Blog: Winter or Summer Camping Adventures

Being in the Overlanding and Camping equipment retail business, patterns emerge on seasonal trading. No doubt that activity does slowdown in the winter months. Why?

The obvious is that it’s cold in winter and our community may be averse to experiencing a little bit of chill on their bodily extremities. You know… god forbid, their digits and phalanges, nasus and gluteal region may experience a cold sensation. And that’s us as humans, even though we can all scrounge up some protective clothing at any time and from anywhere back at home, even at Mr Price, we tend to avoid the bush in winter. Shame, consider those poor creatures and critters living in the bush during winter, no Mr Price, no H&M and no Woolies Clothing to gain some protection.

Yep, winters are exceptionally intense for us in Southern Africa compared to those in the Northern Hemisphere: those happy campers at least have no sun, continual rain and massive snow and ice to keep them warm …… huh?

And let’s not talk about the fact that we do not get rain in winter so game viewing is exceptionally sparce as the creatures and critters can find water anywhere and are not restricted to waterholes, dams and rivers …… huh?

Okay, enough now Harry!

On a more serious note, look, they are both absolutely beautiful times to go camping, both summer and winter and each with its own advantages and disadvantages, however, consider what winter does offer us:

• No rain, mud and floods to contend with – driving on remote 4×4 routes is easy and all destinations are accessible. No costly changes in logistics and routes necessary and setting up and breaking down camp is a breeze
• Game viewing is exceptional – we just need to congregate around the water sources to spot them and not forgetting that irritating insects, this time round, are scares
• Night skies reveal sightings in the heavens in crisp sharp focus
• Best of all, the campfires feel warmer and more purposeful, the coffees feel more appropriate, snuggles in the tents are amplified and we can now justify the spend on all those hoodies, jackets, gloves and thermals

In my personal opinion and I am certain many others will agree, winter, in fact is the ideal time to do Overlanding and Camping. It is a safer period with respect to Camp Bookings, Routes & Destinations and Planning. Just consider those hundreds of planned and paid for bookings for once in a lifetime and bucket list trips for hundreds of people, both locally and internationally, that had to be cancelled or re-booked due to the recent floods in Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and closer to home, the Kruger Park. Those are nightmare experiences and have far reaching implications besides cost – planned work leave, planned around school holidays etc.

Few things beat waking up at the crack of dawn on a coldish morning somewhere in the African Savanna sipping on a magic brew of coffee in the mug enveloped by your gloved hands and surveying the bright landscape whilst listening to the roar of that lion that sounds so much louder due to the crisp winter air, except, maybe, huddling around the warm fire on a cold winters night, donned in the bush jacket of all bush jackets listening to the clan of hyenas trying to shoo you off their territory.

Anyway legends, come now, sitting at home burning up your rands on heating solutions, roaming shopping centres in your bush jackets and breathing in suburban smog instead of crisp, bright, healthy and fulfilled adventures and camping in the bush during winter weekends?

When is your favourite time to break out the gear and head into the bush?

Harry Nicolaides

Wild Camper Wannabe