We were a bit nervous heading out on a weekend away in two old Land Rover Series 2As. I was driving Charlie X my recently acquired short weelbase that was in desperate need of a rebuild. Brian was driving “The Green” our old family long wheel base that hadn’t been out for a proper drive for more than 10 years. Travelling back in time to Dinokeng Game Reserve to our destination, Willemsrus campsite. Despite growing up in these vehicles it had been decades since we had gone on a trip like this. We did the basic checks a few days before but we still had some surprises.
I had planned to pack everything the day before but instead had to deal with a water pump leak. After cleaning everything up I put the replacement pipe on and left it till the morning to refill the coolant and hoped for no leaks.
I packed the vehicle that morning and was surprised that I could fit everything in the back although we did only have the basics.
I picked Ewan up after school and we hit the road meeting up with Brian along the way.
It was a great fun heading out in these two landies and we loved the noisy slow trip appreciating the experience.
Dinokeng Game Reserve
An hour and a half later we were entering the Dinokeng game reserve and we could settle into an easy 60km/h speed limit which is very comfortable for these vehicles.
Dinokeng is derived from the language of the Tswana and Bapedi people, and is translated as “a place of rivers”. It is a big 5 game reserve in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Accessibility is great being one of the closest game reserves just a 40-minute drive North from Pretoria or 75 minutes from the O. R. Tambo Airport and Johannesburg. It was established in 2011 and covers an area of 21000 hectares.
For the last stretch we hit the dirt and we got the full Series experience. The gentle symphony of coordinated rhythmic rattles and squeeks.
The sun was setting as we turned off onto a small track to the campsite. This type of small track is odly referred to in south Africa as a “jeep track”.
Willemsrus Campsite
The Willemsrus campsite is fenced in as it is inside the game reserve and most of the campsites are located on the perimeter fence with beautiful shaded trees. It wasn’t long before camp was setup and we could crack open the beers.
That evening the Jackals entertained us.
The best part about camping in the bush is the mornings and that’s not because it is so peaceful and beautiful in the morning there are two other reasons.
The first one is a south African tradition, coffee and a rusk and the second is sizzling bacon on the gas.
First priority of the day was to check the Landies out and then the obligatory picture lineup and some more discussion about Landies.
That afternoon we went for a bit of a drive further into the reserve to check it out. Even without doing any real game drives we still managed to see some game. But some of those in our group had some good sigthings of Rhino and Heyhena.
It was hot and dusty on the way back to the camp so we took advantage of the cool swimming pool.
Escaping to the bush
The day ended with a typical bush sunset as we had braai and enjoyed some more chats around the campfire. We woke up again with another peaceful morning with some sleeping in and others getting an early start to the day.
The weekend flew past and soon we were packed up and on our way back home. This was my first visit to Dinokeng Game Reserve and I enjoyed it. You really do feel like you are away in the bush. The proximity to Johannesburg makes it an easy and relatively quick drive, even in a 50 year old Land Rover
Checkout the full video on our YouTube channel The Overland Legend
