Cradel Moon and Drifters Workshop

As we arrived, we met our Drifters Marketing Manager Gary who would be one of our guides for the week. The other one was Takalani who was as much of a Tour Guide as a Joker.
After everyone had collected their luggage and changed some money, we made our way to the Drifters Truck to drive to our first Lodge: Cradle Moon. The Lodge was decorated in the most delightful ways and when we went outside for lunch, Zebras were drinking 3m away from us from the pool. That was a nice welcome to Africa!
After lunch, we drove to the main quarters of Drifters where the legendary buses were built by themselves. We got a tour around the workshop so to see how and why everything is done. They explained e.g. that they wouldn't built air conditioning into the buses because especially the Namib desert would destroy it far too quickly, so they invented a brilliant system with the windows. Now, you could not only see everything from every perspective of the truck, but you could open or close the windows gradually, so you could always have fresh air inside the truck. They also use stainless steel, as other materials would break under corrosion without notice. They have big lockers for your luggage so to not put it on the top of the bus and make it much more unstable. They put a huge window infront, so that you can see outside at the front. And this particular window can be changed everywhere as it is a very common brand. The body of the truck can be put on a different chassy when the chassy is too old and unreliable to use for them anymore which saves not only resources but also time and money. They sew their own tents and emergency kits, as well as they obviously make the whole body of the truck. It's just fascinating how they adjusted to their own needs and ideas.Read more