and our tour doctor Greg Williams. They had not been able to leave Maun till 11am as several cars were delayed for mechanical reasons and as they are the 'sweeper' car they have to follow behind the tour to help anyone in trouble. The day was rounded off by a wonderful meal in the open where we exchanged our experiences of the last three days.

The Aoba Lodge on the edge of the Etosha National park

A couple of facts. Day time temperatures are aound 33-35 degrees celsius and we have now travelled just under 7,000 kms. I hope to post some more photos when we get back into South Africa on the 30th. If that is not possible I will be creating a gallery when we return to the UK. As they say 'watch this space'.

August 24th - Day 21

2005-09-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

Our lodge was located on the eastern edge of Etosha National Park. We drove about 150 kms through the eastern half of the park. Etosha, meaning Great White Place, is huge. It covers an area of 23,000 square kilometres.

As soon as we entered the park we were immediately struck by the variety of animals. Within a kilometre of the entrance we saw our first large herds. What is truly amazing is how the herds of different animals live side by side. Impala, Sable, Kudu, Sprinbok, Zebra, Giraffe, Wildebeest and many, many more co-exist in seemingly perfect harmony.

Oryx drinking at one of the permanent waterholes in the Etosha Park

Black backed jackal on the prowl near a herd of zebras

One of the prettiest small deer, the duiker

The first pride of lions we saw lay in the shade of some small trees within a few yards of the road. It was wonderful to see the cubs with the female adults.
Each permanent waterhole we came across teemed with life. The birds would fly down in large flocks to drink, whilst giraffes bent down their long necks to reach the water. You simply could never get bored watching.

Wildebeest seemed to spend most of their time resting in the shade of small trees and bushes, like the one above.

Towards the end of our drive in the park we saw our first elephants.

The elephants that live in Etosha are up to 30% larger than in the rest of southern Africa. Apparently this is due to the great abundance of food. Also the population of elephants is under control unlike the vast numbers in the Chobe park in Botswana. As we drove out of the park we came across a sight apparently few people see, a resting giraffe. This one was in the shade of the trees and, like a domestic cat, had folded its front legs underneath itself. You can also see, on the right hand side of the photo, a springbok shading itself from the midday sun

After six hours we exited the park and drove the final 100 kms to our overnight stop in Outjo. For the past four days we have been heading more or less due west. Today we started the long drive south to Cape Town and tomorrow we reach the Atlantic at the feared Skeleton Coast. The first time we will see the sea since we headed inland at Port Elizabeth over two weeks ago.

August 25th - Day 22

2005-09-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

As I said yesterday the tour is now heading almost due south and today's drive took us along wonderful fast straight tarmac and gravel roads to the Atlantic coast of Namibia and then to our hotel in Swakopmund.
There were two route options in the road book. The first was for those who wanted to tackle a difficult 4 x 4 section of mountain track and the second taking mainly tarmac roads through the Namib Desert to Swakopmund. We decided it was time to tackle a good 4 x 4 route as we had, up to now, opted to either take the main roads or to go on a different route altogether.

We set off at six o'clock on more of these incredibly straight Namibian roads. It will be very difficult getting used to the UK roads after Namibia! After about 150 kms we took the first section of gravel road to see an impressive rock formation called Finger Rock. This massive column of rock, created by wind and water erosion, stands hundreds of feet above the surrounding countryside.

Finger Rock, Namibia

The area here was very reminiscent of Monument Valley in the USA, with great flat topped mountains.
A bit about driving on gravel roads. On these roads the dust thrown up by a car is quite unbelievable. It is extremely difficult to pass a slower car, as you are driving 'blind' when you are about to overtake. It makes for very tiring driving. The dust gets everywhere and no matter how hard you try to stop it getting in to the car a fine layer soon settles over everything.

The further I go without the car suffering any mechanical failures the more concerned I become that something might go wrong. So, when we started the rough 4 x 4 section I began to worry this might be the day the car would let us down. I shouldn't have worried. Even though the going was extremely tough with deep ruts, boulders all over the place and steep uphill sections of track, the car once again proved how tough it is.

Jean Steinhauser and Anne Collard in their Landrover Defender on a very steep section of track

Once through the 68 kms of rough track we flew down the 75 kms to the sea. We were now in the magnificent Namib Desert, one of the driest places in the world.

The magnificent wilderness of the Namib Desert

The road was wide smooth gravel and we averaged 120 kph with ease as we slowly descended to the sea. Stunning desert scenery was all around us.

Long straight roads leading to the Atlantic coast of Namibia. Not a sign of life anywhere!

Then we had our first sight of the Atlantic and the infamous Skeleton Coast. So called because so many sailors have lost their lives in ship wrecks along this coast, mainly because of the fogs that occur along the coast due to the cold Atlantic water that comes up from Antarctica. It was said that it was better to drown than survive by making it to the shore and then to die of thirst. We were now only 150 kms from our destination. The road here is called a 'salt' road which is made by spraying salt water on the sand. It then dries out, creating an incredibly smooth surface. We ran alongside the sea to our right and the desert stretching away to our left.

About halfway we stopped at Cape Cross seal colony, where apparently an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 grey seals live. It is an incredible sight to see so many crowded together on the beach. The noise they make is quite astonishing, as is the smell!

Cape Cross Seal Reserve on the Atlantic coast

An hour later and we were at the hotel and five star luxury after the rough tracks, gravel roads and the wilderness of the desert. It was wonderful! I was delighted to learn that everyone who had tackled the 4 x 4 section had made it safely. More desert tomorrow as we continue south.

Swakopmund Hotel, a converted railway station

August 26th - Day 23

2005-09-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Over three quarters of the tour completed and 8,200 kms driven. We are now in the final part of our wonderful adventure drive round Southern Africa. Six countries visited, every day fantastic scenery, wonderful wildlife and a great group of like-minded people to travel with. We couldn't have asked for more.
We spent a couple of hours looking at Swakopmund and doing some shopping. Swakopmund is a very lively and prosperous place and was quite crowded as it was Heroes' day. This national holiday celebrates the heroes of the struggle for independence and commemorates the first shot which was fired on the 26th August 1990.

Germanic architecture in Swakopmund

We both bought seal skin shoes which are very comfortable and hard wearing. Our drive today then took us south-east to the Sossusvlei Lodge in the Namib-Naukluft Desert. First we drove south to Walvis Bay, named for the whales seen there when the first Europeans came here in the 15th century. We had our first view of Namibia's great sand dunes. Massive hills of reddish sand ran alongside the coast road and in places people were para-sailing and sand buggying up and down the sand.

First view of Nambia's fantastic sand dunes - the highest in the world

At Walvis Bay, an unremarkable town, we turned left into the desert. 150 kms of stunning gravel road rising up to 1,000 metres as we drove due east.

The road across the Namib Desert from Walvis Bay

As we rose over one of the many slight rises in the road we came across a group of people standing in the road with their car upside down on the roadside. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt but it shows how careful you have to be when driving on gravel which can be very slippery. They were getting help from a tour bus that had stopped. so we didn't need to give any assistance.

The overturned saloon car on the road from Walvis Bay

The desert scenery will never fail to impress me. I always have a feeling of insignificance when I am in such a harsh and vast wilderness. The wonderful colours that change as the sun moves in the sky, ensures the journey is never the least bit uninteresting. As we approached the sign marking the Tropic of Capricorn we used our GPS to exactly pin point the position on the road where the Tropic was located. According to the GPS it was about 15 metres north of the sign. Having left the tropics our drive continued south to the isolated desert resort of Sossusvlei.

The individual units we stayed in were half building and half tent. Quite unusual, but fun, especially as the desert wind rose after the sun had set and the wind howled through the tent above our bed.

The half house and half tent accomodation at Sossusvlei Lodge

As the sun set over the desert hills we watched as the stars appeared. There is nothing like a clear desert night sky. Thousands of stars blanket the sky with the Milky Way a beautiful white band crossing from horizon to horizon. It is a magnificent sight and one we have lost in most, if not all, of the UK through air and light pollution.

Only five days to go now, with two more in Namibia before we reach the border with South Africa and the final part of the tour to Cape Town.

August 27th - Day 24

2005-09-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

Another change to the route. Late last night we agreed with John and Elaine Chambers to miss out on going to the Germanic town, Luderitz, on the Atlantic coast, and go to Keetmanshoop where the tour will be stopping in two days time, for one night only. We will stay there for two nights so that we have a full day to see one of the highlights of the tour, Fish River Canyon. We will also reduce the distance we need to travel over the next two days by 150 kms.

Back to today's route. Everyone was up early to drive about 60 kms to see incredible Namibian sand dunes at Sossusvlei, an area about 100 kms from the sea.

The beautiful sand dunes of Nambia, definitely one of the highlights of the tour

The sand dunes which now stretch for hundreds of kilometres along the Atlantic coast have been created by sand that has been washed down to the sea by the Orange River, 1,000 kms to the south. Sea currents have then carried the sand along the coast and finally the wind has created the dunes. They are the most stunningly beautiful sight you can imagine. Great waves of sand, in a myriad of different colours, that rise hundreds of feet to their peaks. Sharp ridges form on the edge of each dune, that snake their way to the tops, creating wonderfully graceful lines. The colour, every shade of orange and red imaginable, is quite different on the sunlit side to the area in shadow.

There is a parking place by a dune called Dune 45. It is a hard walk up the dune but then a fast run down the side!

Dune 45 with members of the tour climbing to the top

We spent a couple of hours in the dunes before heading south for our lunch stop at a castle, in the middle of nowhere, built by a German count and his American wife in 1909. Duwisib Castle is now a national monument and is being restored. It stands in the middle of the African countryside as a statement to Germanic military might. It is the last thing you expect to see!

Duwisib Castle, Namibia

From Duwisib our route south-east took us away from the tour which headed for Luderitz. How lucky we were to have made the decision to go a different way. The road for the next 200 kms was through the most spectacular scenery, We rose to over 1,800 metres and climbed into a region that is virtually uninhabited. On the whole journey we only encountered five cars and none of them going our way! Great plains that have been cut up by rivers and flat topped mountains stretched into the distance. Definitely, Africa is the most wonderful place.

The final 100 kms was on they smoothest gravel you could imagine, an, added bonus to the journey. We then met the Ludertitz to Keetsmanhoop road and within an hour we were at our hotel. We were delighted to meet up with the 'advance' car driven by Arne and Ingbrit Hertz. They have been doing the route one or two days in advance and reporting back on any route changes. It ensures that we are able to keep to our very tight and, at times, hectic schedule.

A day at Fish River Canyon tomorrow which is about 160 kms south of Keetmanshoop.

August 28th - Day 25

2005-09-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

A lovely late start as our route to Fish River Canyon was only 160 kms, with the fist 50 kms on tarmac and the remainder on good fast gravel to the Fish River Canyon.

Along the road, in the telegraph poles, weaver birds had constructed their giant communal nests. It made an interesting sight and I was left wondering how they manage to fix the first few bits of straw to the pole.

Weaver bird nest in telegraph pole

At the park entrance we paid the entrance fee of 170 Namibian dollars, equivalent to fifteen pounds, and drove the final 10 kms to the viewing point overlooking the canyon.

You have to go right up to the edge of the canyon before you can look down to the river. The sudden sight of this truly massive chasm, that snakes its way across the dry barren landscape, is very impressive. The canyon is up to 500 metres deep and 25 kms wide. The rive snakes its way around large rock pinnacles in a series of meanders. At this time of year the volume of water is a fraction of that after the summer rains.

Fish River Canyon, with the river 500 metres below us

We spent several hours at the canyon, viewing it from different points on the canyon rim. We then drove back to a small restaurant just outside the park entrance for a light lunch. When we got there we met up again with some of the group who had stayed the previous night in Luderitz. We exchanged news about the two different routes we had taken before driving back to our hotel in Keetmanshoop. In the car park of the restaurant was this old wreck. I liked the cactus growing out of the engine space!

On the way we overtook a cart with half a dozen local people, being pulled by two donkeys. With only a few days left of the tour we had been wondering what to do with our emergency rations of food - cans of baked beans, tinned fruit, packets of soups etc. Seeing these Namibians on the cart, it suddenly occurred to us that this was the ideal opportunity to find a good home for our food supplies. The look of astonishment on their faces as we gave them all our rations, was priceless.

We arrived back at our hotel around 5pm. Just before going to supper I decided to check the car and found that we had another puncture, the third of the tour. Two other cars also suffered from punctures today. The gravel roads are not the best surface for tyres, even when you have the tough 'all terrain' type that we use. I changed the wheel for one of the two spares that we carry and decided to have it repaired in the morning before driving the 800 kms to Vredendal, a town in the wine growing region of Western Cape just 300kms north of Cape Town

August 29th - Day 26

2005-09-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Even though it was going to be one of the longest drives of the tour we couldn't get away early as we had to wait till the tyre repair shop opened at 8am. The repair was quickly done and we headed off at the end of the pack.

The drive to the border with South Africa of 300 kms was over wide open plains with the road stretching out in front of us to the horizon. These virtually empty, straight roads of Southern Africa have definitely been one of the things we will remember from the tour.

We crossed into South Africa at the Orange River. It was interesting to see that the hills on the banks of the river were the same colour as the sand in the Namibian dunes. We were hundreds of kilometres to the south of the dunes and now we could see the source of all that sand.

The Orange River at the border between Namibia and South Africa

Once back in South Africa we had one more place of interest to see before our overnight stop at Vrenendal, the Namaqaland National Park. This park is famous for the wild flowers that bloom in the spring. We were not to be disappointed. Our first view of the flowers were patches of orange and yellow flowers alongside the road. But nothing could prepare you for the blaze or orange that carpeted large fields in the park. The predominate colour from afar was orange, but as you got closer yellow, white and blue flowers could be seen.

The spring flowers in Namaqaland National Park, Western Cape, South Africa

It was a wonderful sight. We took the 7 kms drive through the southern end of the park. Afterwards we learnt from other members of the tour, who had driven from the northern park entrance, that the southern area of the park was by far the best.

We had a very good snack lunch in the park and then drove the final 200 kms to our hotel arriving at 5 pm.
We have decided to drive directly to Cape Town tomorrow rather than staying with the tour who will stop for the night in the citrus capital of South Africa, Ceres. This will give us an extra day to see Cape Town which we lost at the beginning of the tour due to the SAA strike.

It will be sad to be on our last day of driving. We have now covered 9,920 kms in twenty-six days, much of it tough, but all of it the greatest of fun.

August 30th - Day 27

2005-09-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well this was it, the final day of driving for us on the Hero 4x4xplore African Adventure.

Only 300 kms to go to Cape Town, so a late start was possible. Three other cars were doing the same and missing out on the stop in Ceres. They were, Geoffrey and Veronica Poxon in Richard Smith's Landcruiser, Jim Carr and Helen in their orange coloured Discovery and John and Elaine Chambers in their Landcruiser.
As we crossed the Oliphants River in Vredendal we saw the damage being done by the recent heavy rains that have affected Western Cape. The river has burst its banks and the vineyards on either side are completely flooded.

Flooded vineyards on the banks of the Oliphants River

As we passed the small town of Clanwilliam we saw the water pouring over the sluice gates at the top of the Clanwilliam Dam. Four huge torrents of water were cascading down the dam into the river below. As we passed the dam we saw how huge the lake behind was. You could see large areas of farmland were now under water.

Clanwilliam Dam, with water pouring over the top

About 80 kms further on and we approached the magic 10,000 kms on our tripmeter. We took a photo of the GPS as 9,999 was reached and then 10,000!! What a trip it has been for us both.

GPS at 9,999 kms about to click up the 10,000 kms mark

The drive back to Cape Town was uneventful and it was disappointing that the weather, which has been uninterrupted sunshine for the past three weeks, should now turn and the hoped for good views of Table Mountain were completely blanked out by dense cloud and rain.

Still, the exhilaration at having successfully completed the tour outweighed any disappointment about the weather. Champagne was the order of the day as we celebrated in the hotel with John and Elaine. The rest of the tour will arrive tomorrow lunchtime and we all 'officially' finish the tour at 3pm tomorrow afternoon.

In the evening we met up again with Arne and Ingrit Hertz and they joined all four 'finishers' for a great seafood meal in the mall alongside the hotel. A fitting way to end the day.

It looks like I will not be able to post more photos till we return to London on Friday. I hope to have them on the site by the end of next week.

August 31st - Day 28

2005-09-10T02:03:00.000-07:00

Five star luxury! The Table Bay Hotel, on the waterfront in Cape Town is, for my money, one of the best hotels in the world. To start and finish the tour in such a great place certainly adds 'the icing to the cake', and is the perfect place to wind down after a month's tour of southern Africa.

We both feel that our decision to drive directly from Vredendal to Cape Town was the correct one. We have been able to empty the car of everything, ready for shipping back to the UK tomorrow, as well as enjoying a chance to visit places in Cape Town we were unable to look at when we arrived at the beginning of August.
The weather has remained overcast and with the top of Table Mountain shrouded in clouds there was no point in taking the cable car to the top. Still, we were able to use the car for one last drive round Cape Town. We looked at the Mount Nelson Hotel, a famous traditional hotel, then on to see the cable car station with great views over Cape Town and the harbour.

We then drove around Table mountain to visit the Rhodes Memorial, set in gardens on the slopes of the mountain. Rhodes died in 1902 and the memorial to him is a very gaunt looking affair. Great stone columns support a roof over the bust of Rhodes. The bust is only in sight when standing directly in front of the memorial, otherwise the columns hide it from view. Eight giant lions line the steps leading to the memorial and a very classical looking statute of a man on horseback is at the the foot of the steps.
We then took a short drive to the world famous botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch. We were delighted we decided to go there. The gardens are very beautiful, with every conceivable plant on display. The conservatory has a very informative display of desert and arid plants with detailed explanations of the how the plants have adapted to survive in very dry environments. It was good to learn the names of so many plants that we recognised from the tour.

We then had to head back to the hotel to get ready for the official finish at 3pm. When we arrived we met up with those who had stayed the previous night in Ceres, and for the next couple of hours the remainder of the cars finished the tour. At 3pm the cars lined up in order of their entry number. We went over the line, after the de Hullu's and Mark I'Anson and family in their Landcruiser. A band played as John Brown waved the finishing flag as each car crossed the line. Champagne flowed as everyone congratulated each other on successfully completing the tour. It was a great party as photos were taken of the participants and their cars.

The Finish on the Waterfront at Table Bay Hotel, Cape Town

Car No.1 crosses the finishing line

Antoine, Maria and Victor de Hullu

Car No.9

Jean Steinhauser and Anne Collard

Car No.23

Jim, Leejun & Kaitlyn Taylor

The 'Advance' Car team, Arne and Ingbritt Hertz

Car No.22

John and Elaine Chambers

Car No. 4

Jim Carr and Helen Peacock

Celebrating the finish on top of the de Hullu's Landrover

Car No.8

Stuart and Sheri Jamieson

Car No.11

Michael Bernecker and Mara Schemmann

Car No.10

Geoffrey and Veronica Poxon

Two hours later and we were taken in two coaches to the end of tour party at Boschendale, a winery near Stellenbosch. John Brown spoke about the tour and then each participant was called up to collect their 'prize' for completing the tour; a beautifully carved giraffe for each woman and a rhinoceros for each man.

The evening finished with the music being turned up loud and dancing the night away. Tomorrow the car goes back to the car delivery depot, some thirty kms from Cape Town and then we fly back to the UK on the 8pm BA flight to Heathrow. All very sad.

Photos will be added very shortly after the return to London

September 1st - Day 29

2005-09-09T02:44:00.000-07:00

Well, this was it, the last day of the African Adventure 2005. The month had simply flown by and now we had to say our goodbyes to both old and new friends.

What an adventure it had been! When we signed up last October, we both thought it would not be possible to match the Great China Tour that John and Joanna Brown organised in April/ May 2004. Well, how wrong we were!

We never realised how beautiful southern Africa could be. The tourist guides, magazine articles and TV programmes simply cannot convey the beauty of the place. Added to that are the animals. To see so many different animals in their natural surroundings, such as in the national parks of Etosha, Chobe and Kruger, is a real joy. It just didn't cross our minds that we might see herds of elephants drinking at the Chobe River in Botswana and a pride of lions walking in single file down a road in the Kruger National park a few feet from us. Again, the thought that we would be just yards from a herd of buffalo standing around a dead elephant as the vultures flew down and a lone lioness attempted to feed off the carcass, and failed, never occurred to us before we left England.

These were but a few of the amazing moments from the tour that we will remember and enjoy when we look at the six hours of video and nearly a thousand photos that we have taken.

Southern Africa is a place that we never thought of visiting before the African Adventure. Now that we have completed the tour we can't wait to return.

As our plane took off from Cape Town International airport we both felt privileged to have been able to participate in such a wonderful adventure.

September 8th - Final Posting

2005-09-08T01:28:00.000-07:00

For those who have been following our adventure drive through southern Africa, you will know that we were unable to post as many photos as we were hoping to, while we were driving.

Now, we have completed posting the photos to this website. We have added photos to virtually every day of the tour. We hope these add to the enjoyment of reading about The African Adventure. They certainly bring back wonderful memories to us of a 'trip of a lifetime'.

We understand that plans are progressing for HERO 4x4xplore to have an adventure drive in Central America, in autumn of 2006. If that goes ahead we will be there!

Facts and Figures

2005-08-16T00:59:00.000-07:00

Thought it might be of interest to give some facts and figures about the tour.
So here goes, in no particular order.

23 participants, made up as follows:
11 from England
4 from USA
2 from Holland
2 from South Africa
1 from Luxembourg
1 from New Zealand
1 from Finland
1 from Spain

4 Support cars (2 Toyota/2Nissan)
with the following crew:
1 Doctor
1 Paramedic/Technical
1 Technical
2 Film crew
4 HERO team members
1 Advance car travelling two days in front (Nissan) with two crew.

Cars driven:
8 Nissan 4x4 hired vehicles
7 Toyota Landcruisers
3 Landrover Defenders
2 Range Rovers
1 Landrover Discovery
1 Nissan Navara
1 Lexus Amazon

Numbers in each car:
17 cars with two
4 cars with three
1 car with four
1 car with five

Distances:
Distanced travelled so far 4156 kms out of a total tour of approximately 11,000 kms.
Greatest distance travelled so far in a day - 480 kms - Day 12
Greatest distance in a day on the tour - 980 kms - Day 20

Countries visited so far - South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland. Countries to come - Botswana, Zambia and Namibia.

As I think of more facts I will post them on the site.