Southern Africa Trip 2024 - Namibia

[antennick]

Good day forum members,

A friend and I are embarking on a 3-month (Feb, Mar & Apr) trip exploring Southern African leaving early next month and I just want to run the route past the forum to get some suggestions, information and general advice. We are planning on traveling from Joburg and visiting Namibia, Botswana, Zim, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique (not necessarily in that order). It will be the two of us traveling in a solo vehicle and will have some friends joining us at various locations along the way. The vehicle we are going in will be my mate's 2011 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 3.2 D-ID. I will do a write up on each country and the vehicle which will be linked below (as I complete them).

To plan this trip we have used a combination of iOverlander, Go! magazines, advice from friends and plotted the route on Gaia GPS (I cannot recommend Gaia enough - for now).

Vehicle - https://www.4x4community.co.za/forum...36#post5170336
Namibia - https://www.4x4community.co.za/forum...83#post5170283
Botswana - https://www.4x4community.co.za/forum...70#post5173670
Zimbabwe -
Zambia -
Malawi -
Mozambique -

Namibia will be our first leg of the trip. Our plan starts us in Joburg and over 2 days we will cut across Botswana to enter Namibia at the Buitepos border post staying with friends in Windhoek. From here we plan on exploring Northern Namibia. I have attached an image of our route in Namibia and we will be following the route clockwise and before you ask, we will be avoiding Van Zyls. We are planning on driving most days of this leg. Below is a rough itinerary:

Windhoek - 1 night
Spitzkoppe - 2 nights
Ugab Rhino Conservation Trust - 1 night
Palmwag - 1 night
Purros - 1 night
Hartmann Valley/Marienfluss - 2 nights
Opuwo - 1 night
Epupa Falls - 2 nights
Ruacana - 1 night
Etosha NP - 3 nights
Rundu - 1 night
Caprivi Strip/Bwabwata NP - 3 nights

Cross the border to Botswana at Mohembo border post.

My immediate concern for this Namibian stretch will be fuel and water between Sesfontein and Opuwo. According to our planning, we will have about 700km of driving between Sesfontein and Opuwo which is on the limit of our conservative range estimation of 710km (110l @ 15.5l/100km). I have seen that there is fuel available at Purros, how reliable is that? Are there any drinking water fill up points or will the last be at Purros?

My second concern is that of traveling in the wet season. While this could make things very exciting and great for Instagram, in reality will it prevent us from traveling anywhere in specific? I have plotted driving along the Hoanib and Hoarusib rivers between Sesfontein and Purros, will this be passible in the wet and traveling solo?

Something else on my mind is Etosha. I have heard that staying outside the park can be better and then make day trips into the park from your accommodation. Would you recommend this approach or is it worth staying in the park?

This trip is being done on a limited budget, with not enough equipment and with less than the necessary planning, but we are young, competent(?) and up for the challenge! Bring on 2024.

We have set up an Instagram account - @dust_chasers and will keep that up-to-date as we go. Please feel free to give it a follow.

[alannymarce]

Some general reactions:

Three months may be tight to visit Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique. Obviously you could do this in a couple of weeks if your goal is to check boxes however assuming that this is not the case my reaction is that it may be good to focus on fewer destinations. We did one trip including all of these except Mozambique and spent five months in the other countries.


Mohembo would be a good border crossing. Stop in the Bwabwata NP on the way - it’s worth some time.


No idea regarding fuel and water at Purros, I’m afraid.


The only experience we have which is relevant to your question on driving in wet season is that the Epupa-Ruacana road has multiple stream crossings, which are trivial in the dray bit may be challenging in the wet season.


Regarding Etosha, the campsites have set up to observe wildlife at the waterholes during the night, which is a significant benefit in my view. I’d stay in the park.


I’m sure there will be a lot more useful advice from others.

[Erwin Schimper]

All I can say is good luck. 90 days is not enough for all those countries. If in the rainy season, stay out of the rivers. Do not camp in the rivers. Flash floods will be your problem. If the rivers are wet, driving in them might be a problem. Cross a river only once water has passed or are below vehcile chassis level. Rather sit it out with a cup of coffee. Enjoy

[CalDriver]

If you search around on the forum you can find the phone number of the guy in Purros who organizes fuel and you can confirm ahead of time and reserve some stock. I would not be comfortable cutting it as close as you are without getting extra fuel in Purros, or somewhere along the way.

Whether you can drive that in February is hard to say - it all depends on the rains. You're biting off a whole of Namibia in not much time, I suggest just talking to locals as you go to see what is/isn't drivable at the time and adjust accordingly.

There will be water somewhere around Otmenje/Marble Mine community campsite. The last reliable water is at Purros. Camp Syncro in the Marienfluss has (river) water, but I would treat it before drinking.

It is stunning country up there, enjoy!

[antennick]

All I can say is good luck. 90 days is not enough for all those countries. If in the rainy season, stay out of the rivers. Do not camp in the rivers. Flash floods will be your problem. If the rivers are wet, driving in them might be a problem. Cross a river only once water has passed or are below vehcile chassis level. Rather sit it out with a cup of coffee. Enjoy

Hi Erwin, speaking to some people locally and seeing your comment (amongst others) I think we will retune our entire trip to make this morning feasible. Removing Tanzania from our route planning opens us up to enjoy some more spots in other countries and it makes it a lot easier to plan a route (less re-entry into some countries).

When you say stay out of the river crossings, are you referring to the Hoarusib and Hoanib rivers or just rivers in general? I agree definitely no camping in the river beds. I have heard this before and will definitely heed this advice.

[Tony Weaver]

When you say stay out of the river crossings, are you referring to the Hoarusib and Hoanib rivers or just rivers in general? I agree definitely no camping in the river beds. I have heard this before and will definitely heed this advice.

You have to stay clear of all river beds in the rainy season - driving and camping. Crossings are fine as long as you have walked the crossing thoroughly and made absolutely sure it is safe.
Bear in mind that it can be completely dry where you are, but there may have been a big rain over the horizon out of sight and that wall of water is on its way to where you are - a desert river in flood is a terrifying sight. Keep a very close eye on the windy weather app - it is remarkably accurate for local conditions, and you can zoom right in to a pretty large scale view.

[antennick]

If you search around on the forum you can find the phone number of the guy in Purros who organizes fuel and you can confirm ahead of time and reserve some stock. I would not be comfortable cutting it as close as you are without getting extra fuel in Purros, or somewhere along the way.

Whether you can drive that in February is hard to say - it all depends on the rains. You're biting off a whole of Namibia in not much time, I suggest just talking to locals as you go to see what is/isn't drivable at the time and adjust accordingly.

There will be water somewhere around Otmenje/Marble Mine community campsite. The last reliable water is at Purros. Camp Syncro in the Marienfluss has (river) water, but I would treat it before drinking.

It is stunning country up there, enjoy!

Thank you again CalDriver! Very useful information here. Fuel consumption with our roof rack and load will be determined when on the road. But I think we should take an emergency supply along with communicating with the guys in Purros. That should cover us in the worst case.

No such thing as too much water on a long stretch like that. If this trip is as wet as it could be, we might have access to a lot of non-potable water for cleaning etc. Located the Marble Community Camp - looks like a great spot for us to camp at

[antennick]

You have to stay clear of all river beds in the rainy season - driving and camping. Crossings are fine as long as you have walked the crossing thoroughly and made absolutely sure it is safe.
Bear in mind that it can be completely dry where you are, but there may have been a big rain over the horizon out of sight and that wall of water is on its way to where you are - a desert river in flood is a terrifying sight. Keep a very close eye on the windy weather app - it is remarkably accurate for local conditions, and you can zoom right in to a pretty large scale view.

Hi Tony, that is not the news I wanted to hear.. I was really looking forward to following those rivers. I will download Windy and see how well it works. I am untrusting of weather apps these days, I find them inaccurate of even the immediate conditions. Thank you for the feedback, much appreciated.

[TwinDisco]

Apologies to the OP for latching onto his thread... We are a couple of friends planning a trip to explore the southern parts of Namibie in September this year, and will be camping as we move around. The question is, how is the weather like in September, southern parts? Advisable, or to do it in some other time of the year. My son and DIL will have a 18 month old baby in their car.

[Tony Weaver]

Hi Tony, that is not the news I wanted to hear.. I was really looking forward to following those rivers. I will download Windy and see how well it works. I am untrusting of weather apps these days, I find them inaccurate of even the immediate conditions. Thank you for the feedback, much appreciated.

Feb to April is the height of the rainy season throughout the area you are planning to travel through. It's a great time to travel for many reasons, and will give you good stories to tell - but you don't want to be the one that others tell the story about, of them searching for bits of you and your gear after being hit by a wall of water coming down the Hoanib or the Hoarusib.
And no, I am not exaggerating.
Windy is about as accurate as you will get - I have used it in the rainy season in Chobe, the Zambezi Valley, northern Namibia etc and found it to be spot on.

[Tony Weaver]

how is the weather like in September, southern parts?

September is a good month for travelling in the south, not too hot and not too cold. It can be very unpleasant if the hot east wind is blowing, but that's relatively rare.

[Fred56]

There are uTube video's of both those rivers in flood, amazing.

[Erwin Schimper]

This is what it looks like when you get caught in a flash flood or try and cross a river in a flood in Namibia. Not to scare you, but these rivers are not as wide as they are for nothing. Attachment 710493

[Mortymoose]

Apologies to the OP for latching onto his thread... We are a couple of friends planning a trip to explore the southern parts of Namibie in September this year, and will be camping as we move around. The question is, how is the weather like in September, southern parts? Advisable, or to do it in some other time of the year. My son and DIL will have a 18 month old baby in their car.

Be careful if the East Wind Blows, avoid the coastal areas if the wind is around.... I know a ton of folk who have submitted insurance claims due to getting sandblasted on the road between Oranjemund and Rosh Pinah. Other than that, a fine time to drive....

[Tony Weaver]

Be careful if the East Wind Blows, avoid the coastal areas if the wind is around.... I know a ton of folk who have submitted insurance claims due to getting sandblasted on the road between Oranjemund and Rosh Pinah. Other than that, a fine time to drive....

And it's not just windshields, bodywork gets pitted as well!

[Tony Weaver]

This is a relatively calm day on the road between Aus and Luderitz...

[mvcoller]

I was driving from Aus to Luderitz when a sand storm came up between Kolmanskop and Lüderitz.

The vehicle (I was using the company car on holiday to Namibia) was 3 months old and took a blasting. The whole left and front sides felt like sandpaper, the windscreen was opaque as were the front lights. The body work above the wind screen was shiny and had a completely paint free strip about 4 inches wide stretching the width of the vehicle.

The front suspension looked like it was chromium plated, and the bank (I was working for FNB) resprayed the whole car and replaced the windscreen and all the glass on the left of the vehicle and all the light lenses on the front.

I do not remember the cost, the bank used to self insure. I had no excess to pay, because it was considered normal wear on vehicles of those staff with company cars who live there. It was applied across the board if your company vehicle was sandblated anywhere on the west coast of Namibia.

[antvz]

I was driving from Aus to Luderitz when a sand storm came up between Kolmanskop and Lüderitz.

The vehicle (I was using the company car on holiday to Namibia) was 3 months old and took a blasting. The whole left and front sides felt like sandpaper, the windscreen was opaque as were the front lights. The body work above the wind screen was shiny and had a completely paint free strip about 4 inches wide stretching the width of the vehicle.

The front suspension looked like it was chromium plated, and the bank (I was working for FNB) resprayed the whole car and replaced the windscreen and all the glass on the left of the vehicle and all the light lenses on the front.

I do not remember the cost, the bank used to self insure. I had no excess to pay, because it was considered normal wear on vehicles of those staff with company cars who live there. It was applied across the board if your company vehicle was sandblated anywhere on the west coast of Namibia.

Educate me please:
Does this sort of damage occur on a stationary vehicle in a sandstorm, or only if you keep on driving?

In other words, can you just pull over and wait for things to calm down a bit before proceeding?

[mvcoller]

Stationary and moving.... Don't think there is much of a difference in the damage, wind probably 80 to 100kph.

You probably can't go much faster than 30 or 40 kph.

You are so scared to stop in case you get stuck in the sand, not knowing how long you may be stuck without help. I was between about 8 to 5km out of Lüderitz at the time, wanted to get to the safety of a town ASAP. I was probably in the sandstorm for max 10 minutes.

[Mortymoose]

Educate me please:
Does this sort of damage occur on a stationary vehicle in a sandstorm, or only if you keep on driving?

In other words, can you just pull over and wait for things to calm down a bit before proceeding?

Good Morning from Oranjemund,

Interestingly we had this debate last week in the office, stopping is not an option unless you stop before entering the sandy areas.

There was fierce debate about going faster to get through it all and go slower to lessen the abrasion.

My personal feelings would be to go slow as I have driven one way in a storm and then returned a mere 90 minutes later only to now find little speed bumps of sand that had formed across the road.... these are mighty dangerous and can flip you from the road.

During smaller storms, a lot of people do not even realize that the finer particles have sandblasted their cars and only realize when driving directly into the sun later on.

I am going camping with my son in about three hours, Mount D'urban, Alt Kronenhof and then 5 more days anywhere North, lets hope for no sandstorms...