Travelin-Tortuga.com

Camping, Propane (LPG) Availability, Fuel Prices and Other Information in

Africa

Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia

Updated November 2019

General information:  

Overnight Locations:

Unlike in other regions where we have traveled, wild camping, or boondocking, is actively discouraged in Africa due to concerns about safety.  We believe that this advice reflects concerns about possible hazards from both humans and animals, depending on the location, and we are taking the advice seriously.  South Africa especially does not score well in the areas of crime and violence and while other countries may be somewhat safer we have yet to find anyone who has traveled in Africa who recommends the style of out on your own wild camping that we have enjoyed in many places, other than in remote locations.  We are told that there are some safe areas in some countries, but for the most part wild camping simply isn’t done by most travelers.  We have happily done some wild camping in remote areas of several countries, usually, but not always in locations reported by others.  Where we have found exceptions to these recommendations they have often come from people who are traveling not alone, but with at least one other vehicle, and are traveling off the normal roads on more isolated 4x4 tracks.  If interested, a site to consult in this regard would be goannatracks.com as they have done some wild camping.  As for us, we are working at becoming accustomed to the need to have a set destination for the end of each day, and our camping listings will reflect this.  We rely primarily on the iOverlander App to find camping locations of all types.

Propane (LPG): 

In South Africa LPG is available but not as easily found as in many other countries.  Because many overlanders prefer to not use LPG at all it can be a difficult thing to research in advance.  We found this to be true and arrived with a ‘let’s see’ approach to the problem.  It all worked out after a bit of difficulty; I’ll give the details below in the South Africa section.  In Namibia we have not needed to add LPG, but online research indicates that the same situation applies there.  For countries further north we just don’t know.  In our Tiger’s current configuration we top up our LPG tank only twice a year so this is not a large issue for us. 

Fuel Prices:

These prices give the range of what we paid in each country.  We have a diesel engine; the diesel prices are actual.  We have included the estimated prices for regular unleaded gasoline.  All fuel prices are shown with both the actual local cost and with that cost converted into US gallons and US Dollars at the time of our visit.

US Credit Cards: 

We have had no difficulty using our US credit cards at any location that accepts credit cards at all.  For the most part we have been able to buy fuel and groceries (normally our two largest expenditures) by credit card but we’re certain this will not always be true.  In more remote areas we are told that cash will be required for these items.  For camping we have paid by card about half the time while the other half required cash.  As a result, we are carrying larger amounts of cash than we normally would.  Having been told that in some countries and specifically at some border crossings US Dollars may be required, we are also carrying a supply of US money, which is something we seldom do beyond just what is left in our pockets when we depart the US.

ATMs:  In South Africa ATMs from numerous banks have been readily available but we are assured this will not be true in all countries we plan to visit.  Check our country by country reports in the country sections below. 

 

Countries are listed below in alphabetical order,
while the day to day listings within each country are listed in chronological order.

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Botswana:  (May & September 2019)

Money:  Botswana uses its own currency, the Pula.  In May 2019 the exchange rate was about 10.7 P to the US Dollar (10 Pula = $0.95 US).  For comparison, this makes the Pula equal to about 1.33 South African Rand.  Botswana is a more expensive country to travel in than SA in many ways.  For example, we found the rates for camping to be very similar in both countries: around 100-200 per person per night roughly; and grocery prices are also similar.  But, as the Pula is more valuable than the Rand the actual costs are thus higher in Botswana.  Fuel is a notable exception as noted below, while access to national parks is much higher than in SA.  

Camping and Infrastructure:  Private campgrounds are available in most parts of the country.  As noted above, rates tend to be similar to those in SA, but due to the Pula being more valuable than the Rand, effective rates for camping are higher.  Camping in National Parks and Game Reserves in Botswana is very expensive in comparison to SA, and even higher than we saw in Namibia.  Also, private camping anywhere near a NP or GR will be quite expensive.  Campsites in Chobe NP or anywhere in the Okavango Delta region are priced in US dollars for international travelers and range from US $40 to $60 per person per night. This is in addition to the daily entry fee of about US $30 for two people and a vehicle.  Some travelers have reported even higher entry fees for heavier vehicles.  We reluctantly passed on going into either Moremi or Chobe due to their high costs. 

Fuel:  Fuel is less expensive in Botswana than in South Africa by about 25%.  When we were there we paid around P 9.50/liter for diesel, about US$3.37/gallon; petrol prices were about the same.  Fuel prices in South Africa have been rising and our last tank, in early May 2019, was R16.60/liter (US $4.43/gallon).

Border Crossing: Personal:  We entered Botswana from South Africa at the Martins Drift crossing.  All was easy and straightforward, with the South Africa side a bit better signed and more organized but everyone on both sides polite and friendly.    We were given an automatic 90 day visa in Botswana.  Vehicle:  There is a vehicle charge/road tax on entering Botswana.  We were charged P 321, equal to US $29.00 at the time.  The Carnet de Passage does not need to be stamped out of or into countries when moving within the South African Customs Union (SACU).  These are South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland.  We did ask on both sides of the border about it being stamped as we would be exiting Botswana into either Namibia or Zambia and not returning to South Africa.  In both cases we were told that they would not stamp it on entry to Botswana but would stamp us out of the Customs Union when we left the Union.  We weren’t entirely happy with this, but everyone said the same thing.  As in most African countries, if you do not have a Carnet for your vehicle you will be charged for a Temporary Import Permit (TIP).

Money Matters:  ATMs and the acceptance of Credit Cards for payment may be less available than in South Africa, especially in small towns.  With this in mind, travelers should carry a larger supply of cash than they normally would and replenish it when opportunities arise.  In major cities and tourist centers you should not have any difficulties, but the liklihood of traveling larger distances between good shopping or fueling opportunities is greater in Botswana.  You should always have enough cash to pay for fuel, groceries or camping/lodging if needed.

Internet:  The two major cellular companies in Botswana are Orange and Mascom.  Both should do the job for you, but we had been told that Orange was sometimes a problem if you use Apple computers as we do.  So we bought a sim card for data from Mascom and it has worked fine near any size town; we’ve had no coverage out in the bush.

Shopping:  Of the grocery chains we’ve been familiar with so far in Africa, we have so far seen only Spar here in Botswana.  Other chains here include Choppies and Shoprite.  Independent markets will be found in smaller towns.

Location, Type/Cost and Description: (Listings are in chronological order. Numbers {4/19} indicate month/year of visit. Costs are in local currency for two people, one vehicle, per night and may include pensioner or other discount. Exchange rates vary, but for comparison purposes at the time of our visit 200 Pula was approximately US $18.50) 

Palapye area    Masama Lodge Camping    Pay    S22.43148  E26.82336    Elev 1300 meters

Cost:  Quoted at 120P/person/night, but did not give us proper change.  Overpriced regardless.  Ablutions very poor and not clean.  Be sure to be self-contained.  Many low trees and hard to find shade, but there is a large open area.  On dirt.  OK if it’s all you can find, but the place seems almost abandoned.  Unfortunately there are few other choices.  Owner/manager was friendly but we’re convinced he intended to overcharge us on the matter of correct change.  (5/19)

Serowe area  Khama Rhino Sanctuary  Pay  S22.23464  E26.71977  Elev 1237 meters

Cost:  Entrance fee was 154P/person for non-residents, plus 95P for the truck.  Camping fee was 192P/p/night.  The camping area is splendid, under huge tree.  All visitors must pay a second entry fee at noon.  We arrived at about 10:00 AM, so had until noon the following day.  If we had arrived in the afternoon we still would have had to pay for a second entry at noon the following day, so choose wisely.  We wandered the park all day, then got up early the next morning, and saw even more before leaving late in the morning.  A terrific spot.  You are driving in deep sand, so 4-wheel drive is essential.  (5/19)

Francistown area    Tati River Lodge Camping    Pay    S21.20148  E27.53347    Elev 968 meters

Cost:  110P/p/night.  The lodge is at the south end of town.  Very nice lodge and grounds, with all the usual facilities.  Staff friendly and helpful.  Ablutions quite nice and very clean.  Internet in the lodge.  Stayed two nights.  (5/19)

Nata Bird Sanctuary   Camping   Pay    S20.28761  E26.30056    Elevation 917 meters

Cost:  entry into the sanctuary was 100P/p/person + 35P for the truck.  This allows you to go and see the pans and the bird life.  To camp you pay an additional 75P/person.  Ablutions minimal, but pleasant spot.  This is a community project; the sanctuary is south of town.  (5/19)

Maun area    Drifters Camp    Pay    S20.17105  E23.67301    Elev 926 meters

Cost:  120P/p/night.  Drifters is a very well known lodge and camping area about 35 kms east of town.  This is a bit far out to go back and forth to do business, but a lovely, quiet spot under trees and near the river.  There’s a swimming pool along with the usual other facilities.   We spent two nights and then moved on, heading for the Khwai River area (see below).  (5/19)

Maun Facilities    Shopping, organizing tours, etc.

Maun is the place to do business before heading out into the Delta.  Facilities change, but across the road from the airport is most of what you are looking for — plenty of safari flight booking offices, and a very nice African art store.  Also in the area are Botswana Tourism, which does general bookings; Khwai River Development Office, where we booked our visit to the Khwai River; Travel Wild (on Mophane); and Hailey’s Cafe, recommended for lunch.  Nearby are the Spar and Choppies stores for groceries  (5/19)

Mbabe area   Wildcamp Spot    Free    S19.33417  E23.91309    Elevation 936 meters

About 33 kms south of Mbabe on the B334, heading for the Khwai River conservation area, on a bad gravel road, you will come to a perpendicular road that you can turn off onto, drive a bit, turn off to the left on a small two track, and then settle in for a quiet night.  You will have elephants in the area, but they’ll keep their distance.  One truck came past at dusk, otherwise alone.  (5/19)

Mbabe area    Possible Wildcamp Spot    Free    S19.25824  E23.93212

Further up, about 12 kms south of the Mbabe turn, we saw a large open area that would do well for an overnight spot.  You could get well off the road.  Some elephant activity evident.  (5/19)

Khwai River Conservation Area    Camping    Pay    S19.12297  E23.86779    Elev 920 meters

Cost:  350P/person/night.  Expensive, but well worth it and about half the cost of camping in the adjacent Moremi Game Reserve; a terrific experience.  Cost includes entry fee for the area.  We stayed 2 nights, in Space #02 at Magotho, along the river.  It was wonderful.  We entered early in the morning, and wandered the park for 3 days before exiting to start making our way back toward Maun.  The roads are sand, sometimes deep, and 4x4 is required.  River crossings.  Elephants in camp and at the river, many hippos and other animals roaming freely.  No fences or facilities.  We arranged for camping/entry at the Khwai River Development office in Maun, at S19.97828  E23.42445.  (5/19)

Maun area    Sedia Riverside Hotel Camping    Pay    S19.95407  E23.47897    Elev 925 meters

Cost:  90P/person/night  Extensive camping area along the river below the lodge.  At this time, the river was very low, but the area is quite pleasant and the lodge has plenty of facilities, including restaurant and swimming pool.  They will do laundry, but it’s very expensive.  We liked it here, and stayed several days; wifi at the restaurant.  (5/19)

Nokaneng area    Wildcamp spot    Overnight    Free    S19.51586  E22.13483  

Heading north from Maun on the A35, we had an iOverlander listing for a wild camp in the brush.  Difficult to find, but we turned east into the bush at (S19.51257, E22.12499), just to the right of a telephone pole.  You will reach a crossing track, turn south and follow the track to a spot you pick.  It was a nice, quiet night; we were visited by an elephant late in the evening, headed for a waterhole.  Delightful.  (5/19)

Tsodilo Hills area    Wildcamp spot    Overnight    Free    S18.61839  E21.97793  

Off the A35, about 30 kms south of shakawe, turn east on the dirt road into the Tsodilo Hills site (excellent, by the way), and go about 3 kms where you will see a left turn into the brush.  Go about one km to where you will find a few small areas for overnight.  A bit tight, so consider your vehicle before starting in.  Quiet night.  The Tsodilo Hills site has camping as well; it’s about 40 kms into the area.  (5/19)

Shakawe area  Drotskys Cabins Camping  Pay  S18.41481  E21.88723  Elev 989 meters

Cost:  200P/person/night.  Expensive, but lovely large sites along the Okavango River under a large canopy of trees.  Squirrels, monkeys and kudu on site.  Stayed at site #4.  Ablutions close, with very nice showers. Stayed 2 nights.  (5/19)

Kasane    Kwalape Safari Lodge    Camping    Pay    S17.79828  E25.21776    Elev 938 meters

Cost:  90 Pula/p/night, least of anyplace in town.  Lodge is in open area on edge of town.  Some road noise, but never very noticeable.  Camping spots available in back area, on dirt, but with some shade.  Sites are marked off with plantings, somewhat crowded if full.  Usual facilities, electricity; pool and restaurant with nice menu and reasonable prices.  Free good wifi.  Quite nice.  (9/19)

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Lesotho: (April 2019)

Money:  Lesotho is a small independent country completely surrounded by South Africa.  While it has its own separate currency, the Miloti (M), it is directly tied to the South African Rand (ZAR) and Rand are accepted everywhere in the country.  For the traveler therefore, there is no need to aquire any of the local currency unless you run short of Rand.  If you do find yourself holding any M, which are often returned to you in change when you spend Rand, be sure to spend it in Lesotho.  For exchange rates and banking information when we were there in April 2019, see the South African section as rates of exchange varied very little during our time in the region. 

Camping and Infrastructure:  Refer to our South African section for information on this topic as it all carries over.  In addition to formal camping places, iOverlander shows a number of wild camping spots in Lesotho as this is considered safer here than in South Africa.

Fuel:  Fuel is less expensive in Lesotho than in South Africa by about 15%.  When we were there we paid M 14.00/liter for diesel, about US$3.73/gallon; petrol prices were slightly less.  Fuel stations are limited to medium size towns and larger; they are not to be seen in more rural areas.  Therefore, you should be sure to keep your tank over half full at all times and not pass by a station without thinking about when your next chance to get fuel might come.  We purchased diesel three times while in Lesotho; one of those required cash payment.

Border Crossing:Personal:  We entered Lesotho from South Africa at the Sani Pass crossing.  All was easy and straightforward, with the South Africa side better signed and more organized but everyone on both sides polite and friendly.  The two crossings are separated by about 10 kms; this distance makes up the famed Sani Pass 4x4 highway.  Our passports were stamped out of SA and into Lesotho with no problem.  We asked for and were given a 30 day visa in Lesotho.  Vehicle:  There is a small vehicle charge on entering Lesotho.  We were charged the car rate, which was R 40, equal to US $2.80 at the time.  The Carnet de Passage does not need to be stamped out of or into countries when moving within the South African Customs Union (SACU).  These are South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland.  In this situation we didn’t even ask that it be stamped as we would be returning to South Africa within two weeks.  

Money Matters:  ATMs and the acceptance of Credit Cards for payment are less available than in South Africa, especially in small towns.  Internet access is also more fragile and subject to interruption so an ATM or credit card reader that may be usually available might be inoperative at the time of your visit.  As a result travelers need to carry a larger supply of cash than they normally would and replenish it when opportunities arise.  

Internet:  We had hoped that our MTN SIM card from South Africa would work in Lesotho, but sadly that was not the case.  The most active cell providers (based on signage and store locations) seem to be Vodacom and a company called Econet.  As we were only planning to be in the country for less than 10 days we did not opt to get a SIM card but relied on public wifi at campgrounds and restaurants.

Shopping: In the capital city of Maseru, a number of South African chains are represented, so groceries can be purchased at Pick N Pay, for example.  In the smaller cities, Shoprite seems to be the most common recognizable chain.

Location, Type/Cost and Description: (Listings are in chronological order. Numbers {4/19} indicate month/year of visit. Costs are in local currency for two people, one vehicle, per night and may include pensioner or other discount. Exchange rates vary, but for comparison purposes at the time of our visit R200 was approximately US $14.00) 

Mokhotlong turnoff    Wildcamp spot    Free    S29.29407  E28.99042    Elev 1998 meters

North of Sani Pass border crossing, and continuing on A1 beyond the turnoff to Mokhotlong about 4 kms, you will see a bridge over the river.  There is a dirt turn off to the right before crossing; go down and under the bridge and continue along the river.  There are many open places to park at this site we found on iOverlander.  Quiet and lovely.  No services.  (4/19)

Motete    Manohase Campground    Pay    S28.74086  E28.45332    Elev 1799 meters

Cost:  70M/p/night.  Private campground and B&B on the edge of town.  Very sloping area for campers, so may have real trouble getting level.  Animals to enjoy, and dogs to play with.  Nice owners; usual ablutions.  Entry is up about 500 meters of difficult, steep track, much of it exposed rock face.  (4/19)

Bokong Nature Reserve area    Wildcamp spot    Free    S29.233362  E28.56053    Elev 2085 meters

Driving south of the reserve (but I think we’d left the reserve itself) we stopped for the night north of Ha Seshote at an iOverlander spot along the river.  There is a water tap nearby that is used by the locals so there will be a little traffic moving through from time to time.  A lovely open meadow near the river.  Animals came through and it was quite enjoyable.  The turn down to the river/tap is near a sign “Matsoku Tunnel & Weir 1.5.”  This is all about 29 kms north of Katse Dam.  (4/19)

Montsanyane    Guesthouse Parking area behind St James Hospital    Pay    S29.54421  E28.27052    Elevation 2206 meters

Cost:  150M/night for 2 persons.  This is a rather chaotic spot and perhaps not for you.  The parking area is past the security entrance for the hospital; they will direct you further.  You must go into Reception in order to pay; they were closed when we arrived (3:45 pm), which caused problems later.  The person arrived in the middle of the night and was quite persistent in requiring us to pay then; we resisted and she came back about 6:30 am to pursue it further.  Not our favorite situation.  Regardless, if you need a spot this will work.  There are nice facilities within the Guesthouse area that are available to you.  (4/19)

Maseru shopping    S29.18975  E27.28647

The Pioneer Mall in the city is not difficult to find, and it is near the downtown area.  Chaotic but it has open parking (no barriers) and a very diligent parking guard who will help you into and out of a spot, as there is limited space.  Free and no time limit.  Large Pick-n-Pay, plus other stores and restaurants.  Woolworths, but without food market.  There is at least one other mall in the city.  (4/19)

Roma    Private Camping    Pay    S29.44256  E27.70424    Elevation 1636 meters

Cost:  125M/ppn  Roma Trading Post Lodge has lovely facilities in a large garden area; parking on grass.  Usual ablutions, and both electricity and water are available.  Very pleasant.  Stayed two nights.  (4/19)

Moyeni area    Private Camping    Pay    S30.23208  E27.89252    Elevation 1551 meters

Cost:  50M/p/night.  The Moorosi Chalets also has a camping area; we had them all to ourselves.  The site is off the A4, east of town on a rough gravel road for about 3 kms.  There is a brown sign at the turn saying Thaba Moorosi.  Nice spot, rudimentary ablutions.  (4/19)

Masemouse area    Wildcamp spot    Free    S29.93449  E27.63870    Elevation 1822 meters

Along the B25, north about 30 km from Mohale’s Hoek.   We stopped for the night on the edge of a small Primary School.  A local suggested we move a little closer to his house.  We had a quiet night, although the taxis made an early appearance just before 6:00 am.  Not an official recommendation.  (4/19)

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Malawi: (July/August 2019)

Exchange Rate:  Malawi uses its own currency, the Kwacha (MWK).  In July 2019 the exchange rate was about 770 MWK to the US Dollar.  If you are coming into Malawi from Tanzania, the exchange is about 3 TZS to 1 MWK; this can be useful when changing money at the border.  As in other countries in the region, prices for visas, certain other border costs and park entry and camping fees are often quoted in USD and, at the border, require payment in USD.  Camping can be paid either in USD or MWK.  

Money Matters:  We did not have any difficulties with finding and using ATMs in Malawi, although Visa cards are more likely to be taken than MasterCard.  One small inconvenience is that most ATMs will limit you to a maximum withdrawal of MWK 80,000, which is only about US $100.  We believe this is at least in part due to the fact that the largest currency available in Malawi is the 2000 Kwacha note and it takes forty of these to make up the 80,000 amount.  This makes for a large and unwieldy stack of currency.  As in other countries in the region, do not assume that credit card facilities will be common for fuel and other shopping; we often needed to use cash for these items. 

Camping and Infrastructure:  Malawi makes a welcome change from Tanzania or Botswana in that the few National Parks and Game Reserves in the country are still relatively affordable.  Mass package tourism and its resultant high costs have not yet become the standard for travel in Malawi and as a result, at least in part, the country is rated very highly for enjoyment by independent travelers.  Costs for camping are almost always quoted in USD per person per night; abbreviated below as /p/night or ppn. Lodges will use varying exchange rates so sometimes it may be less expensive to pay in Kwacha while other times in USD.  We generally paid in Kwacha and in most cases that was cheaper.

Fuel:  Fuel in Malawi is a bit more expensive than in neighboring countriies.  When we were there in July 2019 we paid MWK 874/liter for regular diesel (US $4.30/gallon); petrol prices were much the same at MWK 868/liter.  Both regular diesel and regular petrol were readily available and prices varied only slightly between stations.  I believe the standard diesel is 500 ppm, but the pumps are not labeled and owners of newer vehicles should research this at the time of their visit.   

Border Crossing: Personal:  Visas for Malawi can be purchased either in advance or at the border.  Cost is US $75 per person for a standard 30 day visa and we are assured that these can be easily extended in any major city.  Visas must be paid for in US Dollars.  We did extend our visas for another thirty days while in Lilongwe.  It was easy to do and the cost was MWK 5,000 per person (about US $6.50) for thirty days; we could have done sixty days for MWK 10,000/person.

Vehicle:  Our Carnet de Passage was duly stamped out of the prior country (Tanzania for us) and into Malawi with no difficulty.  As in most African countries, if you do not have a Carnet for your vehicle you will be charged for a Temporary Import Permit (TIP).  We were issued a TIP valid for thirty days; since we have the Carnet we were not charged for the TIP but we still had to have it.  Like the visas we were told we could extend the TIP, but this time only in the capital of Lilongwe.  When we found the correct office for extending the TIP (MRA - Malawi Revenue Authority), the officer we were referred to made some phone calls and basically said the border people should not have given us the TIP because we are on the carnet.  Who knows?  The only other vehicle related charge on entering Malawi was a standard road use fee of US $20.  This had to be paid in USD.  

Insurance:  Liability insurance is covered by the COMESA policy we purchased in Zambia.

Driving in Malawi:  Paved roads have been quite good, with plenty of police stops to look at paperwork, but no speed trap problems.  Dirt roads, such as the one inland to Nyika NP are mixed.  The road in the park was pretty good, but the road to get there from Rumphi was fairly bad.  Signage - speed limits, etc. - have been better than in neighboring countries.

Internet:  In our first larger city, Mzuzu, we found an Airtel store near the Shoprite where we bought a data SIM card for our MiFi router.  One month of 15gb data cost MWK 19,000 (about US $25), and has worked well for us in most areas.

Shopping:  Chain supermarkets, especially Shoprite, are available in the three largest cities; Mzuzu, Blantyre, and Lilongwe, which is the capital.  Lilongwe also has a Food Lovers Market, but the real find when we were there was the discovery of a Chipeku store.  This was the best of the lot; much more complete and with more variety than either the Shoprite or Food Lovers. We also found a small Spar in the city.

Location, Type/Cost and Description: (Listings are in chronological order. Numbers {4/19} indicate month/year of visit. Costs are given either in local currency or USD and are generally per person per night.  Exchange rates vary, but for comparison purposes at the time of our visit MWK 7,770 was approximately US $10.00) 

Ngara area    FloJa Foundation   Camping    Pay    S10.21281  E34.09582    Elevation  477 meters

Cost:  5500MKW/p/night (about $7 ppn).  A tad east of town you turn onto a short gravel road toward the lake.  The foundation and lodge support day-care and education for the local community.  This is a very worthwhile spot.  Lovely, quiet, and hard to leave.  Sites are right at the beach, under trees; huge baobab on site.  Nice ablutions, friendly staff, a great spot.  Wifi available near the lodge.  Homemade bread, eggs, etc.  Really enjoyed our 3 days there.  (7/19)

Rumphi    Adios Lodge and Camping    Pay    S11.01610  E33.86629    Elevation 1067 meters

Cost:  2250MKW/p/night (about $2.90 ppn).  Rumphi is a good jumping off place for visiting Nyika NP.  We stayed here a total of 3 night before and following our trip to the park.  Delightful, small spot with good food in the restaurant.  Staff was terrific and friendly.  Rumphi has very little in the way of groceries, but good produce from locals along the road.  (7/19)

Rumphi area    Wildcamp spot    Free    S10.86556  E33.53309    Elevation 1306 meters

We were heading towards Nyika NP, but it got late in the day.  Along M14, about 10 kms from the park entry, there is a left turn that all of a sudden is a paved road.  We found a nice, large pull-off where there were spots you could get to that were hidden.  Had a quiet night with no problems.  If you go much further you are back on dirt.  Good choice.  (7/19)

Nyika NP    Chelinda Campsite    Pay    S10.58455  E33.79929    Elevation 2343 meters

Cost:  Park entry fee $10US/person, plus $7.00 for the truck.  Campsite, $15/p/night.  About 5 hours into the mountains from Rumphi on very rough roads; got better after entering the park.  Nice setting for camp.  Good game nearby.   Cold at night.  Pleasant, but not worth price paid; unfortunately no other camping options when visiting Nyika NP.  (7/19)

Mzuzu    Makondo Camp & Lodge    Pay    S11.44058  E34.04261    Elevation 1328 meters

Cost:  4000MKW/p/night (about $5.25 ppn)  In the hills above town, charming small campsite in the gardens of the lodge.  Sloping, hard to get level; no room for a big rig.  To access, take the paved left at the final roundabout as you start out of town toward the lake on the M5; there will be a sign for the lodge at the turn.  You are leaving from the center of town, where the Shoprite is (at S11.46151  E34.01472 — the junction of M1/M5).  Delightful place, with a great Italian restaurant.  (7/19)

Chinteche area    Makuzi Beach Lodge & Camping    Pay    S11.91889  E34.17793    480 meters

Cost:  $US10/p/night (we paid 40,000 MWK for three nights, or about $8.80 ppn).  South of town a short ways you will turn toward the lake on a dirt road that ends up about 3 kms on sand.  No problems.  Splendid spot right next to an incredible beach setting.  Really super.  Ablutions nothing special.  Restaurant.  Electric and water available at site.  (7/19)  

Nkhotakota area    Nkhotakota Pottery    Camping    Pay    S13.05103  E34.32668    Elev 471 M 

Cost:  $10US or 7200 MKW/p/night  South of town about 12 kms on the M5 turn toward the water, go about 3 kms on dirt to get to lodge.  Nice facilities, and reportedly a good restaurant.  Camping area is open to the beach, but behind screening  Staff is quite friendly and helpful.  Electricity and water at site.  Very nice pottery for sale.  (7/19)

Salima area    Kuti Game Reserve    Camping    Pay    S13.70599  E34.43102    Elevation 532 M

Cost:  8560 MKW/p/night (about $7.70 ppn, plus one-time 7000 MKW/person ($9.25) entry fee.  Located off the M14 a few kilometers west of Salima; you follow signage for about 7 kms on dirt to reach reception.  This is a nice, small low-key game reserve; plenty of zebra and sable antelope (a real treat).  They have no predators, so are not as shy as other places.  Camping is in an open field near chalets; facilities available.  Hiking, biking, drives all available.  Staff is very nice.  Although we stayed two nights, we found one night would have been sufficient, and recommend taking a game drive late afternoon, camping for the night, and visiting the Sunset hide the next morning before departing.  (7/19)

Lilongwe    Woodlands Hotel    Camping    Pay    S13.97023  E33.78519    Elevation 1029 meters

Cost:  $10 US or 8000MKW/p/night; extra fee for credit card.  Quiet area in a forest in the city, remarkably quiet and convenient to shopping.  We found the hotel chaotic and unprepared, but enjoyed our stay; the grounds staff were delightful.  Supposedly a good restaurant.  Water and ablutions available.  (7/19)

Lilongwe    Shopping   

Since nobody seems to come here except for shopping — Gateway Shopping Mall is at S13.97123  E33.74097; contains Shoprite and Foodlovers Market.  Many mall stores were vacant.  Very nice restaurant, Coco’s.  They had diet Pepsi at the restaurant but no diet drinks at either supermarket so we asked where they got it.  The answer was Chipiku Market, which is at S13.97491  E33.77306 — our first time at one, and we were quite delighted; lots of stuff we were searching for; better than either Shoprite or Food Lovers.  We also found a small Spar in town.  (7/19)

Salima area    Mua Mission    Overnight    Pay    S14.28104  E34.50712    Elevation 585 meters

Cost:  5000MKW/p/night (about $6.65 ppn).  The camping was absolutely incidental to our visit to this really cool spot.  It was a simple parking spot midst chalets and family residences, with access to a vacant chalet for toilet and shower (a lovely spot!).  This is a place not to be missed; it is located on the M5 about 65 kms south of Salima.  The mission dates to 1902, but the real interest lies in the artists’ colony that was founded in 1976 and thrives there.  There are a showroom, plus a gallery and museum about the history of the area.  The buildings are delightful, with murals and decorations; in the museum is a wonderful array of humanistic ceremonial masks.  We arrived late afternoon, stayed the night, and then spent 2 hours visiting the site the next day.  A real treat.  (7/19)

Cape Maclear    Chembe’s Eagle Nest    Pay    S14.01258  E34.85110    Elevation 462 meters

Cost:  10USD/p/night.  Tight, small camping spots among the trees, with a large open area down along the water.  Private beach right on the lake, part of a lovely lodge with nice appointments, swimming pool, etc.  Ablution facilities nearby.  Attractive rocky setting.  Great sunsets.  (7/19)

Mangochi area    Palm Beach Resort    Pay    S14.39116  E35.21915    Elevation 473 meters

Cost:  5000MKW/p/night ($6.65 ppn).  This is a really nice spot about 15-20 kms north of town, roughly 3 kms toward the water off the M10 .  It’s right on the beach midst the palms.  Very quiet, with locals going about their business of fishing, washing clothes and themselves, playing, etc.  Breezy and nice.  There is plenty of grass for camping, a restaurant and swimming pool, along with the usual ablutions.  We happily stayed 3 nights, and could have stayed longer.  Casual.  (5/19)

Liwonde   Liwonde Safari Lodge & Camping  Pay  S15.02851  E35.23927  Elev 477 meters

Cost:  $10US/p/night (approx 7500MKW)  In town turn east toward the national park; about 7 kms along, there will be signage for the lodge.  It shares space with Bushmen’s Baobab.  And you are definitely camping among them (the trees, not the people).  Nice spot, although can be a bit dusty; there’s grass in the area, but not where you camp.  Beautiful ablutions and showers.  Nice viewing platforms; and arrangements can be made to do drives or boat trips into the park. Outside the park entry so daily entry fees not paid for camping, just for trips if you take them.  (8/19)

Zomba area    Ku Chawe Trout Farm    Pay    S15.35371  E35.30204    Elevation 1504 meters

Cost:  3000MKW/p/night ($4.20 ppn).  This was a beautiful spot for us up on the Zomba Plateau.  To reach it you take the paved road from the center of town, going up the mountain.  In general, you are following the signs to the Ku Chawe Lodge.  You will cross the dam; about 2 kms further turn right at the picnic site sign.  Go about 1 km then turn right; very quickly you will cross a wooden bridge (make sure your vehicle is not too heavy).  About 1 km further on you will turn in at the Trout Farm sign, then go a short distance to the facilities.  Lots of room for camping; ablution facilities are meager.  Stayed 5 nights.  (8/19)

Mulanje area    Africa Wild Truck Eco-Lodge    Pay    S16.07348  E35.67694    Elevation 656 meters

Cost:  $9US/p/night.  Beautiful camping area as part of lodge; on the edge of tea plantation.  Location is about 1 km off Highway M2, about 20 kms east of town.  Facilities are marvelous and people very friendly; at base of mountain area.  Hiking, other activities.  We hated to leave after several nights.  (8/19)

Blantyre  Nyambadwe Lodge   Pay  S15.77843  E35.01974  Elevation 1063 meters

Cost:  5000MKW/p/night ($6.65 ppn).  On a hillside in a section of town away from the city.  Steep, but we managed to get level.  In the courtyard of a small lodge; not much space, but they are extremely accommodating, and will help you.  Nice management.  We enjoyed being here.  They gave us a room for ablutions.  (8/19)

Blantyre     Shopping   There are all the usual suspects, but also a new (opened 3/19) small Food Lovers, at S15.78557  E35.00283.  Hard to access; park on street and then enter parking area for Amaryllis Hotel.  Small store, not overly well stocked or organized.  May get better.  Blantyre has tight, difficult streets.  (8/19)

Lilongwe area  Barefoot Safari Camp  Pay  S14.00218  E33.67232  Elevation 1120 meters

Cost:  6000MKW/p/night ($8.30 ppn).  Lovely spot on grass and under trees.  Superior!  Located about 10 kms west of the Gateway Mall on the western side of the city.  Nice restaurant,  great place to be unless you have business to conduct in the capital.  (8/19)

www. Travelin-Tortuga. com

Morocco: (Spring 2011)

Exchange rate:  Local currency is the Dirham, in March/April 2011, the exchange rate was 10 Dirham to approximately 1.28 Dollars.

Overnight parking regulations:  There are no Aires in Morocco, but there are many campgrounds available at reasonable cost.  While overnight parking is not officially prohibited, in coastal areas and other tourist oriented destinations such as major cities, overnight stays in areas other than established campgrounds may be discouraged.  If you are not staying in an actual campground, you may often be expected to give a small amount, typically 10-20 dirhams to a ‘guardian‘ who keeps an eye on the parking area.  We had no difficulty in wild camping in more remote areas of the mountains and others have reported the same success in the desert.   We wild camped about 1/4 of our nights in Morocco.

Campground Information: We used the “Camping Morocco” book published by Vicarious Books, and other such guides are available.  We stayed at a variety of campgrounds at costs ranging from  $5 to $10 per night.  Campgrounds always included available potable water.  Dump facilities were often limited to toilets only, although many sites also provided a separate location for dumping tanks.  Electric hookups and hot showers were generally available at added cost; available voltage and amperage varied and was often somewhat limited.  Wifi internet was only occasionally available in campgrounds.

GPS: Formal GPS maps for Morocco do not seem to be available from the major GPS suppliers and the Garmin City Navigator Europe set does not include any base map information for Morocco.  At least one downloadable map is available and there are probably others.  We had good success using Marokko-Topo.gmapi, which did not give much detail in cities but seemed quite complete and accurate in showing both major and secondary connecting roads throughout the country. 

Fuel:  Fuel is cheaper in Morocco than anywhere in Europe and prices were much the same throughout the country, varying by less than .2dh/liter ($.10/gallon) wherever we went.  Diesel fuel is readily available and prices were around 7.3 dh/liter ($3.50/gallon); Regular gasoline prices were around 10.3dh/liter ($4.90/gallon).  

Propane:  In Morocco, Butane is used rather than Propane.  While this is not a problem in itself, availability definitely is.  For an extended stay in country, a system that could utilize the readily available exchange bottles would be wise.  Removable tanks may be refillable in some locations using a French fitting.  There are no facilities in Morocco for refilling fixed propane tanks.  By minimizing our propane usage we can stretch our fixed tank to last up to four months in warm weather so this is what we did.

Location, Type/Cost and Description: We visited Morocco in Spring 2011 while we were touring Europe.  Now that we have an Africa section of the camping log I have moved our Morocco information here.  Unlike the sections on other African countries, our listings for Morocco are listed alphabetically.  The numbers in parentheses, i.e. (4/11), indicate the month and year of our visit. 

Al Hoceima area    Overnight    Free    N35 12.258  W003 53.448    Sea level

East of town, follow the N16 and follow signs to Plage Sfiha.  There is a large, area to wander in and find a spot for the night, either on the beach or under the trees.  It appears a development was begun and then abandoned, although some road work is now going on.  Note that at the time of writing (4/11), the coast road from El Jebha (west of Al Hoceima) to Tetouan is completely torn up and under construction; this is about 100 miles of difficult road that may not be suited to all travelers.  When completed this should be a beautiful coastal road, but it will be wise to inquire about conditions before committing to travel this road until work is completed.

Asni    Overnight    Free    N31 14.397  W007 55.614    Alt: 5935 feet

We found a pulloff just above an unnamed village on a new road (paved) that cuts over toward Oukaimeden on P2030; this is not the road to Ilmil, but a parallel road on the east side of the valley.  Difficult area to find a pulloff; we were above a family’s home, but didn’t realize it until the evening.  Terrific views of the mountains. (4/11)

Azrou area    Overnight    50Dh/night    N33 26.932  W005 10.193    Alt: 4961 feet

Camping Amazigh, about 5kms north on the Ifrane road; this is a lovely, somewhat primitive spot set among cherry trees.  May be overhang issues.  Electricity extra; there were showers, and it might be possible to dump.  Resident donkey while we were there.  (4/11)

Chefchaouen    Overnight    80Dh/night    N35 10.584  W005 16.430    Alt: 2350 feet

Camping Azilan; this a very nice campground; extra for hot showers (cold are free); no good dump available.  Free wifi at the restaurant.  High on the hill above town; can take path to medina.  (3/11)

Erfoud    Overnight    90Dh/night    N31 22.883  W004 16.388  

Caming Tifina, about 8 km south of town.  Fee includes showers; dump and swimming pool; hand laundry facilities are available free, washing machines 60dh per load.  Large and new, with plenty of room. (4/11)

Er-Rachidia    Overnight    80Dh/night    N31 47.062  W004 13.825    Alt: 3075 feet 

Camping Tissert.  This small campground is about 20 miles south of town; great hot showers; middle of palmerie.  Electricity extra.  (4/11)

Fes (Fez)    Overnight    10Dh/night    N33 59.269  W005 01.117

Camping Diamont Vert.  About 5 miles south of the medina; bus stops at entrance to campground, which is located next to a forested recreation area.  Hot showers and electric included.  Access is signed off the A1.  (3/11)

Fes (Fez)    Shopping    N33 59.306  W005  00.000

There is a large Marjane store close to Camping Diamont Vert, to the south, on the road to the airport and the N8. (3/11)

Gorges du Dadès    Overnight    60Dh/night    N31 33.427  W005 54.585    Alt: 5725 feet

Electricity extra.  Charming, lovely spot next to the Hotel Berbere de la Montaigne.  Terrific showers; dinner available at the auberge.  Hotel is within sauntering distance of the narrowest part of the gorge, and right next to the stream that cuts through it.  A great experience; highly recommended.  Boumaine is 34 kms away. (4/11)

Imilchil area    Overnight    Free    N32 11.545  W005 38.342    Alt: 7525 feet

We parked on a bluff overlooking Lake Tislit, shortly northwest of town; gorgeous views of the lake and mountains; this is the Plateau des Lacs area. (4/11)

Imouzzér du Kandar    Overnight    Free    N33 38.908  W005 01.372    Alt: 4819 feet

About 9 km south of town on the N8, there is a turn to a large lake, Dayat Aaoua, which is quite lovely.  No services.  We parked along the water for three nights.  (3/11)

Itzèr    Overnight    Free    N32 51.466  W005 11.710    Alt: 6657 ft

We were on the somewhat paved road to Khenifra (no number), headed west from Itzèr, and pulled off into this quarry area for a quiet night.  (4/11)

Kalach Iris    Possible Overnight    Free(?)    N35 08.855  W004 21.717    Sea level

Along the Mediterranean coast road (old N16), west of Al Hoceima, there is a large parking lot at the beach at the south end of the village; should be a good spot.  (5/11)

Marrakesh    Overnight    74Dh/night    N31 43.155  W007 58.961    Alt: 1400 feet

Camping Ferdaous.  This campground is on the road to Casablanca, about 8 miles north of town; large, relatively quiet; has peacocks.  Price included electricity.  Would have trouble reaching spot to dump.  They run a shuttle into the medina area. (4/11)

Marrakesh    Overnight    50Dh/24 hrs    N31 37.446  W007 59.768    Alt: 1600 feet

This is the parking lot for the Koutoubia Mosque; from here you can easily walk into the center of the action in the old part of town.  Gets very crowded, so get there early.  From here you can also walk to the Cyber Park, which has excellent free wifi; best is in the corner of the park that is near the  Ensemble Artisanal shopping place across the street.  Access to the parking area is by coming in from the north on Mohammed V, then about the time you see the Artisanal spot, there will be a small turn to the right that takes you to the parking area.  Can be difficult to find.  (4/11)

Martil  Overnight    10Dh    N35 36.922  W005 16.207  

On the coast near Tetouan, this makes a good first or last stop when entering or leaving the country through Ceuta.  We spent the night along the promenade north of the downtown area; paid the guardian who came by.  Quiet.  On another visit, in May, we stayed one night with no problem, but were told to move by the police at about 10pm.   (3/11)

Martil    Overnight    75Dh/night    N35 37.737  W005 16.664    Sea level

We spent 3 nights at Complexe Touristique Al Boustane.  A bit old, but quite adequate, with a good shower block and a complete Area de Service.  Electricity was extra.  Can walk into town.  (5/11)

Mirleft    Overnight    60Dh/night    N29 34.793  W10 02.610    sea level

Camping Nomade.  Very small walled campground in beach town.  No direct beach access  (4/11)

Ouzoud area    Overnight    Free    N32 02.635  W006 41.229    Alt: 3400 feet

Roadside stop at the communications tower at the top of the pass coming from Aït Attab; large open area.  We actually stayed the night a short distance away, not realizing the tower was around the bend.  This would have been much better. (4/11)

Ouzoud    Overnight    75Dh/night    N32 00.290  W006 43.226    Alt: 2800 feet

Camping Zebra; electricity included.  Water, dump, showers all available.  This is a delightful spot with great views; about 1.5 Kms from the falls.  Good place to chat with other Africa wanderers, including the Dutch owners.  (4/11)

Sebta (Ceuta)    Fuel Station    N35 50.009  W005 21.313

Last fuel station before you reach the border, if you are heading north on the coast  road.  It will be on the wrong side of the road, and you will have to go further on until you reach the roundabout and can turn back.  Inconvenient, but worth the trouble.  (5/11)  

Tabant area    Overnight    Free    N31 44.136  W006 19.892    Alt: 8516 feet

This pullout on R302 (piste) is a few miles north of town and about 2 miles south of the cutoff to Azilal/Aït Mohammed.  Delightful, quiet night; this is a lovely drive on well graded piste. (4/11)

Tafraoute    Overnight    20Dh/night    N29 43.365  W008 58.806    Alt: 3275 feet 

Large field across from Camping Les Trois Palmiers, at the entrance to town off the R104.  No services on site.  Hard to get level and shade is at a premium, but this is a lovely location near the rocks; plenty of room with campers well spread out.  Guardian will come collect money from you.  (4/11)

Tafraoute area – painted rocks    Overnight    Free    N29 39.965  W008 58.474    Alt: 3900 feet

Found a quiet/level spot out among the rocks, with great view; no services. (4/11)

Taliouine    Overnight    40Dh/night    N30 31.371  W007 53.685    Alt: 3454 feet

Camping Toubkal, on a plateau above town.  Quite nice, lots of room; no shade.  Electricity extra.  (4/11)

Telouet    Overnight    30Dh/night    N31 17.233  W007 14.095    Alt: 5916 feet

We stayed the night in the parking area for the Kasbah Telouet; would have been free if we’d had dinner at the restaurant.  Bleak but okay; we were unable to find a decent wild camp spot in this area. (4/11)

Tetouan    Service Station    N35 35.028  W005 19.969

At the junction of the road from Tetouan out to Martil, there is a large Total Gas station with good mechanics; we had a tire repaired, and then later an oil change and car wash.  (5/11)

Tin Mal    Overnight    Free    N30 59.076  W008 13.682    Alt: 4200 feet

We parked in front of the mosque, after getting permission from Abdu at the café.  It was a great spot. (4/11)

Volubilis    Overnight    70Dh/night    N30 00.872 W005 33.725    Alt: 1530 feet

Camping Bellevue.  About 6.6 miles down the N13 toward Meknès from the ruins.  Very nice campground in a lovely setting. (3/11)

Zagora    Overnight    60Dh/night    N30 19.430  W005 49.554    Alt: 2415 feet

Auberge Oasis Palmier.  Cross the river south of town and then turn left; campground is in the palmerie; very nice.  Rate shown includes electricity, though with low amperage.  Showers and dump available.  If you need anything, Mubarak will make it happen: camel rides, truck repairs, whatever.  (4/11)

www. Travelin-Tortuga. com

Namibia: (Fall 2018, Spring 2019)

Exchange rate:  The Namibian Dollar (NAD, or just N) is tied directly to the South African Rand (ZAR) and the Rand is also accepted at most places.  This makes border crossings particularly easy if entering from South Africa as border fees can be paid in ZAR.  When we arrived in October 2018, the NAD was at a rate of about 14.4 to one US Dollar (10 NAD = $0.70 US). 

Border Crossing:  We entered Namibia from South Africa at the Vioolsdrif/Noordoewer crossing.  All was easy and straightforward, with the South Africa side better signed and more organized but everyone on both sides polite and friendly.  Personal: Our passports were stamped out of SA and into Namibia with no problem.  We were given new ninety day visas for Namibia.  Vehicle: The Carnet is not stamped out of or into countries when moving within the South African Customs Union (SACU). These are South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland.  There are said to be two vehicle charges when entering Namibia; the Cross Border Charge is paid on entry and the Mass Distance Charge is based on the distance covered while in the country and is paid when exiting.  Both are based on the weight of the vehicle in three categories: Car, truck over 3500kg but under 7000kg, and truck over 7000kg.  We were only charged the car fee for the CBC, which was N295 (US$20.75); they neither asked us about our vehicle nor came out to look at it.  For the MDC, the form you fill out includes the current mileage and we assumed this would be compared to the mileage when leaving the country.  In the end, when exiting Namibia, no mention was ever made of the Mass Distance Charge and we did not have to pay anything on departure.

Money Matters:  ATMs and the acceptance of Credit Cards for payment are widespread but less available than in South Africa, especially in small towns.  Internet access is also more fragile and subject to interruption so an ATM or credit card reader that may be usually available might be inoperative at the time of your visit.  As a result travelers need to carry a larger supply of cash than they normally would and replenish it when opportunities arise.  

Overnight parking:  Wild camping is legal in Namibia and more overlanders do it here than do in South Africa as Namibia is by all reports a safer country.  However you will find that so much of the land along the roads is fenced that wild camping opportunites will only appear in very rural, off the normal track, areas.  As ever, we rely in information from other travelers and on sources including Tracks 4 Africa maps and GPS software, and two phone/tablet apps recommended to us by others, iOverlander and Pocket Earth.  As noted in our South Africa comments, these are useful tools, but are simply not as intuitive or user friendly as the apps we used in both Australia (wikicamps) and New Zealand (Rankers).  iOverlander is a very nice app, and includes visitor reviews for camp sites, but it is only partially useful if not online and this is a major drawback.  The camp site listings and reviews are viewable offline, but the map area is limited to a large area around where you were when last online; still useful, but obvious limitation.  Pocket Earth maps and listings are fully usable offline, but there are no reviews or comments and so the information is less useful. Pocket Earth does also include a lot of information regarding shopping and activities and even has guide book information, all accessible offline once you download the information you want to have. 

Camping Infrastructure:  Fresh water, while it may sometimes be in short supply, seems to be generally of good quality in Namibia.  Dumping facilities for either casette or black tank systems remain the same, so our comments in the South Africa section apply and I won’t repeat them here.  Camping opportunities are plentiful and generally of good quality, especially the various rest camps or guest farms or guest houses that generally have a small number (3-4) of well equipped sites.  Camping is more expensive in Namibia than in South Africa and during our three month visit we averaged about N300 (US$21.00) per night of paid camping….    with about ten nights of wild camping     

National Parks & Game Reserves:  The camping and accomodation in most parks are operated by Namibian Wildlife Resorts (NWR).  Widely held opinion is that they don’t do a very good job, but if you want to stay in a park like Etosha, they are the only option.  NWR campsites are generally not particularly well maintained and have higher fees.  In addition, their online reservation system is impossible so advance bookings must be made either by phone (good luck with that) or at one of the NWR offices located in a few major cities, which are hard to find.  Many travelers will prefer to stay outside the parks at private facilities that are likely to be higher quality and less expensive.  There is no equivelent option to the South African Wild Card to help lessen costs.  In addition to campsite fees, a daily conservation fee is also required.  At the time of our visit, the daily fee, which is good for 24 hours, was N80/person plus N10/vehicle in major parks.  This equates to about US$12.  The campground fee varies but at Sesriem (Sossusvlei) for example was N440 (US$30.50) in October 2018, while in Etosha we paid $45/night for camping in early December.  

Fuel:  Fuel prices are about 15% less than in South Africa and vary only slightly in the areas we have been to so far.  As in South Africa we are impressed that even inside a national park or at a highway rest area the cost is much the same as in any urban area.  Prices for Diesel fuel have ranged between N14.15 and N14.89 per liter, or between US $3.71 and $3.84 per gallon  Petrol prices are slightly less, with only Unleaded 95 available.  Standard low sulphur diesel of 50 ppm is the norm, with ultra low sulphur at 15 ppm also available from some stations.

Roads:  We have now explored much of the western two-thirds of the country, with the eastern desert and Caprivi Strip left to go.  Generally, the paved roads have been of good quality, and are being adequately maintained.  However, about two thirds of the roads in the country are unpaved gravel roads and their condition varies greatly.  In ten weeks in Namibia we have driven 6500 kms so far, 3750 of them on gravel/rock/dirt. 

Internet:  MTC seems to be the major cell phone provider and we have used their data only sim cards in our unlocked mifi router that we bought from MTN in South Africa.  Do not get a phone or router from Vodacom and they are locked to Vodacom sim cards only.  As anticipated, coverage is good in cities and OK in medium size towns, but things are generally pretty bleak out in the countryside.

Location, Type/Cost and Description: (Listings are in chronological order. Numbers {7/18} indicate month/year of visit. Costs are in local currency for two people, one vehicle, per night and may include pensioner or other discount. Exchange rates vary, but for comparison purposes at the time of our visit N200 was approximately US $14.00) 

Noordoewer area    Amanzi Trails River Camp    Pay    S28.69980  E17.53280

Cost:  300N/night.  Right on the beautiful Orange River, about 10 kms from the border with South Africa.  Very pleasant spot with the usual facilities; kayaking on the river is possible.  Windy and hot, but lovely; good shade.  No wifi.  Stayed 2 nights. (10/18)

Fish River Canyon    Hobas NWR Campsite    Pay    S27.62017  E17.71459

Cost:  380N/night.  The usual facilities, plus restaurant and pool.  Very windy and dusty.  Baboons.  When driving to visit the canyon, the first spot you will come to as you enter the park is this campsite.  You buy your permit here (good for 24 hours).  Then go and see the canyon, which is on down the road from within the campground; when you return you pick a site for overnight (if you are staying) then the next morning you can get up early and go back out to revisit the canyon in better light, then leave the area before your 24 hours is up.  (10/18)

Keetmanshoop area    Garas Quivertree Park    Pay    S26.41893  E18.19089

Cost:  260N/night.  Delightful, funky place about 20 kms north of town.  Plenty of quiver trees to enjoy.  Rudimentary facilities, friendly owner.  Good shopping in town.  (10/18)

Lüderitz    Shark Island NWR Campsite    Pay    S26.63500  E15.1511

Cost:  340N/night including electric  Usual basic facilities; sites are among the rocks.  We parked at the far lower end; quite pleasant.  Security on site 24 hours.  Stayed 2 nights.  (10/18)

Aus area    Klein-Aus Vista campsite    Pay    S26.65696  E16.23482

Cost:  270N/night; no electric.  About 2kms west of Aus.  Delightful, luxurious spot with a pretty view; tables, water and good shade; ablution block nearby.  Stayed 2 nights.  Horses wandering through; hikes in area.   Oryx on site.  (10/18)

Betta    Betta Rest Camp    Pay    S25.38290  E16.42397  

Cost:  242N/night.  All facilities, except meager electric.  Nice, open campsite with plenty of room and some trees; oryx on site.  Nice quiet spot.  Stayed 2 nights.  Location is at junction of C27 and D826; roughly halfway between Aus and Sesriem in southwestern part of the country.  (10/18)

Sesriem area    Hauchab Fontein Camping    Pay    S24.52388 E16.07234

Cost:  370N/night for pensioners; 205/person/night normally.  All facilities except electric.  Private, secluded campsite near springs.  Lovely area at foot of mountains.  Remote location on D854 roughly 35 kms north of junction of D894 and C19 heading north toward Sesriem.    (10/18)

Sesriem    Sossusvlei NWR campsite    Pay    S24.48646  E15.79912

Cost:  440N/night.  We booked 4 days ahead and were able to get an overflow spot; it’s a dirt parking lot with a few trees; no services right there.  NWR headquarters very near: restaurant (good food), desk for purchasing permits (80N/p/day + 10N for vehicle), toilets and showers, small store.  This is the campsite that is inside the main gate for the park, which allows you to get an earlier morning start on your visit if you wish; there are also 2-3 lodges and a private campsite right outside the main gate.  Road to Sossusvlei area is tarred; we drove out for an afternoon visit and a second visit early the next morning.  (10/18)

Solitaire area    Abibas Guest Farm    Pay    S23.98302  E16.09120

Cost:  360N/night.  About 13 kms below Solitaire, at junction of  C14/D1273 is this lovely guest farm; very rural and charming; goats, horses on site.  Some wifi.  Rough access by crossing dry river bed out onto open area; some trees; usual facilities except electric.  (10/18)

Spreetshoogte Pass area    Nauams Rest Camp    Pay    S23.60010  E16.37449    Elev 1807 meters

Cost:  340N/night.  In the mountains east of the pass, on the D1261; west of the junction of D1261 & C24 heading east to Rehoboth in about 30 kms.  Four private camp sites with individual ablution facilities; pool on site.  Friendly owners and great stargazing.  Internet at reception.  Spent 4 delightful nights.  (11/18

Windhoek    Urban Camp    Pay    S22.55433  E17.09288    Elevation 1652 meters

Cost:  290N/night.  Very nice camping spot on the eastern side of the city, managing to be very quiet despite proximity to town.  Very welcoming, and lower price for long term travelers.  Not that big, but they found a spot for us.  Can walk to some shopping.  Spent 3 days on our first visit and have returned two times since, once in January, then again at the end of February (11/18; again in 2019) 

Gamsberg Pass area    Hakos Campsite    Pay    S23.23864  E16.35623    Elevation 1820 meters

Cost:  440N/night.  Extremely lovely camping area with tremendous views over the mountains and incredible star gaving; they offer night-time tours.  There is an observatory here, and astronomy is the thing.  Badly over-priced we thought, but we had come to be as cool as possible.  Eight kms off the highway and a further km on to the four campsites; roads rough.  The showers and bath are supposed to be extraordinary.  (11/18)

Namib-Naukluft NP/North Section    Ganab Campsite    Free    S23.09718  E15.51361    Elevation 772 meters

No cost, but permit required to access area.  Permit is 90N/day.  No services; park under spaced trees in open desert.  Not great, but a place to stop; somewhat sandy.  Windy.  (11/18)

Namib-Naukluft NP/North Section    Blutkopje Campsite    Free    S22.83868  E15.37894   Elevation 743 meters

No cost, but permit required to access area.  Permit is 90N/day.  Toilets and trash receptacles.  Much prettier, among rocks.  There are 2 parts to this campsite; the coordinates are for the area behind the outcropping, which has much better shade but requires 4X4, as is in significant sand.  Lovely, and we stayed 2 nights.  (11/18)

Swakopmund    Mile 4 Municipal Campsite    Pay    S22.62415   E14.52638    Sea level

Cost:  200N/night with shared facilities, 240N/night with private ablutions block.  North of town, this very large, unshaded campground has both open sites and ones that have private ablution blocks.  We stayed 2 nights.  Electricity and water available.  Nice spot, although if it gets really windy would not be as good.  (11/18)

Swakopmund Services — Swakop turned out to be a great spot for getting things taken care of.

• Midvaal Diesel and Turbo, 3992 Einstein Street    S22.67377 E14.54243
  Excellent for general service and mechanical repair.  Nice people and competent work.  Washed truck and cleaned engine compartment.
  
  
• Diesel Electric,  ERF750, Albertina Amathila Ave
  Midvaal sent us here for a battery and wiper blades.  General parts store and repairs.  Did good work for us.
  
  
• Crazy Gecko Accessories & Fitment on Hidipo Hamutenya Street    S22.66885  E14.53966
  Did an excellent job repairing and reinstalling our broken black tank.  A useful place for all non-automotive repairs.  If they can’t do what you need they can surely send you to the appropriate place.

Walvis Bay area     Langstrand-Oord Resort    Pay    S22 48.598  E14. 32.701    Sea level

Cost:  150N/night with shared facilities; stayed 5 nights.  Wide open area not far from resort with beach and restaurant and bar at jetty.  Part way between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.  Quite pleasant. No shade.  (11/18)

Usakos  area     Spitzkoppe Rest Camp    Pay    S21.83386  E15.18974    Elev 1078 meters

Cost:  340N/night.  No electric.  Water at open-air showers at point of entry.  Remote location about 30 kms off the B2 west of town. Very nice; quiet; some shade.  Great spot to use as base as you explore the area.  Site No. 15 was recommended, and it was lovely; the climb to the top of the rocks begins directly behind the campspot.  (11/18)

Omaruru area   Omandumba Rest Camp  Pay  S21.51115  E15.59337  Elev 1225 meters

Cost:  200N/night.  In the Erongo Mountains.  Along D2315 west of Omaruru on secondary road.  The Omandumba Rest Camp has 2 very isolated and secluded spots across the road and  beyond the Sun Living Museum.  Very quiet, with good hiking.  Water, shower, and toilets on site; some shade.  (11/18)

Omaruru    Omaruru Guesthouse/Rest Camp    Pay    S21.41308  E15.96476    Elev 1218 meters

Cost:  240N/night.  The usual facilities; in a nice spot on the edge of town, small spaces but with some of shade.  Swimming pool and restaurant.  Nice area; family place.  Kaffestube Bakery a few doors down; several craft shops and Spar in town.  (11/18)

Otjiwarongo area    Gerus Camp    Pay    S20.32381  E16.42262    Elev 1300 meters

Cost:  200N/night.  About 30 kms northwest of town on the C38, turn off onto a dirt road for about 1-1/2 kms before reach camp gate.  Rural, minimalistic.  Several basic but clean sites with personal ablution block; some shade.  Quite pleasant.  Waterhole nearby.  (11/18)

Otjiwarongo area    Cheetah Conservation Fund    Pay    S20.48397  E17.03127    Elev 1556 meters

Cost: 240N/night.  East of town about 44 kms is the very interesting Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), where we spent the day learning about the animals.  Asked, and were given permission to remain for the night; they do not advertise camping, but were pleased to have us stay.  Contact ahead of time to request permission.  There is a lodge on site, which we had access to.  There is also a waterhole, and we saw kudos, baboons, etc.  A great experience and wonderful staff.  (11/18)

Tsemub area    Sachsenheim Guest House    Pay    S18.74711  E17.26055    Elev 1122 meters

Cost: 340N/night + 50N/night for truck.  Lovely location with restaurant, gardens, artwork, birds, swimming pool.  Shared ablutions.  Price a bit steep.  Located about 50 kms north of Tsemub, but near east entrance to Etosha NP.  (11/18)

Etosha National Park  Halali Camp  Pay S19.03686  E16.47030  Elev 1099 meters

Cost:  600N/night + NWR entry fee of 170N per day.  Pleasant campsite on dirt; usual facilities, plus swimming pool and restaurant, small grocery/curio shop.  Waterhole within walking distance.  We stayed 2 nights and used the camp as a base for visiting the eastern area of the park.  (11/18)

Etosha NP    Okaukuejo Camp    Pay    S19.18152  E15.91771    Elev 1111 meters

Cost:  600N/night + entry fee.  This site is quite spread out with plenty of room; still on dirt.  Waterhole nicer than at Halali, and lit at night.  More facilities in the area; this is the administration center for the Park; you pay your entry fees here.  The site is central to the Park, and you can enter or exit through the Anderson gate.  (11/18)

Etosha NP    Olifantsrus Camp    Pay    S18.97122  E14.86172    Elev 1168 meters

Cost:  700N/night + entry fee.  We thought the other campsite fees were terrible, but felt this was outrageous.  This is a small camp, with few sites, but quite pleasant; still on dirt.  There is a new hide and waterhole close to camp, which may be the reason for the higher fee.  Definitely not worth it but there is nowhere else to stay here on the west side of the park, so you are stuck unless you wish to leave the park entirely which is quite a distance at this end.  (12/18)

Kamanjab    Oppi Koppi Camping    Pay *    S19.62080  E14.84923    Elev 1232 meters

Cost: * Free to Overlanders; otherwise 150N/person/night.  The owners welcome overland travelers and they are free to stay several days if they wish.  There are all the usual facilities in a nice setting, and a restaurant/bar/swimming pool/car wash on site.  There are ostriches quite close.  This is a very special place, and we stayed 3 nights recuperating from our trip into Etosha and planning what’s next.  We enjoyed the very nice restaurant twice.  The hamlet of Kamanjab has a fuel station and general store, but not much else.  (12/18)

Twyfelfontein area    Abu-Huab Campsite    Pay    S20.54827  E14.39934    Elev 564 meters

Cost:  300N/night + 20N for truck.  Casual open campsites near dry riverbed.  Usual facilities; a bit rundown.  Bar/restaurant available.  12 km from the rock engravings at (S20.59073 E14.37184)  Access the campsite by going west from Khorixas, then turn south on D2612, which is well signed.  Campground is on road to engravings.  (12/18)

Uis    Brandberg Rest Camp    Pay    S21.21858  E14.86789    Elev 801 meters

Cost:  300N/night.  Usual facilities plus swimming pool.  Rather plain campground, but in a good location for heading into/out of Brandberg area; right on the C35.  Great breezes, and cooler here.  (12/18)

Henties Bay    Buck’s Camping Lodge    Pay    S22.11222  E14.28106    Sea level

Cost:  350N/night.  Usual facilities.  Private ablution blocks for each site, which provide shelter from sea breezes.  Rather uninteresting site, but adequate.  Town has plenty of small stores & cafes for shopping and eating.  (12/18)

Cape Cross    Cape Cross Lodge Campsite    Pay    S21.75595  E13.97177    Sea Level

Cost:  120N/p/night.  Nice guest lodge with plain but pleasant and clean campng.  Separate sites with communal ablutions.  Very close to the seal colony.  Electric available at certain times of the day.  Great bread!!!  Returned for 4 more nights early January.  (12/18)

Skeleton Coast NP area    Torra Conservancy    Free    S20.26878  E13.75058    Elevation 674 meters

Approximately 13 km east of the Springwasser Gate entry to the Skeleton Coast NP (on C39 west of Twyfelfontein) turn south a small marker #30.6; go about 2 kms into big open area with many lovely camping spots.  This is a terrific wild camp spot.  We spent two nights, and have now returned for another three.  Perfect!   (12/18)

Sesfontein area    Khowarib Community Campsite    Pay    S19.26561  E13.88378    704 meters

Cost:  100N/p/night.  Southeast of Sesfontein, on C43, about 21 km south of the junction of C43 and the D3707.  Do not confuse with Khowarib Lodge Campsite.  Large, open very nice campsites along the river gorge in a beautiful setting.  Settle in and they will find you; they offer guided walks.  Usual facilities.  (12/18)

Opuwo    Opuwo Country Lodge    Pay    S18.04948  E13.83276    1243 meters

Cost:  175N/p/night.  Usual facilities.  NOT RECOMMENDED.  Lodge is lovely but the campsites are tiny and you cannot get level.  On top of the hill above town.  (12/18)

Opuwo area    Omungunda Campsite    Pay    S17.79949  E13.68936    1322 meters

Cost:  110N/p/night  North of Opuwo about 40 kms and back off the road (C43) about 2 kms up a rocky path is a small but pleasant community campsite, next to the Ohandungu Living Museum.  Delightful people on site, and usual facilities; offer guided walks in area, including rock carvings.  Local culture.  (12/18)150

Epupa Falls    Epupa Falls Lodge and Campsite    Pay    S17.00230  E13.24553    626 meters

Cost:  150N/p/night.  At the far northern end of C43, along the river, on the Angola border.  Nice lodge.  Camping spaces are tight.  Usual facilities + swimming pool.  Spent 3 nights.  Among trees.  (12/18)

Ruacana area    Kunene River Lodge    Pay    S17.35434  E13.88153    730 meters

Cost:  205N/p/night.  On the river, the Lodge lies roughly 70 kms west of Ruacana (50 kms on rough 4x4 road) and approximately 100 kms east of Epupa Falls along the same rough 4x4 track.  This is a splendid place to stay for as long as you can manage.  Quiet, fully equipped, with restaurant and some meager internet, the sites along the water are just great.   There were several large family groups present, on holiday, down at one end, so you might inquire ahead about locations available.  Lovely spot.  (12/18)

Windhoek    Uhland Pension Hotel  

Cost:  It varied a bit, but averaged roughly 1000N/night for two; cheaper if you book online.  Nice small pension at 147 Dr Kenneth David Kaunda Street (aka Uhland Street, near shopping and a great place to eat, the Vintage Coffee Shop and Restaurant; not far from Urban Camp.  We stayed there two times while the truck was being worked on in town.  Quite nice, with friendly staff.  Outdoor pool.  Breakfasts great; dinner just appetizers.  (3/19)

Mariental area    Bastion Farm Yard    Pay    S24.51372  E17.92639

Cost:  290N for 2/night.  A bit north of town, easy drive in from highway (B1).  Lovely, well-maintained camping area on edge of farm; room for 4 rigs.  Individual ablution blocks.  Meals available.  (3/19)

Grünau area    White House Guest Farm    Pay    S27.60603  E18.39714    Elev 1241 meters

Cost:  100N/person/night.  North of town, along the B1 route south of Windhoek.  One of our favorite spots.  Charming Dutch farm in a quiet area near a rocky hillside that’s great for walking and views.  Central meeting area; private ablutions; even has clothes lines.  Near rose quartz site.  Spent 3 lovely days.  (3/19)

Divundu area    Nunda Riverside Lodge    Camping    Pay    S18.10601  E21.59411    Elevation  996M

Cost:  150N/person/night.  Crossing the border going north from the western side of the Okavango Delta in Botswana, you drive through the Mahango section of the Bwabwata NP, and then towards Divundu.  We stopped south of the town at the Nunda Lodge, and really enjoyed our night on the grounds.  It’s a very comfortable spot, right on the Kavango River, and there are lots of flowers, swimming pool, and lovely grounds.  N.B.  We had first stopped at Ngepi Camp, further south on the same road, but found the sites far too small and cramped for us; they are set up for tent camping, it seems.  A charming spot though, as advertised.  (5/19)

Kongola area    Kapako Waterfront Riversite     Pay    S17.88383  E23.33825    Elevation 958 meters

Cost:  50N/person/night  Heading east from Divundu on the B8, we turned south at Kongola and followed the river down into the wetlands.   We had read on iOverlander of a special place to stay, and we certainly agree.  About 10 kms south of town you turn west on a dirt road at a sign for Mukalo Camp.  Follow this road until there is a split; to the right is signed for Mukalo, but you want to go left and follow the dirt track about 500 meters to a camping area with three very nice sites along the river.  Lovely quiet spot, with rustic toilets.  The GPS, quite stubbornly, refused to take us here, so we set our Garmin (Emily) to offroad and followed our noses to the spot.  We stayed 2 nights, and could have stayed a week.  Very nice man, Lukas, runs the place, there are boats on the river, and hippos at night.  Peaceful and inexpensive; a taste of old Africa   (5/19)

Kongola area    Mudumu Game Reserve    Camping    (Pay*)    S18.17298  E23.42399  

Cost:  *Supposed to pay daily park entry fee of N 90 (US $6.50) upon entry, but we never did find someone to give money to.  Camping is included in the entry fee.  These coordinates are for Site #1, which is where we stayed for several days, right on the water.  No facilities except trash barrel and long-drop toilet.  Location approx 40 kms south of Kongola.  Visited by hippos, elephants, monkeys, baboons, impalas, wildebeest.  Marvelous and quiet; a very special place.  We also checked out site #2, further south on track through park; looked fine, but had been told the hippos come right out of the water into your site, perhaps not the best thing.  Wanted to check site #1, which is said to be the best, but were stopped by deep sand on the connecting road. (5/19)  

Katima Mulilo area    Namwi Island Lodge Camping    Pay    S17.49320  E24.34449    Elevation 932 meters

Cost:  200N/p/night.  Very nice grounds and lodge, next to Zambezi River offshoot; about 9 kms east of town.  Plenty of shade, ablutions excellent, grassy incline down to water.  Nice restaurant/bar; friendly staff.  Stayed 3 days.  Kind of pricey, but a nice overlander spot, and not too far from town for supplies and stocking up in preparation for crossing into Zambia.  Crocodiles and hippos on hand.  (5/19)

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South Africa: (Summer 2018, Spring & fall 2019)

Exchange rate:  When we arrived in July 2018, the Rand (ZAR) was at a rate of about 13.4 to one US Dollar (10 ZAR = $0.75US).  The economy in South Africa is not doing overly well just now and by mid-September the Rand had fallen to 15.3 to the US dollar (10 ZAR = $0.65US).  In September 2019, the rate was around 14.5 ZAR per USD (10 ZAR = $0.68 US).  South Africa has proven to be one of the less expensive countries across southern Africa and prices of basic commodities have remained fairly constant.      

Overnight parking:  As we do not intend to wild camp here we must rely on resources for locating campsites.  So far we are relying primarily on camping information from other travelers and this is quite available on the web.  Other sources we are using are Tracks 4 Africa GPS software, and two phone/tablet apps recommended to us by others, iOverlander and Pocket Earth.  We must say that while useful, neither of these strikes us as being nearly as user friendly as the apps we used in both Australia and New Zealand.  iOverlander is a very nice app, and includes visitor reviews, but it is only partially useful if not online and this is a major drawback.  The camp site listings and reviews are viewable offline, but the map is not, which is an obvious limitation.  Pocket Earth maps are fully useable offline, but there are no reviews or comments for the campsites and so the information is less useful.  Pocket Earth does also include a lot of information regarding shopping and activities and even has guide book information, all accessible offline.

Camping Infrastructure:  Unfortunately, both dump stations and potable water can be somewhat problematic in South Africa. We had assumed that since we needed to be in formal campgrounds everynight this would not be the case but we immediately began to realize that we’d become badly spoiled by the quality and quantity of these resources in Australia.  We’ve been told by both other travelers and locals that city water cannot necessarily be relied upon for quality but that if you are more out in the country it is probably okay.  Any overland traveler should either install a quality water filtration system if that is feasible in their vehicle or plan on carrying bottled water for drinking.  As to dump stations, if you have a cassette toilet you can of course utilize public toilets for dumping, but you won’t find many locations that provide facilities for rinsing out the casette.  For a black tank system such as ours we've been able to utilize a sewer access point at some of the camp sites we’ve been in with our regular 3” diameter sewer hose.  Using our macerator pump and 25’ hose, in a couple of spots we've been able to reach a cassette toilet dump point attached to an ablutions block.  Otherwise we have had to dump in the bush.  Once again we emphasize the importance of having a macerator pump if you do not have a cassette toilet.   

National Parks & Game Reserves:  Be sure to look into getting a Wild Card for use in South Africa.  It covers the daily entry or conservation fee for all South African National Parks plus the same for many nature and game reserves in ZA.  An annual Wild Card for foreign nationals cost us 3800 Rand or US $285 in 2018.  In 2019 the price had gone up to 4200 Rand, a bit over a 10% increase, but as the Rand had fallen somewhat, the USD cost was $307 - less than 8%.  The pass is a bit pricey, but well worth it.  We’ve used it many times in many parks, and just for comparison we just finished eight days in Kruger NP and the daily conservation fee would have been 608 ZAR (US $45) for the two of us; that’s US $360 for the eight days.

Fuel:  Fuel prices are comparable in all areas we have been to so far.  Even inside a national park or at a highway rest area the cost is much the same as in any urban area.  Prices for Diesel fuel have ranged between ZAR 15.50 and 16.50 per liter, or between US $4.15 and $4.65 per gallon, which is a bit higher than in Australia.  Standard low sulphur diesel of 50 ppm is the norm, with high sulphur 500 ppm diesel being available occasionally at a slightly lower price and ultra low sulphur of 10 ppm seen sometimes at a higher price.  Petrol prices are much the same with a standard unleaded slightly less and a premium grade somewhat higher.  Prices are adjusted, generally upward of course, nationwide on the first of each month.  Fuel is about 15% less in both Swaziland and Lesotho if you plan to visit those countries.

Propane:  LPG is readily available in South Africa, but not necessarily easy to obtain.  LPG is commonly used for home or restaurant cooking, but not for vehicle use.  Unlike in many other countries, the tank sizes used for home or restaurant are small and portable.  Not the large fixed tanks seen in rural areas of other countries, but more in line with the portable tanks used in caravans. For this reason, while finding a business that refills these tanks is not hard, for a vehicle like ours with a fixed, frame mounted tank it was finding access to a filling hose that proved difficult.  We located a supplier who was able to come up with an adapter attached to our own 1 3/4" Acme threaded adapter with a reinforced rubber hose.  

With the adapter made, they still needed to go through the slow process of filling our tank from one of theirs rather than being able to pump the LPG under pressure because their filling hose could not reach our vehicle.  It took about two hours of patient work to fill our 15.4 gallon tank.  Once the correct adapter has been obtained, a vehicle with removable tanks will have an easier time of it.  This entire process has made us happier than ever that over our years of travel we have greatly reduced our reliance on propane by switching our refrigerator to all electric and our furnace to diesel.  As it is now, our full LPG tank will last about a year before we need to fill it again. 

The top photo shows the South African Adapter they supplied, while the bottom is the adapter I already had that fits my tank.  For ease of use, they are joined by about 1/2 meter of high pressure hose.

The next time we wanted to fill our tanks, about seven months later but once again in South Africa, a different fitting was needed as they did not use the same one as the outfit in Durban.  They came up with a different adapter and we were able to get near to their pump so the filling was much faster.

Location, Type/Cost and Description: (Listings are in chronological order. Numbers {7/18} indicate month/year of visit. Costs are in local currency for two people, one vehicle, per night and may include pensioner discount. Exchange rates vary, but for comparison purposes at the time of our visit 200 ZAR was approximately US $14.00)

Durban    Bel-Aire Suites Hotel    Pay    S29.84185  E31.03518

We spent our first two nights in this comfortable hotel along the beach north of the city; cost was US $71/night, including excellent breakfast buffet.  Close to stores, has a nice restaurant off the lobby, and was quite pleasant.  Returned here again for a night before leaving Africa; it makes a good place to collect yourself.  (7/18 & 11/19)

Durban     Queensburgh Caravan Resort  Pay    S29.86352 E30.9058

Queensburgh is a suburb of the city, in a quiet country setting.  Cost was 288 ZAR/night including electric.  Complete facilities on site, including washing machines.  Very pleasant, with a helpful staff.  Stayed 4 nights.  A bit of a distance to shopping, but there is a nice     Pic-n-Pay in the town.  (7/18)

Durban area    Protea Hotel Karridene    Pay    S30.12435  E30.84639    Sea Level

Cost:  125R/couple/night (weekly rate w/pensioner discount).  Karridene is south of Kingsburg, just off the R102.  The caravan park is on a bluff overlooking the water.  Grassy sites with water and electric, ablutions, showers and kitchen areas, laundry w/washers & driers, swimming pool, restaurant, etc.  Very nice hotel and grounds.  Large open area for camping.  Great spot for preparing to ship or to receive your rig.  Better location and lower cost than Queensburgh park.  Roughly 30 minutes south of Durban; shopping nearby along the R102, at Kingsburgh and elsewhere.  Great spot.  (11/19)

Durban area    Bluff EcoPark    Pay    S29.92983  E31.00488  

Cost:  180R/2/night, including truck.  Southwest of the city, on the edge of the Bluff National Park golf course.  This is a good spot for preparing to ship your vehicle.  Sandy, and a bit hard to get level, but quite adequate facilities, although a bit worn.  Lots of trees and greenery.  (11/19)

Ballito   Dolphin Holiday Resort    Pay    S29.53204 E31.22602

Cost: 212 ZAR/night   Nice resort with short walk to the water; all facilities, including scones every afternoon.  Stayed 3 nights.  Domino’s pizza across the way.  Delightful location and staff.  (7/18)

iSimingaliso Wetland Park    Kosi Bay area    Palm Tree Lodge    Pay    S26.94036  E32.82048

Cost:  300R/3/night.  Lovely spot with beautiful facilities; last 5 kms in on gravel.  This is a quiet place with restaurant, pool, and lovely ablutions.  No beach access from here.  You have to go back to tar and go east to get to Kosi Bay, but this makes a quiet refuge while you make plans.  (10/19)

iSimingaliso Wetland Park    St Lucia    Sugarloaf Camp    Pay    S28.38310  E32.41926    Elevation 11 meters

Cost:  110R/night  Pleasant campground; all facilities; mongoose in evening.  Restaurant along the water within walking distance.  Makes a good base for visiting various parts of the Wetlands site.  Stayed two nights.  We returned for a second visit the following year; a new, very nice estuary area has now been completed; the camping cost remains the same.  (7/18 & 10/19)

iSimingaliso Wetland Park    False Bay    Lister’s Point Camp    Pay    S27.96939  E32.37816    Elevation -1 meter

Cost:  Entry fee - 152R/2/2 days.  Camp fee: 144R/p/night.  Lovely view over the waters of False Bay; we camped on the south side of the bay; windy but better view.  Nice quiet place with nice staff.  (10/19)

Hluhluwe area    Bushbaby Lodge Camping    Pay    S28.08202 E32.29193

Cost: 200 ZAR/night   Quiet, pleasant camping area near buildings, with all facilities.  Bushbabies came out in the evening.  Meals available to order; game area nearby.  We used this site 3 nights as we visited the parts of the Impolito-Hluhluwe NP, which has no camping at this time.  (8/18)

Hluhluwe area    Hluhluwe Backpackers    Pay    S28.05670  E32.15460

Cost: 200 ZAR/night   Very small parking area in front of the hostel; too small for many.  Nice little spot with friendly host and very friendly dogs.  Directly outside northern entrance to Hluhluwe park.  All facilities.  (8/18)

Louwsburg area    Doornkraal Campground    Pay    S27.51247  E31.20397  Elev: 588 meters

Cost:  300 ZAR/night.  Ithala Game Reserve.  Free park entry with WildCard.  Difficult to get level, but charming and rustic, set alongside stream, with animals in area.  Water, toilets, BBQs; no electric.  Register at hotel.  Fuel is available at entry to park.  (8/18)

Pongola    Pongola Caravan & Camping    Pay    S27.38053  E31.62979

Cost: 320 ZAR/night Somewhat rundown and overpriced for facilities, but quiet.  Along the edge of town, and a bit of a walk into shopping, but possible.  Stayed two nights.  Water, electric and dump.  (8/18)

Barberton    Police Station parking area    Free   

Forgot to get coordinates.  No facilities, but quiet night near the main part of town.  We were going to stay at the Barberton Caravan Park but it has been demolished, so we stopped and asked if we could stay in the lot across from the police station.  (8/18)

Nelspruit area    Hippo Waterfront Lodge    Pay    S25.43619  E30.86821

Cost:  350 ZAR/night  This spot is about 15 kms west of town; the last 4kms are on gravel.  This is a really charming spot along the Crocodile River; hippos in residence.  Lovely facilities on grass under trees; quite pleasant.  Staff will do laundry if asked; should leave a tip; it was a bit awkward.  Spent 3 nights.  (8/18)

Nelspruit    Lakeview Caravan Park    Pay    S25.49386  E30.93755 

Cost: 110R/p/night for pensioners (have to ask), including electric, water, dump; 140R without discount.  On the west edge of town.  Basic facilities, but quite pleasant, and there’s a small game reserve next door.  Lots of permanent/long term campers; all very friendly.  Stayed 3 nights (8/18); have returned several times.  This makes an excellent, affordable, quiet spot for resting between forays into Kruger.  (10/19)   

Nelspruit    Shopping

(1)  The Crossing Shopping Center (S25.47367  E30.96741) is a great spot for a major shopping.  Various stores, including both a Woolworths and a SuperSpar, restaurants and takeaway, banks, MTN, hardware and outdoor stores, etc.  Open access, no barriers to entry.  (9/18, 4/19, 10/19)  (2)  The Riverside Mall,  (S25.44327  E30.96349)  is equally barrier-free and also full of good stores.  It is located in another area of the city.  We found Vodacom, MTN, and a Spar.  (4/19)

Pilanesberg NP    Manyane Campground    Pay    S25.25486  E27.22194    Elev 1084 meters

Cost:  293R/night for camping; entry free with WildCard (for 2 people+taxes).  All facilities except electric at least expensive sites.  This is a popular, well-developed park about one hour from Pretoria, so very busy.  Tremendous game-viewing opportunities; a great place to visit.  Stayed three nights; could have stayed longer.  Returned again following year; again a terrific experience (8/18 & 9/19)

Polokwane    Boma in the Bush Caravan Park  Pay  S23.82134  E29.49951

Cost:  90R/night (in 2018).  Private campground about 5 kms north of town.  Very nice; do not be put off by the approach.  All facilities available.  Pleasant grassy area behind a small lodge.  Excellent.  (8/18)  Returned for several more days while we prepared to enter Botswana (4/19)  Returned again; price now 140R/p/night.  (9/19)

Polokwane area    Shopping    Mall of the North    S23.87538  E29.51023

North of the city, and with its own exit off the freeway, this is a huge complex with plenty of shopping.  the Woolworth’s is excellent, and perhaps the last you will see if you are entering Botswana from here.  Also Pic-n-Pay and Checkers, but neither is as good as they are in other locations.  No barriers to entry.  Side note: we found the traffic in this older city to be especially bad in the downtown area.  (4/19)

Kruger/Pafuri Entrance    Parfuri River Camp    Pay    S22.42252  E31.03550    Elev 288 meters

Cost:150R/p/night.  This private bush camp with rustic facilities is close to the Pafuri Entrance to Kruger NP, at the far northern end of the park.  The camp is 3 kms south of the highway, on rough road, in shrubbery with plenty of shade in some areas.  There was lots of space, but if you were bigger than us you might have trouble finding something that worked for you.  We think this place deserves more than an overnight before entering the NP, but quite pleasant once you got settled.  The owner, Martin, was delightful.  (9/19).

Kruger NP    Punda Maria Rest Camp   Pay   S22.69296 E31.01583

Cost:  288 ZAR/night (2018).  Small, quiet camp in the far north of the park.  Elephant hide right in campground.  All facilities, plus a small store, restaurant, and curio shop.  Spent two nights.  Park entry free with WildCard.  Great spot; lots of game on drive.  Returned following year for a second excellent visit.  This is a terrific spot; a favorite.    (8/18 & 10/19)

Kruger NP    Shingwedzi Rest Camp    Pay    S23.10950  E31.43301    Elev 272 meters

Cost:332R/night for site.  Free entry with Wildcard.  Usual facilities, plus laundry, shop and restaurant.  Very open camping area with some shade; recommend arriving early.  (10/19)

Kruger NP    Tsendze Rustic Bush Camp    Pay    S23.55556  E31.44335    Elevation 305 meters

Cost:  332R/night for site.  You must go to Reception at Mopani Camp before proceeding to camping area; it is about 8 kms north of Tsendze.  No generators, no power points, basic facilities only.  We liked it here; it is away from traffic and a small facility among trees.  Good choice if you don’t need facilities, otherwise go for Mopani.  (10/19)

Kruger NP    Letaba Rest Camp    Pay    S23.85495  E31.58017

Cost:  330 ZAR/night  Our favorite Kruger campground.  Busier, but still very nice.  Don’t miss the Elephant Hall near Reception; it’s terrific.  All facilities; bigger than Punda Maria.  Dump station next to TV room.  Stayed three nights, then returned again following year.  Park entry free with WildCard.  (9/18 & 10/19)

Kruger NP    Satara Rest Camp    Pay    S24.39231  E31.77675    Elevation 264 meters

Cost:  144R/p/night + Wildcard entry.  Medium-sized, wide open area with some trees.  Camping area sort of pushed off to the back; facilities some ways off.  But nice spot.  (10/19)

Kruger NP    Skukuza Rest Camp    Pay    S24.99461  E31.59398    Elevation 265 meters

Cost:  330 ZAR/night  Very large campground, but very popular and busy; a major entry point from the south.  Some parts are very sloping, some more level, so drive around before picking your place.  Lots of facilities and things to do, and many game drives.  Park entry free with WildCard.  Returned for second visit following year (9/18 & 10/19)

Kruger NP    Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp    Pay    S25.42699  E31.44585

Cost: 330 ZAR/night   In far southwestern corner of the park, rather out of the way as most people go to Crocodile Bridge camp if entering park in this area.  But we rather liked it, and it wasn’t so crowded.  There is a rhino fence that surrounds the camping area, so most people like to get next to it so they can see the game.  Full facilities, plus a display area about rhinos next to Reception.  Park entry free with WildCard.  We spent one night, then left the next day for shopping at Nelspruit.  (9/18)

Volksrust area    Woonwa Caravan Park    Pay    S27.33707  E29.90330  Elev 1716 meters

Cost: 120R/night.  This is a lovely, quiet spot right on the water.  Go north from Volksrust perhaps 10 miles, then turn east onto the gravel road to the Mahawane Country Resort.  Go past the resort entry to the caravan park entry.  The gate closes at 4:00 but there is a buzzer.  Absolutely delightful.  We stayed here for several days, off and on between wanderings, and then returned for 5 days in March of 2019.  (9/18)

Rorke’s Drift Museum    Free    S28.35780  E30.535576

Were given permission to overnight in the parking/picnic area near the entry.  Tables, trash available.  Security on site at night.  Very quiet and pleasant.  (9/18)

Baranango Area    Mgungundlovu Center    Free    S28.42873  E31.26793

Were given permission to stay the night in the parking area of the Mgungundlovu Cultural Center.  No services.  Security on site.   This site is in the Valley of the Kings, east of Baranango, and the museum was quite interesting.  Very friendly staff.  (9/18)

Dundee area    Battlefields Caravan Park    Pay    S28.06042  E30.35192  

Cost:  170R/night.  North of Dundee about 16ks.  This is a lovely country location on grass next to fields.  Not far from the Blood River Monument.  Shady, with flowers, and a nice ablution block.  (9/18)  Returned for a second visit; just as nice.  Warning:  used washing machine to do a load; should have run a fill-up of water first, as it was very brown.  (4/19)

Winterton area    Speionkop Game Reserve    Pay    S28.69932  E29.50436  Elev. 1082 meters

Cost:  146R/night + WildCard entry.  This is a nice area with giraffes, zebras, etc. located west of Ladysmith and northwest of Winterton.  We parked alongside the lake.  Stayed 3 nights total.  (9/18)

Drakensberg area    Valley Bakery    S28.98127  E29.47886

This was an incredible find.  In the Champagne Valley, along R600, is this splendid spot.  There is a large sign — look for it — you don’t want to miss the opportunity!  Their internet address is valleybakery@plantkor.co.za.  We returned to visit again the following year, and it was just as great.  The bread is splendid; and don’t skip the gingersnap cookies - indulge. Closed Sundays.  (9/18 and then again 3/19)

Drakensberg area    Pizza!    S28.65851  E29.04699  

Tower of Pizza.  Along R74 not far before you reach the entrance to Royal Natal National Park.  Well recommended Italian restaurant with both indoor and outdoor dining; lovely garden area.  Truly excellent; give it a try!  Closed Mondays.  (3/19)

Drakensberg area    Propane    S29.35744  E29.99389

This spot is north of Pietermaritzberg.  We did not obtain gas, but we think you could, at the large gas/diesel station at the corner where Nottingham Rd turns off R103, between Rosetta and Balgowan.  It would have been “tank to tank”, which is very slow, and we wanted to keep moving.  See below for more successful attempt, in Merrivale.  (3/19)

Winburg    Danke Schon Caravan Park    Pay    S28.51549  E27.01126

Cost:  200R/night.  This was a great little place in this small town north of Bloemfontein.  Room for about 4 rigs; lots of flowers, shrubs, and birds.  Electric and water and nice ablution block.  (9/18)

Blomfontein area    Gariep Dam Nature Reserve    Pay    S30.59969  E25.53359

Cost:  150R/night without electric.  This is a large dam and recreation area south of Blomfontein.  Nice facilities near water.  Lake used mostly for fishing it appears.  Rough gravel road for 5 km to get to campsite.  Very pleasant; somewhat remote.  (9/18)

Mountain Zebra NP    Pay    S32.22453  E25.47873    Elev 1197 meters

Cost: 301R/2/night + WildCard entry.  This great park is about 20 kms west of Cradock.  Very nice ablutions, including a washing machine.  Charming campground, with a nice restaurant.  Tons of zebras & antelope!  (9/18)  Returned following year; price now 348R/site/N (11/19)  

Camdeboo NP    Nqweba Campground    Pay    S32.21220  E24.53793  

Cost:  246R/night + WildCard entry.  We stayed at the really nice Nqweba Campsite in this semi-arid desert park.  Each site was separate, but there are communal kitchen/ablution facilities.  This great park surrounds Graaff-Reinet (shopping) and houses the Valley of Desolation.  (9/18)

Addo (town)    Homestead B&B    Pay    S33.53862  E25.68269

Cost:  300R/night.  We stayed at the Homestead B&B just outside town, having not been able to get a booking for a campsite in the national park.  It was perhaps 10 kms into the park.  This is a lovely and popular spot for overlanders and tenters; we met several Europeans; stayed 3 nights.  Ablutions were lovely; gardens and a large pond with tons of birds.  Can highly recommend.  Owners were very nice.  (918)

Baviaanskloof Wildlife Area    Bruntjieskraal Camping    Pay    S33.69762  E24.61456

Cost:  210R/night.  We entered the area from the east, stopping about 10 ks before we reached the eastern entrance to the park.  We stayed at Bruntjieskraal Camping (at Glencoe) on a grassy spot along the river, and it was absolutely beautiful.  Toilet and shower available.  (10/18)

Baviaanskloof Wildlife Area    Doringkloof Boskamp    Pay    S33.57216  E24.08802

Cost:  180R/night.  The next day we traveled further west, eventually leaving the park (conservation fee for transiting the park 128R for two).  Later in the day we stopped at Doringkloof Boskamp, a very nice camping and 4WD area along the river, which we parked near.  Lovely and quiet; plenty of facilities.  (10/18)

Uniondale area (DeVlug)    Angie’s G Spot    Pay    S33.81402  E23.17549  

Cost:  280R/night.  South of Uniondale, on R339, you head onto Prince Alfred’s Pass, which will end up in Knysna.  This is a sometimes easy, sometimes quite rough road, going through DeVlug (sometimes with a “t” on the end).  We stopped the night at Angie’s G Spot.  This is a lovely, quite spot along the river, with bar/restaurant/overnight stops and camping.  Great big Lab mix dog will try and leave with you, very friendly.  The sign says can do small mechanical repairs.  We had a good time, then finished the drive the next day.  (10/18)

Wilderness (town)    Wild Farm Backpackers    Pay    S33.98694  E22.59538

Cost:  380R/ night.  Above the town, up a very winding, steep, narrow road is the Wild Farm Backpackers spot where you can overnight.  I cannot recommend it.  Too pricey for what’s offered; breakfast is included, but it’s cereal, instant coffee, and lousy white-bread for toast.  If it had’t been the end of a long day, and such a long ways (5 kms, 3 on dirt) back down the hill with nothing else close, we would have left.  (10/18)

Oudtshoorn    Kleinplaas Woonwa Park    Pay    S33.57533  E22.20258    Elev. 337 meters

Cost: 201R/night - pensioner rate, electricity included.  North of George into the mountains is this nice town; we stayed at the Kleinplaas Holiday Park.  This place was great.  Large grassy field in a municipal park, with lots of shade trees, very well taken care of, ablution block, laundry, swimming pool, within walking distance of town.  (10/18)

Mossel Bay    Mossel Bay Point Caravan Park    Pay    S34.18358  E22.15542  

Cost:  134R/night.  Delightful grassy municipal park quite close to the beach.  Full amenities.  We stayed four nights.  (10/18)

Montagu    De Bos Guest House    Pay    S33.78961  E20.11229

Cost:  200R/night.  Open camping area as part of rustic farmhouse complex.  Delightful; near a stream.  Donkeys, horses, birds, dogs, etc.  Charming.  Trees a little low for us, but we found a spot.  On the edge of town; can walk in to the center.  (10/18)

Hermanus area    Onrus Caravan Park    Pay    S34.41501  E19.17006

Cost:  130R/night for pensioners without electric.  At the northern end of Hermanus, the caravan park is quite close to the water, but set back in trees and fenced so no direct beach access.  Very nice, if slightly old-fashioned.  Quiet night.  (10/18)

Citrusdal    Citrus Creek Camping Resort    Pay    S32.59429  E19.01073

Cost:  260R/night with electric.  Full services.  Nice open grassy campground with trees for shade.  Swimming pool.  Nice ablution block.  Very pleasant if a bit pricey.  (10/18)

Springbok    Springbok Caravan Park    Pay    S29.67277  E17.89991  Elevation 880 meters

Cost:  200R/night, elec included.  Park is outside town on R355 across the highway from town entrance.  Nice setting among rocks.  Usual facilities, including swimming pool.  Dassies on site.  Stayed 3 nights while preparing to cross into Namibia.  (10/18)

Upington    Sakkie se Arkie  Park    Pay    S28.46149  E21.24524

Cost:  120R/person/night, but 100R for pensioners.  Right on the Orange River, in town.  Have water and electric.  Under trees in some spots.  Quite pleasant; geese on parade.  Stayed two nights.  (3/19)

Klerksdorp area    Klerksdorp Park    Pay    S26.81749  E26.61962

Cost:  200R/site.  A few kms north of town on R30; at the dam.  Community resort park.  Quite pretty; on grass.  Ablution block a bit run-down.  Swimming pool; lots of trees.  (3/19)

Heidelburg area    Sionbergh Caravan Park    Pay    S26.55532  E28.28406    Elevation 1550m

Cost:  370R/night for 2 persons (it was a holiday weekend and we think might be less at other times).  Heidelburg is southeast of Johannesburg.  About 10 km southeast of the city on R42 turn in on dirt road at Sionbergh sign and then proceed about 1 km further.  Lovely park with lots of room, but very crowded on this holiday.  Farm animals on site, along with a small fishing lake and a swimming pool.  Very nice facilities, and the owner was quite nice, finding a place to put us up for a night.  (3/19)

Bergville    Bergville Caravan Park    Pay    S28.73135  E29.36210    Elevation 1116 meters

Cost:  100R/p/night.  Large open field with some trees; very basic but quite sufficient.  We stayed 2 nights, with a day visit to Royal Natal NP.  Electric and water available.  Along the river.  Quite nice.  (3/19)  Returned 11/19 and cost was now 80R/p/night; off-season?

Injisuthi Nature Reserve    Pay   S29.11931  E29.44231    Elevation 1479 meters

Cost:  120R/p/night.  Never seen a prettier spot.  Usual ablutions.  Wildcard free entry.  It’s 34 kms to the campground from the highway, 13kms of which is on a very bad dirt road.  (3/19)

Rosetta    Caravan park    Pay    S2.29736  E29.97779    Elevation 1386 meters

Cost:270R/night for 2 persons.  Private campsite along stream, on grass.  Neat and tidy; usual ablutions.  Rather English in feel with very nice and friendly owners.  (3/19)

Pietermaritzberg area    Midmar Dam Nature Reserve    Pay    S29.49128  E30.19407    Elevation 1070 meters

Cost:  110R/p/night.  Free WildCard entry.  Nice place with open grassy areas terraced for campers.  Usual ablutions, electricity and water available.  Nice views of the nearby lake.  Not far north of the city.  The young woman at reception aske if we could adopt her and take here with us.  (4/19)

Merrivale    Propane    S29.51236  E30.22603  

At 35 Ogilvie Road, at AA Gas.  Near Pietermaritzberg.  Friendly and helpful gas company manager who worked hard to put together the connectors required to make this work.  Would recommend looking up ww.aagas.co.za for other possible locations.  (4/19)

Howick    Tires and etc.

The Supa Quick location in Howick was great to us.  All we needed was a simple tire rotation, which they did at no charge, but Reneé, the manager, was extremely helpful in calling around to find someone who could help us with an exhaust issue - also handled without charge - and AA Gas in Merrivale where we got propane.  Five stars.  (4/19)  

Underberg area    Goxhill Trout Lodge    S29.74731  E29.53391

Cost:  200R/night for 2 persons.  Our Garmin GPS took us here via a dirt logging road.  A better way is:  From Underberg, stay on the R617; continue through Himeville; at north end of village turn east directly after Engen fuel station and travel 3 kms on good dirt road.  Lots of animals to enjoy and pleasant parking near water.  This might be a good place to settle as you prepare to climb up over Sani Pass into Lesotho; last good shopping for quite awhile will be in Underberg.  (4/19)

Ladybrand    Little Rock Holiday Resort    Pay   S29.20289  E27.44498    Elevation 1596 m

Cost:  35R/person/night for pensioners, otherwise 50R; plus campsite fee of 70R/night.  Nice open grassy area with plenty of trees.  Usual ablutions.  On the edge of this small old resort town.  Walks up into the nearby hills.  Pool and play area.  Ponies and Vietnamese pigs on site.  (4/19)

Fouriesburg area    Meiringskloof Nature Park    Pay   S28.60255  E28.22497    Elev 1746 M

Cost:  120R/person/night.  This lovely area in the woods is in a gorge.  To reach it, from town take the secondary road off R26 out to the park.  Rustic and a bit rundown, but used just yesterday for a 3-day wedding party.  A bit out of the way for just an overnight, but nice.  Not very far from Golden Gate Highlands NP.  Lots of walks and hikes.  Shady.  (4/19)

Fouriesburg area    Lesoba Guest Farm    Pay    S28.67453  E28.30855    Elev 1773 meters

Cost:  70R/p/night + 70R for the site.  Take R711 east of town area and then take a right turn onto gravel at the sign for the guest farm, and also to the rock formation known as Queen Victoria; go 4 kms to the site.  This is the road to Clarens.  This place was a real find; we could have stayed forever.  A grassy area with lots of trees among chalets, and with a tremendous view of the escarpment from different angles; it was incredible.  Oh, and sheep.  At this point you are near the northern tip of Lesotho.  Super!  (11/19)

Golden Gate Highlands NP    Pay    S28.50556  E28.61804    Elev 1920 meters

Cost:  250R/couple/night + WildCard entry.  The Glen Raneen Rest Camp is a lovely spot within the small developed area of this national park; it is opposite the reception area.  There are both powered and unpowered sites; several ablution blocks.  Wifi at hotel nearby.  Very pleasant and among rock formations; on grass.  Great walking trails; heard animals at night, possibly jackels.  (4/19)

Lydenburg    Laske Nakke Caravan Park    Pay    S25.11520  E30.43788    Elevation 1397 meters

Cost:  80R/person/night for pensioners; 90R regularly.  On the edge of town and near the Blyde River Canyon area.  Nicely constructed and run; lots of open grassy sites with ablution block, etc.  Plenty of trees, although many are quite low.  Quite excellent.  (4/19)

Lephalale area    Molalatau Lodge    Pay    S23.76063  E27.73829    Elevation 830 M

Cost:  150R/p/night.  South of the regional town, on the R510, we stayed the night here, parked on lovely grass, out in the country; it was very nice.  Plenty of open space and trees.  Usual ablutions, very pleasant.  Right along the Mokolo River, with kudu on the property. (9/19)

Vaalwater area    Taaibos Nature Farm    Pay    S24.18700  E27.86114    Elevation 1006 Meters

Cost:  100R/p/night.  This is east of Bulge River on the R517; going east you turn south into the gate for the farm.  Nature walks and San art to be enjoyed.  Rough and nice.  Sable antelope on site.  Spent a quiet 2 days.  (9/19)

Tzaneen area    Wildcamp spot    Free    S23.95860  E29.97163    Elevation 1435 Meters

As listed in iOverlander.  Very nice spot above the Ebenezer Dam, about 34 kms south of Tzaneen on R528 and a short distance off tar to edge of forest.  Pretty spot tucked into the edge of a woodlot with nice views; very quiet.  (9/19)

Louis Trichardt area    Camp Africa    Pay    S23.00289  E29.90032    Elevation 1300 Meters

Cost:  100R/p/night  As enter town from the south, turn up into the hills into forest reserve for about 6 kms.  Very quiet retreat; good facilities, including bar and pub, but not lots of room for camping.  Charming spot; we spent two days; hosts were great.  (9/19)

Messina area    Mopane Bush Lodge    Pay    S22.23413  E29.46355    Elevation 559 Meters

Cost:  250R/site/night.  West of Messina (also spelled Musina) about 80 kms along the R572 heading for the Mapungubwe NP is this delightful bush camp.  We do not recommend this spot as an overnight for heading into the park; it deserves several days on its own merits, and is not close to the road.  It was 3 kms to reception, and an additional (guided) 5 kms to our site (#4), at S22.24001 E29.43616.  It was wonderful, right next to a waterhole, with game nearby.  Ablutions close at hand.  Well worth exploring.  (9/19)

Mapungubwe NP    Mazhou Campsite    Pay    S22.18731  E29.20153    Elevation 527 M

Cost:  330R/n/Site + Wildcard entry.  Camping area is in western half of this divided park, but you must go to Reception (in eastern, main entry), about 95 kms west of Messina, to register and get information.  You then return to the R572, drive 32 kms to a T-intersection, turn right following signs to Pont Drift border.  Then follow signs into the park, then travel 9 kms more on dirt to the camp.  There are the usual ablutions, but no showers.  This is a splendid place, in part because of the remote location.  There are animals close at hand, especially the groups of elephants that walk by quite close to the site, warthogs, and nyala.  We had booked 2 nights, and were glad we arrived early in the day, because we took the game drive in the eastern section before going to the campground, then spent a quiet day in camp.  This is a very good NP, underdeveloped and not well known.  We can highly recommend it to all.  We wished we could have stayed longer.  (9/19)

Piet Retief  (Mkhondo)    Waterfront Lodge    Pay    S27.01292  E30.80311    Elevation 1222 M

Cost:  75R/p/night.  At the south end of town, this is a small camping area attached to a motel/bar/cafe.  Fairly noisy in early evening, but the site is right along a dam, and quite lovely.  There is a tree in the water just filled with birds; delightful.  Usual facilities, plus BBQs and electricity included.  Friendly staff.  Can walk into central part of town.  (10/19)

Trafalgar    Port O’Call Caravan Park    Pay    S30.95627  E30.29997    Sea Level.

Cost:  150R/p/night.  Lovely grassy park under lots of trees; terraced for views of the ocean and paths leading down to the water.  Good place to chill out.  Plenty of flowering plants to enjoy, and good laundry and ablutions.  Slopes, so may be difficult to get level if crowded.  Driving south along the coast on R61, take the Trafalgar exit onto Nelson Drive and follow signs; about 2 kms.  (11/19)

Port Shepstone    Fish on the River Restaurant    S30.72987E30.45116    Sea level.

On Sugar Mill Road outside of town, right on the river leading into the ocean, terrific fish and chips and rest of menu; great local place.  Do not miss an opportunity!  (11/19)

Maclear area     Tortoni Guest Farm    Pay    S31.11803  E28.33356    Elevation 1286 meters

Cost:  100R/p/night.  This great spot (lovely and lots of birds) is about 5 kms south of town off of R56.  Grassy area beside a pond, with walks, a donkey for hot water shower.  Electricity in spots.  Two splendid Great Danes as pets.  There is shopping in town.  (11/19)

Cradock area    Kommando Drift NR    Pay    S32.11312  E26.04765    Elevation 1022 meters

Cost:  103R/p/night.  This quiet little reserve on a dam is situated 54 Kms east of Craydock (44 kms on dirt) and 30 kms west of Zola (Tarkastad), all one dirt; from the turn into the park it is an additional 7 kms to the site.  Very pleasant and quiet, but supposed to be a super fishing site.  Nice sites on grass with shade, and a good breeze; water and electricity and a firepit.  Rock art site nearby; guided trips.  Staff was just great.  Stayed 4 nights (11/19)

Zastron    Mountain View B&B and Caravan Park    Pay    S30.29736  E27.07349    Elev 1695 M

Cost:  125R/p/night.  On the edge of this small hillside town, and up the hill from the center, this is pleasant spot at the foot of the escarpment.  Grassy, and a bit sloping; nice ablutions and very pleasant owner.  Water and electric included.  Very nice showers, but no kitchen.  Close to and along the west side of Lesotho.  (11/19)

  

www. Travelin-Tortuga. com

Swaziland: (August 2018)

Money:  Swaziland is a small independent country completely surrounded by South Africa.  While it has its own separate currency, the Lilangeni (E), it is directly tied to the South African Rand (ZAR) and Rand are accepted everywhere in the country.  For the traveler therefore, there is no need to aquire any of the local currency unless you run short of Rand.  If you do find yourself holding any E, be sure to spend it in Swaziland.  For exchange rates and banking information when we were there in August 2018, see the South African section above. 

Camping and Infrastructure:  Refer to our South African section for information on this topic as it all carries over.

Fuel:  Fuel is less expensive in Swaziland than in South Africa by 10% to 15%.  When we were there we paid E13.35/liter for diesel, about US$3.80/gallon; petrol prices were similar.

National Parks and Game Reserves:  Many game areas in Swaziland participate in the Wild Card plan as explained in the South African section above.  

General Comments: We only spent four nights in Swaziland.  It deserves more time, but in August it was hot and the air was smoky from the burning of the fields so we kept moving along.

Location, Type/Cost and Description: (Listings are in chronological order. Numbers {8/18} indicate month/year of visit. Costs are in local currency for two people, one vehicle, per night and may include pensioner discount. Exchange rates vary, but for comparison purposes at the time of our visit 200 ZAR was approximately US $14.00)

Big Bend area    Mhlosinga Rest Camp    Pay    S26.77954  E31.91764

Cost:  140 ZAR/night  This is or used to be part of the Uhombo Yacht Club, and is not far after cross the border into Swaziland from the south.  Quiet, empty area down by the water; sign says hippos and crocodiles but we didn’t have any sightings.  Very pleasant.  Fresh water available.   (8/18)

Mlilwane    Mlilwane Game Reserve    Pay    S26.49276  E31.18523

Cost:  250 ZAR/night  Free entry with WildCard.  Lovely park with full facilities and lots of game roaming through the campground.  Very much enjoyed being here, stayed two nights.  (8/18)

Mbabane area    Malolotja Nature Reserve    Pay    S26.14444  E31.13167  Elev  1500 meters

Cost: 200 ZAR + 60 ZAR park entry fee.  High on mountainside north of the city, basic facilities; lovely spot with great views over the park area.  Plenty of game; splendid visit.  (8/18)

www. Travelin-Tortuga. com

  

Tanzania: (June 2019)

Exchange Rate:  Tanzania uses its own currency, the Shilling (TZS).  In June 2019 the exchange rate was just under 2300 TZS to the US Dollar, which makes for lots of big numbers with plenty of zeros.  Tanzania can be a very expensive country to travel in, as the costs for camping and entry fees to national parks and game reserves is extremely high.  As in other countries in the region, prices for visas, certain other border costs and park entry and camping fees are often quoted in USD and, at the border, require payment in USD.    

Money Matters:  We only spent a short time in Tanzania and did not have any difficulties with finding and using ATMs although Visa cards are more likely to taken than MasterCard.  Do not assume that credit card facilities will be common for fuel and other shopping; we generally needed to use cash for these items. 

Camping and Infrastructure:  We chose to shorten our visit to Tanzania in large part because the national parks have become ridiculously expensive.  Even lesser known parks will run US $200/day for entry, vehicle and camping fees while better known parks such as Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater are significantly higher, as in up to US $500/day.  This simply is not within our traveling budget.  We had also been told by other recent visitors to the country that the main parks are so full of safari buses and trucks that the dust hanging in the air from them can limit visibility.  Not something we needed to experience for ourselves.

Fuel:  Fuel in Tanzania is similar in cost to Zambia.  When we were there we paid TZS 2,314/liter for regular diesel (US $3.82/gallon); petrol prices were just a bit higher at TZS 2,473/liter (US $4.07/gallon).  Both regular diesel and regular petrol were readily available and prices varied only slightly between stations.    

Border Crossing: Personal:  Visas for Tanzania can be purchased either in advance or at the border.  Cost is US $50 per person for most, but we were unhappy to learn that it was US $100 for United States citizens.  We were told these visas would be good for up to ninety days per visit and up to three entries over a twelve month period.  As we had decided that we would be only transiting Tanzania, we opted for a less expensive 10 day transit visa for US $50 each.  Visas must be paid for in US Dollars.

Vehicle:  Our Carnet de Passage was duly stamped out of the prior country (Zambia for us) and into Tanzania.  Unfortunately, the process in Tanzania was very slow as the agent had to enter copious information from us and the Carnet into his computer; a very slow process.  Other than that it was all done with no difficulty.  As in most African countries, if you do not have a Carnet for your vehicle you will be charged for a Temporary Import Permit (TIP).  Other vehicle related charges on entering Tanzania were a standard road use fee of US $25 (57,375 Shillings) and a council fee of TZS 5,000 (US $2.18).  These both had to be paid in Shillings.  

Choice of Border Crossing Point:  We had intended to avoid crossing into Tanzania at the infamously chaotic Tunduma crossing, but in the end we had to do so.  There are only two crossings from Zambia and we had planned on the smaller crossing north of Mbala.  Unfortunately for us, but road from Mbala to the border proved too difficult for us.  This was really surprising, but we ran into ground clearance issues due to large rocks in the road.  Perhaps we could have made it all right with more effort, but we were not happy with the road conditions and chose to turn around.  At any rate, the Tunduma crossing is quite difficult and we did end up needing to rely on a guide person for assistance.  We don’t like doing this, but this was a very challenging crossing that took us about four hours to complete.  Not recommended.

Insurance:  Liability insurance is covered by the COMESA policy we purchased in Zambia.

Driving in Tanzania:  The country is known for its bad roads, frequent police stops and plenty of speed bumps.  Also, the same cautions apply as in Zambia — be very cautious with your speed and watch for police stops.  

Internet:  Due to our short stay, we did not go to the trouble of getting a SIM card for Tanzania.  Our US phone gave us limited coverage.

Shopping:  We’ve been told that only in Dar-es-Salam will you see any supermarkets for grocery shopping.  Certainly our experience in Mbeya, which is the third largest city in Tanzania, we did not find any.  Rather, groceries are purchased either in open air markets for produce items or small mini-marts for everything else.  We asked for and got suggestions on where to find several of these and managed fine during our short stay.  The main problem for travelers is in finding the stores.

Location, Type/Cost and Description: (Listings are in chronological order. Numbers {4/19} indicate month/year of visit.  Costs are given either in local currency or USD and are generally per person per night.  Exchange rates vary, but for comparison purposes at the time of our visit TZS 23,000 was approximately US $10.00)

Tunduma    Puma Station    Free    S09.26439  E32.82771    Elevation 1434 meters

We crossed the border late in the day and didn’t want to try and move on.  This Puma Station was clean and large and well lit, and located along the road out of town toward Mbeya.  We were welcomed and shown to a spot near where the security guards patrolled; had a quiet night.  Fuel was available of course, along with a tyre repair area, where we had a patch applied to a soft tire.  We gave a small tip to the security guards.  It was a very satisfactory experience (6/19)

Mbeya area    Utengule Coffee Lodge    Pay    S08.88541  E33.32007    Elev 1370 meters

Cost:  US $11.50/p/night.  We parked in an open field; there are also some chalets available for overlanders ($15.00/p/night) where you can park your rig close by and use the room.  Lovely, old-feeling lodge with swimming pool, hiking, restaurant, etc.  Bread for sale, and they will do laundry.  Property is about 5 kms from the road, which runs from the border into Mbeya.  The coffee plantation is nearby and you can take tours, do coffee-tastings, and buy product.  A splendid place; do not pass it by.  (6/19)

Mbeya    Truck Repair    Highland Motors    S08.89287  E33.44648

There don’t appear to be any street signs in this town, so cannot confirm location other than coordinates.  But they did a bang-up job on some minor work on the truck, and let us stay the night in the shop area.  Quiet, surprisingly!  A very good experience.  (7/19)

Mbeya    Shopping for Groceries

No chain supermarkets in this area, but we had been given information on a couple of mini-marts that carried some food items, as well as to the town produce market.  The Fruit and Vegetable Market was at S08.89575 E33.44571.  Elegant Mart is located at one of the Infinity Oil Stations, at S08.91112 E33.45615.  And Azra Mini-Mart is at S08.89470  E33.44099.  When you are at the Azra Mart, and you are standing looking at the entry, turn to your left and go down the street to the second right turn; turn down, and on your right, about halfway down the block, in a yellow building, is Babukubwa, which sells bread and has some other things as well.  Good luck!  (7/19)

Kitulo NP    Wildcamp spot    Free    S08.99204  E33.72025    Elevation 2658 meters

This was an iOverlander listing; do not try this unless you have 4wheel drive and good clearance; it is a very rough road.  South of Mbeya about 25 kms, you turn off the highway at a sign for the park, going east into the mountains about 14 kms, the last on an even rougher side road.  The main road out to this spot is the road that eventually takes you to the park entrance, and also on to Matamba. It was a difficult climb, but in the end it’s well worth it.  You come out on a saddle with nice views, lots of breeze, and cattle and goats (and their keepers) for company.  We loved it.  (7/19)

Kasumulu area    Mala Green Campsite    Pay    S09.56709  E33.76555    Elevation 536 meters

Cost:  5,000Tsh/p/night  This lovely little garden spot sits close to the road, about 2 kms north of the Songwe border crossing into Malawi.  There is a small sign at the edge of the road.  It’s simply a parking area, part of it under trees, near the owner’s home.  Very nice, casual, and relaxed.  Ablutions.  Quiet.  (7/19)

www. Travelin-Tortuga. com

  

Zambia: (June & September 2019)

Exchange Rate:  Zambia uses its own currency, the Kwacha (ZMW).  In June 2019 the exchange rate was just under 13 ZMW to the US Dollar (10 ZMW = $0.77 US).  Zambia is a somewhat expensive country to travel in, primarily due to costs for camping and entry fees to national parks and monuments as noted below.  Also note that prices for visas, certain other border costs and park entry and camping fees are often quoted in USD and, at the border, require payment in USD.  Prices for groceries and eating out are similar to surrounding countries.  

Money Matters:  ATMs and the acceptance of Credit Cards for payment have not generally caused us any problems although Visa cards are more likely to taken than MasterCard.  However, even in the capital city of Lusaka we were caught out when the fuel attendant shook her head at our offer of a credit card.  We hadn’t thought to ask because of where we were, but it still happened.  Needing cash for camping is very common, so with this in mind, travelers should carry a larger supply of cash than they normally would and replenish it when opportunities arise.  You should always have enough cash to pay for fuel, groceries or camping/lodging if needed.

Camping and Infrastructure:  Private campgrounds are available in most parts of the country.  Rates for camping vary considerably and we were able to find nice low cost options in some areas although in others we camped at sites whose high rates seemed unjustified but other options were not available nearby.  As in Botswana, camping in National Parks and Game Reserves in Zambia is quite expensive, often US $15/person/night, with this cost in addition to the same again for daily park entry plus another US $5 to $15 for a vehicle.  Total cost for an overnight camping stay for a couple in most parks quickly adds up to a rather punitive (we feel) ZMW 845 (US $65).  The most popular parks, South Luangwa for example, are even higher, with daily entry fees of US$30/person instead of $15.  This is one reason we reluctantly passed on going into either North or South Luangwa.  As in Malawi, costs for camping are almost always quoted in USD per person per night; abbreviated below as /p/night or ppn. Lodges will use varying exchange rates so sometimes it may be less expensive to pay in Kwacha while other times in USD.  We generally paid in Kwacha and in most cases that was cheaper.  We did some wild camping in Zambia at locations we found in iOverlander.

Fuel:  Fuel in Zambia is more expensive than Botswana or Namibia, but less than South Africa or Malawi.  When we were there we paid KWZ 13.43/liter for regular diesel (US $3.89/gallon); petrol prices were higher at KWZ 15.20/liter (US $4.42/gallon).  Both regular diesel and regular petrol were readily available and prices are standard around the country.  We haven’t seen any higher octane petrol options, while Low Sulphur diesel was occasionally available in larger cities at KWZ 15.72/liter (US $4.58/gallon). The actual PPM levels for the two grades of diesel fuel are not specified at the pumps.  Despite both asking at fuel stations and doing some online research I have not yet been able to identify what regular and low sulphur actually indicate here in Zambia.  For our 2006 truck it doesn’t matter, which is why we have it, but we know that other travelers with newer engines have had trouble using diesel with high sulphur content in Africa so if you have such a vehicle you will need to research the differences more closely.  

Border Crossing: Personal:  Zambia is our first country in Africa that requires a visa, and it can be purchased at the border.  A single entry visa for US residents costs US $50 and must be paid in US dollars, not Kwacha.  Interestingly, we’d read in several places that a double entry visa was available for US $80, but when we asked at the border the staff on site at the time didn’t seem to know about that.  We asked for and were given 30 day, single entry visas.  Note: We had a time consuming problem when exiting Zambia because we were not given receipts for the visa payments.  We assumed the visa stamp in our passport would count as the receipt, but they did not.  We lost about an hour leaving the country over our lack of the receipt.  You will note that some of the border costs must be paid in USD while others must be paid in Kwacha.  Fortunately, at the Katima Mulilo crossing we used coming in from Namibia there was a working ATM on site - what a luxury.  Failing that, there are money changers eager to assist you in obtaining local currency.  Also, particularly in Zimbabwe, but also in Zambia and other countries we will be visiting, you must carry a supply of US Dollars with you in order to cover border expenses such as visas.  Why this should be so in the countries that have their own working currency we do not know, but it is.  Note that all costs at the border had to be paid in cash as noted.  Credit card payments were not accepted.   

Vehicle:  Zambia is the first country we’ve entered in Africa that is outside the South African Customs Union (SACU - South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland).  Thus, our Carnet de Passage finally did have to be stamped out of the prior country (Namibia for us) and into Zambia.  This was done with no difficulty.  As in most African countries, if you do not have a Carnet for your vehicle you will be charged for a Temporary Import Permit (TIP).  There are three other vehicle related charges on entering Zambia.  The first is what they call a carbon tax and was paid at the same time the Carnet was stamped.  This charge was ZMW 550 (US $42) paid in Kwacha.  Next was a road toll fee of US $20, paid in USD; this at least is partly reimbursed as it covers the occasional toll charge you will come across on main highways - just hand the toll person the form and they will stamp it instead of charging the ZMW 20 (US $1.50) toll.  Third and smallest of these fees is a local council fee paid at a booth just as you leave the border area.  This was only ZMW 30 (about US $2.25).

Insurance:  Zambia is also the first African country we’ve entered that requires separate vehicle liability or third party insurance.  The SACU countries provide this coverage to all drivers as part of vehicle registration or import fees.  You cannot leave the border without insurance so we bought 90 days coverage, which was the shortest period available.  More detail on the insurance front follows.

COMESA Insurance:  Outside of SACU, each country will require you to purchase third party insurance.  In order to lower costs and simplify border crossings there is something called a COMESA Yellow Card, much like the Green Card third party insurance we had in Europe.  This will cover us in each of our remaining African countries.  (You can research this easily online, but the Countries in which the COMESA Yellow Card is recognized as a valid insurance cover are; Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe).  The Yellow Card can be purchased in any of the member countries where the insurance is valid.  We’d read that Zambia is one of the less expensive countries for getting it so we wanted to do it here.  In theory you should be able to arrange for all of this online before reaching the border, or so we were told by the insurance company after the fact.  Whether this would be better or cheaper we cannot say but we suspect it might make a big difference which border crossing you were using and other variables such as day and time of crossing, etc.  In the end, the overall cost of the insurance is not a lot so we wouldn’t suggest that you worry too much about it.  In total we paid ZMW 750 (US$ 57) for three months Zambian cover at the border, plus ZMW 278 (US $22) later to extend the Zambia cover to a total of six months, plus ZMW 566 (US $44) for six months of COMESA cover.  Total cost US $123 for six months insurance in, for us, probably seven countries.  Not needing to buy separate insurance seven times - priceless.

The COMESA coverage works in conjunction with the policy you purchase at the border when you enter the country where you are buying the COMESA cover.  This is why the length of coverage for both of them must be the same.  For some reason, you cannot buy the COMESA cover at the border, but must buy the local insurance first and add the COMESA later on.  The other thing that complicates the whole process is that you can only buy the COMESA cover from the same company from whom you bought the local country cover at the border even though as near as we can tell we did not have any option as to which company sold us the cover at the border.  Confused yet?  If not, try reading through this all one more time; that should do it.  Whether any of this insurance would amount to much real help if you should be involved in an accident is anybody’s guess, but it will satisfy your legal obligations.

Driving in Zambia:  Let the driver beware!  I don’t know the Latin phrase for that but I’m sure there is one and it should be emblazoned on the Zambian coat of arms.  It seems that a prime source of income for someone in government is traffic citations, so watch out when driving on any of the major highways.  Police stops are frequent and speed limits signs are definitely not.  Be conservative and be careful at all times.  We were stopped twice in our first few days, fined once and warned once, and ever after we crept around like church mice.  

Internet:  We bought a data SIM from MTN and it has worked quite well for us.  In cities or along major highways we have had good coverage.  Out in the bush of course we have had no coverage.  This has been the cheapest data we’ve yet found in Africa, costing only ZMW 220 (US $17) for 15 gb of up to 4g LTE data for thirty days.

Shopping:  Shoprite, Spar, Choppies, and in Lusaka even a small Woolworths provide shopping opportunities in the cities while independent markets will be found in smaller towns.  Selection of many items is less than in countries further south.  Our initial losses have been good bread, good ham and Diet Coke.  

Location, Type/Cost and Description: (Listings are in chronological order. Numbers {4/19} indicate month/year of visit. Costs are in local currency for two people, one vehicle, per night and may include pensioner or other discount. Exhange rates vary, but for comparison purposes at the time of our visit 100 Kwacha was approximately US $7.75) 

Sesheke    Brenda’s Best Baobab Lodge and Camping    Pay    S17.48219  E24.29270

Cost:  75 kwacha pp/night.  Town is about 6 kms from the Katima Mulilo Namibia border, and very much a border town.  This is a nice little lodge on the river, but is better for tents, as vehicle camping is only available in their parking lot.  We were placed in front of a chalet, which was occupied.  Also, there is a restaurant down the street with very loud music, at least on Saturday night.  But if you’re exhausted from the border crossing, it works wonderfully!  (6/19)

Livingstone    Thorn Tree House    Pay    S17.88496  E25.86120.  

Cost:  10USD or 110 Kwacha/p/night.  South of town a very short ways, on the road to the Falls, there will be a poorly marked left turn to the property; cross the train tracks and proceed for about one kilometer.  Elephants, etc. roam free in the area.  Do not allow your GPS to take you by way of the Crocodile Farm (closer to town); the road does not go through, and you need to proceed a little further.  This is a very nice, if unusual spot.  There are chalets as well as camping, although no actual camping area; you park on open ground.  It is lovely and quiet and we spent 3 days.  The Falls are less than 5 kms further south.  Do not mistake this property for Thorn Tree Lodge, which is elsewhere and very expensive!  (6/19 and then again 9/19)

Lusaka    Wanderers Backpackers Campsite    Pay    S15.411118  E28.30474    1269 meters

Cost:  65 Kwacha/p/night.  Deep in the heart of the city, convenient to shopping.  Very noisy weekend nights.  Lots of shade; ablutions, kitchen; they will do laundry for you.  Small, but pleasant and adequate; most affordable option in the city. (6/19 and again 9/19)

Lusaka  Shopping    We found we could get into all the mall parking areas (unusual in this day of barriers) and Manda Hill Shopping Center even had an area set aside for Overlanders; never seen that before.  (6/19)

Mishikishi area    Nsobe Game Farm    Camping    Pay    S13.37210  E28.75010    1250 meter

Cost:  45 Kwacha/p/night + 25/p one time for entry to park area.  This is a super, high quality, low impact place.  Dedicated to eco-tourism and maintenance of a community, they have nice camping along the water behind a local dam, a restaurant and bar with pool, trails to hike, and a nice game drive.  We enjoyed it very much and loved the low cost.  It sits about 10 kms off the T3, the road that leads to the Chimfunshi Chimp Sanctuary, and north of Lusaka.  It’s quiet, the staff is pleasant, and very low key.  Highly recommend.  (6/19)

Mkushi River area    Forest Inn    Pay    S13.72235  E29.15711    1240 meters

Cost 130 ZKW/p/night.  Along the T2 Highway, a bit southwest of Mkushi River, this spot is a nice quiet lodge in a forested area.  The showers were quite nice; otherwise rather run down and a bit overpriced we thought.  A popular birding area; lots of trees and shade everywhere.  (6/19)

North on T2 Highway    Escarpment Camping  Pay  S12.74566  E30.93931  

Cost:  50ZKW/p/night.  This small spot is rough and unfinished, although it has potential.  We were heading for the Mutinondo Wilderness, but didn’t quite get that far, so stopped here late in the day.  iOverlander listing.  There is an active quarry next to the site, so might not always be appropriate.  If heading north, you will spot an old sign along the highway a couple hundred meters before you reach it.  The turn at this sign takes you on a very rough road.  Instead, take the turn in at a pink sign where you can see the Bar on the left; this is most direct.  Not overly recommended but will do for a night.  (6/19)

Mutinondo Wilderness area    Wildcamp    Free    S12.42293  E31.24650    1453 meters.

Along the T2 Highway there is a signed turn in to the Wilderness park, about 23 (?) kilometers away.  At a point about 17 kms in, there is a loop track that takes off to the left; it pulls into the woods and then opens out to an area with a nice meadow view.  The edge of the meadow was quite boggy when we were there (June) but there is plenty of room to stay on the track.  Very quiet spot; we stayed 3 days.  (6/19)

Kasama    Thorn Tree Guest House    Pay    S10.21745  E31.17934    1377 meters.

Cost:  75ZKW/p/night.  For folks pitching tents, there is a lovely garden area with lots of grass.  For larger vehicles, you’re limited to the parking lot, which is small and has lots of traffic.  There is a height limit of 3.4 meters to get under an entry arbor; also it is a quite narrow entry gate.  It worked out okay but would not for larger vehicles, and between two visits we stayed a total of 3 nights.  The restaurant serves good food, the folks are friendly and helpful, and we enjoyed ourselves.  This location is owned by the same family as Thorn Tree House in Livingstone and shares a similar sensibility.  Kasama is the largest town up here in the far north (along the M1 highway heading toward the Mbala border crossing into Tanzania).  Shoprite in town has very good supplies.  (6/19)

Mporokoso area    Lusenga Plain NP    Campsite at Lumangwa Falls    Pay    S09.54262  E29.38811   1158 meters

Cost:  370ZKW/two/night, including entry.  At this location several hours west of Kasame (and 90 kms west of Mporokoso), we visited both the Lumangwa and Kabweluma Falls.  We camped for two nights, one night each on the two sides of Lumangwa.  The coordinates given are for the east side of the falls.  This is a rather complicated project, although both falls are stunningly beautiful and well worth the effort to see them.  We suggest that you get local information in Kasame as to the best way to reach the park at the time of your visit.  Be prepared for some very bad roads.  (6/19)

Mbala area    Lake Chila Lodge    Pay    S08.83986  E31.38482    1616 meters

Cost:  100ZKW/p/night.  About 2 kms beyond the town of Mbala, this small lodge and retreat sits alongside the lake.  The area set aside for larger vehicles is small and crowded, in part because of all the activity that goes on here.  It is a retreat and conference center, among other things.  Everyone was quite friendly and helpful.  Small restaurant on site.  We stayed 2 nights, preparing to cross into Tanzania.  Lovely trees and flowers and grassy area; turkeys and guinea fowl on site.  (6/19)

Chipata area    Mamarula’s B&B & Campsite    Pay    E13.58254  E32.60956    Elev 1044 meters

Cost:  104ZKW/p/night.  Open area on grass with lots of shade.  Bar and ablutions.  About 9 kms from town on road to NP; last 2 on dirt.  Nice, easy, casual.  Good place to gather yourself before heading out to the park.  (8/19)

So Luangwa National Park, Mfume area    Wildlife Camp    Pay    S13.10938  E31.75376    Elevation 529 meters

Cost:  $12.00/p/night.  Along the edge of So Luangwa NP.  Last 5 kms on dirt.  About 2 hours out of Chipata.  We stayed in three different sites (#2,6,8); all okay, but 6-9 are the ones right on the water, and they are best.  This is a really good place to stay, right on a bend in the river with great sunsets.  From here you can easily reach the park entrance and do self-drives during the day.  You can also arrange for a game drive from the camp here, and not drive yourself.  We loved it.  Very peaceful, but with hippos, elephants, crocodiles, baboons and antelope on hand.  Game hide near the camp.  Someone from the village pedals in each day with fresh produce.  Awesome!  There are several similar camps nearby but we spoke to some travelers who had visited the others and they said this one is best. (8/19)

Sinda area    Wildcamp overnight spot    Free    S14.26581  E31.63543    Elevation 1128 meters

Cost:  Free.  Listed in iOverlander, this nice spot is in a forested area lightly marked as a reserve, but no restrictive signs.  Quiet.  May be hard to find a place that is open enough; lots of trees.  Roughly one km in off the T4 from a point 15 kms west of Sinda.  Sign saying Chimtongo Health Post at turn; you enter through an open gate.  (8/19)

Lusaka area    Pioneer Camp    Pay    S15.39504  E28.45112    Elevation 1189 meters

Cost: 130 ZKW/p/night.  Large open camping area near chalets and lodge; not quite enough shade.  Electricity at some sites.  Nice ablutions, restaurant.  Very nice staff, who will do laundry.  About 25 kms east of Lusaka on the T4, then 7 kms on dirt.  Stayed for 3 days.  Very popular with overlanders.  About 3 kms closer to the city, staying on the T4, is good shopping.  (8/19)

Lower Zambezi NP area    Zambezi Breezers Lodge    Pay    S15.98595  E28.88105    Elev 374 M

Cost:  110ZKW/p/night.  Mediocre but adequate parking area on grass near the river, with bar/restaurant/pool and ablutions nearby.  This stop is about 6 kms in towards the park from Chirundu and right on the river in an open area.   Can arrange for river cruises here.  Hippos, elephants, and crocodiles.  (8/19)

Lower Zambezi NP area    Mvuu Lodge    Pay    S15.76494  E29.21910    Elevation 363 meters

Cost:  $30/p/night.  Ultimately we didn’t stay; decided it was much too expensive.  Looked very nice, and had been recommended by reliable friends.  Elephants close at hand; right on the river.  Can arrange river cruises or game drives into the park.  (9/19)

Lower Zambezi NP area    Mukuyu Lodge    Pay    S15.83248  E29.12873    Elev 356 meters

Cost: 150 ZKW/p/night.   With Mvuu so expensive and the only other available lodge before going into the NP being full, we had to turn around and retrace our steps a bit.  We found this nice, open place between Mvuu Lodge and Zambezi Breezers as we headed back toward Chirundu.  We enjoyed being here, parked on an open area along the river, with nice views, plenty of animals nearby, and very friendly staff who built a fire each night.  Very casual and low-key, spoken of as a typical bush camp.  We found it delightful. Boat and safari rides available.  (9/19)

Choma    Twin Cave Lodge    Pay    S16.81665  E27.01390    Elevation 1300 meters

Cost:  100 ZKW/p/night.  At the northern end of town, just off the T1.  Quieter than you might imagine.  Nothing fancy, just a nice open grassy area to park on; not too far from a church, so some noise from that.  Worked well for us.  (9/19)

Livingstone area    Kubu Campsite    Pay    S17.83004  E25.64855    Elevation 905 meters

Cost:  195 ZKW/p/night.  About 30 minutes west of town, turn off the T10 towards river, following signs for about 4.5 kms on dirt.  This small but delightful spot with full amenities is right on the river, on a grassy slope (but we were able to get level) under trees.  Quite delightful, with breeze off the water.  (9/19)

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