We’re on the road to nowhere, come on inside.

We’re on the road to nowhere, let’s take a ride.

And I did. It felt amazing. No other song suits better driving along this sandless track.

No other trail feels more exciting to pursue in Southern Africa.

This is the road where adventure awaits, one way or another.

This is the road that leads to a natural mystery.

My destination is no other place than the Okavango Delta.

A place where nature riddles its fortunes anti-clockwise. Water in the dry season, dry in the wet season.

The water levels depend on rainfall in the highlands of Angola.

The Okavango Delta is an extraordinarily vast area to get lost in.

I can’t wait to track down wildlife with my zebra.

However, it’s not only the fauna that takes my interest.

The flora is surrounded by waterways, reflections, sunsets, and sunrises. Lush greens along hippo pools.

Ghostly and dry appearances are just a stone’s throw away. Yes please.

Regardless, I had to get there first. This, by all means, is not an adventure to be taken lightly. One needs to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.

Extra water, extra food, extra fuel, and extra patience. Spare tires, spare filters, and spare time. The barriers are hot, soft, wet, and slippery. The build-up wet season is in full swing. I already had found out how quickly dust turns into slippery sliders on my journey to North Luangwa in Zambia.

Obstacles might and will cross the fast lane in front of you. Patience is always your best bet.

The journey is half the destination. I was up before sunrise for yet another spectacular sunrise.

Zimba was packed and ready to go before the first rays shone onto his backside.

However, this camp spot is one of my favorites here in Africa.

I wished Elton farewell as I sipped on my coffee before we climbed down to the tarmac.

Some enormous baobab trees paraded in leafy greens along the B334.

Gotta stop for a photo or two.

Just like waterways around here, the B334 disintegrates into the wilderness past the small community of Kachikau.

This is it, lock in front hubs, we’re right on track. We were leaving behind dry scrubs and acacia trees left, right and center. And not much else.

Momentum is the key factor to drive on soft sand. It doesn’t have to be much, but it has to be steady. If you do get stuck, don’t get bogged. This usually occurs when the exhilarator and clutch go vroom-vroom side by side.

I have witnessed this behavior too many times and questioned other people’s experiences and common sense.

An alternative approach will save you a burnt-out clutch. A shuffle and a set of max-trax should usually do the trick. Further lowering the tire pressure is the next step. Having the correct tire pressure set before driving on sand goes without saying.

Without saying much more but a lot of singing, Zimba and I cruised along this track at around 80 kms an hour. It keeps amazing me how we two cruisers keep moving on. Loving it.

We only stopped to get Rick into the air and follow our sandy spurs. It was smooth driving all the way, until my first roadblock.

Recent showers created waterholes on this bumpy track. Fabulous.

The greens on various bushes and trees were hard to miss. The color spectrum from bone-dry to lush greens was unbelievable.

Where is water there is life. A decent-sized herd of female elephants and their offspring appeared from bushes.

They can smell water from miles away.

Elephants love, love, love, and decent mud shower.

Or even better, a full-body dive.

A pair of giraffes joined the party.

They weren’t so sure about this zebra either.

Having the longest neck in the animal kingdom, giraffes have turbo veins to pump blood to their head.

However, this could be a lethal dose for the brain, whilst bending down to drink.

Instead, giraffes have a valve organ that expands if too much blood is rushed in. The natural world is just remarkable.

I need to get moving just as well.

What direction are the Linyanti swamps?

He he, too good.