Go! Drive & Camp Feb/Mar 2026

There’s something about the first few months of a new year that tricks you into believing you still have time. Time to catch up later, to phone later, to plan later. It feels normal; the calendar still looks wide open, the holiday memories are fresh and the inevitable rush of the year seems far off on the horizon. Or so we think. Because before you know it, life picks up speed again. The schools reopen, you’re back at work and by the time you finally look up, you realise you’re already living from one deadline to the next. That’s usually when you have to force yourself to sit down for a moment and breathe. And in that stillness, the truth hits you: how easily we assume that everything – and…

We love hearing what’son your mind! Write to us at drivecamp@gomag.co.za and please remember to include your full address and contact details. Drive & Camp reserves the right to edit and shorten letters – and publish them in the magazine, on the website and elsewhere. We’ve driven past the Karoo National Park many times over the years, but only camped there for the first time late last year. What an experience! At the entrance gate, we were greeted by Dylan de Bruin, whose infectious enthusiasm immediately set the tone, especially when he heard it was our first visit. He does far more than simply man the gate. From the get-go, he shared helpful tips for our stay in the park. I reckon there’s a future SANParks spokesperson in him –…

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.…

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…

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…

After four years in the off-road caravan industry, ELXV has opened a showroom in Paarl. Short for Elite Luxury Offroad Vehicles, ELXV has made a strong impression since its launch, with high-end off-road caravans and an unconventional approach to construction. Notably, the caravans are built on aluminium chassis at the company’s manufacturing facility in the south of Johannesburg. Cape-based buyers can now view models such as the Diep Spoor, the Ng’ombe (which sleeps four) and the two Ghari variants (4.2 and 4.7) without travelling up-country. Appointments to visit the Paarl showroom can be arranged with Celeste Botha, with viewings available from Tuesday to Thursday. Address Trianglestraat 7, Paarl. Contact 071 682 0924, 082 444 2850 or 084 550 2820 celeste@elxv.co.za ELXV Showroom elxv.co.za…