Tracks4Africa Travellers are trusted mentors for overland and self-drive adventurers in Africa. Tracks4Africa Travellers have both extensive travel and life experience and they like to share it with people who also love and appreciate remote and unspoilt places and the spiritual refuge and escape that can still be found on this continent.
All Tracks4Africa Travellers truly love and respect Africa and its peoples and natural resources. For them, their mode of transport is a means to allow access to these places.
They are sophisticated, open-minded and down-to-earth adventurers who feel privileged to be part of the community of Africa nomads that voluntarily document and share their travel experiences to help map the continent.
There are more than 2 000 members of the Tracks4Africa Community who have contributed data, photos and information to the Tracks4Arica maps and data base.
We’d like to introduce you to some of these fellow travellers. This month we start off with Peter Levey, one of our most loyal contributors.
When was the first time that you contributed tracks to Tracks4Africa?
I started in 2001, long before the first T4A map became available.
Can you remember what trip it was?
It was a trip we did to the Kgalagadi National Park.
What is your favourite destination and why?
This is a difficult one as there are so many fantastic destinations we can get to and that I have seen in over 40 years of African travel. I love the wide open spaces of Namibia but my favourite camping place is Jakobsen’s Beach at Kigomaon Lake Tanganyika.
How often do you travel?
We try to do one long trip a year but I always fit in a lot of smaller trips when I can.
What would you say is the best experience that you have had on an overland trip?
The camaraderie that exists between small groups of travellers is always special. As far as trips go I think the trip I did up to Western Tanzania and Lake Tanganyika and Victoria as part of the MAPA (Mapping Africa’s Protected Areas) project was one of the highlights I’ve experienced.
What do you do in ‘real life’?
After about 40 years in telecommunications and IT I’m now retired and can do a bit of what I like, when I like. It is important to keep active and your mind challenged and I endeavour to do that.
Where do you live?
Pretoria
Peter Levey has contributed 539 Mb of breadcrumb or track log data to Tracks4Africa Maps.
Hello,
We are a family from Switzerland and we plan a self-drive roadtrip to Zimbabwe this summer (during 1 month). I would like to know if you know some 4×4 rental agency in Harare or in Lusaka (because we can also start from there) for a full equiped off-road vehicle with camping equipment ?
Thank you for answer !
Christine
Hi Christine,
Firstly, not sure if you have our Zimbabwe self-drive guide book – it contains all the important info you need to know, as well as how to go about with rental companies in Zimababwe etc. We recommend you join a forum to ask for other peoples recommendations: (strongly suggested)
4×4 Community Forum RSA
Tracks4AFrica Forum
You can just google a few options and then check their reviews too. There are many. Have a look at https://www.manapools.com/
Retailers of our products in Europe.
Thank you for your answer ! Yes, I have the Zimbabwe self-drive guide book and I will join a forum to get some informations about the rental companies.
Thank You !
Hi Christine
allthough I´m from Germany I´ll write to you in English so others can understand as well.
I hope you don´t start your Zimbabwe plannings just now and you have planned your trip and booked campsites already. We will start our Zim trip beginning of Sept this year and all bookings are done to ensure we can stay at the places we want. Regarding the vehicle and maybe some other points you can contact me via https://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/ (Joerg-P).
See you
Joerg
Hello Joerg,
I have seen your trip, great ! What can you tell me about the car ? Is it better to rent it in South Africa or Zimbabwe or Zambia ? Do you think it’s too late to plan our trip ? I just start now …
Best regards Christine
Please make contact with Jörg via the forum as he suggested. The Tracks4Africa forum is also a valuable source of guidance: https://tracks4africa.co.za/social/#forum
When travelling from Palmwag to Brandberg White Lady Lodge a few weeks ago I decided to follow the 4×4 route. After a about 12 km the GPS route not longer responded to the tracks and left me with two choices. Either return or follow an escape route. I followed and escape route back to the “main ” road. Very disappointed that I could not follow the 4×4 route all the way as planned.
Hi,
This is Gel, an outreach assistant. I wanted to find out who the best person is to speak with to contribute an article on your website?
I am looking to write an article that you can post on your blog. The article will be well-researched based on the large pool travel experts that our company has access to. In exchange, I was hoping that you could credit our online travel media site for providing the article to you. Please let me know if you would be interested?
Thank you,
Gel
Hi Gel,
You can send us an email at nell@tipafrica.co.za with your blog idea and we will get back to you.
Regards
We have twice traveled from South Luangwa in Zambia via Luambe NP to North Luangwa and without T4A on our GPS there is no way that we would have found the route. At times we were instructed to take either a right or left turn where there appeared to be no track at all but, in faith, we took the turn only to discover a reasonably well defined track beyond the gap in the bush that we had taken. Well done to those who submitted the info to T4A. Crossing the Luangwa River on the pontoon after spending a night at the Chifunda Community Campsite was quite an experience, especially the first time. Second time round was just as exciting but, knowing the ropes, made it easier. Amazing to watch how the guys move the pontoon with a great big ‘knobkerrie’ with a slot in it that grabs the cable. If anyone is in for a bit of adventure, try this one. We are a couple aged 72 ad 70 when we last did this route and if we can do it then others shouldn’t have a problem. Only negative is North Luangwa – bad roads and not much game but easy drive to Kapiysha Hot Springs where you can spend a few glorious days
Hi Gordon, thank you for your kind words. But you are quite correct that the Tracks4Africa maps can only remain updated with the help of real travellers such as yourselves. We encourage each and every person to submit their experience to us. We appreciate GPS tracks and points but also photos or simply a comment on our website or to our mapping team. Thank you very much and enjoy your travels.