Off the Beaten Track
A Collection of Expeditions and Adventures
About Me
Born and raised in rural Zimbabwe and South Africa, Shara is a teacher with a deep love for remote African wilderness, and has a growing interest in conservation. In 2016 she paddled Lake Tanganyika in East Africa, the longest lake in the world, making her the first woman to complete this journey by non- motorised transportation…
What to do when out of Africa… you road trip… as much as you can. April happened to be a good chance to get up to Scotland for a two week jaunt around the northern part of these British Isles. The last time I was in Scotland was to watch the Springboks get their jerseys handed to them by the Scots for the first time in 23 years. Other than that, it… Read More
Starting Point: Mpulungu, Zambia End Point: Bujumbura, Burundi Approximately 750kms over 25 days
Tanganyika Paddle Expedition Dispatch Some of you may be aware that I set out a five weeks ago to try and kayak the length of the longest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. What started out as a desire to explore this fairly remote eastern shoreline of Lake Tanganyika, has turned into more than I could ever have imagined. I am pleased and relieved to let you know that… Read More
When all seems so well thought out, and you’re hit with the unexpected before the journey has even begun… This is how we finally got to the starting point of our Tanganyika Paddle.
Getting from Nairobi to the start of our month long Tanganyika Paddle. Back country Tanzania – here we come!
PLEASE NOTE – I have just returned from this expedition. Blog posts will be out from Monday 27th September. Please do subscribe to the blog if you wish to receive information or check back in a couple of days. You’ll not want to miss it! Shara Yes folks, it’s expedition time again. For years I have dreamed about getting a water expedition under my belt and have settlied on paddling the length of… Read More
9 months brought together in 6 minutes – enjoy the ride! Here, have some stats… Individual countries broken down here: Kenya Tanzania Malawi Zambia Zimbabwe Botswana Namibia South Africa DISTANCE DRIVEN: 10,085 miles / 16,136 kms FUEL: £2,200 to drive 16,000km = 13p per km or £13/100km VISA FEES: £63 (I was using a UK and SA passport) ROAD TAX (Border Fees) = £123 FOOD ROADSIDE: £165 / 9 months = £0.60 per… Read More
A Vioolsdrift Border (blue) to B Cederberg (red) B Cederberg (red) to C Cape Town (green) C Cape Town (green) to D Cape Agulhas (yellow) D Cape Agulhas (yellow) to E Knysna (purple) E Knysna (purple) to F Plettenberg Bay (teal) F Plettenberg Bay (teal) to G Grahamstown (blue) G Grahamstown (blue) to H Hogsback (red) H Hogsback (red) to I Bulungula (green) I Bulungula (green) to J Port Edward (yellow) J Port Edward (yellow) to B Umhlanga (purple) B Umhlanga (purple) to C Ballito (teal) C Ballito (teal) to D Pietermaritzburg (blue) D Pietermaritzburg (blue) to E/H Nelspruit (red) E/H Nelspruit (red) to F Paul Kruger Gate (yellow) F Paul Kruger Gate (Kruger Park) (yellow) to G Malelane Gate (Kruger Park) (purple) G Malelane Gate (Kruger Park) (purple) to E/H Nelspruit (red) Lowveld Loop from Nelspruit –… Read More
A Trans Kalahari Border (blue) to B Windhoek (red) B Windhoek (red) to C Swakopmund (green) C Swakopmund (green) to D Sesriem (yellow) D Sesriem (yellow) to E Sossusvlei (purple) D Sesriem (yellow) to F along Route D707 (teal) F along Route D707 (teal) to G Luderitz (blue) G Luderitz (blue) to H Ais-Ais (red) H Ais-Ais (red) – I Noordoewer Border control Border (green)
A Ramokawebana/Plumtree Border (blue) to B Francistown (red) B Francistown (red) to C Turnoff for Kubu Island (grey) C Turnoff for Kubu Island (grey) to Kubu Island (green) Kubu Island (green) to A Turnoff to Maun (grey) A Turnoff to Maun (grey) to B Nxai Pan (yellow) B Nxai Pan (yellow) to C Baines Baobabs (purple) C Baines Baobabs (purple) to D Maun (teal) D Maun (teal) – E Mamuno/Trans-Kalahari Border (blue)
A Kariba Border (blue) to B Harare (green) – 370km of good tar and takes approximately 5 hours. Make sure you stop at Lions Den butchery between Karoi and Chinhoyi – best biltong in Zimbabwe! B Harare (green) to C Nyanga (yellow) – 300km of good tar and takes almost 5 hours. Be sure to stop at Halfway House on the road to Rusape. World View in Nyanga is not to be missed! C Nyanga (yellow) to D Mutare (purple) – 110km of good tar and takes around 1:30… Read More
Sadly, tourism in Zimbabwe (anywhere outside Victoria Falls) is long gone. The campsites and places of interest, once humming with people gawking at the sites and locals selling curios, are all but deserted and local people are struggling without the revenue which tourism brings. It is, however, very safe and I would recommend you visit this forgotten gem of a country! KARIBA TO STAY: There are quite a few places to stay in Kariba. The… Read More
A Chipata/Mchinji Border (blue) to B Chipata – 20kms, half an hour with the border, easy driving and good tar B/D Chipata (red) to C South Luangwa (green) – 160kms, 2.5 hours, this road used to be awful but they have tarred most of it now and were finishing off the final stretch in December 2013 C South Luangwa (green) to B/D Chipata (red) – see above, in reverse B/D Chipata (red) to E Bridge Camp (yellow) – 340kms, 4.5 hours, the roads are excellent but… Read More
CHIPATA TO STAY AND EAT: On the way from Zambia to South Luangwa National Park I stayed at Mama Rulas camp. It’s perfectly positioned for an early morning launch into the park and the newly tarred road makes the journey fairly quick and painless. The park fees give you entry for one day only (the day of purchase) so it’s worth leaving really early to make the most of your first day… Read More
Facebook has all the photos for this part of the trip – click here to have a look. Chipata, Zambia 9th – 10th December 2013 Having left Lilongwe that morning, I had crossed the border without any hassle. Passing acres of neat tea rows, the tar was smooth and the drive was easy going. I arrived in Chipata on the Zambian side and was greeted with a plethora of western shops and take aways (Debonaires in… Read More
CHITIMBA TO STAY AND EAT: Chitimba Camp is one of the only real camps for a stop on the road between the middle and north of Lake Malawi. It’s positioned slightly back from the lake and has a grass camping area as well as basic huts for rent. The bar and restaurant areas are well run and the food is good and you can pick up very slow or non-existent wifi for a fee…. Read More
A Songwe Border to B Chitimba Camp – 135kms, this is perfect tar but driving is limited at 80kms per hour and often slower due to the number of people and animals walking along either side of the road – read about this section here B Chitimba to C Nkhata Bay – 178kms, good tar all the way. This takes quite a long time as the road breaks away from the lake shore and… Read More
Facebook has all the photos for this part of the trip – click here to have a look. Nkhata Bay, Malawi 2nd – 4th December 2013 After agreeing to transport one oversized mama Malaiwan traffic cop who had requested transportation to Rumphi, I scrambled to clear the passenger seat littered with things I need at arms reach when driving. Watching her heave her large frame off the ground and into my raised-suspension Beast was quite something…. Read More
Facebook has all the photos for this part of the trip – click here to have a look. Livingstonia, Malawi 30th November – 2nd December 2013 Livingstonia is a town set high up on the Nyika Plateau, towering 900m above Lake Malawi and is just a few kilometres west of Chitimba – straight up. Not to be confused with Livingstone in Zambia, Livingstonia is an old mission station which has developed into a town…. Read More
Off the Beaten Track 
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