Wolf & I Co. Blog | Adventures Of The Wolf Pack

There's been a dramatic shift in the world since 2020, far more people are taking to the open road, bringing four legged friends into their lives, and making a shift toward local travel. The Defender Dog community is growing every day and what better way to learn about South African adventures with dogs than with the locals. We asked Juanre (along with his wife Simone and two miniature schnauzers, Willow and Oak) how epic their adventures are in South Africa.

When did you get your first Defender and how long have you been overlanding?

I am fairly new to the Defender Family, with owning Cedar the Landrover Defender just shy of a year. Prior to Cedar, we used to travel in Luna, a 1988 Suzuki SJ413 and used to do Bundu Bashing for about seven years.

What type of Defender do you have?

Cedar is a 2002 Land Rover Defender 110 TD5, He is a bit crusty with some patina but mechanically he still sounds great.

Is there a large Defender community in South Africa?

South Africa has a very active four wheel driving community ranging from mall crawlers up to the hardcore, die hard, fully kitted, no power steering drivers. It's not just the defender wave, but a proper community.

What has been your most dramatic break down?

Oh... break downs... yeah that is always a fun topic. Two months into ownership we were coming back from the Kruger National Park covering a distance of roughly 2200km with roughly 450km to go, Cedar suddenly ran into the red, with steam gushing from the bonnet.

Long story short - we got on a flatbed to the nearest Landy Service Centre, and with their eagerness to assist, we manage to replace the top radiator hose (as well as buy an new set of hoses) and four hours later we were back on the road.

Exploring South Africa with dogs and a Landrover Defender!

What is the best mod you have put on the truck?

Mods... we are not one for "unnecessary mods" we try to keep things as standard as possible but yet as functional as possible. Being a Sound Engineer our biggest mod would probably be our car play radio for the open road jam sessions as well as our custom re-upholstered seats.

What do you love about the South African wilderness?

The thing with travelling in South Africa, you can go from extreme mountain passes, to tropical wilderness, to red Kalahari sand dunes and then to concrete jungle in a matter of 48 hours.

South Africa has so much to offer. With 11 official languages, nine different Provinces, all the Nature Reserves (SAN PARKS, as well as private) you can do something different every day of the week.

What are your dogs personalities, breed and how old are they?

We have two four legged companions and they are both Miniature Schnauzers.

Willow, she is salt & pepper coloured and is easy going, happy go lucky and has just a relaxing temperament.

Oak, he is a little black puppy, just over six months old. Super energetic and playful and gulps up any attention.

Where do you like to take your dogs exploring?

Travelling with dogs can be tricky at times especially with the African heat. You need to give them plenty of water to keep the hydrated which in turn creates multiple pit-stops for them to "dehydrate”. But overall they are well behaved in the back of Cedar and have enough space to entertain themselves and it is one of the most fulfilling experiences you can imagine.

Four wheel driving with dogs across the remarkable landscapes of South Africa

Why do you love Defenders and what do you love about them?

A Defender is not just a vehicle, it’s a lifestyle.

It's definitely not for the faint-hearted, you need to fully commit.

But it is guaranteed to be most fun you will have.

It's not super comfortable.

It's not reliable.

It's not light on fuel.

You need to constantly work on it.

It will leak oil.

But that's why we love it.

Any places you’re planning to visit in the near future?

Definitely a list of places we need to visit with Cedar starting with our Honeymoon that’s in March/April 2023. We will be visiting four provinces and travel roundtrip about 4000km.

We are also already planning a Namibia/Botswana/Zambia/Zimbabwe trip for 2024.

Exploring Africa's magnificent scenery

Do you always take your dogs on every trip? Is it safe for them? Any special precautions?

We don’t always travel with the dogs but we try to take them along as often as possible. We have visited certain areas where it is advised to keep the dogs inside as there are Leopards roaming around. So precautions are necessary, but most of the trips we do our planning so that it is dog friendly.

What’s the best place you’ve ever camped?

Short and sweet. The sand dunes in the Kalahari Desert.

Do you meet a lot of overlanders from other countries?

A couple of year ago I used to work as a Stage Manager on Cruise Lines. I travelled the world for about five years, visiting more than 100 countries and meeting people from all over the world. I still have contact with some of the crew, as well as guests from all over the globe, so whenever any of them come to South Africa we always try to meet up.

We are also very active on social media and try to meet as many followers as possible or even just travel for a couple of kilometres with them, Most recently we managed to assist a couple from China, they were travelling in a Defender through Africa when they had problems with it. Overall we would love to meet as many people as possible!

Best 4wd/offroad track?

We are not ones for hardcore four wheel drive tracks that are more like obstacle courses. We would rather travel on a gravel mountain pass to a forgotten area and just explore.

How have you set up the Defender for your dogs? Any special place?

With our new seats, we currently use a blanket just to cover the rear seats for them - we have seen some awesome products to be used as protective covers.

As for security, thus far we haven't needed any dog harnesses or car seatbelts to secure them to the seats. But in the near future it will definitely be needed as both Willow and Oak get extremely excited when we travel and want to feel the wind through their hair. So we will definitely need to invest in some precautionary measures.

Wildlife spotting from the Landrover Defender 110

How do you maintain a daily routine for your dogs when on the road?

We try to be as active as possible throughout our travelling and locations we travel to, so we try to take the dogs on walks as much as possible.

How did you hear about Wolf & I Co.?

When we started travelling with the dogs, we started doing research about travel dog accessories and something that would suit our lifestyle.

And with Wolf & I Co. we found that it is not just your everyday dog accessories. The products are well thought out, structured, appealing to the eye and just plain useful accessories.

Want to follow Cedar's adventures? Check them out on Facebook and Instagram @cedar.td5 and subscribe for more epic adventures sent direct to your inbox!