Self-driving in Africa

We've been self-driving and camping for quite a few years now, and have learnt quite a few things over time, so thought we'd share it, especially as a couple travelling alone.  It's not the definitive "how to do it" rule book - just things that we've found handy over the years.  There are different ways of doing it, we just found that this works for us and the it's way we get the most enjoyment when gettting out into the wild...

The car
One of the most important things when heading into the remote areas of Africa is the vehicle.  We've seen customised Ford F100 to a Rav4 in the middle of the Kalahari, but in the end you need a good reliable 4WD to handle the rough roads of the national parks.  This also includes the things we carry for the car - if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere and need to rely on a bush mechanic, you'll need a few things...

Travelling
Once the car is sorted, you still need to drive it with the idea of not getting stuck or lost ;) Especially if you are solo travelers, getting bogged in a remote place can cause all sorts of dramas! Here are some tips and tricks about driving around Africa, especially in the bush...

Mabuasehabe campsite, Botswana

Camping
We love camping out in the bush, the more the remote the better.  But with remoteness comes its own risks because it's all unfenced and wild animals can wander into your campsite at night without you even noticing. Some ideas on how we camp in the African wild.

What else we carry
Considering there's only 2 of us in a big 4WD, we carry a lot of things with us!  Here's the list of things we find useful, and then a few things we also carry that we've never used, but will thank our lucky stars if we do ever need it!

Chasing the game
Wild animals are unpredictable - never forget that ;)  But there are some basic behaviours that they have which may help when you're looking for game and you don't have a guide.

Photography
We are both avid (but amateur) photographers and love being able to come back from a trip, download the photos and see if you got the "perfect" shot.  Some basics on photographing wildlife - not the technical stuff, just what we've found through the years.