Ivory 4×4 Hire

I have a few questions for you regarding Mozambique and the Kruger National Park

Question 1: We are now evaluating the possibility to stay a few days in the Kruger Park before passing the border to Mozambique. Do you think it will be possible for us to see the Kruger Park with our hired Isuzu 4×4 by ourselves or it will be necessary to have a ranger with us?

Answer: You can drive around in the Kruger Park at will. You pay an entry fee, get a map and then you can drive around on your own for the whole day – I can highly recommend the Kruger Park!!

Question 2: How much is the park entrance approximately?

Answer: Have a look at this website: http://www.krugerpark.com/conservation-fees.htm all the info you need about the Kruger can be found here.

Question 3: Do you know any cheap place where to sleep in the Kruger Park? Since we are landing in Johannesburg on August 9, early morning, we would like to reach the Kruger Park within august 9 night, sleeping in a cheap place there and wake up the morning after, visit the park and maybe sleeping in another different place nearest to the mozambique border. Please tell me if this could be feasible.

Answer: If I were you I’d sleep in the park, there are excellent camping spots for very reasonable prices within the park. You’ll find the park contact details on the website I gave you, make your booking as soon as possible. Try to stay at least 2 nights, the Kruger Park is Awesome!!

Question 3: We are also thinking about the possibility to visit the lake Malawi. What about this with respect to the car rental insurance and fees? Would you charge us a surplus? Malawi is very nice, but very far.

Answer: Remember, you don’t travel as fast in Africa as elsewhere in the world, the roads are not always good. In my opinion I’d rather leave Malawi for a next trip. I ask all out clients what they would have done differently the next time they hire a 4×4, and nearly everyone’s reply is that they’ll take it easier and not drive as much. Rather spend a few more days in the Kruger. Also, North West Mozambique is very flat and boring to drive. And 90% of things to do & see in Mozambique happens along the coast.

Question 4: How is the tent floor? Is it soft or hard? Is it suggested to have a soft air mattress with us?

The rooftop tents have built in mattresses, you don’t need an air mattress.

Question answered by Hennie from Ivory 4×4 Hire

Q: Ons stel noggal belang in die roete van Spitzkoppe reguit Noord tot by Palmwag.Verder het ons besluit Ruacana uit te los en te fokus op die Marienfluss en die Hartmansberge. Ons sal nader an die tyd besluit of ons Van Zyl gaan ry, afhangende van hoe sy toestand is. Dit maak dat ons roete 3 opsies het vanaf Purros.
Ek beskryf ons roete hieronder.Ek het nog so paar vraagtekens gesit daar waar ek nie mooi weet waar ons kan kamp nie.

Kan jy raad ge?
Wys Tracks4Africa roetes wat ons kan ry om oor die Hartmansberge te ry van die Marientfluss se kant af? En om op te ry Kunene toe?
Kan jy dit op die GPS laai asseblief?

Johannesburg
Vryburg
Keetmanshoop
Sossusvlei
Spitzkoppe
Swakopmund
? Rhino Camp
? Aba Huab
Sesfontein Ongongo
Purros
Orupembe           of ekstra nacht Purros en volgende dag direk deur
Van Zylspas        of  in Marientflus vallei op
Marientfluss
Hartmansvallei
Hartmansvallei
Purros
Windhoek-Gobabis
voor Lobatse (?wild kamp)
Johannesburg

A: Ek het die roete vir julle uitgewerk, hieronder is ‘n afbraak soos ek goed dink, laat weet as julle enige verandringe wil aanbring. Hierdie is ‘n tuwwe roete, en julle gaan ry dat dit klap, maar julle gaan fantastiese plekke sien. Die totale roete is 5365km lank.

• Jhb – Vryburg  – 407km

• Vryburg – Keetmanshoop – 742km (By Keetmanshoop gaan kyk verseker na Giant’s playground & Quiver tree forest, daar is ook verblyf daar, one het nie daar bespreek nie, net opgedaag)

• Keetmanshoop – Sossusvlei – 402km

• Sossusvlei – Swakopmund – 357km (Ry via Walvisbaai)

• Swakopmund – Spitzkoppe – 155km (Het al ‘n paar keer by Spitzkoppe geslaap en nog not daarvoor bespreek nie)

• Spitzkoppe – Rhino Camp – 218km (Die Rhino camp is in die Ugab, 218km lyk kort, maar dit gaan julle die meeste van die dag neem om dit af te ry, julle gaan deur die Umaruru  droee rivier, kyk na die Umaruru dam, ry via Uis vir brandstof, ry aan die Weste kant vd brandberg verby, sien baie welwitschias, swem in die Branberg West Myn

• Rhino Camp – Aba Huab – 99km (Hier ry julle deur ‘n ongelooflike droee area, baie klipperig, baie mooi. Sien hierdie as ‘n rusdag, hoef net 100km te ry, maar dit gaan julle nog steeds 3-4 ure neem)

• Aba Huab – Ongongo – 239km (Maak ‘n draai by Twyfelfontein & Petrified forest, stop ook by Palmwag vir ‘n permit, brandstof, swem & biertjie langs die swembad)

• Opsie 1 Ongongo – Otjitanda – 291km Julle ry v Zyls Pas (Via Opuwo vir brandstof, slaap by Otjitanda campsite 22km van v Zyls Pas af. Het nog nie self daar geslaap nie, maar dit is op Tracks for Africa aangedui as ‘n campsite)

• Otjitanda – Otjinhungwa – 85km (Oor v Zyls Pas, gaan julle die hele dag vat, ry die hele lengte van die Marienfluss, Otjinhungwa is ‘n kampplek reg langs die Cunene rivier)

• Opsie2 Ongongo – Etanga – 250km Ry nie v Zyls Pas nie (Via Opuwo vir brandstof, slaap by Etanga

• Etanga – Otjinhungwa – 185km Mis v Zyls Pas, het nog nie die roete gery nie, maar verwag dat dit julle die hele dag gaan neem, ry die hele lengte van die Marienfluss, Otjinhungwa is ‘n kampplek reg langs die Cunene rivier

• Otjinhungwa – Hartmans  – ???km Julle sal by Otjinhungwa moet uitvind hoe om te ry, ek kry nie inligting oor Hartmans by Garmin nie

• Otjinhungwa – Orupembe – 118km

• Orumembe – Puros – 85km (Kyk maar hoe lyk julle tyd, dalk moet julle die twee dae in 1 doen en eerder 2 dae by Puros bly, dit is baie ekker by Puros, goeie camsites, olifante, Himba Village….)

• Puros – Cameltop Camp – 157km (Verwag om meeste van die dag te ry, fantastiese dag!!!! Ry die hele Huanib rivier, verby Amspoort en deur Die Poort – gaan verseker olifante sien!! Cameltop campsite tel: 065 275513, Cameltop is baie naby aan Sesfontein. Julle kan ook weer by Ongongo gaan slaap.)

• Cameltop Camp – Windhoek – 723km Hierdie is ‘n lang dag, val maar vroeg in die pad

• Windhoek – Pretoria – 1357km Hierdie is julle langste dag, miskien moet julle dit opbreek en in Kang of Lobatse oorslaap. Daar is ‘n  kamp plek met die naam Saint Clair Lion Park Campsite 30km van Lobatse af.

Q: We have a Palm pc with TomTom Southern Africa , but if Garmin Mapsource is much better, please tell us what the price is for these

A: Your Palm PC with TomTom will work perfectly here, but you will not be able to see all the little roads on which you are going to travel. I’d really suggest you take the Garmin GPS with Tracks For Africa, you will not be disappointed at all!! The GPS costs R25/day to hire it from Ivory 4X4 Hire.

Q: What happens if the hired 4×4 breaks down?

A: If the car breaks down, you contact us immediately and we’ll send you help from the nearest town. If the vehicle can’t be fixed there we’ll send you another vehicle so that you can continue with your holiday.

Q: Does the Isuzu KB have a lighter insert (or two) for better charging?  I am sure it has at least one but I believe our truck in Thailand (the same model as yours) has another lighter insert facing the passenger seating…

A: Yes, there are two built-in 12V lighter inserts

Q: What are the border crossings like these days – South Africa-Swaziland, South Africa-Botswana, Botswana-Namibia, Namibia-South Africa – do they eat up tremendous amounts of time or can we zip across fairly quickly?

A: Depends on how busy the borders are, but I’ve never spent more than an hour at any of those borders.

Q: My wife really wants to see Vic Falls.  Is the truck allowed in to Zambia or Zimbabwe?  Or is it best to walk across and taxi over to the falls?  Is Zambia or Zimbabwe the better way to go these days? (We will be coming in from Chobe and then planning on heading over the Caprivi Strip the next day…)

A: The vehicle is allowed in Zambia & Zimbabwe, but we don’t recommend taking the vehicles over. You can expect to wait in the order of 6 hours on the Zambia/Botswana border, and it is an expensive crossing as well. As for Zimbabwe, they try to find fault with everything in order to be bribed by you. I don’t know if this happens to everyone, but the last two vehicles of ours that went to Zim had that problem. There are quite a few companies in Kasane that take people on day trips over the border to Zimbabwe to see Vic Falls, they have a standing arrangement with the border officials because they cross so frequently.

Q: Are the two rooftop tents easy to put up and tear down?  We like to do night drives and spotlighting from the truck where allowed and that would mean returning to camp late at night in some cases – would putting up the tents on the top of the truck be a tremendous chore or do they go up pretty quickly?  If they take a lot of time to put up, perhaps we should throw in a ground tent too (for those nights we will be coming back in late due to spotlighting…)?

A: It is not difficult at all to put up a roof top tent, having two on the vehicle makes it a bit more difficult though, because it is harder to set up when the tents are close together. I would recommend taking a ground tent with, and even to leave one roof top tent out completely. The 2nd roof top tent makes the vehicle quite top heavy and it increases the fuel consumption as well, but it is up to you.

When we hire a 4×4 will it be necessary to take a Satellite phone with on a 4×4 safari to Mozambique, we’ll be going to Inhambane, Beira and Pemba? How much does it cost?

To rent a Satellite phone will cost you roughly R125 (EUR11.03 at today’s exchange rate) per day, I think it is a very good idea to take a Sat phone with, large parts of Mozambique does not have cell phone coverage. You’ll be travelling with just 1 vehicle, I would highly recommend taking a Sat phone with. It is just a much safer option. We use Rent a Sat for our Satellite Phone hire needs.

Q: Ons slaap nie in Torrabaai nie, ons ry maar net die C34 en draai af Aba Huab toe om daar by Twyfelfontein te slaap. Het jy ‘n idee hoe lank  ons sal ry van Swakop na Aba Huab? Ek het nie ‘n idee in watter toestand die C34 is nie.

A: Die C34 is ‘n goeie pad, maar julle gaan ‘n redelike draai ry en die pad is baie eentonig. ‘n Ander opsie is om tot by Henties te ry en van daar binneland toe te draai, dan kamp julle daardie aand in the Rhino Camp wat in die Ugab rivier gelee is. Dit sal beter wees as ons dit oor die foon bespreek, dit help nie regtig ek help met die roete beplanning as ek nie beter weet wat julle in gedagte het nie. Namibie is so ‘n fantastiese plek, en daar is 100de plekke wat min mense van weet. Persoonlik sal ek nie eers oorweeg om by Twyfelfontein te gaan slaap nie, in vergelyking met die ander plekke in daardie omgewing is dit net te komersieel – maar dis net ek.