Campfire stories with Land Rover
Over the last six or so years I have been privileged to attend some impressive car launches, both locally and internationally, but nothing could have prepared me for the experience I was to have with Land Rover in Zambia and Botswana last week.
After a very early start on Thursday morning we touched down in Livingstone, Zambia, where we were met by the 2014 Range Rover Evoque. This car has won 146 awards globally since it was launched in 2011. That is impressive to say the least. It is no wonder then that this facelift is rather minor, why change something that works? The few exterior changes include new alloy wheels and a new grille.
The most important change, however, is the introduction of the new 9-speed automatic transmission. This gearbox will be standard on all the Evoque models going forward. It is said to lower fuel consumption by more than 11 percent. There has been some new tech added as well which includes optional Active Driveline which is an “on-demand” four-wheel drive system that assess the driving conditions and speed and will switch to front-wheel drive for better fuel consumption.
You can also expect Perpendicular Park and Park Exit features. I have to ask, why oh why would you need your car to position itself centrally in a parking bay? If you are unable to pull into a parking and judge the spacing around you I question whether you should be behind the wheel. Ok fine, Park Exit helps you exit a parallel parking and I know many, far too many people in fact, who aren’t very good at parallel parking. So this feature gets a thumbs up.
Back to the launch. We made our way down to Victoria Falls for some lunch on the banks of this incredible wonder. After getting drenched we headed to our hotel where we were treated to a sunset cruise down the Zambezi River. Now this was special. I had never seen hippos before and there I got to sit, sipping on a G&T watching the hippos wallow in the water. It was a moment in time I will never forget.
The next day we headed to the border crossing in to Botswana and hopped on to the Kazungula Ferry. We made it across the Zambezi in one piece and took the cars along the Linyanti floodplains and entered Savuti Game Reseve. The Evoque handled whatever was thrown at it and after all the rain the area had just had, this car had its work cut out for it. We had to traverse through many a puddle, some more like a pool than a puddle, and a lot of mud. Fortunately it has terrain response and so I switched it in to Mud-Rut mode. The car glided effortlessly through the obstacles. I would like to add that it was also my great driving skills that got us through some situations as a few of the men lost a bumper or two.
We arrived at Savuti airstrip where a teeny tiny little plain was waiting. I nearly stopped breathing as my fear of flying started to kick in. I was momentarily distracted by an Elephant munching on a tree just behind the plane and then, it was time to climb on board and get going. Once in the air however, I was breathless not out of fear but from sheer awe. The beauty of the landscape is something quite special. I could hear the Sheena Queen of the Jungle theme song playing in my head.
We landed in the Khwai Development Trust and hopped in to the 2014 Land Rover Discovery. This has also had some minor changes made which is really only to keep it feeling fresh. It also includes a new grille as well as new headlamps.
We had to make our way along the Khwai River endge near the Okavango Delta and there was a lot of water to get through. Thankfully, the Discovery’s raised ground clearance made this a breeze. As we made our way to the campsite we came across a beautiful lioness lying in the middle of the road and she was not moving for anyone or anything. So we had to maneuver around her, which meant we got really close to this beautiful animal. The pride was lying just off the side of the road and wow, what an incredible moment. One of many it would seem.
We arrived at the campsite where we were greeted by the one and only, Kingsley Holgate! He is a South African explorer, humanitarian and author and possibly one of the most interesting people I have ever met. We sat around the campfire as he told us stories about his adventures around Africa and the amazing things that he and Land Rover South Africa is doing for this country. It includes handing out mosquito nets to moms with babies to help with malaria prevention as well as providing the elderly with glasses so they can resume simple tasks such as sewing,reading and beadwork to help them contribute to their community.
We had a hippo come and visit the campsite as well as a Hyena, which put me on edge a little, but we were assured that once inside our tents, we would be perfectly safe. I must have made it to my tent in about 3 seconds flat and slept with my head under the duvet just in case a lion got curious he would think no one was home.
The next morning we left in the Discoveries and made our way to Muan airport where I said a very sad farewell to what will be remembered as one of my greatest adventures. Not only did it turn me in to a “Landi” fan, I’ve never fallen so deeply in love with a place so quickly and am already planning my next trip back there.