Nossob 4x4 Eco Trail – Adriaan Odendaal – April 2005

We started to break down our camp late in the Sunday afternoon, so that there were only the basics left for the morning to be ready on time for the 4x4 trip. (I know a lot of people prefer to stay over in the chalet the Sunday night, not to have the rush in the morning to pack their gear up again) That afternoon, a loudy group joined the camping area. I mean they were playing with a rugby ball at the camping site. We were a little bit concerned, but at sunset, they calmed down.

We decided to have dinner in the restaurant at 2-Rivieren, the only camp that has this facility in KTP. The food was actually good, although, as can be expected, the drinks were expensive and they have very limited stock – not even a cappuccino. We would do it again next time. The only unfortunate thing was that the field ranger that would be our guide for the next 4 days was supposed to visit us that night. He never came around… (He was only informed in the morning that there was a 5^th vehicle, although we repeatedly reported ourselves at reception.) So there is some room for improvement.

The morning at the bathroom, I overheard that the loudy group from the previous day, was also going on the Nossob 4x4 Eco trail. I introduced myself and most of them were from Botswana. (It was a manne trip, and they were just having a good time…) It turned out to be a really good group, full of humour and laughter and well behaved. They were just trying to get rid of there energy after travelling most of the Sunday on the dunes on the Botswana side.

At 9:00 we met at reception. Our vehicle was packed and ready to go, and I decided at the last minutes to add some 20l of fuel in the one jerry can for extra insurance. Although the 4x4 trip is only 216km long, what I almost forget, it is still a 50km drive to the start of the trial and when the trail ends it is also another 65 km back to Nossob camp, so that total distance from camp to camp is actually 332 km.

<4540> Cruiser almost ready to go <4542> Cruiser at reception …

The group consisted out of the Botswana group, in 2, 80 series Land Cruisers, 2 elderly couples from Cape town, and one couple had some friends from Germany with them. What an experience for them! The one couple was driving in a Pajero, and the other couple in a Defender TD5. John, the field ranger introduced himself and handed out the indemnity forms. He also kindly volunteered that we could put the wood on his Mazda. We all used that privilege.

<S 4819> (510)

John informed us that officially the trail only starts 50km from here, but if we could keep up a steady pace on the normal gravel road as the first day have 50km of 4x4 to cover and it was already 9:30. On our way, we were fortunate to see a lion spoor, and not far form that, we saw them again. Lions!. (It was nice to follow the spoor for a couple of kilometres, as they were walking all the way in the road, and then spot the lions. Actually, Sandra, my wife spotted them first.)

<S4834> - lion spoor

We went pass Kij Kij, and not too far away from there was the turn of where the route starts. At the tree where we were suppose to meet, a blue wildebeest were escaping from the heat of the morning sun.The field ranger requested, that all tyres be deflated to 1.2 Bar. (It is now mandatory for this trail). The field ranger also requested that we put on our seed nets, as there were a lot of tall grasses in the middle mannetjie. Each vehicle received a hand held 2 way radio. It is NOT the normal 29 Mhz one, but the reception was quite acceptable. Lastly the field ranger requested that we now engage 4 wheel drive and and that we must stay in Low range. (More on that later..)

<S4838> starting point of trail <S4839> John introducing himself and give the usual “rules speech”

<4840> John the field ranger, a final year student, doing his practical year

It turned out that we were directly behind the field ranger, for the rest of the trip, followed by the Defender, the Pajero, the white Cruiser and lastly the black Cruiser. (We did offer to swap the order around, but all seemed happy with this ”pecking” order) The Black Cruiser is the VX series, with diff locks at the back as well. The White Cruiser had the full Old Man emu conversion with an extra fuel tank. John, the field ranger, requested us to try in stay in a close group. The first section of the road was nothing more than a 2 spoor paadjie, no real need for 4x4 in hind site.

<S4865> sample of the road

We kept to a speed of roughly 15/20 km/h. Our first stop was in the middle of nowhere. No animals in site and we soon realized why it is called an Eco trip. John, our field guide showed us the “fluit rot” /whistling rats. (We also saw them on the Leeuwdril 4x4 route) John explained the importance of these “rats”. It is the fast food in the Kgalagadi eco system. As they have plenty of them in the park, it will imply a large quantity of raptor birds and other small predators. It is therefore not seen as a “plague”, but as an important part of the food chain.

<S4849> Whistling rat holes <4820> Whistling rat

<4821> Whistling rat leaving the hole

A little bit further into the veldt and we stopped again. John, our field guide, showed us the various grasses. Again the importance of the grasses is that your “grazer” type animals prefer certain type grasses. If the veldt is in a good condition, and due to the recent rains the veldt was in a good condition, the animals prefer a certain type grass.

<S4874> Grasses in the veldt <5296> suurgras (next paragraph)

One interesting aspect that I have learnt was that although the veldt appears to be green, it does not mean that the animals prefer these grass types. We noticed a lot of “green” grass that we travelled through, but this is called “suurgras” and the animals does not like them. A word of caution, the “suurgras” causes hay fever. I travelled with some Sudafed and whenever we travelled through these grasses, I had to take some. So please bear that in mind.

Our next stop was a giant sheppard’s tree/(witgatboom). The interesting thing about this tree is that the temperature underneath that tree is almost 10 degrees cooler than in the sun. Whilst we were standing under the tree, somebody spotted a snake. It was a harmless molslang, but it all gave us a freight, and we just realized that we were truly in the wild and that walking around in nature has always a risk factor to it.

<S4857> witgatboom/sheppard’s tree <S4863> molslang

Slowly the dunes started to appear and it you begin to realize why you had to had 4x4. Something to consider for your booking: The trail from 2 Rivieren to Nossob is mainly going up the dunes. This is my opinion is a lot more fun, than going down hill in first gear low range, although my wife likes it more when the vehicle is slipping for the first second before the engine breaking kicks in. Here is 2 of the vehicles going down one of the sand dunes.

<S4882> Defender going down hill <S4883> Pajero going down hill

Our next stop was for Tsammas. The interesting part about these Tsammas are that the Oryx/Gemsbokke prefer the seed/”pitte” of the fruit and hence why you will find ½ eaten fruits in the veldt like this one. We were also shown the “wille komkommer”. Along the route, there were frequent stops with some other interesting plants.

<S4884> Tsamma, ½ eaten <S4888> wille komkommer

Near the end of the first day route, there were 2 interesting sand dunes. The first one is an S type dune where you first climb the first dune, then turn immediately left and then tackle the second dune. I was the first vehicle of the day that did not make it up that dune the first time. To low a gear…..The second dune is called “Big Bertha” and you are only allowed to tackle this dune once. Since we all learned from the previous S dune, no one got stuck on this dune. Just to make it “fun” for the Botswana guys, John, the field ranger draw a line in the sand for them and requested that they must start from there. The black cruiser, with diff locks at the back, decided to start with the rear wheel tires on the line. P.S. The tires in 4x4 makes a big difference…

<S4911> Bertha the dune <S4914> White cruiser up the dune, low range,3^rd gear

<4917> Black cruiser, up the dune. <4918>

The first night camping spot was near a water hole. We were requested to put up camp in a circle. This was our first night in the veldt. As we were sitting around the fire, late at night,we were blessed that a steenbokkie visiting our camp. This was magic for all of us. No one made a noise, and the steenbokkie just looked around and then disappeared into the night again. The facilities at the camp were basic, but well appreciated. A Gas burner type shower – supplied by SANParks, and 2 long drop toilets.

<S4923> - Camping spot

<s4927> Shower <S4932> long drop

Day 2

We left the camp at around 9ish the morning, after a small briefing. As it turned out, at the first stop of the morning there was a pale chanting goshawk. As we all climbed out of the car, and just as Sandra finished taking a photo of it, the Goshawk leaped into the air, and 20 meters from us, it caught a small bird in flight. What a sight to see. Our first kill on the 4x4 tour… The stop was actually about irregular dunes.

<S4938> - Pale chanting goshawk <S4940> - Irregular dunes

As we went deeper into the park, we could see the animals were not used to humans and vehicles and whenever they spotted us, they started to run. This again, highlighted the privilege that we had, driving on this route.

<4956> Gemsbokke running

Day 2 driving was mainly going over a thousand little dunes, with some stops in between with majestic views over the Kalahari. It also had its fair share of more “challenging” dunes, and even some of the other vehicles did not made it the first time. (The bad thing of being the first vehicle after the guide is that everybody is laughing at you when you do not make it the first time and people could learn from watching you…) To ensure that the route is not damaged, whenever a dune was showing some tracks, we took out the gravels and made it level again. This will ensure that the people after us will also enjoy this route. I wonder how many would even consider that if this were a self-driving route?

<s4959> picture of road over the dune <s4969> more challenging dune

<S4960> View <S5006> John tackling a dune

We lunched at an old 4x4 overnight camp that is no longer in use. This was welcomed by the woman in this group, as it implied that they did not had to hide behind a little bush as their is a long drop available. The Botswana group could not resist the temptation of playing a little Kgalagadi cricket. The pitch was just a little bit soft and the ball did not want to bounce that well.

<S4996> playing Cricket <S4999> playing Cricket

<S4998> Elderly couples having lunch in the shade of the tree

We were now approaching the Southern part of the park, and that means the dunes were beginning to disappear. There is one crossing where we crosses the main gravel road between Nossob and 2-Rivieren. (This is the official point of entering the Southern part of the trail, and a change to bail on the 4x4 route. The stops were now less frequent, but we still had regular opportunities to stretch our legs and climb up some dunes to have a view over the Kgalagadi.

<S5018> - Crossing the main road

<S5026> - Climbing a dune for a view site.

We arrived at our second day campsite around 4ish, the same as day 1, and we started to set-up camp. By now, we learned that we had to camp in a circle or ½ moon and it was not required for John to request this. The Botswana group could not resist to play another round of Kgalagadi cricket at sunset. What a breathtaking cricket field. That evening we had another spectacular sunset and we all watched and enjoyed the open space sunset.

<S5031> Cricket playing.

That night, we all sat around the fire and talked and bonded together as friends as if we known each other for years. What a wonderful privilege we have to be in a continent like Southern Africa with open spaces like this. Since we had the privilege of piling the wood onto the field ranger’s vehicle, we made sure there was enough wood for a good campfire. (Something to consider for the next group as well. We average about 3 sachets per night, with not everybody braaing every night.)

That night we were entertained by lions roaring a far distance away from us and some African night jars calling each other, ensuring us that the nocturnal life are alive and well in the park. (Oh, and listen the first night who is snoring the loudest in the camp and made sure your tent is not next to this person the second night…)

<S5047> - Botswana group <S5049> elderly group

Day 3

As the route was a little bit more flat, we could increase our speed. I’ve learned that the sand roads prefer 1 and 2 high, much rather then 3 and 4 low. In hind site, I should have driven like that since day 1. Our stops for plants were a lot less, but our stops and enjoying the views over the Kgalagadi was still frequent and you will never have enough of it – unless you are lost.

<S5072> people at a lookout point

There was one section of the trail which had a steep down hill where we were requested to go downhill in first gear low range. The sand was extremely loose in that section of the trial. This section of the trail is only being used if the route is taken from 2 Rivieren to Nossob.

<S5077> going down the sandy dune

At one of the stops along the trail, the field ranger requested that we stayed behind a line. He requested that we guess why? Nobody noticed it. In the tree was an Ostrich egg, and it was also buried in the sand. The Bushman left this there over 100 years ago. What is interesting about it was that the Bushman usually used this particular tree.

<S5088> Ostrich egg <S5094> egg in the tree

<S5092> egg in the sand

Lunch time we were at one of the pans, called “Eileen“. We were fortunate to see the Oryx/Gemsbokke running across the pan. A site we will remember for a long long time. As it was a fairly short distance to travel today, we decided to make it a long lunch break. Most of the people decided to have a little siesta.

<S5098> Gemsbokke running across the pan <S5109> siesta time

John decided that it was time for some fun and unlocked the front wheel hubs of the white Cruiser. All was warned, but on the first little up hill you could see the cruiser was struggling, but because it had enough momentum could make it up the hill. It was time for more drastic measures. There was another steep dune and to ensure the Cruiser will not make it purely on momentum, John draw another line in the sand. The Cruiser did not even make it ½ way up the dune. With flashing lights he signalled defeat. On the 3^rd attempt we highlighted to them that it was perhaps a good idea to lock the front wheel hubs. You could see how they literally jumped out of the vehicle because there egos was now damaged! This time he made it first time. What a relief. They could not understand why they did not have any tracking in the front. (A big lesson for me as well…) You could literally see how the back wheels were pushing but the front wheels were going nowhere.

Then the amazing thing happened. The black Cruiser, who was the only vehicle, except from the guide, that did not made it up the dunes first time on this route so far, switched drivers, and with that, they also came undone. What an embarrassment for them as well, as we were now all standing at the top of the dune. Another small lesson that I learnt. In sand, you can never be sure what direction your wheels are pointing. Get the guide to show you where your wheels are pointing. I perhaps could understand why the new Discovery has opted for a console display inside the vehicle of where your wheels are pointing… After this ordeal, some shovels were handed out and the dune was repaired. This was hard work, but great fun.

<S5121> Cruiser signal defeat. <S5124> making it up the dune

<S5130> Black Cruiser defeated <S5134> repairing the dune

Whilst we were continuing on our journey we came across some ostriches lying in the road. Again, we all stopped and our well-informed field ranger explained to us what happened here. It’s called “sanding”. Birds also make use of some other techniques like “anting” and the last one is where they keep their wings in the open sun. The reason being that birds do that to get rid of some of the ticks and to remove some of the oils from their skin.

<S5140> Ostriches lying in the road. <S5142> John explaining .

We arrived at our last camping spot also just before 4. The previous night’s sunset was magnificent and Sandra and I decided that we could not loose this opportunity to make the most of it, as this was the last night in the open veldt. Sandra took some breathtaking sunset photos here. The tree just lends itself for sunset photos, and a trip worth returning to, just for this.

<S5219> Sunset

As one of the members of the Botswana group is an Entomologist, he could not resist the opportunity to look for scorpions, as this site is also famous for it’s scorpions. After some searching in the dark he found one. Luckily a small and harmless one, but enough to proof to all of us that there are scorpions around. Our camping position was the closest to the scorpion trees/bushes… (The rubber mat from the Cruiser worked very well to keep the sand out of the tent and to ensure we keep our shoes in the tent and away from the dangers)

<S5222> Scorpion Our camping set up

Day 4

It was with great sadness that all the other vehicles had to take the exit route at this point in time. The Botswana guys realized the distance they still had to travel to get to the Botswana border (Kaa) and the Cape Town group could not get a booking at Nossob and therefore had to opt for the Kalahari tents which meant they also had to travel a looong distance. We therefore had to say our goodbyes now and we all made some new friends over this short period of time.

<S5224-5226> Vehicles leaving…

Sadly we was the only vehicle finishing the route. The only drawback was that the field ranger had to accompany them to the Nossob camp and then had to drive back. This meant that we again left at 9ish. (We were hoping to leave a little bit earlier today..)

This meant Sandra and I had the whole camp for ourselves for a while. It gave us some time to take out the long lens and take some shots of the birds. The crimson breasted shrike/Rooibors laksman, is always at this camping spot but is an elusive bird when it comes to taking a photo of them. Be on the lookout for them though.

<S5242> Rooibors laksman <S5266> Kalahari wipstert

Since we were on our own, we could travel faster, and stop for more photo shots. All along the way these black korhaan’s were leaping into the air when we came close to them and made a lot of noise. It was the males, protecting their territory. This time we could stop and at least take a photo when the fly away.

<S5278>black Korhaan

At one of the last viewpoints we came across an interesting spoor. It was of a spring hare. Could anybody guess the gender of this one?

S5294 MALE spring hare

Just before the finish point, John suddenly stopped. A pofadder in the middle of the road. Again, our well-educated guide could tell us something about this snake.

S5311 pofadder snake

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. We reached the end of the eco trail and it was time to go back to normal camping mode again and staying in your vehicle at all times. Somehow, the park will never be the same again and so would we. It was a well worth trip and yes I would do it again. I do believe the guide plays a major role in the success of a tour. We finished just after 13h00, which included a nice lunch in the veldt for the last time as well.

<s5317> end of the tour S5328 = Closing down the road again

From these last photo you will notice the importance of a grass net in front of your radiator. We were requested to check every morning for grass underneath our vehicles and to clean our seed nets as well. (I believe in the summer, more frequent checks would be advisable.)

S5323 = seed

s5325 = seed

Some final thoughts

The cruiser behaved very well. Herewith some other things to consider/remember as part of this tour. Get water from Upington, the water in the Kgalagadi does not taste well. Even the locals get water from Upington.

Some part of the road is partly taken over with small bushes, so there will be some small scratches as you vehicle as you weave your way through these shrubs and bushes. Check your roof rack if it is tight every morning. Mine came a little bit loose on day one, but I suspect that was from the sinkplaat road before we started the trail. Tie down ratchets for the roof rack works well.

I have an 80l Waeco fridge and I put it on 4 dots whilst I was driving and on 2 dots at night. My dual battery lasted for the 4 nights and it was standing at 12.01 volts at the last morning. I was very satisfied with my fridge. I also run a light from my vehicle to my tent at night. I also had to put some meat from the Botswana group for one day in my fridge as they developed an electrical problem to their fridge, so it had to work a little bit harder on the third day/night. This reminds me, take some electrical cable with you for emergency situations like this.

We took 60l of water, for washing etc etc and some 10l cold drinks and 4l drinking water. I also used some of the 60l for coffee/ tea at night. In future I would add some more drinking water…. We also had some Energades to drink as well.) We used some of the 60l of water to shower, we managed to shower, the both of us with 5l of water – we showered together ;-). The 60L of water, was more than enough and we still had, I would say, more than ½ left on completion of the tour. (We did use the water very responsibly). Oh and like I said, if the water does not want to come out, remove the cap where you pour in the water.

My fuel consumption was a little bit heavy on the Cruiser. In total I travelled 332 km, with ½ of it in low range and the rest in 4 high. It took 86l of petrol to get her full again. So my fuel consumption was roughly 3.86 km/l, but I suspected if I stayed on Low range that it would have been close to 3.2 km per litre. (The 20L of jerry can, which I used on the last day, ensured that there were no nervous passenger+driver in the vehcile.) If I drove however from day one in 4 High, I think the consumption would have been a lot better.

I would really think twice in doing this tour in Jan/Feb. The field ranger says at that time of the year it is extremely hot and the days very long. As we arrived at the camp at 4 and sunset was at 6 it was not an issue putting up the tent in the sun. I would imagine this could be a problem if the nights are also warm…. (Another factor to consider, the field ranger started the second of January and were only given the map, with the viewpoints. So for him at the beginning of the year is still a little bit unsure about things and is not that familiar with the veldt and how to handle the people going on the tour.) The students are however not the only guides that is leading the tour and there are permanent staff as well that is also guiding this tour. (So it depends on the rotation basis…)

I would also say that August/Sept could also be a little bit more challenging as by then the veldt has been without rain for 4 months. The sand would be extremely loose, which will make the 4x4 up the dunes more “fun” but at the same token, more difficult for the field ranger because in April/May the veldt still had lovely flowers and easier to stop and talk about the plants and the flowers. I am not sure if this is the case all year round…

Oh, and for the Botswana guys, herewith some special recommendations. Please check your front wheel hubs before starting your vehicle. Also, get your wife’s, that normally does the shopping, to buy the groceries, don’t try to outsource it. The water from the drinking hole, at the first night, was perhaps not a good idea.

The field ranger is taking along a braaier, so it is not required for everyone to take a braaier along as well. If you ask the field ranger nicely, he will let you use his bakkie to carry the garbage, but please take along strong bags. (Remember, what you take in you must come out with, so there are no dustbins at the camping sites.) The field guide does provide a gas bottle and a heating device to warm up the water at the showers. You are only responsible for taking along your own water. (I am not sure however how long that service will be available as the warming up device is showing some signs that it needs some attention.) If you are allergic to bees, take some stuff with you, as there are bees at the long drops and near the showers. Luckily a bee stung not one of us.)

If all 5 vehicles had roof top tents at the first overnight camping spot, it would have been a challenge as the ground is not that level there. I would also suggest a light tent that quickly folds up. Our canvas tent was a little bit heavy and slow to fold up. The nights in May do get very cold and it is recommended that gloves and beanies be taken along. Don’t be macho and be sick for the rest of the trail. We did had rain in May, although not on this part of the trip…

Some other valuable lessons learnt.

Yes the stretchers are too cumbersome; luckily we took the inflatable mattress along as well. (Next time the stretches with its small mattresses will stay at home. It takes a lot of space and is heavy)
Buy those cheap air pumps that plugs into the cigarette lighter, to blow up the mattress, the “compressor” takes way to long.
The gloves worked magic, especially in the sand, as camping is rough on your hands.
In the Kgalagadi, with this water, hand cream is recommended, even for the men.
Move the weight on your roof rack more to the middle/front. (It is like caravanning- Please remember, I have a Cruiser and my weight distribution worked better that way.)
We had a “custom” made groundsheet, 5.6x9m, which is heavy, but worked very well in the sand. We folded it double and put it underneath our tent extension and this really worked well.
If the water does not want to come out of the water tank, the one with the pipe at the bottom, take the lid of…. (Remember to put it back on before driving again.)
It was better to keep in 4H on those badly corrugated roads – even in the park itself, and I kept the tire pressures low as well. (Take a grass net along for your grill… You never know how the road would be.
Wet wipes works well to clean your hands and your feet from the dust – and they burn well
We had plenty of tie down ratchets and this worked very well on the roof rack.
We used boxes from Makro for our clothing and it was noticeable how many other campers used it as well. (I know some people use wolf packs.)
The standard length of these 12V lights is just too short. I will make it some 2m longer in future. (I also had 2 power points, one inside the bonnet and one at the back and I put both of them to good use)
Cable ties works for almost anything, so take plenty along. (We even had different sizes, although we mostly used the medium size ones…)
If you are going to keep a diary, try to make notes everyday. You can’t remember after the fact, especially on such a long tour as ours.
For the woman that gets cold easily, always take along a “warm water sak”, and the gloves and the beanie was put to good use at night.
I still need to work on what to leave fridge on (Amount of dots). I left at 3 dots on the night we slept over at Upington and Bitterpan, and the consumption on a constant temperature was for me better than the 4 dots at day and the 2 dots at night, although on that occasion we opened and closed the fridge a lot more.
The Cobb is a wonderful economical braaier, but not that easy to clean. (Especially if you are just 2)
We use those hiking gas cylinders to cook our food and made water warm for coffee/tea, and to make light in the tent extension. This works very well and is not heavy, although we also had the big gas bottle and at some points we used it, as it is quicker.
One of the campers took along 2 of those paraffin burners on the stick, but just the burner and put it around the campfire. This was also very good although it might be a mission to pack it in such a way that it does not fall over. (I have not given this one enough thought as yet)
Since we were on our own, and not in a group, there was no need for the 2-way radio (29Mhz). – They also supply all of us with a two-way radio.
We had a box of “oats stafies” in the car. This was wonderful for an easy breakfast, especially if you have left camp early and the coffee and rusks/“beskuit” was not enough. (It’s also healthier than the sweeties that I so dearly like…)
We used the car’s rubber matjie at the entrance of our tent to dust of our feet. (We also try to follow the philosophy, if we have the extension on, to take of your shoes before you enter the tent. In this way the tent stay free of sand..
We did however had a small “skopgrafie” and “besempie”. This is must, especially in a place as sandy as the Kalahari. I also had a “big cloth” Handy to clean the tent and to make it dry in the mornings when we break down camp in the mornings.
Invest in good “plastic” stuff that seals even when it is frozen. Again, since we are only 2, we had some of those thin ones, and were ideal for leftovers.
We had frozen our bread, and only took slices out for brunch. The rest we kept in the freezer. In this way we had bread for the whole of the holiday….
Take enough memory cards for your camera and if you downloaded them at night, please ensure they are back in your camera and formatted before shooting the next day! (Don’t try to edit whilst you are on holiday…)