What happens when two South African students decide to spend their summer holidays overlanding Southern Africa? Armed with little experience, but loads of enthusiasm, friends Jono Segar and Harry Moller embarked on a trip to remember. They did have a secret weapon, though – Tracks4Africa maps.

Throughout their lives, Jono and Harry have listened to the stories of family and friends who had travelled the African continent in their youth. What’s more, these early adventurers had done so in properly ropey vehicles. So when faced with the long summer break between second and third year university, Jono and Harry decided to follow suit. It would be a 23-day trip from the Natal Midlands to some of Africa’s top overlanding destinations.

“I had spoken to a few of our experienced family friends who recommended areas we should visit. Before we set off, we plotted a full route using the Tracks4Africa Online Trip Planner,” says Jono. “On 3 January , we made our way to Botswana with a full tank of diesel, a Garmin Tread Overlander GPS loaded with Tracks4Africa GPS maps and our Tracks4Africa Guide App.” 

Their destination? Makgadikgadi Adventure Camp, although the manager wasn’t hopeful of them making it there. They soon realised why. The gravel roads were in a state and due to the summer rains, some resembled rivers in places. With the sun already starting to set and 40km to go, the friends had to look for alternatives. What seemed like a settlement 11km away on the Garmin turned out to be a replica village for tourists, with nowhere to stay. But 1km further on lay Sua Pan and it became the first overnight stop of their overlanding adventure. 

Also read: Kukonje Island, Sua Pan’s best-kept secret 

Botswana’s rough roads and soft landings 

“After that first night, we had to rethink our approach and alter our route,” says Jono. Previously, he hadn’t thought to phone ahead to book campsites and get information on road conditions. Now their experience led them to plan the trip day by day. “We still followed the general direction of the previous plan. We had a list of all the places we wanted to visit but didn’t have a particular order in which we wanted to do them.” 

On their wish list: Botswana’s pans, Chobe, a ranch in Zambia, Kafue National Park and Victoria Falls. Before they could get very far, there came an ominous sound from the roof, which not even their loud music could cancel out. The result: a detour to Maun to visit Transworld Motors and have the roof rack reaffixed – it had started to come loose due to the bumpy roads.

Having to deal with mechanical issues is part and parcel of an authentic overlanding experience. So is the kindness of strangers. The owner of the workshop arranged for Jono and Harry to stay at a friend’s lodge, Mogogelo Camp, which borders Moremi. “Going on a mokoro ride, seeing a pride of 14 lions and watching a leopard with her two cubs were highlights,” says Jono. 

Wild and wonderful Zambia

From Botswana they headed to Zambia to stay with friends on a ranch north of Lusaka. For five days they explored the farm and one night they spent in a rustic cabin high above the forest. “No water or electricity, but incredible views!” Next up was McBride’s Camp in Kafue National Park for more game viewing, fishing competitions from the barge and beers on the top deck. “The drive there was challenging but incredible – and more than worth it for the unique experience of staying in reed huts.”

Being adventurous types, Jono and Harry wanted to get down to Victoria Falls for a swim in Devil’s Pool and white water rafting. But which route to follow to Livingstone? They pored over the Tracks4Africa Atlas, consulted the Tracks4Africa Zambia Guide and eventually decided to drive towards Liuwa Plain and on to Sioma. “Thanks to Garmin lending us their Tread Overlander GPS, we could use it in conjunction with the Tracks4Africa GPS maps. Throughout the trip, I was very impressed with the accuracy of information on specific roads. Such as a gravel road having particularly sharp stones, a sand track requiring 4WD and high clearance, or a tar road with an insane amount of potholes.” 

Maxing out on adventure

At Country Lodge Sioma, the friends discovered that the lodge did not accept card payments. All the money they’d drawn earlier had been spent on refuelling in Mongu, where the garage’s card machines hadn’t worked. Lesson learned: always have cash to hand. In Livingstone they camped at JollyBoys Backpackers and spent their days chasing thrills. They relished white water rafting on the Zambezi, although they did wind up in the water. “And with the water levels rising, we were the last people allowed into Devil’s Pool!” They also crossed the bridge into Zimbabwe, adding a fourth country to the trip list. And, as if their earlier adrenaline-seeking activities weren’t enough, in Victoria Falls town, Jono and Harry ate mopani worms. 

But even students don’t have endless holidays and it was time to head for home. By now the roads in Botswana seemed comparatively easy and they reached Martin’s Drift before closing time. Unfortunately, they didn’t realise the Limpopo River had come down and the border wasn’t open. The only option was to camp outside the closed gate and do a 100km detour to Stockpoort the next day. 

Ending on a high

Despite the roundabout route, they made it to Kamberg before sunset. The following day was a friend’s 21st birthday and they needed to get to the party by 15:00. That left plenty of time for a last-minute excursion up Sani Pass – the chance to visit the fifth country of their trip. “Driving up the pass and having a beer at the highest pub in Africa was a Grand Tour-style ending to our trip,” says Jono. 

“It was an incredible learning curve to go on an overlanding adventure for three weeks. We learned more about the way of life in other African countries and ourselves, even testing our own survival instincts at times. We enjoyed plotting our own route using the Tracks4Africa Trip Planner – it made the trip far more exciting and adventurous. The Trip Planner and Guide App were extremely helpful when it came to looking for accommodation, fuel stations, grocery stores and borders. Getting outdoors and challenging ourselves to get out of our comfort zone has shaped who we are today.” Jono says they are already planning the next trip. 

The Tracks4Africa Online Trip Planner empowers you to plan an overlanding trip to Africa’s remote corners. It utilises the data of Tracks4Africa GPS maps so plots routes using the full road network: tar, gravel and sand. Register to map and save routes, then sync your routes to the Tracks4Africa Guide App to take into the field.