Richtersveld Sendelingsdrift campsite — fully self-sufficient packing list
Back from 2 nights in the bush — here is the full report from Nelspruit.
The spot: Walk-in only, no advance booking, and we had it to ourselves mid-week.
Facilities: Basic pit toilets and cold shower only — bring a solar shower bag for comfort.
Wildlife: The bird life alone is worth the trip — 47 species on my list for the weekend.
What worked: The Dometic fridge ran the full trip on 116Ah LiFePO4 topped up by 138W solar. Didn't need the generator once.
What to bring: Your own firewood (collecting prohibited in most reserves), minimum 20L water per person for 3 days, and a headlamp — the bush is seriously dark.
Would I go back: Immediately. This is exactly why we overland.
5 Replies
What is the booking lead time for this spot? I have been looking at it for a trip in December and starting to wonder if I have left it too late.
Back from 2 nights in the bush — here is the full report from Nelspruit.
The spot: Walk-in only, no advance booking, and we had it to ourselves mid-week.
Facilities: Basic pit toilets and cold shower only — bring a solar shower bag for comfort.
Wildlife: The bird life alone is worth the trip — 47 species on my list for the weekend.
What worked: The Dometic fridge ran the full trip on 116Ah LiFePO4 topped up by 138W solar. Didn't need the generator once.
What to bring: Your own firewood (collecting prohibited in most reserves), minimum 20L water per person for 3 days, and a headlamp — the bush is seriously dark.
Would I go back: Immediately. This is exactly why we overland.
— marco_joubert
Good tip on the firewood — this catches so many people out. I now carry a 49kg bag of hardwood in the back of the bakkie on every trip. Enough for 6 nights of evening fires without relying on anything available on site.
> Back from 2 nights in the bush — here is the full report from Nelspruit.
>
> The spot: Walk-in only, no advance booking, and we had it to ourselves mid-week.
>
> Facilities: Basic pit toilets and cold shower only — bring a solar shower bag for comfort.
>
> Wildlife: The bird life alone is worth the trip — 47 species on my list for the weekend.
>
> What worked: The Dometic fridge ran the full trip on 116Ah LiFePO4 topped up by 138W solar. Didn't need the generator once.
>
> What to bring: Your own firewood (collecting prohibited in most reserves), minimum 20L water per person for 3 days, and a headlamp — the bush is seriously dark.
>
> Would I go back: Immediately. This is exactly why we overland.
> — marco_joubert
Good tip on the firewood — this catches so many people out. I now carry a 49kg bag of hardwood in the back of the bakkie on every trip. Enough for 6 nights of evening fires without relying on anything available on site.
— jannie_swanepoel
The wildlife experience matches what we found when we went. The facilities have improved since the last reports I read.
Did you see any large wildlife in camp? We had an elephant push over a tree about 17m from our rooftop tent at 03:30. Incredible to experience — absolutely terrifying in the moment.