Journey to South Africa - Part 2 – From Nairobi to Windhoek, A Story of Roads, Repairs, and Resilience

The previous blog is at: Journey to South Africa - Part 1 - A 21-Day Road Trip Across Africa

So, here we are. This is the first official chapter of this massive journey. We’re making our way from Kenya all the way down to Livingstone, with the ultimate goal of pushing further. If you’ve been following along, you know I outlined the full itinerary in the previous post, but as anyone who has ever overlanded knows, the plan is just a best guess.

We originally intended to break this down strictly: Nairobi to Iringa, then to Nakonde, Lusaka, Livingstone, and finally Windhoek. But reality had a different map for us.

Here is how it actually played out:

• Day 1: Nairobi to Dodoma
• Day 2: Dodoma to Mbeya
• Day 3: Mbeya to Mpika
• Day 4: Mpika to Lusaka
• Day 5: Lusaka to Livingstone
• Day 6: Rest day in Livingstone
• Day 7: Livingstone to Windhoek

Let’s dive into the story, the mechanical grit, and the unexpected moments.

Day 1: The Early Start and the First Mechanical Hiccup

We woke up at 4:00 AM. There is something surreal about the world at that hour, dark, quiet, and full of potential. We drove straight to the Namanga border. If you’ve crossed here, you know the drill. We grabbed breakfast at the border, but things got a little unusual.

The officers at Namanga essentially insisted we needed an agent. Now, usually, you can process these things yourself, but for some reason, the system was down. So, we paid the agent fees. The agent promised to send a crucial document later that day, which we knew we’d need at the Tunduma border. True to their word, it came through just in time, but it was a stressful start.

With paperwork sorted, we hit the road. We did get pulled over by the police a couple of times. One stop was for a legitimate road mistake on our part. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, we didn’t have any cash on us to offer a "fine." We pleaded with them, explaining that we were on a journey to Cape Town. Something about that ambition resonated with them; they let us go with a stern warning and a wave. It actually boosted our morale immensely.

By the time we reached Arusha, we noticed the camber on the rear tires was slightly off. We decided to stop at ORYX to have a mechanic take a look. It’s a good thing we did. The diagnosis wasn't great. We had to get the rear brakes replaced, and during the frantic repair work, the poor mechanic actually took a bit of a knock - poor guy.

They also replaced the rack and pinion bushes and the tie rods. We were hosted by KFC for both lunch and supper while we waited. This mechanical session took the whole day. By the time we were done, it was late, but we had to push on to Dodoma.

That night drive to Dodoma was treacherous. To stay safe and attentive, we shuffled the driving every hour. We eventually rolled into Dodoma and found the WASAFI Lodge. It was a solid find, good hotel, good rest, and exactly what we needed.

Day 2: The Brake Saga and The Three-Brake Strategy

We woke up, had breakfast, and set out. The goal was Iringa, or perhaps Mbeya if we could make it. But those rear brakes we had repaired in Arusha? They came back to haunt us.

They hadn't been fixed correctly. They started catching on themselves, dragging as we drove. In the middle of nowhere, we had to make a tough call. We pulled over and got to work. We decided to disconnect the rear brake line entirely and cap it off. We were now driving on three functional brakes.

This is a lesson learned: you can drive with three brakes, but they are there for redundancy. You have to be cautious, increase your following distance, and anticipate stops much earlier. The brake drums were getting too hot, so we had to keep moving to let air flow cool them down.

The journey wasn't just mechanical challenges, though. We saw some unique scenes: a massive dam and a funeral procession for a local MP. We had to wait respectfully for the procession to pass before the police gave us the go-ahead.

We reached Iringa around 6:00 PM. We found a mechanic to sort out the brake mess properly. We added silicone paste to the ratchet to stop the sticking. Dinner was at Miami, highly recommended if you are passing through; the vegetables were fresh and the steak was fantastic.

Since Iringa still felt far from our end goal, we decided to push through the night to Mbeya. We reached Mbeya past midnight, found a hotel via Google Maps, and collapsed.

Side note: At the restaurant in Iringa, we actually saw some prominent African leaders, though unfortunately, Jomo Kenyatta wasn't among them!

Day 3: The Border at Nakonde and Family Ties

The next morning, we drove from Mbeya toward the Zambian border. The road was terrible. We reached Nakonde (Tunduma) way too early, around 2:12 PM, but the traffic was unreal. We didn't actually leave the border until 6:00 PM.

A word of caution for this border: Interpol closes at 5:00 PM. You must be processed by them before that time. Also, expect to overpay for carbon credits and deal with a fair amount of "hand greasing" to get things moving.

There was a highlight, though. The immigration officer processing us noticed my name. It turns out she was marrying into the Osodo family (from Southern Nyanza). She called her fiancé over, and we had a brief, joyful reunion right there in the chaos of customs. It’s a small world.

However, we made a critical mistake here. We didn't check the documents they issued to us closely enough. They listed our car as a "Ford Ranger" instead of the RAV4 it actually was. This error would come back to bite us later at Kazungula.

We ate at a restaurant on the Zambian side. The meat was fried to within an inch of its life, very hard to bite. We then proceeded toward Mpika, the closest town.

On the Zambian side, we encountered tolls for the first time. The road near the tolls is good, but the rest is rough. We also dealt with a weird mechanical issue where the car would shut off every time we hit a pot hole (likely a fuel cutout safety feature that was a bit too sensitive), requiring a restart each time.

We found a hotel in Mpika. We skipped a rather dingy first option and found a better one. The area doesn't have great hotels, but the space we got was decent.

Day 4: The Long Haul to Lusaka

We woke up, had breakfast, and aimed for Lusaka. There was fear of a fuel crisis looming, so we were topping up constantly to ensure we had enough fuel.

The drive was eventful. We passed near the DRC border, where the road is busy and scenic. We saw several vehicles that had gotten into accidents in that area, a stark reminder to stay alert. We paid more toll fees and had lunch on the road.

We arrived in Lusaka very late, around 11:42 PM. We had a quick Middle Eastern supper before heading to our Airbnb to sleep.

Day 5: Lusaka Mechanics and The Push to Livingstone

I woke up early to meet my sister, who was in the "bundus" (bush) with her WWF workmates at Chaminuka Lodge. I took an Uber (Yango) out just to say hi, then headed back to town.

The guys had taken the car to Auto Express (specifically their new branch) to fix the brakes again. The manager there was a Kenyan! We had a great chat about the differences between Kenya, Zambia, and even Rwanda, comparing schools, prices, and lifestyle. It’s always comforting to find a fellow countryman on the road.

While there, a mechanic noticed an exhaust leak, which was a new development. After the repairs, we explored Lusaka a bit. The city is cool; the main roads are smooth (similar to Kigali), though the side roads have cracks. We grabbed lunch at Nando’s and bought local MTN lines.

The brake issue wasn't 100% resolved, but we decided to push on to Livingstone anyway. It got late, so we ended up having supper at a random roadhouse in the middle of nowhere. We finally reached Livingstone, checked into our hotel, and slept.

Day 6: Mosi-oa-Tunya, The Smoke That Thunders

This was the day for tourism. We had breakfast and headed to Victoria Falls.

One of us had the foresight to bring a raincoat, and you need one. It "rains" at the Falls. The sheer volume of water was insane; apparently, it was the highest flow they'd seen in five years or so. You get soaked by the spray just by standing there. It is massive, awe-inspiring, and deserving of its title as a wonder of the world.

After drying off, we went for the adrenaline activities. We joined a group for the gorge swing and bungee jumping. Swinging over that gorge is a rush like no other.

We had hoped to do the "Walk with the Lions," but unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Instead, we went back to town, bought some curios, and headed out for food and drinks. We found a good club. Interestingly, most locals there drink beer rather than hard liquor, similar to Rwanda, though the prices were a bit higher.

Day 7: The Marathon to Windhoek via Kazungula

We were up by 6:00 AM, breakfasted, and ready for the long haul.

The first major milestone was the Kazungula Border. This is arguably the most amazing border I’ve ever traveled through. You get processed in less than three minutes. It joins four countries, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe (with Angola just shy of joining the party).

However, the document error from Nakonde caught up with us here. The car papers still said "Ford Ranger." We had to talk to the migration officer, explain the mistake, and fortunately, he was understanding and let us through.

We left Zambia, entered Botswana, drove through a park where we saw wild animals, and then immediately entered Namibia. Two borders in one day!

The road in Botswana and Namibia is generally good, though we saw some funny new road signs in Namibia. One specifically warned "Potholes Ahead." We laughed, you’d think they would just fix them rather than put up a sign!

We stopped to eat in Rundu before the final leg. We arrived in Windhoek at 6:00 AM the next morning. It had been a 24-hour drive.

We made it. We rested, prepared for the next day, and wondered what new adventures (or repairs) awaited us.

That’s it for this leg of the journey. In the next post, I’ll update you on the car's condition and the trip down to South Africa. Stay tuned!

The next blog is at: Journey to South Africa - Part 3 – From the Namib Desert to the Cape and the Long Struggle North