Going to South Africa

Lee

Lee

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I've just been watching Henry Cole riding around South Africa, down to the Cape and various other places.
We went there a few years ago and it occurred to me how great it would be to take the motorhome there and travel around.
It would be quite a trip from here though.
Oh well I can dream, anybody else got any ideas.
 
Wife worked with a lady from there and she said cars have gas burners at the sills to stop being taken hostage or car nicked by natives, all homes have steel shutters on windows when at work or sleeping at night, nice but no thanks.
 
We were going to hire a motorhome and do the Route 66 for a month this winter, still hoping to do it sometime in the future, but can’t see it happening for a couple of years yet
 
Lee said:
I've just been watching Henry Cole riding around South Africa, down to the Cape and various other places.
We went there a few years ago and it occurred to me how great it would be to take the motorhome there and travel around.
It would be quite a trip from here though.
Oh well I can dream, anybody else got any ideas.
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You just need to load it in a 40ft container and send it. Fly out and pick it up and drive round the area. Load it back in the container and send it home.
 
In 1999 me and mate flew to Cape Town we bought a 1966 BMW 2002 and drove round Southern Africa for 6 months. Terrible choice of vehicle, we choose it cos the number plate had 666 in it and we nearly killed it in Namibia cos we never checked the oil level, pot heads eh!! I then crashed it in Zimbabwe, ruined front nearside, breakers yard in Harare actually had a 2002 model, wrecked except front nearside! A hippie expat dude living with all his cars in the grounds of the hostel talked us through how to fix it. In fairness it lasted the tour, just, in Jo'burg we gave the car and keys to a school or youth club, we weren't really sure what it was to be honest and flew home. The recklessness of youth, good times
 
Before Mr E ba gum screwed the place Zimbabwe would have been a great place to start a motorhoming trip with the destination of South Africa. In 1988 I drove from Harare down to Beit bridge through South Africa to Swaziland, on through Swaziland and down to Maputo in Mozambique, back then the roads were in good condition except for Mozambique but there didn’t seem to be any food shortages and problems that you see today.
 
trevskoda said:
Wife worked with a lady from there and she said cars have gas burners at the sills to stop being taken hostage or car nicked by natives, all homes have steel shutters on windows when at work or sleeping at night, nice but no thanks.
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Cousin of mine owned a property there and would always say how great it was. I asked him once if he had a "panic room" to which he replied, yes. Nuff said.
Been to a few places where tourism protects you from reality, never really at ease.
 
Lee said:
I've just been watching Henry Cole riding around South Africa, down to the Cape and various other places.
We went there a few years ago and it occurred to me how great it would be to take the motorhome there and travel around.
It would be quite a trip from here though.
Oh well I can dream, anybody else got any ideas.
Click to expand...
Well to be blunt..........you could dream or you could pull your finger out.

For our trip to the Stans I could argue that our van is too old, I do not have enough knowledge of motor mechanics, we dont have enough money, my wife definitely will not have a job to return to and I haven't asked yet, our boy should be starting school and my mum and SD are in their 80s and I don't want to be in Kazakhstan and find out my mums in hospital.

............and we are still gonna go cos at the end of the day just dreaming sucks, yes dream about being an astronaut but dont just dream about touring Southern Africa!
 
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saxonborg said:
Before Mr E ba gum screwed the place Zimbabwe would have been a great place to start a motorhoming trip with the destination of South Africa. In 1988 I drove from Harare down to Beit bridge through South Africa to Swaziland, on through Swaziland and down to Maputo in Mozambique, back then the roads were in good condition except for Mozambique but there didn’t seem to be any food shortages and problems that you see today.
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Zimbabwe is the only country in the World we have been to that my Wife said she could move to from the UK and live there permanently. Mind you, that was in 1981, just one year after independance and it was unspoiled. We had an amazing few weeks holiday, tourists were few and far between and we were spoiled rotten. :)

Swazi was a nice place too. My main memory was getting a speeding fine (cash payment there and then) while travelling in 2nd gear at 15 mph. That was because my car had South African registration plates. :ROFLMAO:
 
maingate said:
Zimbabwe is the only country in the World we have been to that my Wife said she could move to from the UK and live there permanently. Mind you, that was in 1981, just one year after independance and it was unspoiled. We had an amazing few weeks holiday, tourists were few and far between and we were spoiled rotten. :)

Swazi was a nice place too. My main memory was getting a speeding fine (cash payment there and then) while travelling in 2nd gear at 15 mph. That was because my car had South African registration plates. :ROFLMAO:
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I got a fine for the crash in Zimbabwe, got given the ticket at the police station, loads of zeros :(

Zimbabwe inflation meant it was £7, phew!
 
maingate said:
Zimbabwe is the only country in the World we have been to that my Wife said she could move to from the UK and live there permanently. Mind you, that was in 1981, just one year after independance and it was unspoiled. We had an amazing few weeks holiday, tourists were few and far between and we were spoiled rotten. :)

Swazi was a nice place too. My main memory was getting a speeding fine (cash payment there and then) while travelling in 2nd gear at 15 mph. That was because my car had South African registration plates. :ROFLMAO:
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Also had a fantastic holiday in Zim, had an overnight sail down Lake Kariba with to die for sunset and sunrise and then on to Vic falls sightseeing and the hotel for lunch, the first time I had ever eaten croc!!
 
saxonborg said:
Also had a fantastic holiday in Zim, had an overnight sail down Lake Kariba with to die for sunset and sunrise and then on to Vic falls sightseeing and the hotel for lunch, the first time I had ever eaten croc!!
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We did the Sundowner on Lake Kariba. Drinking G&Ts watching the Hippos (at a respectful distance). After the drive to Bulawayo, we had a few days there then left the car at the Airport and flew Vic Falls, Kariba, Wankie Game Park, Bulawayo. The flights were dirt cheap and it was a no brainer. I loved the old Colonial style Hotels like the Vic Falls Hotel. One of my favourites, the Oyster Box at Umhlanga just outside Durban has gone and the site redeveloped. :( No more nights with Geckos patrolling the rooms and eating the Mozzies. :D
 
maingate said:
We did the Sundowner on Lake Kariba. Drinking G&Ts watching the Hippos (at a respectful distance). After the drive to Bulawayo, we had a few days there then left the car at the Airport and flew Vic Falls, Kariba, Wankie Game Park, Bulawayo. The flights were dirt cheap and it was a no brainer. I loved the old Colonial style Hotels like the Vic Falls Hotel. One of my favourites, the Oyster Box at Umhlanga just outside Durban has gone and the site redeveloped. :( No more nights with Geckos patrolling the rooms and eating the Mozzies. :D
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Had a few nights at the Troutbeck Hotel in the highlands now that was definitely old school but thoroughly enjoyable.
 
Back in the twenties a great or great great uncle drove to south Africa from the uk. When he got there, he renamed the family after the car!
Don’t think Africa is going to be on anyone’s travel list for a good while yet.
 
maingate said:
Zimbabwe is the only country in the World we have been to that my Wife said she could move to from the UK and live there permanently. Mind you, that was in 1981, just one year after independance and it was unspoiled. We had an amazing few weeks holiday, tourists were few and far between and we were spoiled rotten. :)
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Us too. 1973 drove (VW Beetle) up from Cape Town and by the time we reached Bulawayo had decided it was pretty close to paradise. Started to go through the immigration process but by the time we returned to South Africa had decided that SA offered more opportunties so that's where we ended up.
Spent much of my adult life there, raised two children, saw the bad and the good.
Ran a VW Kombi camper for many years down there - a world away from campervanning in the UK. Ever camped amongst pineapple fields?
My two sons still live in Cape Town (both bikers) and prior to Covid I still managed to spend a few months every year down there.

If you're thinking of a motorhome or bike tour then just go and do it. There are the usual hire companies for both and plenty of local, small outfits running biking tours from day tours to multi weeks.
As far as security is concerned, sure, there are trouble spots and places not to go but we have them here too, it just take a little knowledge of what not to do.
It's very very easy to have a super holiday down there.
The country is huge, the scenery amazing, the people are friendly, the exchange rate makes it very affordable, the food is some of the best in the world, as is their wine and of course the weather.
Sadly Covid is in charge now and who knows what travel we can all do in the future but we can always plan..
 
Yes, good advice. I would recommend spending time in SA. I only spent 2.5 years down there, Commissioning and Maintaining Sasol2 and 3. They changed the Immigration Laws to cater for all the contractors on that project. :) There are plenty of remarkable things to see and do and it takes time to get around a large country. A motorhome is an ideal way to do it.

I have just checked and it is 20.7 Rand to the £, it was 1.8 back in 1980. :oops:
 
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