The plan was to meet them at Sendelingsdrift in the Richtersveld, as they crossed the Gariep (Orange) River from Namibia by ferry. This meant a ridiculously early start (really!) from Pretoria, and a long drive to Augrabies Falls. But a fantastic meal and a great night at Dundi Lodge more than made up for this.
The next day saw us again rising early, this time to get to Sendelingsdrift by 2pm, the time the Voetspore team was expected at the border. A long drive, a couple of wrong turns and a very confused GPS unit saw us make it with minutes to spare, but we were there to see the team across the river, and some emotional family reunions.
Over the next few days we were lucky enough to follow the Voetspore team, along with a group of LA Sport staff and customers, on the last few days, and the last few hundred kilometres, of their 22 000km expedition. We travelled along dirt roads and sand tracks to out of the way places like Noup, Hondeklipbaai and Port Nolloth, before the trip drew to a close with champagne on the beach at Bloubergstrand.
We heard of highlights and lowlights, arrests and camel rides, but overall we heard that the whole of Africa is open for South African adventurers.
For a full report of the trip see the October issue of Leisure Wheels.
