Shakedown cruise to Boegoeberg
Theunis van Zyl of Cape Town plays travel journalist and gives his impressions of his new camper bakkie and one of his favourite campsites.
After towing for years, Theunis recently bought a converted Land Cruiser. But before embarking on a trip to some of his favourite destinations like the Richtersveld, it was essential to embark on a shakedown cruise to see that everything works and is as it should be. And for that there was no better place than Boegoeberg, so says Theunis.
It’s 08:00 on a Friday morning and I check one last time to see if I have any urgent emails that require my attention. Suddenly, none of them seem important enough to justify an immediate response. I delegate one or two back to Head Office because there is a more important task at hand: it is time to hit the road to Boegoeberg’s campsite with its oak trees and a big dam where you can cool off when the Sandveld sun sends the thermometer past the 30 ºC mark.
But first we have to stop at Outdoor Warehouse in Bellville. I’ve been packing our trailer the whole week but only realised on Thursday evening that the 20 ℓ cassette toilet won’t fit underneath the bed. Nope, that opening was made for a 10 ℓ model and nothing else fits in there.
LET’S CHAT ABOUT
the concept of a camping trailer. You want to make your camping experience as comfortable as possible and have to dig around for stuff as little as possible. Yes, I hate rummaging through ammo boxes and crates or, even worse, in those last-minute bags that were squeezed into the vehicle before you left.
I’ve tried various camping trailers. My first was a Venter Bushbaby with a rooftop tent. That’s where my allergy for too little space and lots of digging began, because what couldn’t fit into the trailer had to find a spot on the Pajero’s roof. That made me realise that I’m also allergic to climbing up to a roof rack. In short: once I’ve packed up, I really don’t want to go shower again.
In 2012, after two tours with the Bushbaby, I went to go look – wide-eyed
– at the Conquerors and decided on the
Conqueror Comfort. It’s a comfortable trailer that back then cost just R145 000. But, wow, was it luxurious! Everything where it should be, hot water, and spacious enough for four people. We camped with it on the West Coast, in the Kgalagadi, and the Richtersveld. But yes, it weighed about a tonne to tow when it was loaded… and oof, that rooftop tent with its big panels. We could pitch it in 12 minutes if we were focussed, but after folding the panels back in, you’re full of dust and dirt. And I also became allergic to climbing a ladder to get to my bed.
In 2017, I acquired my next trailer: the Conqueror Commander. This one was the best thing since sliced bread. Yes, it weighed 1,2 t on the tow bar, but when you got to the campsite, it was a quick 1-2-3 and it was ready. No mess, no fuss. It got even better with the addition of an Ewiks caravan mover. I could now move the trailer into position with the push of a button.
This trailer’s best tour was one of
6 000 km through Botswana – what a time we had! I do have to mention that while it ran smoothly and steadily behind my FJ Cruiser, I paid for it at filling stations: almost 21 ℓ/100 km. Those six cylinders were thirsty. What set the Conqueror apart was its independent suspension – it’s miles better than a solid axle suspension.
THEN YOU REACH A STAGE
where you don’t want to tow anymore, especially when you’re on tour. Besides the fact that towing for 1 000 km a day is exhausting, the other consideration is always all the other restrictions over where you can drive with a trailer – and you always have to look for tandem parking spaces when you go to the shops.
By the time you’ve found parking, your fellow tour members have already finished their shopping and are ready to go. Like Sybrie de Beer of Boegoeberg puts it: if you’re looking for work, a trailer is work.
I sold my Commander after five years at the same price as I paid for it new… and then I saw my dream trailer. By then, I had already been looking at the Infanta Inkunzi which is a Land Cruiser 4.5 V8 diesel single cab converted into a camper bakkie. The waiting period for the Inkunzi is up to six months.
In September 2022, I spotted an Inkunzi Land Cruiser that was fully converted and kitted out, with everything that opens and closes. It was a yearling with only 4 500 km on the clock. The owner went to a lot of trouble to do everything to the Cruiser that you possibly could, something that made my decision to buy it a lot easier. And so, we had to take the Inkunzi on a shakedown cruise for a weekend before braving the Richtersveld (and those lovely long gravel roads) on its actual maiden voyage.
THE CAPE WINTER
was just too long – till the end of September still – and that’s why we headed to Boegoeberg in October. I also sent Sybrie a message to let him know that I wanted to do an interview with him about the oak trees on Saturday night. On Thursday, he let me know it was a go but that the interview thing sounded “very serious”.
We left Bellville just after 09:00. The guy who helped to load the cassette toilette remarked: “Wow, this is an impressive rig!” Along the way, we also got quite a few compliments.
We pointed the Cruiser north and started the 212 km to Boegoeberg. We aimed for a late breakfast at Kardoesie in the Piekenierskloof Pass just before Citrusdal. They have a delicious sandwhich with pulled pork on their menu, but the cappuccino was disappointing – actually just normal coffee with hot milk. Perhaps the waitress misunderstood me, or she was annoyed with me, but regardless, I paid the bill – because Boegoeberg’s oak trees were waiting for us.
I’ve asked myself many times what it is about a Land Cruiser that make people’s eyes twinkle. Is it the sturdy square finish and the claim that this bakkie can go anywhere? It’s not a Hilux with its soft suspension and comfort, but there’s just something different about a Cruiser.
It’s a fact that your personality changes when you get into one, the V8 starts to rumble, and you start to turn the wheel. You become calm because you know this machine sounds like holiday and it instils confidence. Today, we’re not going to rush. We’re going to cruise at 120 km/h.
The previous owner put effort into making the Cruiser comfortable – that’s the road you have to walk if you want to set up a Land Cruiser bakkie as a touring vehicle. It needs a proper upgrade in terms of shocks and suspension, and then you’ll also want a decent radio plus a Snowmaster fridge between the front seats (which can double as an armrest), front and back steel bumpers and, of course, LED globes for the headlights.
These upgrades cost approximately R150 000, but it changes the Cruiser’s character, level of comfort, and value for the better. And its attitude is just in a class of its own.
I INVESTED IN
a Garmin Overlander, a GPS for the back roads and for people who really want to tour. It has a big screen, strong magnetic mount, and it’s smart in terms of where all the campsites, filling stations and attractions are on the back roads.
About 30 km after Citrusdal awaits the turn-off to Boegoeberg: the Markuskraal turn-off. Don’t miss it because the GPS usually prefers the Graafwater route.
From the turn-off to Markuskraal, it’s another 23 km tar road that takes you through a bendy pass to the turn-off at Nokkie se Hokkie. From here, it’s a 3 km dirt road that will ensure you drive slowly.
We arrive early afternoon. The moment has come: it’s time to pitch the Inkunzi and, more importantly, to fall into a camp chair beneath the oak trees.
Lambertshoek, better known as Boegoeberg, fell into the hands of the De Beer family around 1850 when a British settler, one Mr Seaton, settled there in the 1820. The farm’s original name was Seaton’s Location.
Sybrie is now the fifth generation De Beer to farm on Lambertshoek. When his dad was born in 1923, the oak trees – the exact ones we’re sitting under – were already here. In 1999, when the boegoe price was high, Sybrie had to make a road up the mountain to get to the boegoe.
As a child, he always had to harvest the boegoe on the side of the mountain and he looked forward to the day when he could build a road.
In 2000, the road was opened as a 4x4 trail… and Boegoeberg 4x4 was born. Vehicles struggled to reach the top of the mountain because of the challenging route, especially on a Friday night. That’s why Sybrie decided to rather establish the campsite underneath the oak trees, with an additional extension in 2006 around the dam. Other renovations like the lapa were done in 2008.
Boegoeberg currently has 50 stands, three houses, and four rooms. For a wedding or the like, the place can easily accommodate 120 people – on such an occasion, Sybrie reserves all the facilities for exclusive use. Besides off-roading and swimming, activities such as hiking, biking, and bird watching have also started attracting attention. Sybrie invites hiking clubs to lay out trails because the vegetation, rock formations and natural beauty are truly unique.
Boegoeberg also became well known amongst the younger crowd as the place where you come in December to learn how to dance. This newly acquired dancing prowess is apparently now the talk of the terrain.
This is a place where you can relax and kick off your shoes; the 4x4 trail is a side issue. The nature, the peacefulness, and Sybrie’s hospitality ensure that you can’t help but rest on his farm. Sybrie quietly sees to it that the donkey is stoked every morning and late afternoon to provide enough hot water in the bathrooms.
APPARENTLY, INKUNZI MEANS
“tough like a bull”, and with that I fully agree – the people of Infanta really focussed!
Everything fits, is easily within reach, and there’s space for every item imaginable. The kitchen has a bag or storage for everything, what you need is at hand, and nothing falls around.
Unpacking is easy. Park the vehicle, open the side door, and press a button to open the roof. The big double bed pulls out easily, and the mattress is as thick as you would expect in a good caravan. There are at least eight big compartments for your clothes, two pull-out drawers underneath the bed for the cassette toilet, shoes, and
the all-important vanity case. There’s even a cupboard for shirts and jackets, as well as reading lights if you want to do some bedtime reading.
And then there are lights by the outside shelves at the kitchen and washing up area, so you don’t have to fumble around in the dark. What makes the Inkunzi even better is the 20 ℓ hot-water cylinder that works with electricity and gas (the supply comes from the 120 ℓ water tank) and the outside shower. Obviously, there’s a tap with basins for the dishes.
Every space is properly utilised, and there is literally nothing that won’t find a place in the Inkunzi. Even the fold-out camping table is just the right size and has a safe space where you can reach it quickly.
The Inkunzi is seriously built for camping in the middle of nowhere, and the Victrom system with the solar panels on the roof will ensure there’s enough power to keep the lithium battery operational. And then there’s also the 90 ℓ National Luna fridge/freezer.
AFTER THE MAIDEN VOYAGE,
I discovered a few things that I either forgot or that I want to improve just a little bit. Every camper has their own way of doing things.
We’re aiming for the Richtersveld next, and I reckon that there between nothing and nowhere, we’ll learn and discover a few things. Maybe we’ll go to the Cederberg first.
The best part of this whole business is that I can decide late on a Friday afternoon that I want to go on a tour… and then the bull is ready in no time at all with very little hassle.
Everything fits, is easily within reach, and there’s space for every item imaginable
DOUBLE MOUTH ON THE BEACH
The stands at Double Mouth just outside Morgan Bay in the Eastern Cape are laid out like an amphitheatre along the beach on two terraces. The terraces each form a half circle, and all face the beach. These two crescents follow each other’s curves, with the two ablution blocks in the middle.
Each stand is numbered and has a brick braai (with a grid provided). Your bin is under the braai. There’s a power point at your stand – you’ll need a Fredlin plug.
There’s a single row of trees at the front of the two terraces. As you look down at the sea in front of you, the hill behind you forms a shoulder that breaks any wind coming from the land side. So, you’re less exposed, but you can still hear the wind rustling the treetops.
The stands are nice and level, but there is not much grass. The kids, however, do have a lovely green lawn in front of the lower terrace to play on.
You almost forget that you are camping in a reserve, but then you spot a bushbuck peering out from the thicket – it therefore makes sense that pets are not allowed here.
The campsite gets its name from the two rivers behind the hill – a lovely walk along the beach takes you there. The beach in front of the campsite is hard on bare feet, so it’s better to brave the trek over the rocks wearing aqua shoes.
It appears that fishing is the national sport here, as fishermen are dotted around the rocks, rod in hand, staring at the crashing waves before them. You can expect to see species such as the white and black musselcrackers, cod, elf, bronze bream and white seabream in the area.
You have to walk around the hill to get
to the river. At least there is a sandy beach there, but you won’t easily find whole shells there – the surrounding rocks see to that.
The mouth is to the right, but then you realises that contrary to what the name suggests, there isn’t a double mouth. About half a kilometre upstream, the Kumqotwane and Quko Rivers merge, hence the name.