Overlanding was once seen as an exclusive club reserved for seasoned explorers, heavily modified 4x4s, and enough gear to survive the apocalypse.
Today, that script is being rewritten across South Africa.
From young families in standard SUVs to adventure-seekers tackling dirt roads in small hatchbacks, a new generation of road-trippers is proving that exploring our wildest corners doesn't require a million-rand rig - just a fridge, a paper map, and a drive to get away.
The journey starts before you leave
One of the pleasures of overlanding is that the holiday can begin weeks or even months before the vehicle leaves the driveway.
For my partner and me, it starts with a paper map.
I use a Tracks4Africa map to look at the bigger picture and plan a route, deliberately looking for the road less travelled and places that might take us somewhere remote or interesting.
Once I have a rough route, the modern world takes over. Tracks4Africa on the GPS helps with distances and driving times, Google Earth provides a look at the terrain, and YouTube is invaluable for seeing what other travellers have encountered.
Social media provides campsite reviews, warnings about difficult sections and, much to my partner's frustration, suggestions involving more technical 4x4 driving.
A place that was originally intended as an overnight stop can become a destination. That is how we ended up spending two nights in Nieu-Bethesda, giving us time to explore the area and visit the Owl House rather than simply passing through.
That is part of the fun, because the route is rarely completely settled when the planning starts.
Anton Willemse, editor of "Adventure Afrika" and a regular overlander, believes the desire to explore is almost part of the South African character.
“We have an incredible country on our doorstep, from open dirt roads and remote bushveld to mountains, deserts, rivers and the coastline,” he says. “There’s a natural urge to get out there and experience it for ourselves.”
You don’t need an expedition vehicle
Not too long ago, an overlanding holiday seemed to require a particular type of person, vehicle and enough equipment to fill a Sea Point apartment.
The image was usually a heavily modified Toyota Land Cruiser, rooftop tent, recovery gear, multiple jerry cans, fridge, extra fuel and enough camping equipment to survive several weeks in the wilderness.
But overlanding has become much broader.
At one end are travellers undertaking lengthy African expeditions through remote terrain and at the other are families heading away for a long weekend in a standard SUV or bakkie.
Deon Venter, CEO of 4x4 Mega World, has spent three decades watching the market develop.
“The customer base is varied, but 90% of our customers are people that simply buy a fridge and go camping,” he says.
His first recommendation for someone starting out is surprisingly simple: “Buy a fridge.”
A fridge and dual-battery system can make a considerable difference on longer trips, while a canopy can protect equipment on a bakkie.
Tyres may not even need immediate attention. Venter recalls travelling through Namibia and Botswana in a standard Quantum bus fitted with a fridge and dual-battery system.
“We didn't have one puncture,” he says.
It’s not that equipment is unnecessary, but that it should follow experience.
Willemse says beginners often make the mistake of buying equipment because it looks good rather than because they need it.
“Start by assessing your own needs, keep it simple and focus on the basics; you can always add or upgrade equipment as you gain experience,” he says.
A different kind of overlander
Overlanding was traditionally associated with the retired “grey nomad” with plenty of time, a well-equipped 4x4 and a fairly traditional approach to exploring.
Then came Covid-19.
With international travel restricted, the outdoors became an increasingly attractive escape. When restrictions eased, many South Africans chose to explore closer to home.
“Overlanding suddenly appealed to a much wider audience,” Willemse says.
“These days, when you hit the trails, you’re just as likely to meet young families, couples, groups of friends and younger adventure seekers as you are the traditional grey nomad.”
Social media has also helped accelerate that change.
YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook have made it possible to see almost every type of overlanding experience before attempting it yourself. They provide route information, campsite recommendations and a glimpse of what is possible.
For Aslam Mxolisi Tawana, founder of Black Boy Adventures, there is another dimension to that changing landscape.
His organisation advocates getting black South Africans outdoors to experience overlanding, 4x4 travel, camping, fishing and other outdoor activities.
His own interest began when his father took the family camping, including to quieter areas of the Northern Cape.
“I enjoy the outdoors. For me, it became a natural passion,” he says.
As his travels developed, Tawana noticed there were often very few black South Africans at the destinations they visited.
He believes history plays a role. During apartheid, access to leisure facilities was segregated and facilities allocated to black South Africans were often smaller and overcrowded.
Social media is helping to change that perception.
“People see the possibilities,” Tawana says.
Black Boy Adventures has also deliberately shown that adventure does not require a massive expedition vehicle. Tawana remembers encountering a couple travelling in a Volkswagen Polo Vivo at one destination.
“It can be done,” he says. “You don't need to have things like that.”
Let the vehicle evolve with you
Willemse recently returned from a 3,000km trip through Botswana involving technical routes, deep sand and water crossings. His own bakkie was modestly equipped with a replacement bullbar, snorkel and canopy.
The convoy also included a standard GWM Tank 300.
“It didn't skip a single beat,” he says.
There are limits to what a standard vehicle can do, particularly when travelling repeatedly through harsh terrain. Venter says a vehicle intended for frequent expeditions needs to be considered differently from one used for an occasional holiday.
The more equipment that is added, the more important weight becomes.
“We can build anything into a car,” Venter says. “But the vehicle itself is the limitation.”
Adding fridges, water, fuel, recovery equipment, drawers, tents, batteries and awnings eventually changes how the vehicle drives.
“It gets top-heavy, so there needs to be a fine balance,” he says.
My own journey followed the same gradual path.
It started with a stock-standard Nissan Sani, a tent, tables and cooler boxes, with weekends on the West Coast providing our entertainment.
Since then I have progressed to a Land Rover Defender 90, which I have slowly built up over many years. Today we can be completely self-sufficient and actively look for places with few or no amenities.
For longer journeys, I also have a fully equipped off-road trailer with a rooftop tent that has undergone numerous modifications.
But none of that was required when we started.
Rediscovering South Africa
There is a bigger tourism story behind the growth of overlanding.
South Africans can be remarkably familiar with international destinations while knowing relatively little about our own country.
Tawana points to the Northern Cape, Free State and parts of Lesotho as examples of places offering spectacular scenery without requiring an international flight.
“Some of the marketing of tourism destinations in other countries, like Kenya and Botswana, is at another level,” he says.
Overlanding provides another way of discovering these places because the road itself becomes part of the holiday.
For us, solitude is a big part of the attraction.
Places such as the Namaqua Eco Trail, Richtersveld National Park, Namibia and wild camping in Botswana offer the opportunity to get away from the crowds.
Spending 12 days next to the Orange River with no cellphone signal and seeing only four people pass by is a very different experience from a December holiday at a busy resort.
The return to basics
Overlanding is not just about the vehicles but what happens when they are parked.
Tawana describes it as a return to basics.
“You've got to make the fire together and set up your tents, so it builds that type of brotherhood and sisterhood and familyhood,” he says.
There is no room service, television or, depending on where you are, cellphone signal.
Instead, there is a fire, food, conversation and the landscape around you.
Tawana says a friend once described the campfire as a “thousand-channel TV”, with something different happening every moment.
It is an old-fashioned idea in a modern world, with people sitting around a fire with nowhere urgent to be and reconnecting with each other and nature.
Overlanding is not necessarily about conquering the most difficult track, owning the biggest vehicle or travelling the furthest.
It can begin with a paper map on a table, a Google search for a campsite, a few YouTube videos and a booking confirmation in your inbox.
Then comes the packing, the early start, the first stretch of tar and eventually the point where the road turns to gravel.
For some, it will lead to Namibia, Botswana, Zambia or deeper into Africa.
For others, it will be a weekend trip a few hundred kilometres from home.
Both are overlanding.
willem.vdputte@nationalmg.co.za