Winter Kruger (backdated as always)

A.k.a. the 4/5 trip.

Having been to Kruger many times in summer, we figured we should go see what it’s like in winter.

(TL/DR: It’s a bit like the dude looking for his keys under the lamp post — the Kruger weather is excellent, much better than in summer — but the light’s not so good for photography).

I also decided to vary the route a bit. Cape Town – Sutherland¹ – Fraserburg – Loxton – Victoria West – Britstown² – Hopetown – Kimberley – Bloemhof – Ventersdorp – Krugersdorp – Pretoria³ – Witbank⁴ – Middelburg⁵ – Dullstroom – Lydenburg – Sabie – Hazyview – Phabeni Gate. And back, Malelane Gate – Baberton – Badplaas⁶ – Bethal – Nigel⁷ – Warden – Bethlehem – Fouriesburg – Ficksburg⁸ – Ladybrand – Bloemfontein⁹ – Colesberg – Middelburg¹⁰ – Cradock¹¹ – Addo¹² – PE¹³ – Mosselbay¹⁴ – Cape Town.

1. Don’t do this. The road to Sutherland is wind-ey and up-and-down-ey therefore slow, and the R356 is not as good as you might be lead to believe.
2. Overnight at Kambro Accommodation. A good place to stay over. Although next time I’ll stick to the N1 to Three Sisters and sleep in Kimberley.
3. Mainly to drop off a gun but also to catch up with the friends we stayed with.
4. To drop off a bunch of guns at Classic Arms.
5. Where Tanya bought some really crappy steak from the Spar in the Middelburg Mall.
6. Avoid this route. Can’t tell you why I don’t learn. Take either of the passes to Machadodorp (now “eNtokozweni”, but the streets are still Voortrekker, Potgieter and the like) and go from there.
7. Because my GPS is evil. I swear to Finagle, the toll road people must be paying Garmin to route via as many toll roads as possible. The sane route should have been Badplaas – Ermelo – Standerton – Vrede – Bethlehem. The Nigel route added 70km and R175.50 in toll roads.
8. Because I had to pick up a gun. Stayed at the Green Acorn. Eclectic but not terrible.
9. In this case I agreed with the GPS. The R26 from Ladybrand to Wepener should be canonised, and while the N1  outside Bloemfontein is technically a toll road, there’s no toll gate.
10. The other one.
11. Now “Nxuba” with great fanfare and absolutely no increase in quality of anything for anybody.
12. We had not been to Addo before. It’s recommended. More later.
13. Because I had to… pick up a gun. Also, Tanya wanted to visit an old friend.
14. We have friends there, stayed over, drank too much.

Stats: 6414km, 378 litres of diesel costing R8487, 5.9 litres/100km average.

I need air helpers. But they’re expensive. Tiguan springs, maybe? (It’s the fridge and the beer in the back of the Golf, the teardrop’s only about 30 kilos on the hitch, even loaded — I can (and had to) pick it up when the jockey is giving me shit).