People

Steve, South Africa

We met Steve (overlandingfamily.com), the original owner of our truck, in the Kgalagadi National Park. A long lunchtime was spent discussing Big Bertha and future travel plans. Afterwards we toured BB and Steve was very happy to see we were looking after ‘his’ truck.

Gerd and Sylvie, South Africa

We met this German couple and their Steyr truck, at Die Mas, a lovely campsite on the Orange River. They were heading in the opposite direction towards Namibia.

Fish Hoek Scottish Country Dance Class, South Africa

We had a fun evening of Scottish Country dancing in this class, led by Heather and Andrew. Even danced “Catch the Wind”!

Gary, South Africa

We stored our truck at Gary and Cathy’s apple farm in Cape Town. They looked after Big Bertha and took to and from the airport. Great service!

Alan and Lila, South Africa

So nice to meet these guys again! Alan was Francine’s boss in Hong Kong and we spent many weekends together hiking.

Freddie, South Africa

Freddie let us camp outside his house in Stellenbosch – we were having trouble finding somewhere to stay in this very touristic wine growing region. He showed us his collection of Land Rovers.

Thom and Christa, South Africa

Thom and I were Marshalls in a 4×4 club in the United Arab Emirates – we spent out weekends tearing around the desert in our cars. Very pleased to meet up in Cape Town and chew the fat.

Arthur and Irena, South Africa

We rather rudely camped in the road outside their house at Onrus. We asked if they minded and four bottles of wine later we all decided it would be fine.

Sean, South Africa

Sean is a friend of ours from the United Arab Emirates days. We spend an afternoon eating fish n chips at Still Bay harbour and chatting about old times.

Jürg and Margot, South Africa

We met this Swiss couple at a campsite at Oudtshoorm and the following day we went with them to a South African banger racing event. Great fun.

Uli & Martina, South Africa

We have met another Bocklet truck and what’s more, it was on the famous Swartberg Pass. We spent an hour chatting and then went our separate ways.

Jack and Bridgit, South Africa

These guys are building their own overlanding truck and will start their journey in a couple of years. We shared a meal and talked about the overlanding life.

Jake, Lesotho

Cycling across Africa on his bike, we met Jake in Lesotho. You have to be English or mad to ride across the ‘Kingdom of the Sky’! He was both.

Esther, South Africa

Esther was hitchhiking from Bergville to Johannesburg (a long way) and back in a day, to visit her daughter. We were able to take her to the main road.

Ngezi, Willie and Andrew, eSwatini

Very lucky to be invited by Marco (our friend in Lusaka)’s uncle to their lovely home in the hills of eSwatini (Swaziland).

Max, South Africa

Max invited us to visit in Nelspruit and we had a good chat – Max and his wife are shipping their truck to South America and there is a good chance we will meet again on that continent.

Madelyn and Jimmy, South Africa

Francine met Madelyn in Abu Dhabi and it was wonderful to visit their home in Whiteriver.

Johan, Lynn and Michelle, South Africa

We were vey fortunate to be invited to stay at this fabulous property on the banks of the Vaal River. It was a wonderful stay!

TM Trucking, South Africa

We spent a month at this garage having Big Bertha serviced ready for South America. Thank you Terry and crew!!

Sarah and Ken, South Africa

This couple from Canada (Sarah is a Brit though) have at last managed their African trip after having been thwarted by the pandemic.

Ellen and Mehmet, South Africa

We met up with these Germans, Ellen (again) and Mehmet, at the fabulous Blyde River Canyon

Henk, Bianca and sons, South Africa

We met this lovely family on our first day in RSA and Henk spent a few hours helping us choose our route around the country.

Portia and Husband, Zimbabwe

They had been stuck overnight, but together we managed to get their truck started.

Bax, Charles and Sally, Zimbabwe

We joined these guys for a lovely walk in the Vumbe hills.

James, Ruth, Henne and Jessie, Zimbabwe

This lovely family invited us to stay at their wonderful home in Harare. Mo, James’s mother who stays in Chiredzi, was also visiting. We had a wonderful three nights with them.

Stanley, Zimbabwe

We stayed overnight in front of Stanley’s farm and gold mine. He showed us the workings in the morning.

Robert, Zimbabwe

We gave Robert, a ranger we met at Chizarira National Park, a lift to his university town. On the way we stopped for a local sadza meal. It was very tasty!

Neil and Anneliese, and Gordon, Zimbabwe

These guys invited us to an evening meal at their cottage overlooking Lake Kariba. A few Jagermeisters were consumed!

Katharine and Uli, Zimbabwe

We met this German couple at our campsite and we shared travel stories.

Max and Sylvie, Botswana

We met this French couple at the campsite – they were waiting for spare parts for their Citroen camper.

The Potjie Ladies, Botswana

We met Marjan and Patricia in Maun and shared several meals and beers together. We met up again later in Lusaka, They are on their way to their home country – Belgium.

Andreas and Sabine, Namibia

Dave had a great time talking batteries with Andreas, but they are a very shy German couple, so here is a picture of their truck!

Alan and Valda, Namibia

We had a great time chatting to these South Afican’ at Oppi Koppi. They are three months into their full time overlanding journey.

David and Charlotte, Namibia

Brits David and Charlotte were staying at Oppi Koppi when we retuned form our trip to Marienfluss. Their truck was even heavier than BB!

Andreas & Gerlinde, Namibia

We met this Austrian couple at Oppi Koppi camp in Kamanjab, Namibia. We hunted scorpions after Gerlinde was stung walking in camp.

Günther and Ingrid, Namibia

Bumped into this German couple at Henties Bay. They had just returned from Kaokoland and gave us some good tips.

Walter and Francine, Namibia

Met this fun German couple whilst Kayaking at Pelican Point with the seals.

Detlef & Chris, Namibia

Met in Henties Bay and shared a campsite in Swakopmund. This German couple drive a really mean ex Dakar rally raid MAN.

Robert and Marita, Namibia

We met this German couple in the Etosha National Park. They drive a nice Unimog which lives in Nambia.

Werner and Dewi, Namibia

With Nelly & Julie at Kupferquelle campsite in Tsumeb. We spent Christmas day together. Met them again later at Henties Bay. A nice German couple.

Bud and Mary, Namibia

With Nelly & Julie at Nourukoro campsite in the Caprvi Strip. We again met this American couple in Henties Bay where David sorted out Bud & Mary’s Landcruiser’s electrics.

Shaun and Cricket, Tanzania

We met these Californians on a coffee plantation in Tanzania and we met up a couple of times thereafter. Very nice company.

Tanzanian Family, Tanzania

Upon arrival at our campsite, this family immediately invited us to join their BBQ. Lovely spiced meat!

Nick and Family, Tanzania

We met these lovely family at Ngwazi Sailing Club in Tanzania and we were promptly invited to a pork roast to celebrated their son’s birthday.

Kris, Tanzania

We met Kris online; he gave us good advice whilst in Tanzania and it was great to actually meet him in Morogoro.

Erwan and Hannery, Kenya

We met this lovely couple when they chanced upon us at wild camp in an old quarry adjacent to the road. We were both surprised to see each other!

Reggie, Kenya

Permanently camped on the beach for seven years, Reggie is a roving musician. We later heard him play at Diani Beach.

Ernst and Verena, Kenya

This Swiss couple are travelling in their super MAN Fuss Mobile truck. Our paths crossed near Mombassa. They were heading north and we were heading south; but we hope to meet again as our overall routes are the same.

Chris and Janine, Kenya

Chris’s brother, Max, who lives in Topsham, put us in touch. Chris and Janine were super helpful in recommending things to see and where to stay. We stayed outside their house at Vipingo Beach for a couple of nights.

Alex and Micki, Kenya

Long term travellers. We met them on Mt Kenya and shared a nice meal at Ken Trout.

Father Anthony, Kenya

This German has been in the far north of Kenya all his working life (40+ years). Initially North Horr and now Kalacha. Told us stories of the old days when there were no tar roads and he used Unimogs. He has a beautiful church with murals.

Sylvain, Audrey, Anais and Victor, Kenya

French family travelling southern Africa. We briefly met this lovely family near Lake Baringo.

lesmollalpagas-encavale.com

Joe, Uganda

Joe, an architect with his own practice in Kampala, knocked on our door and we got chatting. He would like to build a truck and travel overland one day,

Robert, Beate and Chiara, Uganda

We hooked up with these guys in Entebbe and spent a few days together. They are excellent company and really good fun. Our kind of people!

ondjila-travel.com

Dominik and Katharina, Uganda

This lovely couple invited us to stay at their home in Gulu. We did the normal overlanding things (filled up water, used washing machine etc) and spent a very nice valentine’s evening with them over a superb meal at a nearby restaurant.

Anna, Tanzania

Anna helped us with getting a SIM card in Tanzania (its difficult to register a SIM there). Later we were pleased to help with her mother’s hospital bill.

Hazel and Euwart, Zambia

This British couple, long term residents, run the Thorntree Guest House in Kasama. We stayed with them while we were stuck earlier in the year, and again stayed on our journey north.

Thomas and Esther, Zambia

A Swiss couple we met at the Kasanka National Park. Have been travelling for many years now.

Oliver and Karin, Zambia

tracks around the world

We met these two intrepid travellers on their sprint through Zambia. They spent the night with us at Dylan’s.

Lusaka Posse, Zambia

On a day out at Parry’s, just outside Lusaka.

Bruce and Kate, Zambia

Have a farm just north of Lusaka – we spent a nice weekend there.

Niko and Stella, Zambia

Part of the Lusaka posse

Jono, Lulu and Kelly, Zambia

Part of the Lusaka posse.

Peter and son, Jason, Zambia

Peter machined a new part for my jack after it was broken during recovery operations.

Christof and Margret, Zambia

We met at Carsten’s workshop and I helped fix their fog lights.

Carsten, Zambia

Cartsen owns German Truck Tech in Lusaka. He fixed our leaking wheel hub.

Jameson Sausage The First, Zambia

Dylan’s faithful companion, taken by a puff adder on 26/8/2020. RIP Sausage Dog.

Thadeus and Dominic, Zambia

We met these mining engineers at Croc Valley. We hired a Land Cruiser and explored South Luangwa NP.

Simonga and Laura, Zambia

We met these guys at South Luangwa National Park and spent some time in the park.

Fanwell, Zambia

We met Fanwell at the MAN garage – he drive’s a MAN 4×4 for work.

Marco, Tahira and Keanu, Zambia

We got to know this lovely family really well during our extended stay in Zambia.

Pinnon Lodge Weekend, Zambia

We visited Pinnon Lodge for a long weekend with our Zambian friends. We had a terrific time!

Lyndon, Ruth, Indiana and Ivy, Zambia

These guys call Pinnon Lodge home and we spent a lovely week with them on the Kafue River bank.

George, Zambia

George helped us with rescue operations at Chambeshi River.

Major Phiri, Zambia

The Zambian National Service, led by the Major, came to our rescue when stuck at Chambeshi River.

Father Thomas and Anton, Zambia

Father Thomas, Anton and his crew came to our rescue at Mutinondo.

Rescue Team, Zambia

These guys got us out of a very sticky situation at Mutinondo!

Lari, Zambia

We had a very bad ‘stuck’ at Mutinondo, but Lari took us under her wing and looked after us.

Gary, Zambia

Gary lives full time in a house boat on the Zambezi river above the Kariba dam. We went aboard for a short cruise and drinks.

Dylan and friends, Zambia

Dylan (at top of table) contacted us on Facebook and we stayed on his wonderful small holding outside Lusaka. We returned here later for the COVID19 lockdown.

Billy, Zambia

Billy own Rivonia, a Zambian sauce company. He very kindly showed us around the factory and gave us some samples to try. He is a real character.

Sheila and Sylvia, Zambia

Sheila, 88 years young, founded Chimfunshi and her daughter, Sylvia, continues to work at the foundation. We played Scrabble, ate chocolate and drank beer / vodka.

David and Veronica, Zambia

This lovely couple made our 2019 Christmas and NYE very special.

Peter, Zambia

Fifth generation Zambian and the only white chief in Zambia. We stayed on his farm at the source of the Zambezi river.

Fantastic Four, Namibia

These guys materialised from nowhere and helped me dig out Big Bertha in Puros. Cheers Guys!

Cora and Theo, Namibia

sesfontein-guesthouse.com

A lovely couple that have started up a lovely guesthouse in this very remote area. Filtered coffee on tap with home made cake!!

Martin, Namibia

Martin was our very knowledgeable and personable guide for Tweyfelfontein.

Tarik, Morocco

Tarik, assistant manager at the Tinghir Hotel, let Francine use a bath for free and served apple tea afterwards.