Driving a Tacoma around the world

I do a fair bit of rafting out here in CO/Utah, lots of overnighters and quite a few multi day trips over the years but I have never been dropped at a put in from a plane! That looked pretty amazing! I'll have to keep that in mind should I ever make it to AK.

 

Well look who popped up on Expedition Portal!

https://expeditionportal.com/two-rogue-wanderers-and-a-dream-worth-living-for-an-interview/

 

Ha! Thanks for pointing it out, we were wondering when the article was going to come out.

 

Great stuff again!

I got quite a kick out of the young fellow wearing the “hockey mom” toque.

Safe travels!

 

Zimbabwe


Driving into a wild camping spot in the Eastern Highlands

We entered Zimbabwe with some trepidation. We expected extreme poverty, lack of infrastructure and crowds of people competing for tourism dollars wherever we went. These fears were exacerbated by memories from a trip to Victoria Falls years ago when we remembered being harangued by very persistent vendors and the fact that many of the people we spoke with in South Africa (Uber drivers, guides, waiters, hair stylist etc.) were from Zimbabwe, seeking better economic opportunities away from home but missing their country. Hyperinflation caused by the previous government over printing money meant the local Zimbabwean currency was hugely devalued and now is rarely in use. US dollars have become the most commonly used legal tender. We came prepared with enough USD to cover our expenses (mostly gas and national parks ) including a lot of smaller bills as we had heard it was difficult to get change.

Contrary to our low expectations, in Zimbabwe we found dramatic landscapes, extraordinary access to wildlife, some of the most stunning national park camping we have experienced and warm hospitable people with a proud heritage. Three places quickly became African highlights for us: Gonarezhou National Park, Great Zimbabwe, and Mana Pools National Park. USD were definitely the currency of choice and accepted everywhere from gas stations to road side vendors selling avocados. We even found that people generally had change - although in some of the oldest and most worn out US dollar bills we have ever seen in circulation.


Rock formations in the Eastern Highlands

We entered the border at Mutare and were astounded by the 5 km line of container trucks as we approached the border. In true Zimbabwean kindness, as we were soon to learn, drivers and helpers moved aside and pointed us around them so that we could avoid the commercial line. The border was simple but slow and we managed to avoid having a fixer attach themselves to us. We have gotten better at this, learning that if we smile, say firmly that this is our 25th (and growing) African border crossing and we don’t need help, we get a smile in return and no more attention. Visas on arrival were simple and we had filled out the Temporary Import Permit form for our truck online beforehand so that was simple to obtain. (We have still successfully traveled all of Africa without a Carnet de Passage for the truck but know they will change when we hit Kenya.)


Evening walk in the Eastern Highlands





Drive into one of our favorite all time wild camping spots


Top of a granite not with a valley view for miles

But at first not all was rosy in Zimbabwe. We quickly realized we were encountering, for the first time, exorbitant East African tourism fees. Even for the most basic national park, rates for foreigners were $30 per person plus a vehicle fee, usually $15. This meant to explore a park with very limited attractions and amenities we were charged $75 for a day. Camping in parks ranged from $30 per person up to $130 per person, on top of park fees. This added up quickly and made us grumpy at the beginning. As a comparison, Kruger National Park, a world renowned wildlife destination, charges $27 per person for foreigners, no vehicle fee and camping averaged $25 for a site.

We headed for Nyanga Nationa Park as a first stop, but when after bumping our way along an atrocious road for an hour we were told it was $75 for the two of us to visit the waterfall, we decided to skip it. It would have been different if we were on a two week Zimbabwe holiday as many visitors probably are, but traveling is our life and spending $75 on one day’s adventure is a huge commitment that we do not take lightly. But on the upside, we found glorious scenery and wild camping outside the park in the nearby hillls.


Our two week route through Zimbabwe

We understand that the country desperately needs foreign dollars and park fees are one way to get them. But we also fear that people with limited time and money to spend on vacations in Africa will end up skipping Zimbabwe as the prices are higher for less value than surrounding countries.

So, not having actually entered Nyanga National Park, we made our way to see the Chimanimani Mountains.


Lovely farm camping at the base of Chimanimani Mountains

Researching the cost of more of the national parks, we decided to skip some of them and focus on staying in what we thought were probably the two best, Gonarezhou and Mana Pools. For Gonarezhou National Park, we committed to the investment and booked in advance through ZimParks. We paid $360 total for two nights, inclusive of all park, vehicle, conservancy, VAT and camping fees. We opted for an “exclusive” campsite at Chilojo Cliffs for one night and a “developed” campsite at Chinguli for one night. You pay more to book in advance and choose sites. There is a more budget friendly option to show up and take what is left for a campsite fee of $60 for two people plus all the standard people and vehicle fees. It ends up being about half price. But we knew where we wanted to camp and had not stayed in a hotel in months so decided to splurge. We absolutely loved it but felt the irony that we were spending more on a campsite with a pit toilet than we would ever spend on a hotel.


Typical wet river crossing in Gonarezhou National Park


Lookout over the rapids, Gonarezhou National Park


Chilojo Cliffs towering above the Runde River

We could not capture the beauty of the Chilojo Cliffs campsites with photos, but they were truly extraordinary. The “exclusive” site meant you had your own private spot on the river with a pit toilet and no barriers to the wildlife wandering through.





Elephant in camp!


And the sun goes down . . . lullaby of the hippos grunting all night


Still in love with the Baobab, each one so unique and magnificent. The scarring on the lower trunk is from eons of elephants eating the inner bark for food and water.

Our second night in Gonarezhou we opted for the slightly less expensive developed site at Chinguli - meaning still no barriers to wildlife but a shared campground with flush toilets, showers and a host.


Runde River at Chinguli Campground


More elephants in camp!


Chinguli Camp - another beautiful site


Complete with a private gazebo overlooking the hippo pools


Andy channeling his inner Bear Grills (every time we see elephant poo we think of the survival episode on his show when Bear Grills told everyone if you are thirsty in the African bush just squeeze the liquid out of fresh elephant poo)





Beautiful “tusker” (self explanatory South African term) along the road

We did a loop drive in the park but overall felt the highlight of being in Gonarezhou was simply setting up camp in extraordinarily beautiful locations and see what wildlife came to you. Despite the sticker shock, we were glad to have spend the time there.

Our next stop was completely different - our first true ancient African ruins. Described as the “heart of Zimbabwe,” Great Zimbabwe is the country’s namesake. We happily paid the $15 each for the monument (great value) and the $6 for a guided tour (worth many times that).

Home to many kings over the centuries, building at Great Zimbabwe began in the 11th century by ancestors of the Shona people, still the predominant tribe in Zimbabwe today. We spent three hours with our guide, Steven and deeply appreciated his knowledge and teachings about the site and the history of the country.

The area now known as Zimbabwe was colonized by British mining magnate Cecil Rhodes in the 1890’s. In 1965, the white minority government declared independence from the United Kingdom as Southern Rhodesia. After a 15-year war with black nationalist forces, a peace agreement was reached that established Zimbabwe in 1980 under the leadership of Robert Mugabe. Prime Minister and then President Mugabe led the new country for almost 40 years. Under his regime, the state security apparatus dominated the country and was responsible for widespread human rights violations. He was also responsible for the hyperinflation the country is still recovering from. Since 2017,Emmerson Mnangagwa, the leader of the coup against Mugabe, has served as Zimbabwe's president..

Zimbabwe has great economic potential with mineral and natural resources and poverty is on the decline. Recent elections did not bring a leadership change and the results are internationally held suspect. But the poeple we spoke to said they are focused on jobs and supporting their families and not too concerned about who is in power - there is a general sense that it is up to the people in general to make a difference through hard work and ambition. The sense of desperation we had first experienced as tourists in Victoria Falls eight years ago is not widespread throughout the country. Although food is expensive for everyone, subsistence agriculture is common.

Great Zimbabwe both intrigued and amazed us - a testament to the ingenuity, talent and aesthetics of the early Shona people.


Origin of the name Zimbabwe, Zi=Big, Mba=house, Bwe=stone. Big house of stone.


Walking in the steps of kings up the hill to the king’s palace built into and around the rocks high atop a hill - an engineering feat over 1,000 years old.


Our guide Steven leading the way up “blood passage,” th only way into the fortress, a narrow walkway in the rocks designed to keep enemies out


Exterior walls of the king’s palace on the hill


Looking down on the “Great Enclosure” below


Approaching the Great Enclosure - home to the kings’ wives and children. The kingdom was thought to have flourished from 1200-1500 AD.





Incredible spiral walkway between dry stone walls - more impressive engineering


Entering the Great Enclosure


The classic Great Enclosure shot - including the decorative grain tower



It was an incredible site and visit. Sadly, we were the only ones there that day. Very different than exploring a European castle and fighting the crowds. We promised Steven that we would sing the praises of the monument so that hopefully more people will come.

Next stop, Matobo National Park, known for San rock paintings and intriguing rock formations. Also the gravesite of Cecil Rhodes (but we were not really interested in that). Unfortunately, once again we felt overcharged for minimal value. It does not escape us that we are foreign tourists with a lot more financial resources than most people in the country which is experiencing economic hardship and yet we were somehow focused on what we were spending more than usual. We know it sounds whiny. We track our expenses closely, both to budget and to plan. Zimbabwe cost us about 15% more than any other country to date - with the exceptions of Iceland and Norway. Gas, camping, national parks and food were all expensive for us. Mostly, it just took us for surprise and made us think carefully about what we spent money on. Usually we like to support smaller businesses and entrepreneurs over large government run national parks.

Our primary complaint about Matobo was that after sucking it up and paying our $50 in entrance fees ($20 each plus vehicle) when we showed up at the cave with the most rock paintings which we were looking forward to seeing, we were told it was another $20. Once again this was after bumping our way along a slow frustrating road. Oh well. We did see some paintings in another cave and called it a day.


White Rhino cave at Matobo NP, beautiful painting with hunters and rhino


Camped at a beautiful place outside the park '“The Farmhouse”


Visiting ancient grain storage bins and kiln in a cave at The Farmhouse


Another beautiful painting, this one in another cave at The Farmhouse


Rock formations typical of the area around Matobo

In retrospect, we felt we saw more at The Farmhouse than in the nearby national park. To be fair we did not visit the game park section with all the rhinos as we had seen them recently in Eswatini.

So we set off for our final destination in Zimbabwe, Mana Pools National Park. It was an extraordinary experience. This time we went with the last minute rate - $30 per person for camping at Nyamepi Camp plus all the associated fees which worked out to $100 a night for the two of us. We did not stay at Chitake Springs, the most famous area as it is locked in at about $300 a night for two people with no same day rate.

Nyamepi Camp sits right on the Zambezi river. Sites are pleasantly spread out and wildlife wanders through at will. We will never get tired of camping with elephants wandering through camp and the back of the mind thrill of knowing that any animal can turn up at any time.


Nyamepi Camp, Mana Pools National Park


Gazing at the Zambezi, hippos swimming by at your feet (there is a bit of a drop off so it would hopefully be too much work for them to come up right at the campsites)


But they are only a five minute walk down the river


You never know what you will see walking around camp





Elephants everywhere


Breakfast with a view of the Zambezi river - does it get any better?


A minor setback, Andy’s camp shoes disappeared overnight. He found this one, the other one vanished presumed consumed by a hyena. (This will come up later.)



As our final splurge in Mana Pools, we signed up for a guided walking safari. Reputed to be the only place in Africa where visitors are allowed to go on guided walking safaris where lions roam free, we decided to have an adventure with a paid expert.

Our guide, Talent, was super. Knowledgeable about wildlife, he took us on a four hour walk to explain the flora and fauna of the park. He was armed, but assured us he had never had to shoot his rifle at an animal on a walking safari.


Cape Buffalo checking us out - Talent did not have us get too close

And then - extraordinary, Talent heard excited hyenas and led us to a clearing where two male lions were taking down a buffalo. We have seen similar sites from our vehicle, but it is different on foot! We hunkered down to watch the circle of life.








At one point Dawn looked off to the side and saw a hippo trotting by


Andy and our guide, Talent. Hyena in the foreground, lions behind.


The moment when one of the lions decided he was not happy with us being so close. We all felt the roar in our chests. Talent calmly called out to him and we backed up.


Then in one of the most hilarious coincidences, examining some hyena scat, Andy and Talent found parts of Andy’s shoe. They really will eat anything.


The culprit


Our fearless leader








Boswell, the famous bull elephant of Mana Pools, known for his tusks and for going up on his rear legs to access the best fruit.

It was one of the best mornings we have had in Africa - huge thanks to Talent and his energy and skill in wildlife spotting.

So then we were on our way, north to Zambia.


Beautiful traditional villages along the way








Andy rescued a chameleon from the middle of the road


Kids waving as we drive by


Our final stop, campground outside Hwange. NP ( we did not enter the park as we had spent all our money on Mana Pools). We are noticing a problem with the truck that will need to be dealt with - another weight related issue. More on this soon!

Thank you for reading! Zimbabwe captured our hearts in the end. Maybe we will return someday . . .

 

Wow, Zimbabwe looks amazing. Incredible wildlife adventures, and what a bonus seeing the lions on their kill.

Stay safe!

 

incredible as always thanks so much for sharing! Loved the walking tour what a thrill!! Andy sure isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty

 

Solitary male or part of the herd? If solitary, may have been a cool example of a "Dagga Boy". Basically an older male forced out of the herd by the younger males. Lack of herd security forces their "default setting" to "attack" so makes them much more dangerous than the herded males. A cool fact I learned from a guide in South Africa.

 

You nailed it! It was indeed a bachelor herd. We stayed at least 200' away

 

Enjoyable and amazing- I am also touched by the personal connections you are making with everyone you are meeting along the way ,what a wonderful experience!

 

The people of Africa are so incredibly friendly!

 

Zambia


Victoria Falls from the Zambian side - a much more intimate view than that from the Zimbabwe side.

In between Zimbabwe and Zambia, we dipped our toe into Botswana, re-living a visit 8 years previously when we had done a fantastic safari on the Chobe River. Botswana was our first experience driving around Africa and will always hold a special place in our hearts. Our experience back then in a truck with a roof top tent was a big inspiration for what we are doing now. But since we had already spent three weeks driving the best national parks there, we just visited Kasane for a couple of days and then went on our way.

Luckily, the fix for the tilted camper we referenced in our last blog was easily fixed in a day at a Kasane, Botswana auto shop. One of the three passenger side brackets attaching the truck frame to the flatbed had broken apart because the top bolt had come loose allowing it to act as a hammer. Now we know that it is a weak point, Andy stays on top of checking it periodically. The two front brackets are only accessable after removing one of the boxes under the flatbed. However Andy has found a workaround by squeezing his hand in and taking photos with his phone of these attachment points on both sides of the camper to make sure nothing has moved.


Here’s the broken bracket. This bracket had also broken its welds onto the frame six months earlier in Gabon.


Andy, always huge relief when we make it into a shop where there is the equipment and expertise to fix what could have been a more serious problem


Welder at Mario’s Auto Shop in Kasane, making it all better

Once we took care of business in Botswana and squeezed in a Chobe River sunset cruise, we crossed the border into Zambia. Another slow border, but all went well.

Zambia was not a country that grabbed our hearts or minds. As we have said before, we never know if we are left feeling uninspired by our experiences in a country because of our own energy levels, a lack of taking the time for engagement, or other random factors. We were still feeling the pinch that started in Zimbabwe of high fees for tourists, so started off feeling a little grumpy. Plus we had just come off of another fix on the truck due to it’s weight and driving bad roads and we were still seeing consequences from inept work done by the Cape Town 4x4 shop. This meant that we were slightly nervous and jumping at every strange noise we heard driving rough roads.

We struggled a little to find those “wow” moments in Zambia. For us, those moments of excitement and connection usually come with pulling out our phones and wanting to take a lot of pictures. Unfortunately, our Zambia photo album is slim. Similarly to Cameroun on the west side of Africa, we are completely willing to admit that our lackluster experience was totally on us, and that there is a lot that we could have missed or left unexplored that would have turned things around.


Happy and relieved that the truck is solid again


Our two week route through Zambia - close to 1500 km

Our first stop in Zambia was Livingstone. Previously British controlled Northern Rhodesia, Zambia obtained independence in 1964. Much of Livingstone felt like crumbling remnants of a it’s namesake and a colonial past. But it still had classic African charm in the newer design elements and, of course, in the people.


Stocking up on vegetables from the sidewalk market


Modern coffee shop where Dawn happily sipped a latte while Andy went off searching for auto maintenance supplies.

We had visited Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side when we came to Botswana 8 years ago, but decided we had to visit it from the Zambian side too.


Looking down on the great Zambezi River - Zambia’s namesake


Andy doing a ZimZam - one foot in Zimbabwe, one foot in Zambia on the bridge over the river


Baboons in the park were the most habituated to people that we had ever seen. A solo woman making her way down the trail to the Boiling Pots asked to walk with us to ward off any aggression.


Victoria Falls - just gorgeous


Andy wanted to capture Dawn with the halo of light


Victoria Falls National Park

We visited at the end of the day and the park was serene and beautiful. Very different from the chaos typical of the Zimbabwe side.

When we were in Livingstone we were approached by Joe, the manager of a Christian mission organization with a facility at rapid 14. He invited us out to camp at their campground and we gladly accepted. It was a beautiful site and a lovely evening. Joe invited us to eat dinner with the students (tacos!!) and we enjoyed hearing all their stories. As a bonus Andy was even able to use the facility’s auto shop to change the oil.


Camping at Rapid 14

A Side Note on Truck Stickers

We have been gradually accumulating stickers and reflective tape along the way, trying to keep ahead of different country’s regulations. At all costs we want to avoid giving the police an excuse to fine us. Below is a pictoral representation of everything we have to date.


Country of origin sticker - required for some parts of Europe and Africa


Left Hand Drive sticker - required on the east side of Africa, where everyone drives on the left side but have Right Hand Drive vehicles


Yellow reflective tape on sides and back required for “trucks and vans” in Mozambique. We are still not sure if we had to, but the auto shop in Eswatini that sold us the tape thought we would be smart to tape up.


Red reflective tape required in the back for Zambia


The whole rear side, stickered up, no tickets for us!


And then, finally, the white reflective tape required on the front bumper for Zambia.


Road to Kafue National Park

We left Livingstone for a relaxing drive to Kafue National Park, stopping to camp at Itezhi tezhi lake along the way.


Late afternoon walk at Roy’s Camp

Since we had splurged in Zimbabwe with some expensive national park and wildlife sites, we decided to take it easy in Zambia and sleep on the edges, saving ourselves $55 a day. Having had several wildlife rich weeks, we were not anxious to commit to early morning game drives. Roy’s Camp was a beautiful, relaxing site on the Kafue River, complete with hippos grunting all night long.


Roy’s Camp - a spot on the river all to ourselves with kind hosts


The classic African “donkey burner” a steel drum in which you light a fire to provide hot water


Classic African shower - the donkey burner brings lots of hot water - usually so piping hot you have to mix a lot of cold in


Toilet with a view of the river (there is a hippo out there that was eyeing Dawn)


The sun goes down on Roy’s Camp

Our next stop was the capital of Lusaka. On our way in, we camped at Eureka Camping Park. We went for our normal late afternoon walk and discovered the camp was also home to zebras and giraffes.


How can you not love zebras on your afternoon walk?

Needing to re-supply and spend some time on wifi, we spent a couple of nights at a hotel in Lusaka (our first hotel in two months). We spent an informative few hours on a walking tour with Darius who shared his favorite spots and stories fo the city. We learned more about the difficulties with the economy, easy to get an eduation, hard to then find a job. The cost of maize, the staple food, had recently quadrupled as the currency was devaluing. Everyone was feeling the pinch. It is also one of the youngest countrys in the world based on median age which puts even more pressure on creating jobs. Lusaka feels busy and thriving but poverty in rural areas persists with over 60% of rural residents living below the poverty line.


Freedom statue in Lusaka - depicting breaking free of the chains of colonialism

Our final major stop in Zambia was South Luangwe National Park. We did drive into the park one day, but mostly we chose to spend four days at Wildlife Camp, a beautiful camp on the Luangwe River. Just outside the park, the wildlife were still present but we did not have to pay the park fees.


Visiting artisans on the way into the park painting textiles.


The gorgeous end result


Rhoda at the women’s art collective in Mfuwe. They received a micro loan to get started, now are able to send their children to good schools with the proceeds earned.


Elephant in the campground water hole at Wildlife Camp


This mom with her baby felt just fine wandering by our campsite


View out on the river from camp


Making use of our own shady palapa. After two years of not using it, remembered we had a table cloth for our outside table!


Local paddling by unconcerned by hippos in the river. We were concerned for him.





The first monkeys and baboons in camp six months ago were cute. Now Andy makes it his personal mission to chase them away. They are quick as lightening and will steal food right out from under your nose. Some of them can also open our camper door . . .


Giraffe awkwardly drinking at the camp waterhole


Taking time to enjoy the sunset


Stopping off at Mulberry Mongoose in Mfuwe - artists making jewelry out of recovered poaching snares. Proceeds to to wildlife conservation.


The Mulberry Mongoose motto

Well, if you made it this far, thank you for reading. We apologize for a very lackluster blog this time. Zambia was an easy place to travel, but did not stand out from other surrounding countrys for us. We are undaunted and moving on, who knows what the next few weeks will bring

 

Don't apologize, I got Victoria Falls, monkeys, zebras, giraffes, ELEPHANTS, truck repairs, and smiles. Thanks again for sharing!

[fixed it]

 

Hey! You forgot elephant pics. Must be getting as used to seeing them as we are

 

Addendum to our Zambia story…Hippo Fright



Hippo on the river - not the one that scared us as we were too nervous to stop and take a picture of that one

Our scariest wildlife moment in Africa. Camping on the Luangwe river at a private site outside of Mfuwe before we went to the park, we decided to go for a morning walk. We had been on many walks in camping areas with wildlife now and were likely over confident. We set off on the dirt road toward the village. We had seen elephants on the drive in so were on alert. We walked a few kilometers, visited the village artisans then turned around to walk back to camp. On the way a safari truck stopped by and asked us where we were going, we explained that we were walking back to our camp. The driver looked at us and said “please don’t walk here, it is very dangerous and you could lose your life.” Well. Highly nervous now, we set off on the final kilometer, senses now really on high alert. All of a sudden, on a straight stretch of road in between a marshy area and the main river, Dawn saw a big nose edge out from behind a tree (about 75’ away) and all of a sudden a huge hippo was staring at us. It seemed to be saying “really? this is my territory and you think you are walking through??” We started a slow but steady backing up, found a climbable tree and waited. The hippo at first started to slowly walk the road towards us and then seemed to decide we had shown enough respect and ambled on its way towards the river. So we began a hilarious dance of edging our way from climbable tree to climbable tree unsure how far it had gone into the bush. We made it into site of the camp and then, elephants. So another detour, although they seemed pretty relaxed about us. Phew. Definitely got our adreneline going.

 

Yup that would be plenty spooky. From my understanding, hippos kill more humans than any animal in Africa.

Hey, I love this photo. I am not a sitting person, I am that guy organizing, cooking, chopping, and hiking off alone down game trails.

But this photo, I could handle sitting there for probably 20 minutes….

Just a beautiful spot to take in the view.

Crazy, elephants just wandering through camp with little ones in tow. Amazing sights!

And the artisans you see all over Africa. I am the furthest from an artsy guy, but wow the stuff they do with fabrics, colors, and such is incredible. Even my stick man drawing sensibility appreciates that work.

BTW, anything but lacklustre. I am always amazed by your photos and description.

 

Very cool pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

I read that. The writer did a great job of creating an overview of your adventures.

 

Fantastic! A great way to spend part of a Sat admiring your adventure and thankful for you sharing with us all! Continued safe travels!

 

Thank you! Just trying to give back and maybe inspire you!