Answering the call of the wild!

It is not often that one gets to experience the best South Africa has to offer, but for Ballito locals Gareth and Lynn Woodford that dream became a reality when they went bundu bashing from Ballito through to Bastervoetpad Pass in a full-custom 2013 Toyota Hilux 3D4D 4X4.

Avid road-trippers, the Woodfords spent 17 days in January travelling and exploring the Transkei, Morgan Bay, Plett, George, Oudtshoorn, Die Hel, Baviaanskloof and Addo right through to Bastervoetpad before returning home, some 4 200kms later.

Bastervoetpad Pass links the towns of Barkly East and Elliot to Ugie in the Eastern Cape.

They said the trip left them with feelings of pure satisfaction, relief and excitement.

“All rolled into one emotion: I would call it ‘stoked’,” said Gareth.

A staircase carpenter working out of Imbonini Park at Shaka’s Head, Gareth said 6 months of planning went into the trip and that they left home well kitted out so as to not have to shop for at least the first week.

“Lynn handled all the bookings and had made all the payments prior to leaving, which meant we had more money to spend on diesel (R8 500 for the round trip). Our first leg of the trip took us through to George,” said Gareth, who said pin-pointing one highlight was difficult, but that feeding elephants in Knysna, playing with pythons at Lawnwood Snake Sanctuary and watching wolves with their pups at the Garden Route Wolf Sanctuary were definite contenders.

One of the more nerve-wracking moments came on day 2 when Moose – Gareth’s Toyota Hilux – had to cross by pont at Kei Mouth, but Moose made it across safely.

Among some of the highlights were exploring the Cango Caves.

“Such extreme beauty cannot be captured on camera. You really have to see it for yourself. Get out and go do it.”

But it was not until the Woodfords hit Die Hel’s Gamkaskloof that the real fun began – the ultimate test for Moose, a full-custom bakkie Gareth had put together himself, spending more than R120 000 on performance upgrades.

“I do not trust other people to work on my bakkie,” said Gareth, recalling the 48kms of treacherous terrain they had to navigate.

Pro Fender rear shocks, power-brake upgrade, a body lift, EFS full front suspension, SR tuned engine map to custom rear bumpers and Unreal recovery points – there is not a piece on Moose which Gareth has not worked on.

Their trip through Gamkaskloof, followed by Baviaanskloof was a piece of cake.

When Lynn developed a fever at Addo elephant park, the couple were worried about Covid-19 but it turned out Lynn had been bitten by a spider.

“This needed an emergency call to our local doctor to get a script sent through to Blue Water Bay – the closest pharmacy to Addo,” said Gareth, who advised making sure your medical kit is properly stocked.

“Our country truly is a special one, and the people we met along the way were amazing,” said the Woodfords, who are eager to get going again. Next up is to explore Kruger from top to bottom, and everything in-between.

Stay tuned for more of the Woodfords’ travels by checking out their Instagram at @i_truck_around.