Category Archives: Cape to the Carmine C

Vehicle and after-market fitment problems on our overland trip

During our recent seven month return trip from Cape Town to Ethiopia, the Toyota Hilux proved to be an absolute star. It did not break down once and did not miss a single beat over 33,231km.

We learned a lot and would like to pass on our experience to prospective overlanders. The one thing that we did not fit, which could have been useful (see the blog about the preparation of the vehicle) was a winch. We’d advise taking along at least a hand-operated winch for an extended trip into Africa. By Karin Theron Continue reading Vehicle and after-market fitment problems on our overland trip

Looking back on our trip

Our seven month return trip from Cape Town to Ethiopia has been truly amazing and we have fond memories that will last a lifetime! We have seen amazing sights, explored both the highest mountains and the fourth deepest depression on earth, traversed beautiful landscapes, discovered the underwater world of the Indian Ocean and stood at the brim of an active volcano.

We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the back routes and experiencing diverse cultures.  For me one of the most fascinating things was to see how cultures vary and how differently people living on different sides of a border dwell, speak and interacted with us. By Karin Theron Continue reading Looking back on our trip

Namibia and back home

We entered Namibia at Katima Mulilo and it was noticeable how many overland vehicles there were; far more than what we had seen in any other country. Indeed the further north we were, the fewer we saw; in Ethiopia not a single one!

We camped for three nights at Namwi Lodge on the bank of a side stream of the Zambezi River.  The 40 plus degrees Celsius was almost unbearable, but for the swimming pool and silver reflector awning that Pete rigged up. Thanks to that I managed to get some computer work done while he temporarily repaired a small leak in our long range fuel tank, also discovering that the rear right air suspension was irreparably smashed. By Karin Theron Continue reading Namibia and back home