Calm In The Khwai
SA4x4|September 2019

We drive the new Ford Everest in Northern Botswana – and get dished up a testing selection of fine sand, river crossings and lots of mud

Micky Baker
Calm In The Khwai

Car launches are carefully managed events that show off a vehicle’s best qualities. While they do usually take place in spectacular locations, the emphasis is nearly always on the car, with little thought given to the actual travel experience.

But for the launch of the new Everest, Ford managed to blend the best of both worlds into one heck of an experience in Botswana.

The journey began with a flight to Maun, the go-to jump-off point for many a traveller heading into the Okavango Delta. We’d be spending two nights exploring the highlights of the region, all from the comfort of Ford’s plush new bi-turbo Everest.

Pan-tastic

The first chapter of our journey took us some 200km along the A3 road, towards one of Mother Nature’s more surreal works of art – the Makgadikgadi Pans.

We’d be spending the night bathing in the starlight in a remote corner of the Nwetwe Pan, to be precise.

Our campsite was ready and waiting, with canvas tents pitched in a large circle. A vital mopani wood fire burned right in the middle.

We arrived with light fading fast, so there was just enough time to grab a drink and take in the pastel-coloured sunset. On one side, the sun was setting over the veld and on the other, blue and red colours were mixing above an endless horizon of salt pan.

The Ford team had intended for us to stay further out into the pan, but the SAMIL support vehicle – hauling much of the camping gear – nearly got stuck in the primordial ooze under the brittle surface of the pan. Personally, I think the setting was perfect.

Although the night was bitterly cold, the catering team did a fine job of warming us up with some tasty chicken and some oxtail stew.

Into the Delta

Bu hikaye SA4x4 dergisinin September 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye SA4x4 dergisinin September 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

SA4X4 DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
SA4x4

Uganda The Pearl Of Africa

This trip, the very last in the series of stories from Dan Grec’s two-year Africa round trip, details a scary mishap and some extraordinary wildlife encounters

time-read
10+ dak  |
March 2020
Chewy, But Edible
SA4x4

Chewy, But Edible

Take another look at those garden pests

time-read
4 dak  |
March 2020
Auto Perfection?
SA4x4

Auto Perfection?

Adding a six-speed auto to Mahindra’s workhorse ups the game for this value proposition

time-read
3 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Defenders On Tour

The second 2019 Defender Trophy event kicked off in Limpopo and was unique in that participants camped in three different countries…

time-read
9 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Rad Rig The Dream Catcher

Motorhome world’s one-of-a-kind luxury globetrotter

time-read
4 dak  |
March 2020
The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader
SA4x4

The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader

A very important distinction needs to be made between the offroader and the overland traveller; often the two are thought to be the same.

time-read
5 dak  |
March 2020
Steelmate TP-S9
SA4x4

Steelmate TP-S9

Solar powered TPMS (External sensor)

time-read
3 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Light on the dark side

VW AMAROK DARK LABEL

time-read
4 dak  |
March 2020
Monkey business!
SA4x4

Monkey business!

Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) are the most widespread of the African monkeys; occurring from the Ethiopian Rift Valley, highlands east of the Rift, and southern Somalia, through the eastern lowlands of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia (east of the Luangwa Valley), Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and all nine provinces in South Africa.

time-read
3 dak  |
March 2020
SA4x4

GREAT ZOOKS

There are a few mishaps as a bunch of Jimnys tackle one of Lesotho’s premier off-road challenges, Baboon’s Pass

time-read
10 dak  |
March 2020