History

Bundi Overland has had an eventful path to get where it is today. Not having enough cash or an institution willing to finance Bundi, I was stuck to only one thing – the hard way. It started with buying my first 4×4 Bedford on an army auction. My 1st contract for the Bedford was to transfer clients who raft the Orange River back to their starting point via the Richtersveld desert. En route to the Orange, I had to sell two of my paddles to have enough money for diesel.

Some of the clients asked me whether it would be possible to put a tour together for them and their friends to Victoria Falls. I said no problem! Remember, I have said nothing of the truck being converted yet! There was no money for that. The year was 1995; I have never been to Victoria Falls; I have never done an overland tour; had 20 days before departure and had nothing more than an old army truck.

In the pictures you can see what I came up with in those 20 days…forget the nights!! As preparation for tour leader I looked at a pre-departure video of an overland operator.

In it they told the clients how they run their trips, how they do their cooking, cleaning up and how the tour is a participating adventure. And that is exactly what I told my clients! Today, 14 years later, there is only one thing that changed with almost all the overland companies. The truck!! The tours are still conducted in the very same participating manner.

The 4×4 Bedford had a top speed of 60km/h. That was with no headwind. It had very good eye sight and spotted a hill way before you could see it. Don’t mention the breakdowns of the old trucks! The plastic windows got hazy and when cold or raining there was just nothing to be seen through them.

You can gather from the pictures how the vehicles have changed over the years to what we have today.