Al-Qalam 
Journalist Ismail Suder fulfilled a dream of a lifetime after he camped in some of the most exotic locations in the country.
For over a decade, I nurtured a dream – to do a solo camping road trip across South Africa – and this month, that dream was realised with the Grace of the Almighty.
By the time you read this, I might still be on the road, travelling in the remote regions of the Northern Cape, heading home towards Durban, InshaAllah. In all, my five-week overland road trip would have clocked over 4000km.
In my many years as a journalist in mainstream media, I had the privilege of travelling to many beautiful countries across the globe, some as part of my work as a travel writer in the heyday of The Daily News and, at other times, at my own expense.
But, in all those years, I had never really seen the hidden beauty of South Africa – until now! So on January 25, I packed my Suzuki Jimny 4×4 and headed towards Port Edward on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast where my camping trip began.
The idea was to camp on a rooftop tent of my Suzuki Jimny all across the coastline up to Cape Town, and then loop on to the West Coast of South Africa up to Augrabies Falls, close to the Namibian border, and then head home via Bloemfontein and KwaZulu-Natal – a distance over 4000km. So far, I’ve camped in some of the most exotic locations across South Africa and I’ve been in awe at the beauty that Allah Ta’ala has created. SubahanAllah!
I found registered camping sites on the banks of gushing rivers or at the side of mountains, even campsites set on the shores of pounding seas. It has been one of the most momentous journeys of my life.
Forget Dubai, take a road trip in South Africa and you’d be amazed at the beauty that will greet you everywhere you go.
When I first started my overland adventure, I was gripped with all kinds of fears. How will I cope in various weather conditions while sleeping in a rooftop tent – and basically living out of the cabin of my little Jimny? What if I’m robbed or attacked? What if I get sick on the 4000km overland trip, who will nurse be back to health?
Alhumdulilah, all those fears were unfounded. In fact, all I have experienced was friendliness and kindness throughout my journey, where some acts of kindness even brought me to tears.
I have visited many little mosques along the way. I recall one instance in Oudtshoorn, the town in the Little Karoo, where on the night of Laylatul Baraa, the Bangladeshi Imam, seeing a new face, rushed over to me to say if I ever needed help to let him know.
‘Don’t go home…stay in the masjid until fajr, we’ve biryani for sehri,” he told the congregation. I smiled.
I have avoided staying in big towns or cities, choosing instead to stay off the beaten track. Every little spot I camped at had its own charm. From Port St Johns, I took a 60km gravel road adventure (optional) to visit the quaint town of Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape and was mesmerised by the wild seas crashing against the mountainside. In the region of Tsitsikamma, I marvelled at the sheer beauty of Storms River Mouth – the river flows between two mountain canals into the sea. In the small village of Wilderness, I stayed along the bank of the Touws River – at the Ebb & Flow National Park – and was calmed by the sounds of chirping birds of all hues and colours.
I am now about to travel through the stunning and unpretentious Northern Cape, raw in its beauty, dry somewhat, and sparsely populated. This is where the Atlantic sea lashes the shores, wild in its fury and the graveyard of many merchant vessels throughout the century. You will see beauty in this rawness.
InshaAllah, I hope to reach home in Durban, a day before the start of Ramadaan, my faith more strengthened by witnessing Allah’s bounties at every turn of my travels.
*For photos and videos of my adventures, you can check out the posts or follow my Instagram channel: Jimny_go_Africa
