Trailer is upside down on the Savuti Marsh Road

Disaster on the Savuti Marsh Road

Surviving the Savuti Marsh Road: Off-Road Trailer Disaster and Recovery

Ah, the beauty of the Savuti! Gorgeous wildlife, stunning landscapes, and that intoxicating aroma of condensed milk coffee each morning—pure bliss. After a few magical days in this paradise, it was time to bid farewell and venture towards Moremi. Armed with a strong brew and a dash of misplaced confidence, we packed up camp, blissfully unaware of the adventure awaiting us on the fateful Savuti Marsh Road.

Now, let me share a pro tip from the dishwashing circuit (yes, that’s a thing): Sandridge Road? Avoid it. Instead, like seasoned travellers, we opted for the Savuti Marsh road. It’s dry season, they said. No cotton mud, they said. How hard could it be?

So off we went at the bright and reasonable hour of nine-thirty, passing by lions like they were a minor inconvenience. “Sorry, no time for photos, we’re on a schedule!” Famous last words. 

Not long into the trip, we stopped to help a Land Cruiser that had clearly decided to take an impromptu break. After some mechanical magic and a push, we resumed our bumpy ride and finally hit the Marsh road. Glorious! Hard surface, smooth sailing—we were practically gliding, even conserving diesel! Life was good… until it wasn’t.

As we ventured deeper, the road transformed into something resembling powdered sugar. Back to 4WD we go, plowing through knee-deep sand. Fun fact: the Mahindra Scorpio isn’t exactly a giraffe in the world of off-road clearance. The “middelmannetjie” (that evil ridge between the ruts) started looming larger than life.

Now, a few days earlier, a wise old local gave me some sound advice: “Just gun it and ignore the bumps.” Sounded easy enough! Halfway through the marsh, I was riding those ridges like a pro, until we hit something buried in the powdery gypsum-like sand—something big. Cue a sudden jolt, a massive dust cloud, and a noise that could only mean one thing: catastrophe.

Once the dust settled, we stared at the rearview mirror in horror. The trailer was upside down, crates scattered, and—wait for it—the rooftop tent, lid and all, was chilling 5 meters behind us, separated like an awkward breakup. My internal monologue was a stream of profanities, but I put on a brave face for the family. After all, what’s a little destruction in the grand scheme of a road trip?

Turns out, whatever we hit was enough to snap the trailer’s chains and tear the lid clean off. Lovely.

We couldn’t camp here—not unless we were keen to meet the lions we sped past earlier—so I came up with a genius plan: flip the trailer back onto its wheels. Naturally, at that very moment, a convoy of three vehicles arrived, and their driver asked in perfect timing, “Lyk of julle het moeilikheid? Kan ons help?” (Translation: “You look screwed. Need a hand?”)

Relief washed over me. Within seconds, he had his Italian tourists (who moved like Minions on a mission) flip the trailer, gather our scattered belongings, and precariously balance the lid back on top. We exchanged numbers like old pals, and they drove off into the horizon, leaving us with a semi-functional, lid-wobbly trailer.

The road ahead was less sandy, but the bumpy ride had us stopping every few kilometers to re-adjust ratchet straps, which were now chafing and snapping like old rubber bands. At one point, we found ourselves in what could only be described as an elephant graveyard—because, of course, why not?

Elephant Graveyard
Elephant Graveyard

Eventually, we arrived at Khwai, limping and dusty. Realizing we wouldn’t make it to Moremi before nightfall (unless we enjoyed repeated lid adjustments), we set up camp at Mbudi. Paying in cash, naturally, meant no change—but no worries! They offered to bring us firewood instead, which seemed like a fair trade after the day we’d had.

Once at camp, I summoned my inner MacGyver. We hammered the bent hinges back into something vaguely useful, while my daughter (our resident survivalist) lit the fire with a flint and steel like a seasoned adventurer. As the sun set and the full moon rose over the Khwai River, we sat around the fire with drinks in hand, enjoying a well-deserved Chicken Breyani cooked to perfection. Elephants ambled nearby, and a night watchman in his mokoro drifted by, offering a friendly wave.

Camping at Mbudi after fixing the trailer
Camping at Mbudi after fixing the trailer

It was the perfect end to a day of chaos. And who knows what tomorrow holds? Hopefully less flipping and more photos!

What disaster or adventure did you have on a recent trip? Let us know in the Forum!

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