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From the beauty and sandy tracks of the Namib Desert, via luxury lodges in the best game parks, whale watching from Hermanus and the wine region, this trip has it all.
There will be some mild competition on a number of days, but the most important thing is for crews to fully enjoy and experience Africa rather than rushing past with their heads in the speed tables.
If you have one, why not bring a soft top car to fully immerse yourself in the countryside, but remember the roof and side screens for the self-drive experiences planned for some reserves. Otherwise bring any classic car that complies, but nothing too fragile as you must remember this is Africa and the terrain can sometimes be rough in places.
The highlights of this trip are too many to fit into words, most need to be experienced in person, but let us try to whet your appetite further with a few notes on each day.
The Route
Event Schedule
Swakopmund to Sossusvlei
For the first visit in 10 years the plan was always to do something different and that begins with the starting point. Rather than another Cape Town to Cape Town route, the decision was made to start from Swakopmund in Namibia, the gateway to the Skeleton Coast.
Starting in Swakopmund allows the event to get into the action from the start and avoids the often difficult and rough trip up through Namibia which some events have suffered from in the past. If you are unlucky you can spend over 500 Kms driving over corrugations which shake you and the car to bits.
From Swakopmund we will head south, stopping at the little village of Solitaire for some home-made cakes and coffee before experiencing the white dirt roads of Namibia to arrive in good time to relax in your lodge before dinner. Many lodges are on the edge of the salt pan and allow the first chance to view some wildlife while waiting for dinner.
An early start on the rest day will reward crews with the chance to see the sunrise over the magnificent sand dunes before breakfast and the rest of the day to explore the reserve around Sossuslvlei.
Sossusvlei to Windhoek
Leaving Sossusvlei we will head north to enjoy one of the few nights spent in a city of any size, as we will end the day in the Namibian capital of Windhoek.
On the way we will pass the Naukluft National Park, originally created as a sanctuary for the rare Hartmann’s mountain zebra, before a second chance to re-fuel both people and machine at Solitaire. Then we will enjoy a drive along sandy tracks, you can imagine you are on Paris-Dakar, before arriving at the comfort of our hotel for the night in Windhoek.
Windhoek will give you the chance to stock on up some essential journey items, water is a must, and snacks are a sensible idea, together with anything forgotten in the packing before the trip.
Windhoek to Etosha Safari Lodge
This could just be an easy run up the main road, but where is the adventure in that? Instead, there will be a chance to buy the first of the many souvenirs you will collect at a wood carvers craft market, coffee at a crocodile farm plus a regularity or two on dirt and sandy tracks in the Namibian countryside.
Our destination will be the Etosha National Park, where we will stay in luxury lodges close to the western entrance to the park ready for your first self-drive experience in the morning.
Etosha Safari Lodge to Mokuti Lodge (Etosha self-drive)
The Etosha National Park is unique in Africa. The park’s main characteristic is a salt pan so large it can be seen from space. Yet there is abundant wildlife that congregates around the waterholes, giving you almost guaranteed game sightings. At the same time Etosha National Park is one of the most accessible game reserves in Namibia and Southern Africa, importantly the park is malaria free.
Today will be an opportunity to self-drive through the park, there is an alternative route for anyone who would rather leave the game driving to experts in jeeps, but you will have all day to drive the 180 Kms through the park where there are cafes and restaurants to get lunch and even fuel stations for anyone who needs it. The park information website sums the day up perfectly:
The abundance of game in Etosha National Park is somewhat unexpected, showcasing some of the most common and rarest wildlife species. The areas with thicker vegetation are home to elephant (some of the largest in Africa due to the vitamins and nutrients found in the ground), the endangered black rhino and even leopard. Lions are camouflaged in the pale- golden colour of the grasslands, while giraffes rise- high above most of the dry vegetation.
After good rains the salt pan fills with water attracting a cloud of flamingos. More than 340 bird species have been counted in Etosha National Park. Among the migratory species, the European bee-eater is possibly the most popular sighting. The game reserve is also home to the world’s largest bird, the ostrich, and the heaviest flying bird, the kori bustard.
Our final stopping place is one of the lodges on the eastern side of the park, where you can swap photos of sightings while enjoying a sundowner before dinner.
Mokuti Lodge to Popa Falls
Today will be one of the longest days of the event, in terms of driving distance, as the route needs to head west towards Botswana and the next amazing experience.
Fuel and coffee will be available at Rundu, a town close to the Angolan border, before a run across the Caprivi Strip, Wikipedia describes this as follows:
The Caprivi Strip, also known simply as Caprivi, is a geographic salient protruding from the northeastern corner of Namibia. It is bordered by Botswana to the south and Angola and Zambia to the north.
Although today will be nearly 600 Kms, the roads are fast and smooth enabling good distances to be covered in fairly short time.
The day ends at Popa Falls. These are a series of cascading rapids in the Okavango River and the area is home to over 400 species of birds, hippos and crocodiles, so swimming is out of the question I’m afraid!
Popa Falls to Kasane (Via Chobe Game Park)
Leaving Popa Falls the route heads east along the last of the Caprivi and enters Botswana at Kutima Mulilo. The border crossing here is generally fairly quick, although it can be busy at times, so patience is a good thing to have.
Having crossed into Botswana, any wait at the border will soon be forgotten as the route enters the Chobe Game Park which is believed to have the highest density of Elephants anywhere in the world, so a sighting is almost guaranteed.
The overnight halt will be in the Kasane area which allows us the chance to travel the next morning into one of the major highlights of the trip, the Okavango Delta.
Okavango Delta
Early morning flights from Kasane will take crews to the various lodges being used in the Okavango Delta arriving in time for lunch before being shown to the accommodation in preparation for the first evening game drive of the trip.
The Okavango Delta is a unique pulsing wetland. More correctly an alluvial fan, the delta covers between 6 and 15 000 square kilometres of Kalahari Desert in northern Botswana and owes its existence to the Okavango (Kavango) River which flows from the Angolan highlands, across Namibia’s Caprivi Strip and into the harsh Kalahari Desert.
The wildlife of the Okavango Delta is varied and plentiful thanks to the rich ecosystems and protection. The Okavango Delta supports large concentrations of animals on both a permanent and seasonal basis. Through careful wildlife management, it has become perhaps one of the best places to see wildlife in Africa.
Wildlife of the Okavango Delta includes a myriad of species including African Bush Elephant, African Buffalo, Hippopotamus, Lechwe, Topi, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, Nile crocodile, Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Brown Hyena, Spotted Hyena, Greater Kudu, Sable Antelope, Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, Plains Zebra, Warthog and Chacma Baboon. Notably the endangered African Wild Dog still survives within the Okavango Delta and exhibits one of the richest pack densities in Africa.
A rest day in your camp will allow you the opportunity to enjoy an early morning drive, breakfast, time to rest and a final evening drive before dinner around the camp fire.
Kasane to Nata
After a final gorgeous breakfast at the camp, crews will return to Kasane on their planes to begin the journey south towards South Africa.
Stopping at the small town of Nata, both breaks up the journey to Francistown, but also gives everyone the opportunity to go out to view the wonderful Makgadikgadi Salt Pans.
The Makgadikgadi Pan, a salt pan situated in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana, is one of the largest salt flats in the world. The pan is all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikgadi, which once covered an area larger than Switzerland, but dried up tens of thousands of years ago.
The pan features an amazing array of bird life in addition to its own arid beauty.
Nata to Francistown (via Cave paintings)
The road from Nata to Francistown is straight and uninteresting, so to break the journey the route will go off the main road and visit both some rock paintings and a cultural village on the way to Francistown for the overnight halt.
Francistown is Botswana’s second largest city and was the centre of Southern Africa's first gold rush and is still surrounded by old and abandoned mines.
Francistown to Mokopane
The original plan for this day had been to use a small border crossing across the Limpopo from Botswana into South Africa at Zanzibar. Unfortunately, the Botswana authorities have closed the crossing due to repeated flooding so we will have to use the busier Groblersbrug post instead.
Our overnight halt is at the Legends Golf and Safari resort, and early crews may get the chance to play 9 holes before dinner.
Mokopane to Sabi Sands
Today’s drive features some superb roads as the route heads east through the Wolkberg Wilderness Area before a coffee strop at the famous Coach House in Agatha.
The chance to use some of the gravel roads in the Tzaneen area, a popular South African rally territory, will not be missed, followed by a drive overlooking the Blyde River canyon before a visit to God’s Window.
The name “God's Window” was inspired by its seemingly endless vistas, views so breathtaking that they make visitors feel as if they are looking out over creation itself. The cliffs, forests, and dramatic escarpments contribute to its reputation as one of South Africa's most picturesque viewpoints.
The parking area for God’s Window also features a market where the most amazing wooden carvings can be bargained for, something else to add to the luggage returning home.
The final part of the day takes the route through the town of Hazyview and a chance to fuel before the event enters another major highlight, Sabi Sands
Sabi Sands
The most prestigious game reserve in South Africa, the Sabi Sands Game Reserve is renowned for some of the best Big Five game safaris in the world.
The Sabi Sands Game Reserve is situated in the southwestern corner of the world-renowned Kruger National Park and shares a 50km unfenced border. The reserve offers an exclusive experience with some of the world’s most luxurious lodges, great service and fine dining.
The area is divided into individual private game reserves, all offering the ultimate Big Five experience. With no fences between the private game reserves and the Kruger Park, animals wander across vast stretches of grazing land as they did years and years ago.
With one of the richest game populations in the country, the chances of seeing the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) are excellent. You are almost guaranteed with sightings of the Big Five and the reserve is famous for incredible leopard sightings.
Crews will arrive in time for the evening game drive followed by a sumptuous dinner on the terrace at your lodge.
The following rest day will give everyone the chance to enjoy both a morning and evening game drive with breakfast in the bush and a sundowner by the Sand River, plus the chance to take part in a walking safari for those who do not want to sit and rest.
Sabi Sands to Mbabane
Following a leisurely breakfast, crews will leave Sabi Sands and enjoy a self-drive adventure through the Kruger before joining the main road at the southern end of the park. There will be an alternative route available for those who do not want to take their own vehicle through the park.
The route will cross in Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, at Jeppes Reef before a lovely drive over the wonderfully named Piggs Peak before dropping down into the capital Mbabane for our overnight halt at the Royal Swazi Spa Hotel
Mbabane to Phinda
The journey across Eswatini will be on dirt roads, giving a chance for some regularity fun, before returning to South Africa, our final border crossing of the trip, at Onverwacht before driving through the Pongola Valley to our home for the next two nights in the Phinda Private Game Reserve.
Phinda
Phinda has seven distinct ecosystems ranging from palm savannah and mountain bush to rare sand forest and dense thornveld giving another very different game viewing experience and a chance to tick off some more of the animals on your “wish to see” list.
Once again, the rest day will afford crews the chance to enjoy morning and evening game drives and time to relax and enjoy the facilities of the camps.
Phinda to Umhlanga
Having enjoyed a number of days heading from the west coast we finally arrive at the east coast of Africa as we leave Phinda and head towards Durban.
The village of Umhlanga lies just north of the Durban city but features one of the absolute gems of this event in the Oyster Box Hotel.
Located on the shores of the Indian Ocean the hotel is a sanctuary of peace in this vibrant area of the country.
Given the large ethnic Indian population in the Durban area, they have had a major influence on the local cuisine so expect to enjoy some of the finest curries available anywhere in the world. Of course, with a hotel of this standard there are always superb alternatives if your taste buds prefer something milder.
Umhlanga to Umngazi River Lodge
Following a relaxing rest day in Umhlanga the route continues to follow the Indian Ocean coast south towards Port St Johns and the Umngazi River
Staying at the Umngazi River Lodge will allow crews to enjoy a relaxing evening overlooking the mouth of the river. You may even see the cows that graze on the other side of the river during the day, being walked across the shallow river back to their fields for the night, a very unusual experience for many.
Umngazi River Lodge to Shamwari
Today’s route leaves the east coast behind and travels inland via the Transkei area, birthplace of Nelson Mandela, before arriving at the destination of our final game viewing at the magnificent Shamwari Private Game Reserve
Shamwari
Shamwari, meaning “my friend” in Shona, is the pinnacle of private game reserves and home to the coveted Big 5. Stretching over a vast, malaria free landscape, it offers an award-winning nature experience and is one of the largest private conservation initiatives in Southern Africa.
The final chance to tick off the Big 5 on your list, although I am sure many of you will already have done that and will now be looking for the rarer sightings to finish your game viewing experience.
Shamwari to Plettenberg Bay
Leaving Shamwari it was hoped that the route could go over the Zuurberg Pass, but the road conditions have deteriorated over the last few years, and the road is now only passable with a 4x4 vehicle. However, there are now more roads to choose from, and some smooth gravel regularity sections are planned on our journey west towards the overnight halt back on the Indian Ocean coast at Plettenberg Bay.
Dinner will be taken overlooking the ocean and you may spot whales, but don’t worry if you have not seen one before you leave, as the next stop is in one of the great whale watching areas of the world.
Plettenberg Bay to Hermanus
The final long driving day of the rally will also feature some gravel road sections as we enter the southern part of the Karoo with spectacular flora and fauna, then some wonderful passes to enjoy.
Having left the coast for the day, we return for the evening as we are staying in Hermanus for two nights so crews can enjoy the wonderful facilities of our luxury hotel but also the chance to go out on a whale-watching trip on the rest day.
Hermanus is one of the leading areas for whale-watching in the world so you will not be disappointed.
Hermanus to Stellenbosch
No visit to this part of Africa would be complete without a visit to the world-famous wine region of Stellenbosch and it is just a short, but very interesting, drive from Hermanus
Stellenbosch is surrounded by the vineyards of the Cape Winelands and the mountainous nature reserves of Jonkershoek and Simonsberg. The town's oak-shaded streets are lined with cafes, boutiques and art galleries. Cape Dutch architecture gives a sense of South Africa's Dutch colonial history, as do the Village Museum's period houses and gardens.
Being surrounded by vineyards, the town produces some of the very best wines South Africa has to offer, and tonight crews will be able to enjoy sampling some at the Lanzerac Hotel.
Stellenbosch to Cape Town (V&A Waterfront)
The final day has arrived, and crews can enjoy a late and leisurely breakfast as there is only a short run into Cape Town to go.
However, having travelled so far and enjoyed so many amazing experiences why not enjoy another one on the way to the finish by driving over Chapmans Peak on our way to the finish.
The drive into the city takes crews past False Bay on the southern side and onto Chapmans Peak, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean on your left, a truly memorable way to enter Cape Town.
The event will finish on the V&A Waterfront where crews will enjoy a gala prizegiving dinner in one of the superb hotels in the area. It should be a memorable end to a once in a lifetime adventure.
Vehicle Eligibility:
There Are Three Main Categories and Two ‘Invitation’ Classes:
A – Pioneer up to December 1920
B – Vintage & Vintageant from January 1921 up to December 1947
C – Classic from January 1948 to December 1975
D - Pre-1985 4X4 Vehicles by ‘Invitation’ only some categories may be subdivided into classes based on engine size.
E – Pre-1985 2WD cars production based for ‘Invitation’ consideration.
( D and E classes will have separate classes and awards from the main event. )
