We approached Zanzibar from the Groblersbrug border post via Tom Burke and Swartwater. The R572 road of about 80 km is tarred, but full of dangerous potholes. The last 23 km from Maasstroom is a gravel road. It is also an area where you will see Boabab trees and we stopped at Swartwater to look at the biggest single stem Boabab in Southern Africa (according to the locals).
Zanzibar border post is used mainly by tourists that visit the Northern Tuli blok in Botswana. Crossing the Limpopo river is done via 3 narrow and very low level 'bridges'. This restricts the type of vehicles that can use this border post - no trucks or busses will be able to use these bridges. The border post is closed when the Limpopo is in flood.
We decided to cross the border into Botswana here and drove the 50 km to Platjan (next border post) through the many private wildlife reserves and lodges of the Northern Tuli block. It was an uneventful drive and about an hour later we entered South Africa again.
The story is told that Platjan was named after a local that was killed and literally flattened by an elephant. I could not verify whether this is fact or fiction.
The Limpopo crossing at Platjan is also a very low and narrow 'bridge' but the border post staff told us that trucks and overland vehicles do cross here to the Tuli block lodges. It is normal procedure that the border post is closed for 2 to 3 months due to the level of the Limpopo river from end of January onwards.
Whenever you visit Botswana again and think that Groblersbrug is the only border post to this region, think again. Stockpoort, Zanzibar and Platjan are much better options.
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| Biggest single stem Boabab in Southern Arica ? |
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| Crossing the Limpopo via one of three low and narrow 'bridges' at Zanzibar |
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| Beautiful scenery in no-man's land |
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| Entering South Africa again at Platjan |