Our 1st border crossing: Ponta do Ouro, into Mozambique

We woke up early: our noisy neighbours were getting ready to go fishing on the Kosi Bay estuary. The day is overcast and a welcome respite after the last few days. At 8am we are ready to head to the border post a few kms away.

At 9am the border is already very busy. Cars are queuing for over a km of road at least. It is Saturday, the first day of the Christmas holidays. Hundreds of South Africans are going to the coast. It looks like the great trek: a migration of fully kitted 4x4 with trailers, tents, boats, jet-skis, quad bikes… In front of us a group of students in a fancy Land Cruiser with a trailer have cracked open the beers. They are not the only ones...


We eventually get to the border (2hrs) and everything goes smoothly. The staff are friendly and helpful and it is well organised. We don’t take photos around the border as it probably isn’t allowed.

Steve gets a 1 month visa for ZAR 17 on his South African passport. Mine (French)costs ZAR 172. It is less than what I was expecting from the information I had gathered from the Embassy. It’s a pleasant surprise. The compulsory car insurance costs ZAR 150, and we don’t have to pay for a temporary import permit for our vehicle thanks to the Carnet de Passage (CDP).

The border post officials didn’t know about the CDP, and it took them quite some time to figure it out with them. but eventually they were very happy that we had such an official document with us. Steve was very patient, and I walked around, observing with amusement the “great summer migration” and looking for a discreet spot without snakes or mines to go to the loo.

We have done about 3,000km since we left Cape Town 2 weeks ago.

Once in Mozambique we have the choice between 3 sandy tracks. They are all 4x4 only. We are told that the one on the left will take us to Maputo. The GPS confirms: keep left all the way to Boane and you will be fine.

From the Transkei to Kwazulu Natal: our last week in South Africa

Our last night in South Africa is at the Kosi Bay rest camp. Once again, and despite the fact that the holiday season has started and we haven’t made any bookings, we have been lucky to find a campsite.
Tomorrow we will cross the nearby border post of Ponta do Ouro into Mozambique. I have just had a hot shower and Steve is preparing a potjie - the last of our farewell party chicken (let’s hope it wont make us sick). We are wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts as we have entered a malaria endemic area.
It is hard to believe that we were in South Africa over the past few days. It has been hot, humid, and overcast. It feels very tropical. We are slowly getting used to being constantly damp.
The roads have been good and very scenic; tarred roads wandering through the Transkei’s green hills, the national road bordered by sugar cane or eucalyptus plantations, or the sandy coastal 4x4 tracks we have been following since Mabibi Beach.

Fri 12/12 – From Mabibi to Kosi Bay along the coastal 4x4 sandy tracks:

Thur 11/12 – From St Lucia to Mabibi Beach is our first real trip off the main roads. We pass Muzi Pan and its amazingly rich bird life and then onto Lake Sibaya, the largest fresh water lake in Southern Africa. Our camp is in the coastal forest on top of the dunes at Mabibi.
It is a full moon night, the beach is remote. That night we are fortunate to witness a 1,2m long loggerhead turtle lay her hundred eggs.

In the morning Steve does a bit of DIY blacksmithing to fix our tent’s poles. They need to be bent more sharply so the flysheet won’t blow away in the wind.


Wed 10/12 – It was a peaceful drive St Lucia. We arrived at dusk and found the False Bay Caravan Park totally empty, except for a herd of zebra, a warthog and her baby, a lone male nyala and a pelican. It was only when we went to the office to pay the next morning that we discovered that the campsite was actually closed because of a severe draught and insufficient drinking water for campers.

Tues 9 and Wed 10/12 - Kristi, Jason, and baby Hudson welcome us at their home in Durban. We are invited to a fantastic braai at Jason’s parents. Thank you! Congratulations to Jason on his 30th and to Hudson for his first rollover.

Our hopes for a surf in Durban were high… But the ocean was flat…


Never the less, we had a great time visiting the Ushaka Marine World!

Mon 8/12 - “Nature” woke us up at dawn so we could pay him for the campsite. We helped three young boys collect rubbish around the camp. We drop it at Lusikisiki on our way North:


We left Mpande Bay and took the scenic route to Durban, passing by the Transkei’s turquoise round huts on the hills, and through a few small but busy towns with a strong African feel:


On the road to Durban we stop to visit Oribi Gorge: