Have wheels will travel | The Star

TWO women embraced their passion for travelling by challenging themselves to drive around the African continent, the second largest in the world, in a four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle.

Zuraina Ismail, 56, and Iyra Azhari, 47, who are currently in Caprivi Strip, Namibia, began their expedition by land from Cape Town, South Africa on Aug 17 in a Toyota Landcruiser Troopy that was sent by sea cargo from Port Klang.

The duo, who set out on their “Out of Africa” adventure to cover 14 countries in the south and east of the African continent, have so far traversed over 15,000km and six countries, namely South Africa, Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Namibia.

The intrepid duo meeting a local tribe at Basotho Cultural Village in South Africa;

Their journey is expected to end in Kenya in early April before they continue their expedition to the continents of Europe and Asia to return home by land.

Zuraina, more fondly called Nana, told BK that they did not set a specific schedule for their expedition but planned it based on aspects such as interesting locations, current weather situation, journey distance and camping sites to spend the night.

“We are slow travellers, not necessary for us to be on the road every day. We try to limit our travelling time to no more than 300km or not more than five hours of driving.

“This is because our 4WD is 28 years old. Once in a while we break the rule and drive for up to 500km or 600km,” she said, adding that the cost was set at no more than RM10,000 per month for both of them, which covered accommodation, meals, fuel, vehicle maintenance and entrance fees to tourist attractions.

Nana, a former senior manager at a company, said one of the main challenges they had to face was having to acclimatise themselves to the changing weather conditions of each country.

Iyra (left) and Zuraina hope to cover 14 countries in a long journey from Aug 27 that is expected to end in Kenya in early April.

For example, when they were in Zimbabwe, the temperature was 35°C, in South Africa it dropped to 16°C and in Namibia, it spiked to over 40°C when they were in a desert.

“In addition, driving on land, for example in Namibia, where 80% of the roads are dirt roads, dust and dirt gets into the 4WD. So, it became routine for us to clean it first before going to bed,” she said.

Meanwhile, Iyra said one of the most remarkable memories was when they had the chance to drive in a safari, enabling them to see up close the wild animals roaming freely, as shown on National Geographic or Animal Planet documentaries.

She said that among the safaris they visited were the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and Hlane Royal National Park in Eswatini; Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe; and Etosha National Park in Namibia.

She said the safaris in these countries allowed tourists to drive their own vehicles with certain conditions, including following the stipulated route, not getting out of the vehicle, not getting too close to the animals and spending the night only at designated camping sites.

“In zoos, the wild animals are caged but the challenge is different in safaris because it’s not easy for us to locate or bump into the animals,” she said, adding that it would also depend on luck, patience and knowing about the animals that are there.

“So, there are many incidents that we can classify as ‘National Geographic’ moments during our self-drive through the safaris as we got to see the animals up close, such as elephants, rhinoceros, lions, giraffes, zebras, hyenas, African buffaloes and various other species of animals in their natural habitat,” she said.

Those interested in following the duo’s expedition can do so through Facebook account Kelana Dunia and Instagram @kelanadunia_7667.