Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Just returned from a wonderful 2 weeks in Namibia. Fully loaded with rooftop tent, extra spare, 50l water, 4 x Jerrycans, 2 adults & 2 kids

5891km with at least 2000km on dirt roads and off-road
Best Fuel consumption: Kamanjab - Opuwo : 5.3 l/km
Worst Fuel consumption: Van Zyl's Pas - Puros : 3.6 l/km
Average Fuel consumption for trip: 4.5 km/l

I only had 2 weeks leave so a lot had to happen in a very short time - 3 weeks would have been better!

Day 1: Stellenbosch - Van Rynsdorp - Noordoewer - Keetmanshoop

Day 2: Keetmanshoop - Mariental - Aranos - Gobabis - Waterberg Plato Day 3: Waterberg Plato - Otjivarongo - Etosha Day 4: Etosha - Opuwo - Okongwati - Camp in riverbed before Van Zyl's Pass
(There are 2 routes from Okongwati to Van Zyl's Pass and as luck would have it I chose the bobbejaan route!) Day 5: I missed the Van Zyl's Pass turnoff as I thought it only goes to the Van Zyl's Pass camp - Big mistake - 42 km later I realized I am way off track and decided to backtrack. Without a GPS very difficult as there are numerous tracks not even on the T4A map. Plotted coordinates from cell phone GPS on map to try figure out where we were. Took me all day just to get back on a road that is on my map. Needless to say I know what I am getting for my birthday in September! 4 o'clock the afternoon just after I found a known road I met up with a French couple in a rented Hilux who was planning to sleep next to the Kunene that night as it is only +- 100km away They were a bit shocked when I informed them that Van Zyl's Pass will take a bit longer than the 2 hours available light we still had. The couple had a Garmin Colorado with the latest T4A maps so we joined up with them as now I would at least get to Van Zyl's Pass We slept at the Van Zyl's Pass Camp which has hot showers and flushing toilets - very nice after a long day! Day 6+7: Van Zyl's Pass - My wife asked 'Is that it?' - After we completed the pass. It is very rocky and steep in places but after the roads we travelled the previous day trying to find the pass - it was a walk in the park and the Patrol didn't put a wheel wrong. The Frenchman lost a front tyre going down but he was going much too fast. After the pass we went via the Marienfluss to Camp Syncro on the Kunene (which burnt down the previous night!) where we stayed for 2 nights. Day 8: Camp Syncro via Red drum and Urupembe to Puros. A nice drive with wonderful landscapes. We saw our first desert elephant when we got to Puros! We camped just of the riverbed about 300m from a waterhole. Plenty of elephant tracks all around. Day 9: Travelled 10 km up the Puros Canyon but had to turn around as I was getting a bit low on fuel due to the extra detour before Van Zyl's Pass and headed for Sesfontein to refuel and then on to Warmquelle where we camped at the hot springs for the night. When I dug out our last T-bones for supper it was green and slightly more matured than how I like it!! Tinned tuna and mash just isn’t the same! Day 10: We headed for Swakopmund via the Skeleton Coast as we were low on food. Slept in the municipal bungalows and met another Patrol man!
Day 11: Had the car cleaned at the local Engen and drove to Dune 7 close to Walvisbay. Nice rest day.
Day 12: Swakopmund to Sossosvlei but decided to push through to Aus where we slept in the hotel.
Day 13: Aus to Stellenbosch via Sendelingsdrift. What a peacefull borderpost!

A couple of questions:
How did you fasten the wood to the bullbar?
Did the car not overheat with the wood obstructing the radiator?
What size tyres have you got on the car?
How much petrol did you use over all?

How did you fasten the wood to the bullbar?

It was actually on the roof but came loose. I used one of those ratchet straps.

Did the car not overheat with the wood obstructing the radiator?

No - we were doing only about 40km/h to Camp Syncro and there is actually a lot of space between the radiator and the wood.

What size tyres have you got on the car?

Tyres BF Goodrich A/T's 265/70/17's
Pressure front 2.2
Pressure rear 2.6

How much petrol did you use over all?

1331.3 liters of fuel costing R 10,370.12
Cheapest fuel was at Swakop R7.35/l
Most expensive fuel at Springbok R8.67/l

Great trip report and stats, good thread, well done. i enjoyed all your pics but one i really like is the one in the dry grasslands with the grass middlemannetjie (spelling?), great pic, i was having a shit two days but when i looked at that pic it felt like i could breath! if that makes sense...

Thanks Russ!

I know what you mean - I miss the 'nothingness' and the cold Tafel lager @ 8 o'clock in the morning!

Great Report David, ek moet saamstem met Russ daardie Marienfluss foto roep my met n dringendheid om ook hierdie trip te doen

Shalom
Jules

Nou hoe de **** loop ons inni selle wereld dieselle tyd rond maar mis mekaar ??
Ons was ook daar en ek sal ook maar moet verslag skryf ... my geval was ek met Boezman daar - en Cobus se colt het dwarsgetrek en gasket geplas 2 dae voor die vertrek - en hy het toe met LOBO gery ... al die pad en daai 1982 kreatuure het ald ie anner grand moutrs 'n ding of twee gewys.

Great report David - you set the standard, i'll see what i can come up with.

Kagiso II wrote:Nou hoe de **** loop ons inni selle wereld dieselle tyd rond maar mis mekaar ??

Die plek is mos maar bietjie groot

Jules wrote:Great Report David, ek moet saamstem met Russ daardie Marienfluss foto roep my met n dringendheid om ook hierdie trip te doen

Jules - dit is definitief een van daardie moet-doen trippies. Verkieslik net langer as die 2 weke wat ek gehad het want daar is baie plekke wat ek nog beter sal wil verken.

David, baie nice report. Afrika is die beste!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gaan probeer om 2011 of daarna n draai daar te maak.
Koos