Al-Qalam 
Senior Al-Qalam journalist Ismail Suder writes about his life-changing 5000km solo camping trip with his Suzuki Jimny 4×4 across South Africa and spending part of Ramadan on the road.
“You not afraid to travel alone?” This was the most frequently asked question on my 5000km camping road trip across South Africa,
I tell them fear is the last thing on my mind as I have full protection under the wings of the Almighty,
For over 20 years, I had dreamt of doing a solo camping road trip across South Africa, but it remained just that – a pipe dream.
Then on January 25, I prayed, packed and proceeded on my dream adventure in my Jimny 4×4 hoping to return before the start of Ramadan – but it was not to be. The road trip took a full 40 days, returning home on the 6th of Ramadan.
My journey out of Durban started after Fajr, on a crisp Saturday morning, I departed with a bit of anxiety and trepidation as I drove to the Strand Campsite in Port Edward for my first night in a rooftop tent. The campsite was situated on the banks of a river, and it was a bit disconcerting to know that I was the only camper there, but it’s amazing how a surge of confidence comes to you when you supplicate to the Almighty for security and protection.
In the six weeks that followed, my solo overland trip took me towards the wild and beautiful Eastern Cape; then to the heartland of the Klein Karoo; after which I zig-zagged my way down to the Western Cape amid the glistening city lights of Cape Town. After that, I made my way to the Cape West Coast, driving along the Atlantic Seaboard to Langebaan and the sleepy fishing villages dotting its rugged coastline.
With virtually no halal options available in this region, I made the most of enjoying freshly caught fish each day, grilled on an open flame or deep fried.
After a wonderful time spent among the fisherfolk here, I headed towards the hot and arid Namaqualand and the Northern Cape regions. My goal was to reach the famous Augrabies Falls National Park, which is located an hour’s drive from the Namibian border.
But sadly, a severe drought had drastically reduced the volume of water over the falls – a waterfall once famously known for its thunderous roar.
After camping on the Augrabies Falls campground for two nights, I changed course, traveling slowly towards the mountainous Free State and finally entering the green vistas of KwaZulu-Natal and my home in Durban. My 40th night – the last night of my camping journey – was spent in the foothills of a mountain in the Golden Gate National Park in Clarens.
My pilgrimage in nature circled South Africa, and I can confidently say, it was one of the best adventures of my life, and a fulfilment of a lifelong dream, Alhumdulilah!
As a former Travel & Tourism reporter on the then Daily News of Durban, I was blessed as a young man to have travelled extensively across the globe, including undertaking an adventure in the Amazon Jungle in my 30s, but THIS overland adventure was different in many ways. This time, I was undertaking a hard-core camping trip single-handedly. And because I had to do everything myself, my senses were pushed to “high alert” mode. This also meant putting my survival skills to the ultimate test. This included navigating through desolate unknown roads that even got GPS confused, cooking simple meals en route or pouring over maps to find suitable campsites before nightfall. My goal was to travel around 200km each time before reaching the next campsite.
All fears, mostly unwarranted, disappeared as I felt the kindness and warmth of the human spirit from people I hardly knew.
It brings tears to my eyes when I recall the kind and generous people I’ve met along the way. I clearly remember my first night at a campsite in Port Edward during the start of my solo overland journey. Having set up camp, I realized I was fast running out of bottled water. The camp officer, Johan, asked if everything was all right, and I replied, ‘perfect’, except that I had very little drinking water left, and the shops were some distance away. To my surprise, he returned some 10 minutes later and handed me 1.5 litres of sealed bottled water – at no charge.
At Coffee Bay, on the wild rugged coast of the Eastern Cape, I mislaid my pair of eyeglasses at a campsite. The owner got an entire army of workers to scour every inch of his property to look for it – and they found my spectacles near the Jimny.
In the BonteBok National Park in Swellendam, an elderly caravanner gave up his time to help me connect electrical power to my camping spot. In the remote beach outback of Strandfontein on the West Coast, a young camping couple, seeing how I was battling to light a fire in the howling wind, came over to offer me coffee and biscuits. I have felt the indomitable spirit of human kindness everywhere along the route. If I have to remember one thing about my road trip, it would definitely be this warm embrace of humanity.
My journeys through solitary gravel roads were most satisfying, and the Jimny’s 4×4 capability ate up the road like a cookie monster. What comes to mind is the 60km solitary gravel road from Port St Johns to Coffee Bay. Instead of taking the tar road via Umtata, I opted to take a chance on this alternative gravel road through remote Xhosa villages, over crystal clear rivers, cliffs, past mountainside tin-roofed shops – reminiscent of the early fifties. The friendly locals waved, and school kids screamed “sweeeets” as I slowly drove over deep ruts on the road.
Camping on a rooftop tent has its pros & cons. It’s great because you sleep “upstairs” and you are protected from animals, snakes and insects on the ground. The negatives are that should you want to pay a visit to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you will have to make pretty sure that you don’t slip and fall as you make your way down the ladder.
If you asked me which place stood out for me during my solo trip, I’d have to say the Storms River Mouth in the Tsitsikamma National Park, about an hour’s drive from Knysna. The suspension bridge over a deep gorge is a marvel as crystal clear water gushes through it and empties into the sea. It is easy to spot Allah’s magnanimity everywhere.
There were some amusing and worrying moments too. When I rocked up at the Lamberts Bay campsite one warm evening, the receptionist who also doubles as a security guard, began to regale me with stories of the quaint town, which, by the way, is home to the fascinating Bird Island National Park.
As she rambled on, the one thing she said pricked my ears. “In fact, the spot where you’ve set up your tent was once a cemetery for fallen soldiers…”, she said matter of factly.
“Really?” I blurted, both shocked and surprised.
That’s when I felt my hair at the back of my head start to bristle.
“You want to hear something else? she asked, pausing momentarily for dramatic effect. “When I patrol the campsite late at night, I often hear laughter, but when I look around me, I see no one. At first, it frightened me, you know, but after 10 years of working here, I have become used to it.”
That night, I made earnest zikr and slept with one eye open. The next morning, at the crack of dawn, I broke up camp and bolted.
But there were many joyful memories, too. At the Orangerus farm campsite outside Upington, I set up camp on the banks of the mighty Orange River. The sunset glow was a sight to behold, and the sound of night creatures in the reeds along the riverbanks was soothing to my ears. Truly, appreciating Allah’s creations was an Ibadah in itself, SubahanAllah.
On day 35, I realized I would not make it home in time for Ramadan and instead decided to embrace Ramadan on the road. With temperature soaring up to 37 deg.C in the Northern Cape, keeping up with the fast was challenging, but through the mercy of the Almighty, I pulled through. Reading salaah under a million stars, and making a deep connection with Allah Ta’ala, was an experience I will never forget.
Alhumdulilah, I eventually reached home on the 6th day of Ramadan. It has taken me a few days to get used to city lights, traffic and the honking of cars, but I will always be grateful for the life-changing experience.
The day I returned to Durban, a friend asked seriously: “I hear you went out for 40 days jamaat, how was it?
‘Alhumdulilah’, I replied. but MY 40 days were spent in the jamaat of Allah’s other living creations, the animals, birds, and other creatures…,” I said with a chuckle.
*To see a visual account of Ismail’s solo camping journey, check out and follow his Instagram and Facebook accounts called jimny_go_Afrika
