Hello mate, thanks for the note. We were up there again last year in July. The challenge will be two things, sand and the bush. I have also been on the Pomene road so I have a good reference. The sand is deeper/softer on the way to Santa Maria, and for longer. Its 80km from the gate to Santa Maria. With the right tyre pressures you will be ok I feel, but it will be slow going. Our average time for that is 3hr30. You will be slower for sure. The bigger problem might be the bush. Some sections are narrow and more of a problem, low hanging branches. I'm guessing such a big boat is wider and higher than your car. That is likely the biggest thing. Boating from Maputo will be far easier, its just whether you need/want your car in Santa with you.

@@devlinfoggZA thanks for the info man. I think, based on what you've said, that we'll go with the boating from Maputo option. Pity, as I was really looking forward to the tough drive through the reserve xD bit of a difference between a fun offroad drive and a serious slog though, I suppose.

@@devlinfoggZA so we've decided to scrap the plan of driving to Maputo and will instead brave the drive through the reserve. Do you by any chance know what the best gate to enter the reserve through would be? Coming from Durban, Google Maps suggests a route that takes you through a gate in the southern section of the reserve, near a spot called Chicute. The owners of the lodge we're staying at suggested that we go via the western Futi Gate though. Do you have any idea which would be the better option?

@@oomsoutie14 Howzit. We have done both options over the years, and both are fine, but yes the west/futi gate will be easier route for you.

@@devlinfoggZA we did the drive through the reserve...it was certainly an experience! First the right side tyre came off the rim on the trailer (destroyed my Ranger's stock jack trying to lift the two ton boat), and then about an hour later the left side tyre was absolutely shredded on something! Fortunately a few local guys drove past, helped us get the boat up and the shredded tyre off and then lent us a spare when we realised the spare off my van wouldn't fit under the trailer wheel arch. No real issues getting stuck, for the most part. Only had to winch out of two spots of bad sand. To its credit, my Ranger did a pretty phenomenal job with the massive boat on the back. The problem, I think, was that the "all terrain" tyres on the trailer simply weren't up to the task. I have a pair of BFG KO2s I took off my van recently when putting on bigger tyres that still have tread. Going to pick up a pair of rims for them and modify the trailer to get them to fit. The stronger tyres should make a big difference. You were right about the fact that the trailer tyres don't sit in the same track line as the car tyres though. A narrower boat and we wouldn't have had a problem. We sent the boat across the bay and picked it up in Maputo on the way back. With the gift of hindsight, we should have just gone to Maputo and crossed the bay, but the drive was definitely an experience! Cheers

Hi there, this was in November

Hi there. It was a few years ago but looking at the websites now it averages around 1300USD

Hi Michael. Yes it was caused by the altitude, and based on the terrain and the lack of emergency services, it didn't seem like a good idea to go any higher.

Thanks for the kind words. Actually didnt know that about Homo Erectus. We did find lots of fossils along the shoreline though. Cheers

Thanks for the heads up, fortunately our kids are pretty nature wise, but for sure you always have to be careful. Rattle snakes are not found in this area but adders and cobras are and they are equally bad.

Thanks friend, appreciate the kind words

Hi Henning, thanks for the mail. Yes that was the route we did. You will love it. I strongly suggest using Tracks 4 Africa to navigate since the "Kamanjab" side gets tricky. Hope that helps.

Yes, thanks for your advice. I use the tracks4africa app yet, but only the free version. I think I will buy the high definition map which allows me to zoom in closer than 5 km. All the best for you 🍀

Thanks so much for the cool message Dirk. Glad it brought back some old memories.

Ha Ha ... yep! Been there, got the T-shirt... see my comment up there somewhere.... hardly any reminders of the 2nd South African Infantry Battalion base remains!

I was having a snigger too! For those of us who did military training here in the early eighties, a trip to some of the military bases inland proved just how "unfit" 😉we were, or rather so we were told by the honourable Regimental Sergeant Major Pearce! That altitude makes a huge difference, but at the coast you could seeminly run forever!

Hey there. Thanks so much for the kind words. The item is made by Desert Products and available at any 4x4 Mega World in South Africa. Probably through their website too.

@@devlinfoggZA thanks a lot for this answer! I’ll check it!