They thought precision planning would ensure a hitch-free trip to Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe. But the spare part that saved the day, writes Ron Martin, won’t be on any overlander’s list …

W e felt quite safe in the tent when the first lion started roaring at about ten.
It was after all a lovely sound and we guessed it was quite far away – about 2 km − from where we were sleeping under a huge wild fig tree in the north of Gonarezhou National Park.
But when, about three hours later, the roars had closed the gap and were either 500 m or 50 m away (depending whose estimation you use), my wife promptly decided that being enclosed only in canvas barely a metre above the ground didn’t offer nearly enough protection.
Shanon executed a perfect evacuation from the West Wing and was sitting, fully dressed, in our Disco by the time I joined her, barefoot and dressed in shorts only.
After about an hour, with the lion still roaring intermittently, we decided that the West Wing (the rooftop tent attached to the front of the Hugh’s Oryx bundu caravan), would be safe and much more conducive to a good night’s rest.
We heard the next morning that Denise and Hugh had also reacted to Shanon’s evacuation order (Denise was fully clothed and even had her boots laced up in about ten seconds) and had also spent an uncomfortable hour in their Defender.
We all had a good laugh about the evacuation the next morning, but the busted diesel hose would be no laughing matter …

Not for the faint-hearted

After meeting our long-time friends Hugh and Denise Temple in Lydenburg six days ago we had set off on a three-week expedition to Gonarezhou via the Kruger National Park and Mozambique.
Our expedition would take us to Gonarezhou’s southern Mabalauta region and then on to the northern Save-Runde region and the Pombadzi Wilderness Area.
Part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, Gonarezhou is in the southeastern lowveld of Zimbabwe.
Gonarezhou is more than 5 000 km² in size and is best-known for its edgy elephants and photogenic Chilojo cliffs.
But be warned: a very arduous and slow trek over very bad roads and tracks makes this a trip not for the faint-hearted.
Shanon and me in our 2002 Discovery 2 Td5 and the Temples in a 2007 Defender TDCi with a newly refurbished Oryx camper with all the bells and whistles in tow, entered Mozambique through Pafuri Gate in the extreme north of the Kruger.
From there we drove southeast for a few kilometres before cutting through the some half-a-metre-deep Limpopo River and turning northeast onto a rutted rural track running along the border between Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
After leaving Mozambique through the Chicualacuala border post, we entered Zimbabwe at Sango, where to our surprise we weren’t charged levies on our six jerry cans of diesel.
We then headed for the southwestern part of Gonarezhou where we spent two nights in Mabalauta rest camp.
The staff there were most helpful. When I donated a new hacksaw blade to the workshop in return for the foreman giving us a bolt and washers to repair the Oryx, they were so grateful you’d have thought it was a complete toolbox.