Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2025 i Go! Drive & Camp

Every now and then, something unexpected happens – and the timing is just too perfect to chalk it up to coincidence. That’s exactly what happened to me earlier this year at the Caravan Show in Midrand. I stepped away from the Drive & Camp stall for a bit to wander among the other exhibitors on the Saturday afternoon – not really looking for anything or anyone in particular, just wanting to catch up with familiar faces, see what clever new products our local manufacturers had come up with, and get a general feel for where our industry’s at. And then I found myself in conversation with Lea Erasmus from Ultimate Routes, after she called me over to their stand. She told me more about what they do, and the overlap…

BUNDU LODGE Bundu Lodge is a new caravan manufacturer based in Paarl, and they came to show off two offroad caravans: the Rhino 2 and the Elephant 4. The team behind Bundu Lodge, Ebbie Lambrechts (design) and Jacques Calitz (manufacturing), say that in the competitive offroad caravan segment, campers are looking for ones without canvas panels that are quick to set up, with an indoor bathroom and dining space, and the ability to be self-reliant. That’s why Bundu Lodge’s models are solar-ready and equipped with a water system and geyser. The bodies and chassis are made from stainless steel, while the doors and pop-up roofs are aluminium. At first glance, the two models look similar, but the Elephant has two beds while the Rhino has one. The second bed in…

The first thing people usually ask when you say you’re off to camp in Laingsburg is: Where? This modest little town sits in the heart of the Great Karoo – arid land – and most people only find themselves here because they’re on the N1 heading somewhere else. But it’s a pleasant surprise to discover you can park your caravan here for a few days at not just one but two campsites. They’re both the kind of spots you’ll rave about to your friends. The Buffelsrivier campsite is on the farm Opzoek, 9 km outside town. You drive along the dry riverbanks of the Buffels River to reach it. It’s a lovely place where you can camp on a patch of grass or drive into the mountains until it’s just…

The Kruger National Park is one of South Africa’s most popular holiday destinations, and for many locals, a break here is a family tradition. Once the bush bug bites, it never really lets go, and love for the Kruger is often passed down through the generations. Over the years, many traditions have taken root. Camps start stirring early – usually before sunrise – as guests prepare for a game drive. Early rising means early to bed too, and by dusk a hush already settles over camp. And of course, sightings are freely shared with fellow travellers. Another favourite is stopping for a picnic – many people plan their day’s game drive around the picnic spots. The park spans almost 20 000 km2 (as the crow flies, it’s 360 km from…

The first thing you notice about the Karoo Special Edition Dawn are the bullbars front and rear – and the rugged roof rack. It’s the kind of bakkie that gets your imagination going: you can almost see yourself behind the wheel, exploring new tracks through the African bush without breaking a sweat. The Dawn is one of four models in the Karoo range’s special edition line-up, and the good news for campers is that every one of them comes with a tow bar. We put this bakkie through its paces and racked up 1 800 km in total. We hitched an off-road camper and drove it through just about every weather condition imaginable. We toured the sandstone koppies of the Eastern Free State, camped in the calm of the Gariep…

Experts say there are three main reasons why a wild animal will attack: if it feels threatened, if it is desperately hungry or if you’ve come too close to its young. We take a closer look at five of the most dangerous animals in southern Africa… and yes, we know statistically malaria mosquitoes and venomous snakes are more dangerous, but here we’re sticking to the big beasts that fuel our nightmares. We’e certainly not trying to scare you off from camping and exploring the wild; we simply want to remind you to keep your wits about you as you head into the bush. Hippos According to statistics, hippos are the world’s most dangerous land mammals, killing an average of 500 people every year. A hippo is extremely territorial, and if…

Campsites in the Northern Cape are few and far between, which makes the news of a new one at Vanderkloof – opened in December – especially welcome. The Vanderkloof Damwal Caravan Park lies on the banks of the Orange River, with stands right beside the waters of the Vanderkloof Dam and opposite the highest dam wall in the country. Owner Gerrit Crous, who also owns the Monte Crous Hotel in town, says Vanderkloof has taken on a holiday atmosphere in recent years, and he saw a gap for a decent campsite. So, he transformed this 2,5 ha patch of land into a neat caravan park. The water is clean and offers excellent fishing. There are 25 grassy stands, each with amenities like a power point, tap and built-up braai with…

The Karoo town of Willowmore was founded in 1862. The name is a combination of farmer William Moore’s name and that of the farm he owned at the time, The Willows. Look around as you drive into town – you might spot the “Willow Limo” in Knysna Street. This flower-adorned donkey cart is pulled by Sweetness and Suzy, with Jim Makwena holding the reins. Jim says he also has two other donkey mares, Sweetland and Patrys, but they were enjoying a day off at the nearby Finchley Farm guesthouse. Rides cost R10 per person (the cart seats six), last about 15 minutes, and Jim says he and his Willow Limo only come to town if the weather is good. Leave Willowmore and follow the N9 north. On the town’s outskirts,…

Let’s start with the infamous Beitbridge. Is this the nightmare people think it is? Zimbabwe has several border crossings, each with its own character. Beitbridge and Chirundu (between Zimbabwe and Zambia) are historically the most challenging and to ease the process, we advise that you have all documents printed, remember to bring black pens, and to stay calm and friendly. Iwan Schelbert is one of our clients who visited Zimbabwe recently and he said they had an easy return crossing at Beitbridge, particularly on the Zimbabwean side. Another client, Roelf Louw, said it took 90 minutes to enter Zimbabwe via Chirundu and recommended using the ZIMRA eTIP app to pre-apply for your Temporary Import Permit (TIP). ecustoms.zimra.co.zw/etip/ Francois often recommends smaller, less congested border posts (including Pandamatenga via Botswana or…

This past Christmas we were visiting family in Namibia. We drove from our farm near Outjo, in the north of the country, to Palmwag, where we would spend a few days at a lodge with luxury tents. It’s a four-to-five-hour drive from the farm, running almost directly west. “We’re going to see the desert elephants,” I tried to drum up some excitement in my teenage daughter for the long road ahead. She’s at that age where the goings-on of whoever happens to be on her phone screen at any given moment are a lot more interesting than anything I have to say. We later stopped at Kamanjab to refuel and I tried bribing her with ice cream to put the phone down and look at the scenery. The road between…

The GX is based on the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and has been available in South Africa since April this year. The GX is the fifth addition to Lexus’s X-range of off-road capable vehicles; the others are the compact UX, the midsize NX, the sleek RX and the full-size LX, which rubs shoulders with the Toyota Land Cruiser 300. The GX is available in three trim levels: the Overtrail (R1 766 000), the Overtrail Bi-Tone with a black roof (R1 776 200), and the SE flagship model (R1 829 000), which places more emphasis on luxury than off-road ability. What do we have here? As mentioned, the GX is based on the Prado, but instead of a 2,8 ℓ diesel engine and an eight-speed gearbox, the Lexus version gets a…

The tiny town of Avontuur, home to just 238 people, lies on the rain-shadow side of the Outeniqua Mountains in the Western Cape. The name ‘Avontuur’ sounds like a promise of what lies ahead, but it actually means something else. In Place Names of South Africa, researcher Ann Gadd explains that the town was named after a nearby river, whose Khoi name lui//ai means “evening time” – which in Dutch became avonduur (evening hour). About 4 km south of Avontuur, you’ll reach Die Kruin (the Summit) and, as the name suggests, it’s the highest point of the pass at 1 035 m above sea level. There’s ample space to pull over if you want to stop for photos. The Prince Alfred Pass was surveyed in 1857 by Andrew Geddes Bain…

A big reason why the XUV 3XO came into being is because Mahindra wanted to benefit from a Indian tax break on cars shorter than 4 m. Although Mahindra already made tiny cars - like the KUV100 - it was cheaper to use the chassis of a SsangYong Tivoli. Mahindra owned the brand from 2011 to 2020 and mounted the reworked body of the outgoing Mahindra XUV300 onto it. Eight trim levels of the XUV 3XO are available in South Africa, all fitted with the same turbocharged 1,2 ℓ petrol engine. Prices start at R255 000 for the entry-level manual and go up to R405 000 for the flagship model with its automatic gearbox. We got behind the wheel of the latter - the XUV 3XO AX7L - to see…

Before a newly built caravan model is allowed on the road, it needs the green light from the authorities. The process is called “homologation” and it’s overseen by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS). It’s a straightforward procedure that determines whether a new caravan model meets the prescribed specifications – and if it does, it’s legally approved for use on South Africa’s public roads. According to the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act, homologation refers to “a process for establishing the compliance of a model of a vehicle and the approval being granted by the regulatory authority, prior to it being introduced for sale.” The same principle applies to all vehicles on the road – every one of them was once a brand-new model introduced to the market. Making…

The Toyota FJ Cruiser was first revealed in 2003 at an American motor show as a concept vehicle. At the time, Toyota had no real plans to put it into production – but Americans were so obsessed with it that the company eventually decided to make the FJ Cruiser a reality. It looks like history might just be repeating itself with the Toyota Land Cruiser ROX. ROX stands for “Recreation Open eXperience”, and while we’re certainly not holding our breath for it to hit the road, it does sound like the Americans are just as smitten with this concept as they were with the FJ Cruiser 22 years ago. The chassis is based on the new Land Cruiser Prado, and the angular styling echoes that of the Prado as well.…