You learn a lot on a six-day, 600 km 4x4 adventure through the world’s oldest desert. For Trygve (Robby) Roberts the one lesson he took home was that Toyotas are not indestructible.

“Kudu!” my wife screams.

Too late. The kudu takes two leaps from the right of the gravel road. Everything goes into slow motion, my senses screaming: “Don’t swerve!” I hold the line and brake hard, the ABS shuddering underfoot and then there’s the heavy impact as three tons of Land Cruiser hit the antelope at 110 km/h.

A beautiful, fully grown kudu cow lies beneath the car, crumpled and lifeless.

The dust from our passage somewhere between Helmeringhausen and Bethanie hangs heavily in the soft morning light. I pass a hunting knife to Neels to end any suffering, but it’s already too late.

Thank goodness I’m in a Land Cruiser; a lesser vehicle might have meant an early retirement for me – the kudu and me together forever.

We are remarkably lucky the damage is minimal: A cracked front grille, a broken indicator lens, a bent aerial and a few soft dents. The 5 mm plate-steel after-market front bumper I had invested in has once again proved its worth.

We have another 1 500 km to go to make Cape Town by the end of the day. I process what has just happened: It is the fourth bit of bad luck on an otherwise amazing off-road experience. Will it be the last?

Things had started going wrong some 12 days earlier, while we were still at home packing the Cruiser: A jerry can had slipped off the roof carrier and bounced four neat dings into the Cruiser’s bonnet. If I had known what was still to come, I might well have stayed in bed.

Our adventure would also leave a dent in Toyota’s otherwise formidable reputation for reliability. By the time we returned, the Isuzu, Jeep – and yes, even the Land Rover – had successfully completed the trip, without a single hiccup.

But the Toyotas, now that’s another story.

DAYS 1–3: CAPE TOWN TO LÜDERITZ (1 270 km)
And we’re off!

The usual 10-minute border crossing into Namibia turned into a fiasco: The Namibians had just launched a new computer system and much like with our eNatis system, things were not quite as slick as what the salesman had no doubt promised.

Two hours later, we finally completed all the necessary paperwork and headed off. Solly started (and ended) his holiday with bad luck: The customs guys searched his vehicle and fined him for not declaring a case of wine.

After overnight stops at Abiqua on the bank of the Gariep, and Klein Aus Vista Guest Farm near Aus, we arrive in Lüderitz, the starting point for our trip.

There we filled up the vehicles (my bill was R1 500 to fill both tanks and six jerry cans), filled the water tanks, repacked the vehicles and rechecked the tie-downs.
Namib, here we come …