DISPATCH 3: MZANZI AFRICA – 23° 26′ S
The expedition theme tune changes to Paul Simon’s ‘Under African Skies’ as we cross the Limpopo into South Africa. Welcome to Nelson Mandela’s Rainbow Nation. Always challenging, never dull, and through it all – always home.
It’s a long way before we reach the next Capricorn checkpoint near Blouberg Nature Reserve. Ross whips up a delicious campfire chicken stew as Johan, the reserve manager, tells us about his vultures and the dangers they face. It’s another night under the stars, another reminder that on this Africa Traverse, we never quite know where we’ll end up, and every night brings a new surprise. This time, it’s massive buttressed-root Sycamore Figs and an ancient Baobab that Johan estimates could be 3,000–4,000 years old.
Morning brings impalas, giraffe and the quiet rhythm of breaking camp. Forever eastward, we track the Soutpansberg mountain range to reunite with good friend and expedition member Ken Wilcox, along with the Rhino Revolution team of Hano and Andreas and a rather jolly Venda-speaking gang of community members gathered beneath an ancient Mutshato tree. Through their spokesman, we learn about their rhino conservation programme, with profits being directed back into community projects.
Following dirt tracks along the mountains, we push on to the historic Lalapanzi Hotel, the closest hotel to the Capricorn Line and an important waypoint on this adventure. Here there’s a jolly gathering in the historic pub to celebrate the Africa Traverse expedition’s arrival. We listen to fascinating Capricorn stories — including historical tales such as the “Shoot straight, you bastards” Breaker Morant story — told by historian and author, Charles Leach.
Next morning brings a magnificent bush breakfast with a bang as Charles fires his miniature cannon to open our small expedition ceremony at the large Tropic of Capricorn monument. We offload all the pebbles we’d carefully gathered from Capricorn touchpoints along the Africa Traverse route since the wild Atlantic shores of Namibia and together with the Limpopo Province Tourism team, we use our pebbles to build a commemorative Isivivane (cairn of stones). The sense of occasion is extraordinary, and we feel very humbled as the Limpopo Tourism team plants an avenue of trees to commemorate this special Capricorn moment.
New Land Rover friends join in, old connections resurface. We are delighted to meet up with Hein and Marné, the proud current owners of Chuma — the historic Land Rover Defender from our 2001 Capricorn Around the World by Land Rover Expedition. Twenty-five years later, Chuma still sports all the branding from that original Capricorn journey and is still going strong!
Hospitality and friendliness continue as we push forever forward. We follow a delightful character called Muis along back roads to Woodbush, one of South Africa’s highest-rainfall areas, along an increasingly narrow track that leads into a rainforest thick with tree ferns and flowers.
The scenery changes again – elephant grass taller than the Defenders – and suddenly, there they are:
the famous Modjadji Cycads, marching up a hillside with giant orange-yellow cones and spiky green leaves – a World Heritage Site above the palace of Modjadji, the Pedi Rain Queen. What a sight to behold on South Africa’s ‘Capricorn line’.
The dusty Africa Traverse Defenders with their sweat-stained crew finally reach a bush home in the Leadwood Game Reserve near Hoedspruit; after six weeks of high adventure and campfire nights under the stars, what bliss it is to be greeted with hot showers, fluffy towels, soft beds, a hardworking washing machine and wildlife all around: giraffe, rhino, lion, warthogs and impalas moving through camp.
Then a pre-dawn wake-up call to join an unforgettable rhino tracking, horn-trimming and foot collaring operation. That afternoon, the expedition’s rhino conservation thread comes full circle with a vibrant educational Rhino Art event with local school children; their intense interest, deep concentration and lively chatter will live long in the expedition’s memories. It’s a fitting ending to this leg of the Capricorn journey. One last Capricorn country to go – will keep you posted.
Images credit Kingsley Holgate Foundation.
This article is written by Kingsley Holgate, renowned African explorer, adventurer, humanitarian and author. For more than three decades, Kingsley has undertaken some of Africa’s most challenging and inspiring expeditions, travelling across remote wilderness areas in Land Rovers and using adventure to raise awareness and support for conservation and humanitarian causes. Together with his family and expedition teams, he has explored Africa’s wild places from coast to coast, documenting extraordinary landscapes, wildlife, cultures and people along the way. His expeditions have become legendary for their spirit of adventure, endurance, discovery and commitment to Africa.
Keywords: Kingsley Holgate expedition, Africa Traverse, Tropic of Capricorn South Africa, Rhino conservation South Africa, Blouberg Nature Reserve, Modjadji Cycads, Rhino Art, Limpopo tourism, Land Rover expedition Africa.
