Below freezing in Botswana – June / July 2011
Winter is a good time to see the African bush, such as Botswana, mainly due to the lower temperatures during the day and the lack of rainfall during the winter months which results in the wildlife favoring the waterholes.
Our Toyota Landcruiser Trooper was fully loaded and we are ready to leave Johannesburg en route to Botswana. As we will be camping in Botswana we need to be self-reliant, so our Trooper is equipped with its two spares tyres, a sliding draw system which consists of 9 amo boxes, a winch and two spotlights, a front roof rack and a back roof rack that also has the Hi-lift jack, spade and axe fitted. In the middle of the roof racks we have a game roof hatch to enable us to take photographs and enjoy the views and sundowners. We also have a 60 litre water tank fitted under the platform just behind the front seats. Attached underneath the platform is where we have our table fitted. On the platform we have a fixed 90 litre lunar freezer/fridge and our two gas bottles. We also purchased 4 jerry cans which can be fitted on the roof rack. Two are for extra diesel fuel and two are for extra water. The trooper came fitted with 2 diesel tanks of 90 litres each. In terms charging power, we have an inverter fitted on the platform which enables us to charge various items such as our camera batteries, laptops and spotlight. Just by the water tank we have a little compartment which gives us enough space to store all the odd items such as torches, hosepipe, laptops, 4X4 equipment etc… We also fitted Old Man Emu shocks to cater for the additional weight, however this did take the height of the Trooper to about 2,5 meters and going into those underground city parkings is a big no-no!.
Our trip to Botswana consisted of 5 nights in Kwai which is in the Moremi region and 4 night in Deception Valley which is in the Central Kalahari. On our way to Khwai we will be spending 1 night in Maun and the same again when we travel in between Khwai and Deception Valley which gives us the opportunity to stock up on fresh produce. Before this trip we had to buy a new tent as our old one was not in such good condition any longer. We decided to settle on a Tentco Sahara canvas tent as this should protect us against all weather conditions and it was also easy to assemble and take down. The tent was big enough to sleep two adults and allow us enough space to store some amo boxes, bags and various other items and at the same time been able to walk around in the tent with no problems. We also wanted the windows to zip up from the inside rather than having to go outside to close the windows and lastly that it was not too heavy as this needs to be lifted up onto the roof rack. This tent provided us with everything we needed and only weighs 65 kilograms.
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| Packed Trooper ready to go |
We are now en route from Johannesburg to Martin’s Drift border. We went through four toll gates in South Africa totalling a cost of R84.80. When we reached Martin’s Drift (Groblers on SA side) it took us a smooth 45 minutes to go through the border and we were in Botswana. The road tax for Botswana was 150 Pulas and it did help to have Pulas on us as this was a quick process. We stopped at Palapaye which is about 95 kms from the border and we stayed at the Desert Sands Motel which was clean and pleasant. The costs for a double room was R600.00. Our room was at the back where we were able to park our Trooper right outside our door which we were happy about from a safety perspective. Our first day’s trip from Johannesburg to Palapaye was a total of 538 kms and it took us 5 ½ hours. Our average speed was only around 97 kms.
The next morning, after a hearty Wimpy breakfast which is located within the Desert Sands Motel, we left Palapaye just after 7:00 am. We were now making our way to Maun which was 600 kms from Palapaye. We found the roads in good condition and saw that most of the little towns such as Palapaye, Mopipi, Serowe, Lethhakane and Orapa all had fuel stations. Day two, we finally reached Maun around 14:00. Our total driving distance from Johannesburg to Maun was 1180 kms. Our total travelling time was 11h45min with an average speed of 100 kms.
We filled up with Diesel in Maun with 155 litres which cost us 1141.30 Pula’s. (7.37 per litre). As we left Johannesburg on two full tanks (90X2), this means that with our fully loaded Trooper we did a total of 1180 kms on open road with 155 litres of diesel.
We stayed in Maun overnight with friends and the following morning we got some firewood and made our way towards Khwai which is about 120kms from Maun. From Maun there is about 30kms of tar road and the rest is gravel road. We went through one vet fence some 50 kms outside of Maun. The guards check if we had any fresh meat as this is not allowed due to foot & mouth. Just a little while after the vet stop the gravel road splits in two. There is however a sign board that indicates that Khwai is to the left, however we should be going to the Khwai Development Trust campsite. So off we go to the left without verifying our latest 4X4 tracks for Africa map and also ignoring our two GPS’s…. After about 40 min driving we reach the Moremi Gate which is not where we want to be!. We spoke with one of the rangers who advised us we should have gone to the right and taken the direction of Mababe which we would have noticed if we had looked at the map!. Mababe is about 130 kms from Maun.
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| If you are going to The Khwai Development Trust Campsite, don't go right! |
We finally reached our camp area in Khwai around 13:00. We drove around the camping area a bit and finally found a nice suitable spot to set up camp which we quickly did while an elephant watched us while lazily munching on his foliage. As soon as our camp was set up we opened our game room hatch, set up our camera gear, saved the camp location on the two GPS’s and off we went. As we are keen photographers, the purpose of this trip is to hopefully realise some good photos.
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| Game Roof Hatch opened - Taking Photographs in Khwai |
Our experience over the next five days in Khwai was just amazing. The wildlife is abundant and in good condition and there were so many Elephants. Also due to all the rains experienced in Africa which eventually comes down into the rivers of Botswana, there are many areas where one needs to make a U-Turn as the road is now a dam. Some are fine for crossing, some are daring and some are just a no-go. But for Elephants nothing bothers them and they will cross wherever they please, so one does not want to get the vehicle stuck in a water crossing amongst Elephants. In addition to the elephants, we saw lions, lionesses and cubs crossing a river, impalas, big buffalo heards where 2 lionesses unsuccessfully tried to put their paws on a baby buffalo, giraffe, kudus which were rather photo friendly for a change, zebra’s etc… We basically saw everything with the exception of Cheetah and Leopard. But we heard the cheetahs and leopard were around as other visitors saw them, but we unfortunately did not.
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| Flooded Road in Khwai |
Back on the subject of Elephants, one knows not to have any citrus fruits around as Elephants will do anything to get their trunks on them. On one particular evening we were having our customary sundowner drink by a river watching the hippos while the sun was setting. Further along the river the Elephants were crossing back onto our side. All the doors in our Trooper were opened and we were enjoying our sundowner looking out via the game hatch when suddenly in the distance we saw a big bull elephant turn around and align himself with our trooper. The Elephant started walking straight towards us and did not stop until he was right by our Trooper. At this stage we were in a “state of shock” with a look of “what next?’. We just looked at this huge elephant staring right back at us and after a few seconds, the Elephant decided to turn to this left and carry on walking. However we then both realised that the Elephant may have made his way directly for our vehicle because we had a lime which we used for sundowners which was in the back of the open vehicle and this is what the Elephant was coming for. Luckily he did not try to find it!.
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| Sundowner drinks in Khwai |
As for our sleeping accommodation, all was great. Our new tent was perfect and very spacious for the two of us and was really easy to put up. We had been to Botswana in winter on numerous occasions and the nights do get chilly, but we knew that we would be fine in our tent on our stretchers sleeping in our sleeping bags. However, as we found out after our first night, it was extremely cold. The temparatures were way below zero and we had to make a plan for the following night to make sure that we stayed warm. We tried various options over the next few nights but the best one that worked was to fill up a spring water 1 liter plastic bottle with hot water and placing it in the sleeping bag. Once done zip yourself in the sleeping bag and make sure all body parts are in sleeping bag else they will freeze! We have since bought some down sleeping bags that cater to -20 degrees, so we should be fine for the next winter trip!.
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| Closing up the Sahara Tentco |
It is our last day in Khwai are we are now packing up camp making our way back to Maun. We arrive back in Maun around 12:00 and re-stock on some items and also bought 3 heavy duty blankets!. Next on the list is hot water bottles, but unfortunately after visiting numerous shops in Maun, we had no luck – all shops are out of stock on hot water bottles!.
We filled up on Diesel. We put 84 litres in the sub tank. We had not used the main tank while in Khwai. From Maun to Khwai, in Kwai and back from Khwai to Maun, we did around 614 kms and used 84 litres to do such on 4X4 roads. As we were off to the Central Kalahari where they is nothing available we also filled up 2 jerrycans of extra diesel and 2 jerrycans of extra water. This means that we had a total of 220 litres of Diesel and 100 litres of water for the next 5 days.
The following day we head off to Deception Valley from Maun making our way towards Kuke’s corner via Makalamabedi which takes us in the direction of Matswere gate. Maun to Makalamabedi is 62 kms which is all tarred road. When we reached Makalamabedi, there was a vet fence where we were checked for fresh meat. We now leave the tarred road and make our way from Makalamabedi to Matswere Gate via Kuke’s corner. The dirt road from Makalamabedi is rather unpleasant and with a fully loaded Trooper it took us 2 hours to do 84 kms. We eventually reached Matswere Gate and once through Deception Valley was 40 kms away. We arrived at Deception Vallye at 14:50. Again, the campsites are well positioned and clean. Unlike the Khwai region, the campsites in the Central Kalahari (CK) are equipped with enclosed long drops and an enclosure where one can put up their shower. One needs to remember that there is no water or rivers in the Kalahari, so use your water sparingly. We put up our campsite and quickly went for an afternoon drive.
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| Road along Vet Fence on way to Matswere Gate |
The next five days in the CK were fantastic. We saw many Kalahari lions, lionesses, bateared foxes, honeybadgers, oryx, springboks etc… The dirt roads within the CK were good but I do somehow think that some roads may be a bit tricky during the rainy season. It was just as cold in the CK and the temperature gauge still indicated around -5 degree in the early morning, but this time we were better equipped. The landscape is so different in the CK compared to Khwai and because the CK is a desert region, one can see for kilometers ahead and it is just breathtaking. Despite the lack of water in the CK, the game is still abundant and watching the beautiful Oryx against the dark colours of a dried up pan is just breathtaking.
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| Breakfast time in Khwai |
Our trip is now over and we are now packing up the campsite to make our way back to Johannesburg. We pack and leave early that morning and from the Deception Valley campsite it is some 40 kms to the gate which took us about 50 minutes to do. From Matswere gate we make our way to Rakops which is 42 kms of dirt road, however this road is much better that the road travelled from Makalambedi to Matswere. We left Matswere gate at 8:50 and arrived at Rakops at 9:40. The scenery through Radkops and the surrounding region is beautiful due to the many pans. The only vet fence we went through on our way back was some 15 kms after Mopipi. We reached Martin’s drift border around 14:00 and as it took us a quick 20 min to get through the borders we decided to head on straight for Johannesburg as opposed to staying overnight somewhere. We arrived in Johannesburg around 20:30. Having left our campsite in Deception Valley at 7:30 and arrived in Johannesburg the same day at 20:30.
Some GPS facts:-
Total kilometres done on our trip:-
Johannesburg to Maun
Maun to Khwai
Driving around Khwai
Khwai to Maun
Maun to Deception Valley
Driving around Deception
Deception Valley to Johannesburg
We did a total of 3406.50 kms. Our moving average speed was 54.70 kms. Our max speed was 134.80 kms (I did that while trying to overtake a bus!!!)
Litres | Cost of Diesel in South Africa | Cost of Diesel in Botswana (Pula) | |
Left Johannesburg on full tank | 180.00 | 1,787.40 | |
Modern Service Station | 131.57 | 1,323.59 | |
Riley's Garage | 154.80 | 1,141.30 | |
Riley's Garage | 119.56 | 881.15 | |
Modern Service Station | 49.70 | 500.00 | |
TOTALS | 635.63 | 3,610.99 | 2,022.45 |
Pula to Rand @ rate of 1.03 | 2,083.12 | ||
TOTAL COST OF DIESEL FOR THE TRIP | 5,694.11 |
(when we reached home we still had about ½ tank of diesel left)
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| Sundowner Drinks on our last evening in Deception Valley - CK |
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| Rest time just outside Rakops on our way back to Johannesburg |
