30 Days, 4 Countries, 2 Trucks: Cape Town to Vic Falls Overland

Our cruise from Lisbon to Cape Town was complete, but the adventure was far from over! After 9 days in Cape Town, South Africa, we traded our suitcases for heavy steel safari tents and folding stools for a monumental 30-day overland camping trip through Southern Africa. We were joining an Intrepid tour, a necessity for a journey of this scale, taking us from the Atlantic to the Zambezi and back down to Johannesburg.Our new home was a "big beast" of an overland truck, complete with a guide (Erellah), driver (Jackson), and cook (Nico) and a surprisingly homey interior featuring two tables. We met our group for the first half of the tour—14 people who would quickly become a well-gelled gang—and set off north on December 15th.  Erellah Jackson Nico

Camping and Culture: The Road to Namibia

The first few days were a lesson in overland logistics. We were loving the camping, but definitely missed our easy pop-up tent as we wrestled with the heavy steel poles of the safari tents—though we figured after a month, we’d be experts! The first campsite was a hilarious surprise: a working winery with a pool. It hardly felt like "roughing it!"The drives were long but spectacular. We learned the ritual of washing dishes and flapping them dry, got startled by a screeching cicada at the campsite sink, and were surprised to see our massive truck put through a full-body scanner at the Namibian border crossing (they seemed most concerned about plants!).We soon hit the Orange River and the famous Fish River Canyon, a massive rift in the earth that certainly gave off Grand Canyon vibes. We were already seeing incredible wildlife, including an endangered zebra right near our campsite, which was a thrilling way to start.    

Dunes, Deserts, and Deadvlei

The heart of Namibia is the desert, and our next few days were pure sand and spectacle. We were up before dawn for the trek up Dune 45, our tents packed and breakfast cleaned up before sunrise. The climb was hard, but the sunrise views over the vast sea of red sand were incredible. Nicola made the most of the trip down, running the dune the quick way, ending up nicely sandy!    The iconic highlight was Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. The sight of those 900-year-old petrified black trees against the vivid red sand and blue sky truly is the famous picture spot. We also met our campsite visitor for this segment: the beautiful, elegant Oryx, which we ended up seeing everywhere!  It was nice to see Namibia’s strong conservation efforts. Later, we had the humbling experience of visiting the Ju/Hoansi-san Living Museum. We learned about their culture, saw their welcome and healing dances, and watched how they use a natural straw to suck rainwater from trees. They were dressed traditionally... which is to say somewhat naked. We even attempted to learn the clicking language, which is fascinatingly difficult!

The Seaside and Calamari in Swakopmund

After the dry heat of the interior, the resort town of Swakopmund was a welcome change. This German colonial town sits right on the Atlantic, giving it a unique German–Namibian atmosphere. We spent three days here, giving us time for our own activities. I went quad biking on the dunes with the boys, while Nicola took a Township Tour with some of the rest of our group. The tour offered a profound look at local life—from having to use a prepaid card for water at communal taps to learning the history of the traditional Herero dress (designed by settlers to cover the red mud used on the women's bodies). Nic even learned about some cool recycling ideas, like crafts made from used Nespresso pods.   We ate at a touristy mall where I got a haircut from a barber who kindly assured me he "can cut white people's hair," and we later splurged on some seafood. Nicola declared the calamari she had there to be the best of her life! We also discovered a gin distillery—another pleasant surprise in Namibia. One of our group members played the guitar and sang songs to entertain the whole distillery.

 
Heading back north, we drove up the Skeleton Coast, passing endless olive-coloured baby seals at a colony (a sad sight, as many had perished). We were lucky to see some spectacular, better-preserved 4,000-year-old Bushman cave paintings further inland, hidden in a rock arch that reminded us of Arches National Park—but with far fewer people!

New Year's in the Okavango & Victoria Falls 50th!

The real reason for the trip was Botswana and the famous Okavango Delta. We left our truck and boarded small dugout canoes (mokoros), poled through the narrow, lily-covered inlets by expert local tribesmen like "Mr. P." We had a slight crisis when Nicola’s mattress deflated, requiring Jackson to lay down a tarp to help her find the leak at the campsite pool!    We celebrated New Year's Eve camping, and I pulled off a birthday surprise: a helicopter flight over the Okavango Delta! It was spectacular, offering an aerial view of the meandering waterways and an early, memorable celebration for Nicola's big day. I created a video, and one of our group members, Steph, narrated the video in the voice of David Attenborough.

Next up was Chobe National Park, known for its high concentration of elephants. We were lucky enough to round out the Big Five (Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, and Buffalo) here with a wonderful sighting of a leopard who graciously put on a show for us. We were also treated to close views of playful elephants, wallowing hippos, and the naughty, cheeky monkeys that eventually stole my cookies!   January 5th marked the Big 5-0 for Nicola, and where better to be than Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe? We celebrated her birthday a day early and had our final meal with our first group at the Three Monkeys restaurant, dining on fish and chips and trying some crocodile skewers. The falls themselves were immense, a kilometre-long curtain of water that got us absolutely soaked from the spray. We loved seeing the urban contrast of warthogs wandering the streets, but sadly, we had to wave goodbye to our original, cohesive group.

Rhinos on Foot and the Black Mambas

Our new group blended seamlessly, but we immediately noticed the new truck was less nice (narrower seats!), so Nicola wisely claimed two seats to herself! We pressed on into the final parks of the trip.

In Zimbabwe, we visited the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust (seeing a vulture with a deformed wing) and the Painted Dog Conservation Centre, learning about the devastating issue of poaching snares. We also saw some shocking security contrasts in Bulawayo, where the town walking tour had been cancelled due to safety concerns, yet the high-end shopping centre toilets had their lids bolted down for security reasons—a bizarre sight!

The highlight in Matobo National Park was tracking white rhinos on foot. Following the ranger single-file, we had a close encounter with a mother and her four-year-old calf. We learned how parks are de-horning them (which is like trimming a fingernail) to deter poachers, a sad but necessary reality.

Back in South Africa, we had one of our most profound experiences at the Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit headquarters, supported by The Intrepid Foundation. This all-female unit is truly inspiring. We met two orphaned warthog babies they care for, and learned how they patrol to find and destroy poacher snares.

Cow Dung and the Finish Line

Our cultural adventure continued at the Makushu Village Homestay. We stayed in a local family home with a host mother and learned Venda traditions. Nicola volunteered for the unique task of spreading a fresh cow dung floor (it dries hard and keeps the dust down—and thankfully, doesn't smell!). I took the dancing role, and we both endured the local tradition of the woman serving the man local beer on her knees and side—a first and last for us! Our luck continued when the torrential rain came down, forcing us to eat supper (with chicken feet on the menu!) in a garage. We had a nice place for our homestay... much nicer than some of the others in our group, I must say. One lady found a scorpion in her bed.

The final safaris in Kruger National Park were spectacular. We were incredibly lucky to see wild painted dogs (very rare), two young male lions, a chameleon being rescued, and even a turtle crossing the road! We loved seeing the classic partnership of the zebra and the wildebeest (one has good eyes, the other good ears). We even saw a zebra with a huge scar, which our guide suspected was a lion attack survivor.

The final push to Johannesburg took us along the stunning Panorama Route, offering views of Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Blyde River Canyon (ranked one of the top three in the world—we’ve now seen two of the top three!). We ended the 30-day journey in the lovely Johannesburg suburb of Parkhurst, where we could finally eat off a real table! The security was high, but the food and the relief were worth it.

Reflection

The overland trip was amazing. Every stop was different, and while the organizational side would have been too difficult on our own, the guided tour gave us an unbelievable, up-close adventure. It’s hard to believe we did 30 days of almost continuous camping, but the experience was well worth the sore back we both suddenly developed once we got back to a soft, real bed! Next up: our cruise from Cape Town to Mauritius!