I recently did the same trip and recognise everything. The track had no standing water but it was slushy. I felt pretty insecure because there's no traffic and you're on your own. Your tips are spot on.
I had to smile. I remember doing this in similar conditions and my wife saying go left or go right. You concentrate so much on driving you can't see the track
Fantastic place, and so well captured by this video... truly makes me want to jump into a vehicle and head into the wide open spaces of Botswana right this second.
Your #1 asset is a good attitude which is sometimes more useful than all the best recovery gear and a bigger group. Bad attitude with the best kit is a bad mix. Sounds cliche but you can't always choose your circumstances but you can choose your mindset. That makes you a valuable asset in any team and a survivor when alone. Regards from Iraq - planning my post-lockdown trip to Namibia.
@@TravelGigolo Southern half. (will do Northern part like Kaokoveld, Etosha & Marienfluss next year). Gonna be a mix of lodge & camping. Cutting in from Botswana in East to Whk for two days to visit friends & former colleagues from my days working there as flight paramedic in early 2000s. Also stocking up fridge, food boxes & wood for camping along Khomas Hochland, Spitzkoppe etc. After 3 days in Swakop Walvis Bay for 1 day for dunes, kayaking etc then after topping up food for camping, down to Solitaire, Sossus Vlei, Wolwedans etc then on to Luderitz. Then exit southern Namibia back home to Pta. Just my wife and I driving Everest 3.2L TDI 4x4. Botswana also on bucket list. Been there with Adventure bike. My wife has not been to Namibia or Botswana yet. Exciting times ahead. (had a Nissan Patrol & safari trailer for my 3 yrs in Namibia. Going to explore places that I flew to on many medivac flights)
Excellent! That sounds like an epic trip. I think it will be great for your wife especially since you know the country well. We've really enjoyed our Namibia adventures. Haven't done Lüderitz yet, so we plan to head that way in the future and then up the coast for a revisit of Torra Bay to do some fishing and stay a bit longer than we did previously. Those are future plans though, at present we want to do Zimbabwe as soon as practical. The lockdown has set that trip back a while, but hopefully we'll be able to get to it soon. Hope the planning goes well. Have a great trip 👍🏽👍🏽
@@TravelGigolo thanks. All the best with your plans too. While I'm stuck at work abroad my wife is project manager for overland prepping our Everest in collaboration with 4x4 Mega World and Front Runner. Hopefully when I get home the adjacent borders will be open then we can just pack & go. 😊
MTs would certainly have been better tools for this job. This was part of a much longer 6500km trip though, so went with the ATs. I have never deflated that low, my lowest is about 1.3 bar, maybe I should try going lower and get more confidence at those pressures.
@@TravelGigolo Yes, but I have seen in mud that even a slightly more aggressive tyre (like BFG KO2) seems to perform and grip better. Overall the GY is not a bad tyre.
If it's any solace, we're heading back to Botswana in December too. Gonna be wet! 😂😂 For the pans, if you can just stay on the roads it should work out. Good luck 👍🏾
Great video, thank you for sharing! Despite mistakes made / experience gained, yours is the best attitude for real adventure - keeping it simple and getting out there! Respect! The recovery guys in the (2-wheel drive?) bakkie , shorts and gumboots are interesting, may be a good idea to have their contact details...Be Blessed and keep it up! Regards from Pakistan
Thanks. The rescue guys came from the park office. Luckily we were able to get an sms out and occasional sketchy phonecall when there was some signal. We were very close to getting out of the worst of it. Two wheel drive yes 😁 but a light vehicle with three experienced occupants to push when it got stuck. Nothing beats local knowledge/lore. Very grateful for them.
We were there in January 2019. Very wet at the time. Your plan to go in September should be good, although there may still be some slushy areas. Glad we got to do it in Jan though 😄😄
No max tracks unfortunately. A 'knowledgeable' friend gave us some wooden boards which supposedly should have worked. They didn't get us anywhere. Lesson learned 😄
Nice video It however never seizes to amaze me, the chances people will take 1 Car with road tires, no max tracks, no hi-lift jack or any sign of recovery gear... 🙄🤔
Glad you liked the video. Hopefully it will be of value to people who would like to visit the pans in the rainy season. There isn't a lot of visual info out there so we're glad to pass on our lessons learnt. Recovery kit in car, that was my snatch strap used. All terrain tyres as this was part of a larger 6000km trip. Not sure maxtracks would have helped much but we'll never know. Had boards as recommended by a well travelled mate but they were completely useless. Main lesson is to stay on the main track though. Also, like you hint at, have more than one car if possible. Probably wouldn't be as much fun though 😉
Originally a 4.2 naturally aspirated diesel. Got drowned in a river. Was then overhauled with a turbo added and high performance pistons. Free flow exhaust system. Exhaust sounds 👌🏾 when the turbo is at full boost 😁
Depends on the season. In the rainy season, that would be difficult and I would not recommend it. The low profile tyres are an issue unless you have all-terrains that you can let down. Another concern might be wading depth and risk to electronics. In the dry season I think it should be fine as long as you stay on route and don't get into areas where there is sludge. Perhaps a bit uncomfortable at times with the stiff suspension. My main concern would be the tyres. Also bush rash on the northern side where the roads are narrow and our car was at times touching bush on both sides. Obviously a spare tyre would be good as well assuming your X3 doesn't have a full spare. Ground clearance is generally not an issue. The main thing is to stay on the well trodden routes.
Thought the X3 could do it too... Will not take the chance with Pirelli run on flats, I tried to fit all-terrains but they are just too tall & compromised the steering angles & suspension travel, hitting the wheel arches in a very short test drive in the tyre dealers forecourt!
I think you would need to consider smaller rims to maintain the total tyre radius. I have 265/75/R15 on my land cruiser, primarily because I want to be able to have a large profile without increasing the overall radius too much. So that would mean a whole set of new wheels for the X3. Expensive but probably the cheapest mod you can make to get a significant improvement in off road capability.