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Overlanding Through Africa
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade
May – Sep 2023

Overlanding Through Africa

This is the big one - the trip we have been planning since before the pandemic! We will be overlanding from South Africa 🇿🇦 to Kenya 🇰🇪 passing through 9 other countries and taking four months. Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 7, 2023
    Overlanding Through Africa

    The big adventure begins!

    May 7, 2023 on the Seychelles ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Today, we are leaving Mahe after almost three weeks of sun, sand, and relaxation. It's been amazing, but we are ready to move on to the next part of the adventure.

    And this is the big one!! I can't believe the day is finally here! We started planning our Africa overlanding trip years ago and first booked it in autumn 2019 with a departure date set for September 2020. For well-known reasons I don't need to go into 😂, it didn't happen! We kept our booking and made the best of our unexpected time in the UK by managing a campsite near York for a couple of seasons. Eighteen months ago, Dragoman, the company we had originally booked with, contacted us to say that they were mothballing the company for the foreseeable future. They refunded us the money we had already paid. Disappointed but undeterred, we looked around for a trip which would be as close as possible to what we had planned. We settled on three Intrepid tours, with stops in between. Later, we added the cheeky three weeks in the Seychelles before our overlanding adventure begins.

    And, finally, today is the day!!

    Our itinerary for the next few months looks something like this:

    - 1 week in Johannesburg.
    - 3 weeks on the Kruger, Coast, and Cape Tour, visiting South Africa, Eswatini, and Lesotho.
    - 3 weeks in Cape Town.
    - 6 weeks on the Cape Town to Zanzibar tour, visiting South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania.
    - 2 weeks in Zanzibar.
    10 days on the Stone Town to Nairobi tour, visiting Kenya 🇰🇪 and Tanzania 🇹🇿.
    2 weeks in Kenya, including a safari to the Masai Mara.

    19 weeks, 10 countries, 6 capital cities, 24 national parks, and one natural wonder of the world in total! To say we're excited is an understatement. So long in the planning, let the adventure begin!!

    Our five-hour flight ✈️ from the Seychelles to Johannesburg with Air Seychelles was smooth and uneventful. Fortunately, unlike our inbound flight, we had a window seat so I was able to take some photos 📸 as we left Mahe. The island 🏝 looked stunning in the glorious sunshine 🌞.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Arriving at OR Tambo International

    May 7, 2023 in South Africa

    We were served lunch on our flight ✈️. I had fish with rice, and Mark had chicken with potatoes. Both were surprisingly good. We both had South African wine to accompany the meal - it would have been rude not to!

    We landed in a rather cloudy Johannesburg a little later than scheduled. We had left Mahe in 32° and sunshine and arrived in South Africa 🇿🇦 in 18° and cloud ☁️. At least the forecast rain didn't materialise.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Transfer to our hotel

    May 7, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We had organised a taxi transfer to our hotel. Our driver, Norman, started messaging me while we were still on the plane! We liaised while we were going through security and baggage reclaim (all very painless), and, as we emerged from the terminal, he pulled up, ready to drive us to our hotel in Rosebank. Perfect timing!

    Norman was very friendly, and the journey passed quickly. Everywhere looked very familiar - drive on the left, all the signs in English, etc.

    We were a little early for check-in when we arrived at Park Central Hotel and Residence, but the staff were all very friendly and helpful while we were waiting.

    Once our room was ready, we made our way to the 15th floor! Our accommodation is a studio apartment with a Smeg kitchen and plenty of space. The views over the city are incredible!!

    Norman had warned us not to be out after dark, so we just dumped our bags and made our way to the nearest supermarket, which he had helpfully pointed out to us 😀. It's in the Rosebank shopping mall, about a 10-minute walk from here. It was really well stocked, and the prices were very reasonable (especially when compared to Seychelles!). We bought breakfast basics and a roast chicken for dinner.

    It was a sunny afternoon 😎. Everyone we spoke to was very friendly. We felt very safe. Our first impressions of Johannesburg are all positive!    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Hop-on, hop-off bus

    May 8, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    The forecast today was for 90 - 95% chance of heavy rain 🌧 all day! It was unfortunate, but we had pre-booked two-day tickets for the hop-on, hop-off bus 🚌, so we had to go for it!

    We headed out after breakfast and followed Google Maps to the starting point for the bus. It was only an 11-minute walk from our hotel. It wasn't raining, and the sun was trying to poke through 😀. Several people wished us a good morning as we walked. Once Google Maps told us we had arrived, it wasn't clear where the bus stop was, so I asked someone. He could have just told us, but instead, he took us there! While we were standing there checking our phones📱for bus times, a lady came out of the nearby Holiday Inn to warn us about keeping our phones hidden in public so as not to attract opportunistic thieves. She advised us that the bus office was just around the corner and directed us there. Despite the warnings about our safety, everyone we have met so far has been so helpful. No wonder they call Johannesburg the friendly city!!

    At the bus office, we collected our tickets and arranged to do the included Soweto tour tomorrow when the weather forecast is better. When the bus was due, a member of staff actually escorted us to the stop and made sure we were safely on board!

    Because of the expected rain 🌧, we decided that today we would just stay on the bus 🚌 and do both the green and red routes. That way, we could get our bearings and plan the rest of our week in the city.

    So, that's what we did. The rain held off for the first part of the route, so we took some photos 📸. The audio commentary was excellent. We learned a lot about the city.

    Johannesburg is a relatively new city. It was founded in 1886 when gold ✨️ was discovered here. The settlement was named after two officials of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR), Christian Johannes Joubert and Johannes Rissik, who both worked in land surveying and mapping. The two men combined the name they shared, adding 'burg', the archaic Afrikaans word for 'fortified city'. The city is also known by its Zulu name, eGoli, meaning 'city of gold'. Colloquially, the city is also known as Joburg or Jozi.

    When gold was first discovered, Johannesburg began as a tented ⛺️ shanty town. It has come a long way since then. The city is now the richest in South Africa with higher salaries than anywhere else in the country. As it has throughout its history, it still attracts entrepreneurs and those seeking a better life. Today, Johannesburg is the financial powerhouse of Africa.

    The city's success is surprising. On paper, its location is not ideal for a town, never mind a huge metropolis. There is no reliable water supply nearby. Water has to be pumped 360 kilometres from Lesotho 🇱🇸! Johannesburg is also located at an altitude of 1700 metres, making it uncomfortable for some people to be here. Despite the difficulties, it is now the largest city in the world 🌎 not built on a lake, river, or coast and boasts one of the best climates on earth.

    Johannesburg is an extremely green city. 10 million trees 🌳 were planted, making it the largest man-made forest in the world 🌎. One of the trees the city is famous for is the jacaranda. When it flowers in October and November, there is a carpet of purple flowers over swathes of the city. This phenomenon won't exist in 50 years' time. The jacaranda is a non-native species that was introduced from South America. It uses far too much water to be sustainable in Johannesburg. As the trees die off naturally, they won't be replaced.

    Halfway through our tour, the heavens opened. We were sitting upstairs on the bus 🚌 under the cover at the front, so we stayed dry, but the rain put paid to our photography 📸!

    We arrived back at Rosebank at around 12.30pm and went for lunch at Yalla, a Middle-Eastern café. The food was excellent, but the portions were huge - we couldn't finish it!

    By the time we'd had lunch, the rain had stopped, so we were able to get back to the apartment without getting wet.

    We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening writing posts (I've finally been released from Facebook jail!), catching up with the Coronation concert from yesterday, and watching Netflix. We've never had Netflix before, but it's included in the apartment 😀).

    The photos 📸 attached to this footprint are of the bus, some sculptures in Rosebank Mall, and the view of the approaching storm from our apartment window when we got back this afternoon!    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Another day, another bus ride

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    The weather promised to be much better today with 0% rain forecast, so we were up early to catch the first tourist bus 🚌 of the day, which was due to leave Rosebank Mall at 9am.

    The first stop on the route was at Melrose Arch, a newly built district in Johannesburg. The area was developed as an example of modern city living with accommodation, shops, fitness, and entertainment venues linked by walkways decorated with interesting sculptures. We didn't get off the bus, but we did take a few photos.

    Next, we stopped at the Munro Drive viewpoint for panoramic views over the city.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Gold Reef City and the Calabash

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    At the Gold Reef City stop, we transferred to a smaller bus for our tour of Soweto.

    The first stop was at the FNB soccer ⚽️ stadium, where the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening and closing ceremonies were held. Nelson Mandela's memorial service was also held here.

    The stadium 🏟 is known locally as 'The Calabash' as it resembles the clay pot used to brew and serve the local beer given to guests when they visit.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Soweto tour

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    I was really looking forward to our tour of Soweto. The place has been in my consciousness since I was a teenager and first became aware of the struggle against apartheid. I had an idea in my mind of what Soweto would be like. I was interested to see how the reality compared.

    Our guide, DT, was from the Orlando East District of Soweto. On the way to the township, he told us about the city and his experience of growing up, living, and working there.

    Soweto (South West Townships) was created in the 1930s when the white government started separating blacks from whites. Blacks were moved away from Johannesburg to an area separated from white suburbs by a so-called cordon sanitaire or sanitary corridor made up of undeveloped fields and wasteland. This was carried out using the infamous Urban Areas Act of 1923.

    There was already a settlement on the site of present-day Soweto. It was a legacy of Johannesburg's gold-mining and brick manufacturing history when 100,000 people had descended on the area seeking their fortunes. A huge number of ramshackle homes had been built. The city developed randomly with no infrastructure and little organisation.

    Over time, Soweto became the largest black city in South Africa, but until 1976, its population could only have status as temporary residents, serving as a workforce for Johannesburg. The city experienced civil unrest during the Apartheid regime. There were serious riots in 1976, sparked by a ruling that Afrikaans be used in African schools there. The riots were violently suppressed, with 176 striking students killed and more than 1,000 injured. Reforms followed, but riots flared up again in 1985 and continued until the first non-racial elections were held in April 1994.

    Today, Soweto covers an area of over 200 square kilometres and is home to over 1.5 million people. The population is still predominantly black (98.5%), and the first language of the township is Zulu. The city has 200 schools and is beginning to break its reliance on Johannesburg as its main source of employment. Businesses are growing within the township.

    Having said this, many of Soweto's residents are amongst the poorest in South Africa, earning on average a quarter of their compatriots living in Johannesburg. There are, however, many wealthier Sowetans, as shown in the number of larger, newly-built houses.

    Soweto is mostly composed of old "matchbox" houses, four-room houses built by the government to provide cheap accommodation for black workers during apartheid. Many people who still live in matchbox houses have improved and expanded their homes, and the City Council has enabled the planting of more trees and the improving of parks and green spaces in the area.

    Hostels are another prominent feature of Soweto. Originally built to house male migrant workers, many have been improved as dwellings for couples and families.

    The result of all of this is that our first impressions of Soweto are that it is much more gentrified than we expected. Look below the surface, and you will see the poverty and catch sight of those who still live in makeshift accommodation. DT told us that these people are mostly illegals or drug addicts. He suggested that the problems Soweto has today are the same as any large city anywhere in the world. For him, it is home, and the strong sense of community he has with his neighbours means that he would never want to live anywhere else.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Orlando Towers

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    As part of our tour of Soweto, we stopped at the famous landmark, Orlando Towers.

    Orlando Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station. The power station was built at the end of the Second World War and served Johannesburg for over 50 years.

    Today, the cooling towers have been painted, one functioning as an advertising billboard and the other displaying the largest mural painting in South Africa. The towers are also used for bungee and base jumping from a platform between the top of the two towers as well as a bungee swing into one of the towers - if you're crazy enough!! 😀    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Hector Pieterson Museum

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Our next stop was at the Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial. We had an expert guide who told us the familiar story of how Hector, aged 12, was shot and killed at the age of twelve during the Soweto uprising, when the police opened fire on black students protesting the enforcement of teaching in Afrikaans.  A news photograph by Sam Nzima of the mortally wounded Hector being carried by another Soweto resident while his sister ran next to them was published around the world. The anniversary of his death is designated as Youth Day in South Africa.

    Our guide pointed out Hector's sister, who also works as a tour guide, with a group of American tourists. How gruelling must it be for her to relive that terrible incident every day?!    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Mandela House

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    From the museum, we drove down Vilakazi Street to visit the former home of Nelson Mandela. He lived here from 1946 to 1962. It is a typical four-room 'matchbox' house.

    Mandela donated the house to the Soweto Heritage Trust in 1997 to be used as a museum. The single-story red-brick house has been extensively restored, but it still has bullet holes in the walls, and the facade has scorch marks from police attacks with Molotov cocktails. Inside, there are some original furnishings and memorabilia, including photographs, citations given to Nelson Mandela, and the world championship belt given to Mandela by Sugar Ray Leonard.

    It was fascinating, and really quite moving, to be inside Nelson Mandela's home. This is the place he came to when he was released from prison in 1990, despite suggestions from government officials that he should find a safer home. At a rally welcoming him home to Soweto, his opening words were, "I have come home at last." However, after 11 days back at the house, he moved out again.

    He later wrote in his autobiography:

    'That night I returned with Winnie to No. 8115 in Orlando West. It was only then that I knew in my heart I had left prison. For me, no. 8115 was the centre point of my world, the place marked with an X in my mental geography.'

    I feel privileged to have been in the rooms he inhabited.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Constitution Hill - Number Four Prison

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    From Soweto, we used the City Sightseeing bus again to visit Constitution Hill, a living museum that tells the story of South Africa’s journey to democracy. The site is a former prison and military fort that bears testament to South Africa’s turbulent past and, today, is home to the country’s Constitutional Court, which endorses the rights of all citizens.

    We had a really interesting guided tour.

    The tour started in 'Number Four', the prison for blacks, which, unbelievably, given the state of it, was in use until as recently as 1983! Conditions for the inmates were grim. Men were incarcerated in communal cells designed for 30 prisoners, but which regularly housed as many as 60. They only had thin sleeping mats and blankets, and space was so limited that prisoners had to sleep head to toe. There was just one toilet in the corner of each of these cells.

    The prisoners' diet depended on their race. Black inmates had to survive on very little. There were no chairs or tables, so the men had to eat their meals squatting on the floor in an open area next to communal toilets, which regularly got blocked and overflowed. Disease was rife.

    Cruelty and humiliation were the standard behaviour of prison warders. The few black warders were treated almost as badly as the inmates by their white colleagues.

    No distinction was made in terms of the 'crime' a man had committed. A black man arrested for not carrying his pass could be jailed without trial and accommodated in a cell with murderers and rapists.

    There were a large number of isolation cells to punish inmates who were deemed to have broken the rules. Political prisoners were housed in these as a matter of course. These airless, dark, tiny cells were supposed to be used for a maximum of 30 days at a time, but some men were held in them for over a year.

    Unbelievably, despite the grim conditions, prisoners found ways to entertain and occupy themselves. Singing was always popular, as was 'blanket sculpture', creating artwork by folding and shaping blankets. There is an exhibition today to show examples.

    Number Four was once home to prisoners such as Mahatma Gandhi (jailed several times between 1908 and 1913 for leading the Passive Resistance Movement against pass laws for Asians), Joe Slovo, Robert Sobukwe, and the students of the 1976 Soweto uprising.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    The Constitutional Court

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Our tour of Constitution Hill continued with a visit to the Constitutional Court of South Africa 🇿🇦 which is housed in a purpose-built building next door to Number Four. During its construction, the notorious holding prison where accused men were held while awaiting trial was demolished. Part of it was kept and incorporated into the state-of-the-art court facility. Red bricks from the demolished prison were used in the new building. They can be seen clearly in the courtroom. The building is very cleverly designed.

    Inside the main room, a row of horizontal windows has been set up behind the seats of the judges. While the windows are at head height on the inside, they are on ground level on the outside. Those sitting in the court consequently have a view of the feet of passersby moving along, above the heads of the judges, to remind them that in a constitutional democracy the role of judges is to act in the interests of the people of the nation, rather than in their own self-interest.

    There are 11 judges who rule on constitutional matters. They are appointed by the Prime Minister for a 12 year term. When they reach their 70th birthday, they must retire. There is a cow hide displayed in front of each of their chairs, an acknowledgement of the traditional ways of justice as practised in rural villages. Similarly, the emblem of the court shows people discussing matters under a tree, as would have happened in rural communities. There is a South African flag hanging behind the judges' chairs, which was handmade by a group of local ladies. It is intricately embroidered and beaded and is a real work of art.

    The court building is open to the public who want to attend hearings. The public seating is very close to the action, unlike court buildings elsewhere in the world.

    The doors to the court have the 27 rights of the Bill of Rights carved into them, written in all 12 official languages of South Africa. There were 11 official languages, but sign language was added recently, making 12 in all.

    Amongst other notable rulings in this court, the death penalty was abolished in 1995, and same sex marriage was recognised in 2006.

    In the court atrium, there is an impressive art gallery which houses a collection of more than 200 contemporary artworks.

    We were very impressed with the court building. There are lessons for all of us to learn here 😀.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Some photos of the artwork

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Here are some photos 📸 of the striking artwork on display in the atrium of the Constitutional Court building. They include a four-panel work by Sipho Ndlovo called 'Images of South African History'.

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Women's Prison, Constitution Hill

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    From the Constitutional Court, we walked up to the Women's Jail, built in 1909 in the Victorian style.

    On the way, we passed the Flame of Democracy and a statue of a child representing hope.

    The prison had separate sections for whites and other races. The white prisoners were given better treatment compared to other races who were crowded in their cells with inadequate sanitary conditions.

    Some of the notable prisoners who were once imprisoned here include Winnie Mandela and Albertina Sisulu who were both political activists and were arrested on account of their activities with the African National Congress.

    In 1932, Daisy de Melker, who poisoned her two husbands and her son, was imprisoned here. She was later convicted for murder and executed by hanging.

    In 1983, the jail closed, and the building was later converted to a women's centre.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    The Old Fort on Constitution Hill

    May 9, 2023 in South Africa

    After the women's jail, we went to visit the Old Fort.

    The original prison on Constitution Hill was built to house white male prisoners in 1892. The Old Fort was built around this prison by Paul Kruger from 1896 to 1899 to protect the South African Republic from the threat of British invasion. Later, when the British won the Anglo-Boer war, Boer military leaders were imprisoned here by the British.

    Under the apartheid government, only whites were held in the Old Fort prison buildings, except for Nelson Mandela. He was kept there after the government received a tip-off regarding an escape attempt. Mandela was given a bed in the hospital section as an awaiting-trial prisoner in 1962 prior to the Rivonia Trial.

    It was fascinating to explore the fort and to see another place associated with Nelson Mandela.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    A day at the apartment

    May 10, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After a couple of busy days, we decided to spend today at the apartment catching up with posts, listening to the radio, and preparing for the truck 🚚 😂.

    The photos attached to this footprint 👣 were taken from the roof.Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    A walk around the Mining District

    May 11, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We decided to take the City Sightseeing bus 🚌 again today. There were a couple of places we still wanted to see, and the easiest way to get to them was to use the bus 🚌.

    Our first stop was the mining district, a large open-air museum tracing the history of mining in Johannesburg.

    The area is in downtown Johannesburg and centres around Main Street, which has been home to the city’s mining headquarters ever since Johannesburg was founded 130 years ago. Back then, the city was little more than a dusty mining camp filled with fortune hunters and prospectors, but in the space of just three years, it became the biggest settlement in South Africa. Through the 1890s and early 1900s, the low-rise buildings that dotted the landscape were steadily replaced with taller, grander edifices that reflected the metropolitan’s sudden enormous wealth.

    Today, you can explore the city’s early mining history in this pedestrianised area. Old relics of the gold rush such as mining headgear, stamp presses, rail locomotives, and covered wagons line the way, complemented by information boards explaining what you are seeing.

    There is a striking sculpture in the front of the Chamber of Mines building on Pixley ka Isaka Seme Street. It depicts a mineworker at work at the mine face and was erected in 2007. A plaque next to the statue reads: “The monument represents the symbolic and historical role played by mineworkers in shaping the economics of the mining towns and labour-sending areas, in particular, and that of South Africa, in general.”

    One of the most noteworthy buildings on Main Street is the former headquarters of the Anglo-American mining company. It was modelled on the League of Nations complex in Geneva and is home to sculptures by celebrated South African artists, fountains, and an urban garden. The undoubted highlight is the bronze sculpture of a herd of leaping impalas.

    Also in the area is the huge Magistrate’s Court, completed in 1936. It is an extremely impressive building! Outside the front entrance is a statue of Nelson Mandela shadow-boxing. It is the work of sculptor Marco Cianfanelli.

    Opposite the Magistrate's Court is Chancellor House, once the offices of the first black law firm in the city, Mandela and Tambo Attorneys. You can't go in, but there are window displays focusing on the lives of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo.

    We really enjoyed our time in the mining district and learned a lot, both about mining for gold and other resources and about Mandela's time as a lawyer working hard to represent black people in the city.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Mandela's house

    May 11, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    After our walk, we caught the next bus 🚌 to visit the Apartheid Museum. We were the only passengers! It is winter here, so there are very few tourists about. I don't understand it because the weather (mainly dry and sunny but not too hot) is perfect for sightseeing!The driver was great, going slowly past notable landmarks so that we were able to take photos.

    One such landmark is the house that Nelson Mandela lived in between 1992 and 1998. He was there while he was president and entertained many famous people there, including Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Clinton.

    The house is located in the leafy district of Houghton, an upmarket area where the city's randlords (early pioneers who made their fortunes from gold mining) built their mansions away from the dust and dirt of downtown Johannesburg.

    Nelson Mandela's house is now a hotel called Sanctuary Mandela. Nelson insisted that all the staff be trained in the art of storytelling so that they can entertain guests with tales about him and the history of South Africa 🇿🇦.

    We also saw the house where Mandela died in 2013. Huge crowds gathered outside at the time to mourn and to give thanks for his life.    Read more

  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Visiting the Apartheid Museum

    May 11, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    The last place we visited on our City Sightseeing tour was the Apartheid Museum, which opened in 2001. It is recognised as the world's best museum on 20th century South African history. Obviously, it focuses on the rise and fall of apartheid. Everything is explained in great detail with superb clarity. No visitor could come away without a greater understanding of the terrible injustices of the regime, but also with a sense of hope for the future based on what South Africa has achieved since the collapse of apartheid.

    Photography 📸 is not allowed inside the main building of the museum.    Read more

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