inReview:
Compiled: Tracy Knox
Book Review
More Back-Road
4x4 Trips
WIN C ompet
ition
Stand to win one o two Mor e Back-R f o a 4x4 Trips d , by Mar iëlle Renssen
www.doitnow.co.za • 1
If you've been thinking about taking a 4x4 self-drive getaway sometime this year, but can't decide on a destination, then More Back-Road 4x4 Trips is definitely for you. This engaging and easy to navigate guide features 10 great routes, and it also takes one through the pitfalls of planning a successful 4x4 trip. The particular focus of intrepid traveller and author Mariëlle Renssen and her two travel partners is on personal experience: each trip has been personally driven and the accommodation recommendations tried and tested – with opinions given frankly and honestly. Readers are entertained with stories from the road and can learn from the experience gained by Mariëlle and co-authors, including the roads they chose and avoided; best and worst experiences for each trip; their brilliant moves and regrettable mistakes; and useful information on trip planning. More Back-Road 4x4 Trips features 10 fantastic routes to explore, including Southern-central Mozambique, West-central Lesotho and greater South Africa. The day-by-day descriptions are detailed and accompanied by beautiful, full-colour imagery, distances travelled and maps with GPS waypoints for use with any navigation system. There are bird, flower and tree lists; information on geology, historical and cultural aspects; even technical requirements, packing lists and border formalities, where relevant. The authors have also proved that you can tackle rugged 4x4 trails, and bump and sway across tens of thousands of kilometres (as they have done), yet still have your comforts at the end of the day – that is, a hot shower, flush toilet and a fridge for those cold beers. By steering you in the right direction and guiding you through the potential pitfalls, this book allows you to learn from the authors’ experience. It presents a launch pad for your own back-road adventures, to be moulded and adapted entirely to suit you. In short, this book is as much a nature book as it is a 4x4 travel journal. Published by MapStudio, the leading publisher and distributor of maps and travel guides in Africa, More Back-Road 4x4 Trips is the sequel to Our Top 4x4 Trips, by Mariëlle Renssen, and the perfect companion for any 4x4 enthusiastic. It is available for R250 at Maps and Travel shops, selected bookstores around South Africa and can also be bought online at www.mapstudio.co.za.
2 • DO IT NOW DIGITAL | February 2013_#3
MORE BACK-ROAD 4X4 TRIPS AT A GLANCE Featuring 10 great routes
Addo Elephant NP, Mountain Zebra NP, Camdeboo NP Tankwa Karoo NP, Karoo NP Namaqua NP, Ai-Ais / Richtersveld Transfrontier Park Mac Mac Summit Route, Motlatse Canyon Panorama Route Mapungubwe NP, Waterberg Meander, Marakele NP Eleven mountain passes in three days West-central Lesotho Kgalagadi’s Wilderness Camps Back-roads of Kruger Southern-central Mozambique
Detailed information
Accommodation en route Top sites Comprehensive packing list Geological information Lists of likely-to-see birds and animals Full-colour photographs
Real experiences
Best and worst experiences for each trip Turn-by-turn descriptions of the routes driven Each route driven and verified by the author Useful information on planning your trip Interesting facts on the regions visited Information on plant life
Detailed maps
Detailed route map for each route featured GPS points throughout Road atlas section of southern Africa Distances travelled indicated in detail
èRelated articles: • Of Sand, Sea, Solitude, Horsepower and Adrenaline (Issue 19, p. 38) • Tracking the Molopo (Issue 7, p. 14) • Moegatle 10th Anniversary 4x4 Challenge (Issue 18, p. 94)
dinFO box
i
Title: More Back-Road 4x4 Trips Edition: 1st Size: A4 Format: Soft cover ISBN: 978-1-77026-418-2 Price: R250.00
Buy one
Competition More Back-Road
onli
now
4X4 TRIPS
PS
Mariëlle Renssen
MORE BACK-ROAD 4X4 TRIPS
: the feel of dirt
arking your 4x4
me with a fridge,
DES INCLU ACKS, GPS TR URISM & TO MAPS TACTS CON
NAMIBIA
tar and exploring
Onseepkans
AA to change a tyre
o cellphone reception
R358
e
ng
29°02’53.83”S 18°54’07.42”E
or Sun City is the
issunee
Ora
Klein Pella Guesthouse Namakwa Eco Trail
29°01’58.26”S 19°09’13.56”E
Pella
Dabenoris
29°00’19.32”S 19°00’37.86”E
Pofadder
Mariëlle Renssen
about those who aren’t
N14
Aggeneys
Bloemhoek
Download GPS tracks for this book using the QR code below
Uitkyk
29°07’44.34”S 19°23’35.76”E
29°08’15.72”S 19°09’08.22”E
R358
Namies
FEATURING: DETAILED MAPS ACCOMMODATION TOP SITES 10 GREAT ROUTES PACKING LIST R358
Brak
N
Gamoep
0
25
50 km
R355
Answer this easy question and stand to win one of two More Back-Road 4x4 Trips, by Mariëlle Renssen. How many great routes are featured in the book? Email your answer to competitions@doitnow.co.za. The competition closes at midnight on 20 February 2013, and the winner will be drawn from all correct entries. DO IT NOW's competition rules apply.
www.doitnow.co.za • 3