Full Review | Marietjie de Jager (December 2008)

On the Nossob 4x4 Eco Trail you can still experience a truly wild part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, says Marietjie de Jager.

When they started planning to do the Nossob 4x4 Eco Trail in the Kgalagadi, Marietjie and her husband realised information about this trail is hard to find – even Sanparks only provides basic information.

“All we knew, was that the trail was on sand,” says Marietjie. “So we just packed what we thought we should, and left.”

Here’s what the couple experienced and learned: 

On your marks, get set …
When you reach your pre-trail overnight spot (Twee Rivieren or Nossob), inform reception specifically that you are about to do the trail so they can issue you a permit to drive in the park.

Put up camp, load everything you want to (electricity is available at Twee Rivieren and Nossob), have a last shower and relax.

Fill up with fuel in time – the pumps only open at 7.30 am and can then be very busy. And meanwhile, deflate your tyres – there are guidelines for this at the filling station, or ask the guide later.

At dusk the guide visits the camp to meet every participant and to provide more information about the journey.

At 8.30 am on Monday the group meet at reception, each vehicle gets a walky-talky and the convoy departs at 9 am.

WHY SHOULD I GO?
You drive in areas barred to the ordinary tourist – there is therefore no other traffic and when there is something interesting to see (and the guide thinks it’s safe), you stop and get out to have a proper look and to investigate.

The best part of the trail is that a clued-up guide accompanies you, therefore you can learn more about the environment and animals than you would have if you were driving on your own. 

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

• Are we there yet? It’s a guided trail lasting four days, three nights and 214 km – from some 36 km past Twee Rivieren to some 61 km north of Nossob.  Remember, during one month the trail is driven north from Twee Rivieren and, the next month, south from Nossob to Twee Rivieren.
• The kick-off. You start driving on a Monday and finish on a Thursday.
  Hint: On the preceding Sunday, stay overnight in the camp where the trail starts, and on the Thursday night, in the camp where it ends.
  Especially in summer when the camp gates only close at 7 pm, you can drive back from the finish to either Nossob or Twee Rivieren (±180 km; 3½ h) and spend the night there.
• Up, down, up … The trail is a gas if you like dune driving (you drive along the “streets” between the red dunes for short distances until you are forced to go over one again), but can be a nightmare to dune-haters.
  Some of the dunes are very steep and bumpy with deep, thick and loose sand near the crest – almost like a worst-case corrugated road. The guide vehicle has recovery gear and the guide ensures all the vehicles cross the dunes safely before the journey is continued.
• Day to day. There is time for breakfast in the morning. You stop and get out on the trail from time to time to allow the guide to point out certain natural phenomena or special plants.
  Lunch is usually enjoyed in the shade of a large tree. At one of these stops there is also a long drop. Because one only drives 50-65 km per day, one reaches the night’s campsite early enough to pitch camp leisurely and to explore and enjoy the surroundings.
  On the last day of the trail we reached the normal road to Nossob just after 11 am, where the guide left the tour group and everyone could continue on their own.
  If you feel like more, you can enter the Botswana side of the park at Polentswa and drive the Gemsbok Wilderness Trail.
  Book this at Botswana Parks Board (00267 318 0774). Passports formalities are taken care of at Twee Rivieren.
• I want to go too! Because a minimum of two and a maximum of five vehicles are allowed per time on the trail – and no trailers − you need to book in time.
• Hello, Mom …? The only cellphone reception is at Twee Rivieren.

WHAT ARE THE CAMPSITES LIKE?

• Where’s the water? On the trail you stay over at three campsites: Witgat (closest to Twee Rivieren), Rosyntjiebos and Swartbas.
  At Witgat there is a windmill and dam for the animals, but there is no water at the campsite. All the camps have a long drop, and a camping shower, but you have to supply your own water.
• Warm sand. You camp on sand and mostly in the sun – at each campsite there is a shady tree or two where one can sit and relax.
• Meet the owl. The campsites are unfenced, making a nocturnal toilet visit quite exciting … Company. Because you aren’t allowed to make a fire on the ground, there is a special place for fires at each campsite. A large communal fire is usually made at night to allow everyone to cook and relax together. 

WILL MY NISSAN 1400 MAKE IT?

• Sorry, it’s not equal to the task. Only 4x4s with low range are allowed on the trail.
• The flatter the better. Deflate your tyres, even more than you would for driving on normal dirt roads in the park.
• Eish, I’m not so sure … Know your ability and that of your vehicle – the dunes are sometimes more difficult than they seem at first glance.
• The flying egg. Ensure all breakables are packed properly – the ride is bumpy. Fasten everything and especially the luggage on the roof rack very securely to prevent it from shaking loose.
• How much further? Take your fuel consumption into account – the 4x4 driving over the dunes and in the thick sand is quite arduous.
  
  How much fuel you have to take along will depend on your tank size and vehicle, and whether it is a diesel or petrol vehicle. With our petrol vehicle with a double fuel tank (165 litre) we did the return trip between Twee Rivieren and Nossob with no problems. However, we always take a jerry can for peace of mind.
  
  The refuelling spots (Twee Rivieren and Nossob) are some 300 km apart, so I think a full tank (with a jerry can for peace of mind) is probably enough.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO PACK?

• Cynthia, where’s the corkscrew? You have to be totally self-sufficient. The usual packing lists are more than adequate.
• Tonight I’m only washing my feet. Take enough water for personal use and maybe a little extra for the radiator in an emergency.
  I’m almost more scared of running out of water than out of fuel. Depending on the time of year, and especially in summer when it is terribly hot, a minimum of 8-10 litre per person per day will make life comfortable (so you can shower too).
  My husband and I took 54 litre in October, and returned with 4 litre.
• So you can sing. A shower bag is handy, because you can heat water (your own, obviously) in the sun when you reach the campsite and then enjoy a nice shower. At Witgat the bush shower’s bag was broken and our shower bag came in handy.
• Yuk! Warm beer! A fridge/freezer is indispensible, especially in summer.
• Voetsek insect! Take enough bug repellent – it is a low-risk malaria area and there are ticks and tampans in the sand.
• Catch a fire. You have to take your own bag of wood or briquettes for each night (you can buy it in Twee Rivieren or Upington). And remember the braai grid, because the fireplaces don’t have grids.
• Fire and ice. Remember, it gets extremely hot in summer and bitterly cold in winter. Even in October when we visited, the days were very hot, but early-morning temperatures dropped sharply. Make provision for cold, even in the warm months.
• Zap it in a Zibbie. All rubbish has to be removed, therefore pack a strong bag for it. 

HOW DO I BOOK?
The trail is quite popular, so you have to start planning at least 6-8 months in advance.

• Step 1. Decide when you want to go and find out from the park (054 561 2000/2014) whether there are any vacancies on the trail. Make a provisional booking to get your name on the list.
• Step 2. Book your accommodation at the start and finish of the trail (and any other accommodation) at Sanparks’ central reservations office ( 012 428 9111; 082 233 9111;   012 343 0905 (fax); 
  reservations@sanparks.org;  www.sanparks.org/tourism/reservations/).
• Step 3. Contact the Kgalagadi office again and provide them with your booking number. They link this number to your booking for the trail.
• Step 4. Pay for everything through Sanparks’ central reservations office.

WHAT DOES IT COST?
We paid R550 per vehicle, plus the usual daily conservation fee of R30 if you don’t have a Wild card.  

THE EXPERIENCE
What about the trail bothered you?
We didn’t see as much game as we expected to. Moreover, the walky-talkies only worked properly on the first day until the batteries ran out – one therefore couldn’t ask the guide any questions.

What was special?

• Fat and healthy. We might not have seen much game, but those we did see were fat and beautiful after the good rains of the previous summer. We also saw a pair of Verreaux’s eagle owls snoozing next to each other in a tree.

• The highlight. At Witgat, the most beautiful, huge lion with an impressive black mane and at least two lionesses and a cub lay watching us from the ridge of a dune.
  
  At midnight we heard them around our vehicles − one was dragging a bag of wood around we had left outside, and another lay in the sand right in front of our vehicle’s door.

• The silence. The heavenly silence in the campsites – you could only hear the animal calls.

What’s news?
Reading the “Veld Times” − aided by the guide’s expertise, one could identify the tracks of the animals, birds and insects that had moved around your vehicle during the night: the lions’ spoor, where he lay down right in front of your door, the scorpion, the antlion – too many to mention!

By the way.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that almost all of the road from Askham to Twee Rivieren that has always been a nightmare has been tarred. Only the last 8 km has not been completed, and this stretch is not too bad. No road lines or signs have been painted, so driving in the dark will be difficult.

Download: 

DO_Nossob 4x4 Trail.pdf