Spitting gravel, our 4×4 raced down the dirt road. Kapishya Hot Springs Lodge was nearby. Well, we hoped so, anyway – the blood orange Zambian sun was setting quickly, we had already lost our map, and we did not fancy driving at night. A branch smashed off the windshield as the forest leaned across the … More Kapishya Hot Springs – The Secluded Oasis Lodge in Zambia
You may have heard of the Big Five – the leopard, rhino, elephant, lion, and Cape buffalo, originally named for being the hardest animals to hunt on foot. Today, with hunting largely prohibited, they’re five of most coveted safari sightings by wildlife spotters. But did you know there’s a complimentary Small Five? They are the … More The Small Five Of Africa
This epic road trip through Africa, in a high-clearance 4×4, took myself and two companions six weeks to travel through seven African countries. The objective was to drive from Cape Town to Zanzibar island off the coast of Tanzania, and back again, an epic distance of more than 12,000kms (7,500 miles). It was a daunting … More Africa Overland – An Epic Road Trip from Cape Town to Zanzibar (and Back)
The second last day of our trip, Newcastle to Port Elizabeth, was an epic drive of 1100km. It took us about twelve hours, rising up through the Drakensburg mountains, past the entire country of Lesotho, and ending on the southern coast of the African continent. We’d been driving for weeks, and couldn’t wait to reach … More Wrapping up an African Road trip
Our final African border crossing was the Lebombo/Komatiepoort border from southern Mozambique into the northeast corner of South Africa. We were excited to put our feet on home soil. We all were; the trip so far had been weeks of relentless driving, from dawn to dusk some days. We wanted to put our feet up with a cold drink, do our washing, have a long … More Road tripping in South Africa – From Mozambique to Newcastle
Blue skies, wide sandy beaches, soaring palms and fishing boats bobbing in sparkling waters. This is Vilankulos, Mozambique’s paradise beach getaway. So far, Mozambique had not been comfortable on our self-drive. Sand and offroad, potholes and camping. It was time to relax with gin and tonics. We entered Vilankulos around midday, and found the roads were roaring … More Vilankulos, the most relaxing beach in Mozambique
Wes was complaining that he thought he had malaria. He felt feverish and nauseous. I said that that was highly unlikely; like all of us, he had been taking his daily Doxycycline, and we were in winter, not prime mosquito season. Besides, I imagined someone with malaria would probably feel significantly worse. He had something though, maybe … More How to find a hotel in Africa without a map
The tropic of Capricorn in Mozambique was coconut country, and it was gorgeous. When one pictures the tropics, there is usually an image of palm trees, blue skies and lush jungle. That was 100% true here. On either side of the road, tall slender trees launched into the sky and exploded into bursts of bright green … More Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn in Mozambique
We were going to sleep in the Dhow Palace Hotel, a 5-star hotel in Zanzibar, and a massive change from camping near lions and frying baked beans on campfires. We looked like a mess. Despite our beards, board shorts, unwashed singlets, and Crocs that didn’t fit our feet, they were happy to give us keys … More The Dhow Palace in Zanzibar – A luxury hotel on a rough camping trip
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