Gauteng: where to get the bakkie kitted out, and where to camp and drive close to home

Gauteng is where a lot of South African overland vehicles get built: it has more fitment centres, trailer builders and canopy makers in our directory than any other province. It also has more places to use the vehicle than its reputation suggests. Dinokeng, north of Pretoria, has a cluster of bush camps, and there are 4x4 trails and driver-training venues within an hour of both cities. This guide covers both halves: where to get the work done, and where to camp and drive without leaving the province.

Fitment centres

The Gauteng fitment centres in the directory run from a brand flagship to builders who kit vehicles for long trips. A few of them:

Ironman 4x4's Midrand site is the brand's South African flagship store and warehouse, with a fitment centre on site, so you can collect an order and have it fitted in the same visit.

In Pretoria, Xplorer 4x4 fits bumpers, suspension, lighting, recovery gear and rooftop tents, and handles solar and dual-battery set-ups. Its showroom takes walk-ins, but workshop work is by appointment. Voetspore Fitment Centre, set up in 2013 by the Voetspore overland team, kits vehicles for long trips, including auxiliary fuel tanks and custom stainless water tanks.

AutoVenture in Northriding supplies and fits 4x4 accessories and outfits both overland vehicles and work fleets. Adventure Direct 4x4 in Centurion is a fitment centre and accessories shop that also runs 4x4 driver training and tours.

Our guide to choosing a fitment centre lists the questions to ask before you book.

Trailer builders

Several of the trailer builders and dealers we list are in Gauteng. Conqueror, with its factory in Heidelberg and about 30 years in the trade, makes the Comfort and Compact camper trailers and the UEV and Commander off-road caravans, and sells and services them through branches in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Summit Off-road in Pretoria builds the low-bed Everest camper and the aluminium-bodied Karenga and Kilimanjaro caravans. LeBusha Trailers, also in Pretoria, builds camping, overland and custom trailers as well as utility and motorcycle trailers.

Before you buy, check the trailer's gross vehicle mass against your licence code. Our trailer guide explains the code B and EB limits.

Canopies

Three of the canopy businesses in our directory are in Gauteng. GZ Canopies in Wadeville makes aluminium canopies in five trim levels, along with load sliders and Suzuki Jimny accessories, sold through a dealer network. Rhinoman Canopies in Rosslyn makes aluminium leisure and commercial canopies, including the Xtreme, Xpedition and LX, fitted through franchised fitment centres. Andy Cab Kempton Park is an authorised fitment centre for Andy Cab's fibreglass canopies; Andy Cab gives a three-year warranty on the canopy shell.

Whichever material you lean towards, ask each maker for the weight of the model that fits your bakkie, since it comes straight off your payload, and how a damaged canopy is repaired.

Camping inside Gauteng

Dinokeng, north of Pretoria

Dinokeng Game Reserve, north of Pretoria, has several small camps inside or on the edge of the reserve, and they differ a lot in what they offer. Moretele River Lodge has four powered riverside sites with their own ablutions, plus two off-grid 4x4 sites with only a water point. Kyleu Bush Camp has no electricity anywhere: its stands have private ablutions with gas-heated showers, and six unfenced stands are for fully self-sufficient campers with no water or ablutions at all.

Browse the rest on the Gauteng camping page; the field card on each listing shows which facilities the operator states.

East of Pretoria and the Magaliesberg

Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, a private reserve north-east of Bronkhorstspruit on the Mpumalanga border, has 50 shaded stands with power points near reception, and it recommends only off-road caravans and trailers. Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve, about 22 km north-east of Pretoria, has basic campsites on the water's edge on the side of the dam set aside for canoeing, sailing and angling. West of the city, Magalies Sleepy River on the R560 is camping only, beside the Magalies River.

4x4 trails and training close to home

Hennops Offroad Trail is a self-drive obstacle trail on a farm in the Hennops valley, where most obstacles can be bypassed, so it suits first-timers. Groenkloof Nature Reserve, on Pretoria's southern edge, has a circular self-drive route with a bypass at every tricky obstacle. Syringa Park in Muldersdrift has purpose-built routes from beginner areas to technical sections, open to the public on weekends and public holidays. If you want instruction rather than a trail, Protea 4x4 runs driver training on natural terrain in the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve near Kromdraai.

Further afield

The distances below are straight-line figures we worked out from the map coordinates in our listings, measured from Midrand. Road distances are longer. Pilanesberg, about 130 km away in North West, has camps at both main gates; see the North West camping page.

Marakele, Waterberg (about 185 km to the park)

The Marakele 4x4 Eco Trail is a guided three-day trail along management tracks on top of the Waterberg. SANParks rates it level 3 to 5 and calls it strictly a 4x4 challenge. Vehicles are inspected before departure: you need 4x4 with low range and at least 240 mm of clearance under the rear diff and 330 mm under the front, and trailers aren't allowed. It runs in the dry season, and trailists bring all their own food, water and firewood.

Our explainer on what a trail grade means covers how to read those numbers.

Golden Gate, Free State (about 280 km)

Glen Reenen Rest Camp in Golden Gate Highlands National Park has caravan and camping sites alongside rondavels and cottages. It's a SANParks camp, so the national park rules apply, including the ban on pets.

Kruger, for a long weekend (from about 380 km)

The southern Kruger camps and the start points of the Kruger eco trails are the next ring out. Lower Sabie, on the Sabie River, has caravan and camping sites, a shop, a filling station and communal kitchens. The guided Mafunyane Eco Trail leaves Phalaborwa Gate on a Thursday and finishes at Punda Maria on the Sunday, with river crossings and mud after rain.

Book Kruger camping early: SANParks opens bookings 11 months ahead, and our December trip guide covers the park rules that catch first-timers out. Browse more camps on the camping pages and routes in the trail listings.