Mike Cadman
The long, hot and sandy track that runs from Maun to Kasane across some of Botswana’s best wildlife country is rapidly becoming one of Africa’s most popular overland trips.
Youngsters from New Jersey, retired couples from Bavaria, backpackers from Holland and a seemingly endless flow of other tourists lured by the twin attractions of the Okavango Delta and the Victoria Falls, which is only a short drive from Kasane, are zigzagging across the region in remarkable numbers.
Although large numbers of tourists still choose the luxury lodge “feed us, drive us and show us” type of holiday, many visitors are opting for 4×4 self-drives or taking safaris in heavy overland trucks.
Four-by-fours driven by pale but hardy tourists pop up in the remotest areas, places that were formerly the domain of locals and South Africans. Five-ton trucks disgorge hot and tired overlanders getting their “African experience” and occupy whole camp sites.
Maun, the gateway to the Delta and the start of the Kasane “highway”, has gone through a boom period over the last decade. The roads are tarred, there are three supermarkets and camping and backpacker lodges are full.
The airport carries more light aircraft traffic than many in southern Africa.
Many money exchange operations have sprung up and the latest dollar, sterling and other major currency rates are on display daily.
At the lodges alongside the main road, locals are outnumbered by sunburned overlanders, many of whom sit on top of their vehicles for better game viewing, getting ready for the next leg of whistle- stop expeditions.
Francistown, Maun, Moremi, Chobe Game Reserve, Kasane and then Victoria Falls is one of the favourite routes. The sandy roads are showing signs of the heavy traffic. The big trucks push the wheel tracks far apart so smaller vehicles often drive with one wheel in the soft sand ridge in the middle of the road, making driving more difficult.
On tricky parts of the road people are simply making their own tracks through the bush and in some cases there are three or four separate “roads” causing environmental damage.
Locals shake their heads in wonder at the numbers of people. And the things they get up to.
One couple recently crossing the notorious Magwikwe Sand Ridge on their way to Moremi discovered to their horror that their fuel was about to run out and that the nearest available petrol was about 90km away. They forgot that 4×4 low-range vehicles use a great deal more fuel than in normal drive. And the road from Kasane to Moremi has a lot of soft, soft sand.
Another couple from Bavaria happily stocked up on fuel, water and food and planned to head straight across the vast waterless central Kalahari by themselves. The only problem, they explained, was that the map did not make it clear which track to take. Not a good start in an area where a major breakdown on a poorly used track could result in a very long and anxious wait for help.
After having conquered Maun and Moremi, although many do the trip from the north, the target is the northern part of Chobe Game Reserve and ultimately Victoria Falls in neighbouring Zimbabwe. The area is extremely popular because large numbers of elephant congregate along the Chobe River in the dry season and lion, buffalo and other “must sees” are common.
The downside is the large number of “self drives” and lodge vehicles that result in “combat game viewing”, particularly when lion are spotted. This requires every driver to do whatever they can to get to the front of the scrum of vehicles for the best view.
Tourists are good for business but goodness knows what the animals think.
If you have a desire to visit remote places, Botswana is still great. But the days of the David Livingstone-type adventure are history.