Category: Southern Africa

  • A Farewell to Africa

    A Farewell to Africa

    We had driven nearly 5,000km from Kenya to Namibia and, after a wonderful few days with our friends Theuns and Thea, had finally arrived in Windhoek –  a city that had become so familiar it was like being home. At Urban Camp we were welcomed back with open arms and made to feel as though…

  • The Road Home

    The Road Home

    With the UniMog safely at South Cave Tractors and the habitation box under construction, there was only one thing left for us to do – get to Namibia and meet our flights back to the UK to start work. We had been on the road non-stop for just over a week, driving an average of…

  • Optimism Tested!

    Optimism Tested!

    False speeding tickets, overcharging for camping and very poor facilities. Zambia was not my favourite place at the moment. We drove away from the Bengweulu Swamps with a very bad taste in our mouths, increasingly keen to get out of this country and into somewhere that would be more friendly towards visitors. We had a…

  • The End of a Love Affair

    The End of a Love Affair

    So far we had been enjoying our time in Zambia. The area around the Lower Zambezi was very beautiful with lovely campsites and friendly people. However after leaving the capital for the north east our first campsite had been more than a little disappointing. We spent the next morning applying for our Malawian visas online…

  • Seeing the Best of Zambia

    Seeing the Best of Zambia

    We had left the wonderful Zimbabwe behind and were about to enter Zambia – a country which we had not been sure we wanted to visit at all. Tales from other travellers of corruption at the border, and at police checkpoints, along with tsetse flies and animals poached almost to extinction had put us off.…

  • Kuimba Shiri

    Kuimba Shiri

    After settling into the campsite at the Kuimba Shiri bird sanctuary we wandered up to the centre to visit the birds. The whole place was beautiful with lovely gardens surrounding Lake Chivero We met the owners and chatted about the birds and the challenges of keeping the land safe from farm invasions as well as…

  • A Dam Good End to Zimbabwe!

    A Dam Good End to Zimbabwe!

    Harare had been a city of two halves – the surburbs being full of wide avenues lined with the stunning Flame trees and colonial houses, the city centre being a chaotic scrum of dangerous driving and run down industrial streets. We were congratulating ourselves on escaping after only six days. We were heading west for…

  • Harare

    Harare

    Saddened by the unexpected loss of my diamond we drove quietly towards our campsite for the evening – a dairy farm owned by a lady called Debbie who welcomed overlanders to stay in her home without charging anything. As soon as we arrived she made us feel better. Her warm, smiling face and unquestioning welcome…

  • A Memento for Zimbabwe

    A Memento for Zimbabwe

    After a beautiful day driving through the Bunga Forest we decided to try and make it to the Chinamani Falls about an hour away. The smooth, tar road gave way to a dirt road and that dirt road became increasingly difficult to drive with deep ruts, slippery puddles and rocks. We started to worry that…

  • Friendly Elephants, Ancient Ruins and Sticky Cake!

    Friendly Elephants, Ancient Ruins and Sticky Cake!

    We were enjoying the Matopos Hills but the campsite and the roads were very run down so we decided not to hang around too long. The morning after our soggy dinner we started to make our way out and found ourselves crossing a dam over the river The roads were quite difficult and we bumped…