A Simply Fab Life“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost
We hope you enjoy these off-the-beaten-track adventures and experiences, mostly in our beloved Land Rovers, but also with other capable 4×4 vehicles.
The whole campsite, in its entirety, is not much more than the size of our single pitch in Savute Camp in Chobe. I think that there is room for about five or six vehicles here, but we share the space with just one other 4×4.
Departing from the dock at the splendid Chobe River Lodge this three hour cruise takes us out into the very wide Chobe River, along the border with Namibia and around Sedudu Island.
The clue is in the name. But you only realise it when you get there. There is a herd of elephants gathered around a waterhole. And a lot of sand. Oh, and no fences… At all!
Having spent a lovely night in the Savute Camp, being camped on one of only four enormous pitches along the Savute ‘river canal’ (which was dry at this time) we now head further north to Kasane.
The first time I heard of Chobe was as a kid a long time ago. It had the same status as Serengeti or Etosha for me. An unreachable destination somewhere in central Africa.
Chobe, Etosha, Okavango, Kruger, Serengeti – we have all heard of them at some point in our lives. They all have a certain mystique about them, a celebrity status, if you will. I think Moremi belongs on that list as well…
After an hour of appreciating the countryside at a sedate 80 km/h, and at roughly 150 km from Maun, we saw a vehicle off the road against the game fence, bonnet up and a guy lying under the vehicle…
Maun is a strange place. But in a good way. It is both a small town and a big ‘hub’ for the game park tourism industry. It has two faces…
You slowly become aware of a stillness, a complete silence, an emptiness. A calmness that competes with, yet adds to, the bluest of skies, as wide as you’ve ever seen. It, sort of, sneaks up on you and becomes more pervasive.
Karen and Taryn came to Holland over Easter; and that was the tipping point for us to join the Land Rover Club Holland in Germany for a little camping in the snow.
Just how far would you manage to drag a standard Land Rover? I mean, Croatia Trophy 2011. A tough battle for many a well-prepared team with big budgets…
The final day of the Croatia Trophy! And an excellent roadbook that has it all – riverbeds, steep winchpoints and very fast logging tracks
OUR FIRST FINISH!! A very long 75 km roadbook today, but everyone is getting their groove now. Good navigation and some challenging winch points
It’s hard to describe the feeling out there in the mud: Awesome or mind-blowing doesn’t quite do it justice. You’re out on the track in the middle of a forest all day long and YOU need to drag the car back to camp!
Adventure and Extreme Classes took two different tracks.
F1 in mud! A chance to drive as fast as you can/like!! Mad power and flat out along a challenging circuit, tyre change, floor it! Great fun!
Pitch black, narrow twig-lined tunnels. Branches thwacking off the windscreen. Ducking in the car to avoid getting whipped. No bearings whatsoever
Team Trophy day is great fun for the spectators – the action is very close, especially the spattering mud, winching and hard revving engines…
Our baptism of fire as the competition gets off to a challenging start! A long and confusing roadbook and the scene of the infamous ‘Carwash’!
The adrenaline level is high. The start signal goes off. I gas it… Some kamikaze runs at the hill… but eventually the winch is deployed
Staro Selo – setting up camp, checking the car (again) and the most difficult of all – calibrating the Terratrip!
A very long roadbook and a dramatic river finish is the setting for the finale of a great week of competiton and cameraderie in the mud!
“Hamburger Hill” – one of the most exhausting days of 2010. Extremely tough (fresh-concrete) mud and a huge winch challenge up a steep gulley
Snapped ropes and broken winch motors. Very rough going at the steep creek and river bed. A lot of mud and extremely difficult.
A waist-high muddy bog stood in the way of everyone on stage 5 of the Croatia Trophy 2010. Creative winching required – and don’t mind the snake
During the Night Stage the front diff has come off and the bolts holding on the crown wheel have all sheared off. The whole thing has to come…
The start is from eleven pm. Being in the last place due to a non-start in the Team Trophy, we are last to start at about 00h30. It…
Today was double-edged. We couldn’t take part in the Team Trophy because of the technical problems from yesterday, but have managed to sort them all out and can…
We had a relatively good start and caught some competitors early due to some good driving in some of the testing areas. Navigation is difficult at times but…
The show-start in the town of Glina in remote Croatia gives the competitiors a chance to meet the locals and show off their machines…
Following the last-minute prep on the car, we start in the third group and have quite an eventful first porlogue stage…
Final checks on the Land Rover Discovery (kindly sponsored by Land Rover Centre Jacob Schaap) and we hit the road by 09:30. Slow going at 90 km/hr, but all went smoothly.
Driving Miss Daisy – watch out here I come. Rob Mieras is a 4×4 driving instructor and has the patience of Job when it comes to teaching new…