Lurking under the crust... experiences on the Makgadikgadi pans

The track to Kubu Island

A recent blog post by Laws & Hookey, the team from "Where the fook is (laws &) hooke" prompted my memories and experiences on the Makgadikgadi pan and Nxai pans in Botswana.

The Makgadikgadi Pans are situated roughly halfway between Maun and Nata and is a tempting diversion between the two towns...

Makgadikgadi Pans 2005

My first experience of the pans were in 1993 but the real story started in 1994 when I attempted to hitchhike from Pretoria to Maun in Botswana. My experience of hitchhiking was limited to cities and not cross border trips! My backpack was filled with unnecessary equipment and even included a BBQ grid! My travel partner and I were not compatible and hardly a word was spoken between the two of us but the security of a traveling partner outweighed the disadvantage of compatibility!

Notorious Roads: Marsabit to Moyale

East Africa: There is one road that is as notorious as the Nigeria to Cameroon route.

Photo: Mikes Global Adventure - Marsabit to Moyale 

Certainly this road strikes more fear and uncertainty due to the infrequent threat of bandits, the wet season and the dusty dry season. Plus, if heading North, the anxious feeling of another border crossing.

Welcome to the Marsabit to Moyale road in Northern Kenya.

An overlander’s rite of passage: Marsabit to Moyale - Morgan Safari (Nov 2013)

We had heard the horror stories, we had seen photos, but nothing could have prepared us for the treacherous journey into Kenya along one of the most famous roads in Africa - Bristol to Cape Town 

 The ride was very challenging and interesting as it took us through a series of ups and downs, frustrations and amazements. This stretch of 260 km gravel presented to us – rocks (many!), sandy patches, desolate desert scenes, even green valleys with trees, camels, donkeys, a jackal, bushbaby, mud and even some rain -  Crossing Africa 

Marsabit to Moyale was one of the most beautiful drives we have ever experienced. The road? Not as bad as we thought.
— Aussie Overlanders (@AussieOverland) July 24, 2014

Africa Overland with a Jeep Wrangler (Lost in HDR)

The website of Kristina & Nerijus (Lost in HDR) might be the first Africa overland trip to use a Jeep Wrangler! Land Rover, Toyota, Quad bikes and even Rolls Royce have completed trans-Africa overland trips but todate, no one has used a Jeep Wrangler and blogged about the experience!

'Lost in HDR' Website

'Lost in HDR' is a vivid visual experience which stimulates, pulls you in and leaves you wanting more!

Photo: Lost in HDR - Morning in Cameroon

Puff, the Magical Land Rover Series IIA

How many trans-continental overland journeys can one vehicle do in a life time?

Photo by African Snail

Here is a 1971 Land Rover Series IIA which might have completed five or six Africa overland trips...

The 1st trip:1999 - African Edventure by Dennis & Aaron
The 2nd trip: 2004 - African Snail by Murray & Moira
The 3rd trip: 2005 - Gary & Courtney
The 4th trip: 2006 - Rob, Xander & Charlie
The 5th trip: 2007 to 2014. Seven years of unknown travels!
The 6th Trip?  Potentially the current owners Jono & Joss Watkins

On June 2nd 2014, Teresa (Safari Jema) posted a photo on Facebook with another Land Rover and it immediately got my attention.  I knew the vehicle and the previous owners but had thought it had been destined for spare parts rather than more overland adventures!

Photo: Safari Jema (with the white Series III)

The brief overland history of this petrol 1971 Land Rover Series IIA 109"...

1966 - Karachi to London by Kombi

Frank Arnold & Noel Cantrill

Overland travel in 1966 was very different to current 2014 journeys yet the essence of overland travel remains the same... to explore new countries.
Historical overland journeys often fade into the memories of the travelers and rarely get published.

One trip that has recently reappeared is the 1966 overland travels of Frank Arnold and Noel Cantrill.  The two overlanders traveled from Karachi to London and have recently published an eBook which is currently available via Apple iTunes (as an iBook).

I spotted the article in our local Australian newspaper and was intrigued by the write up and stories of the authors, Frank Arnold and Noel Cantrill.  The iBook highlights the overland journey from Karachi to London in a VW Kombi.  The iBook features photos and a selection of video clips.

Apple iBook: Highly Inflamably

Highly Inflamably

Spotted: Land Rover Series III Ambulance

Ready for your next overland vehicle?  How about something totally different from the usual modern 4x4?

Spotted on eBay UK:  a neatly converted Land Rover Series III Ambulance fully kitted for overland travel.

Shoutout: Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings

Looking for some overland inspiration?  Be sure to check out the many events that Horizons Unlimited (@horizonsUnlimit) will be hosting throughout the year, including a four new events for 2014.

Google Image Search: Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meeting

Link to the website: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/events

HU Events

I was hoping to be able to attend the inaugural Australian NSW event taking place in November but unfortunately I will be exploring Fraser Island for the first time.  Perhaps next year!

The Commercial GPS turns 25 years old!

Twenty-five years ago, the first Magellan GPS unit were shipped to retailers for the average consumer to purchase.  The release of this military grade equipment quickly gained adoption as navigation devices in light aircraft, vehicles and adventure travel.  This single technology, coupled with mobile technology, has impacted overland travel more than any other device.

Mashable highlights a few memorable moments throughout Commercial GPS history:

While GPS proved invaluable to the coalition forces, it could prove equally valuable for the enemy. So the government introduced "selective availability" (SA) — errors added to reduce accuracy in civilian GPS receivers.

President Clinton turned off SA on May 1, 2000, which improved consumer device accuracy to 15 meters, coincidentally around the same time the first handheld units with included city street maps became available, such as the first full-color GPS handheld, the Magellan Meridian Color Handheld GPS Navigator, in 2002.

After the success of the [Magellan] NAV 1000 and the publicity generated by the Gulf War, the GPS floodgates opened. A variety of GPS devices from other companies such as Garmin (1989), TomTom (1991) and Mio (2002), hit the market using maps and navigation software from a variety of suppliers such as Navteq (1987), Navigon (1991), SiRF (1995) and TeleNav (1999).

Africa Overland: The Solo Scooterist (Michael Strauss)

Why take a heavy overland prepped motorcycle when you can complete a Trans-Africa overland adventure on a Vespa!  Introducing Michael Strauss and his Vespa named Victoria.

Michael Strauss - Solo Scooterist

Michael departed Johannesburg on the 1st May 2014 and is heading North.  His website is active with a good mix of content and photos.

Box It: a recommendation for Wolf Boxes

Box it, pack it, store it - how do you pack your overland prepared vehicle to ensure the items are accessible, secure and dust/water proof.   Recently FunRover uploaded a video comparing the Wolf Box vs the Really Useful Box.  The video takes a light-hearted approach to the topic of expedition boxes, durability and capacity but gets the point across on purchasing the right storage solution for overland travel.

I have used Wolf Boxes for over a decade of independent travel, in various types of overland prepped vehicles, and find them very practical, with the right balance of internal storage capacity vs physical dimensions.  The option to use a high-lid or standard-lid enable right-sizing of the packing solution.  They do have limitations, as the FunRover video highlighted: dust and water ingress plus the lid retaining clips have a very bad habit of snapping!

Google Image Sarch: Wolf Box