Page 32 - Demo

LIFE & LEISURE REFINED MAGAZINE30An old saying captures the essence of any truly great drive: %u201cYou know you%u2019re driving a great car when the road is not long enough%u201d. I found myself repeating that mantra as I pointed the Land Rover Defender 130 north, bound for the Limpopo Province and one of South Africa%u2019s most quietly spectacular destinations %u2013 Qwabi Private Game Reserve.The Road That%u2019s Never Long EnoughA Journey in the Land Rover DefenderThe journey to Qwabi isn%u2019t just a route you follow on a map. It%u2019s a gradual unravelling %u2013 from the speed and structure of the Gauteng freeway system to the remote quiet of gravel roads that wind like dry riverbeds through the Waterberg bushveld. With every passing kilometre, the city slips further behind, replaced by scenes that feel unchanged by time: acacia-dotted plains, rust-coloured hills, and the occasional kudu bounding in the distance.In these changing landscapes, it%u2019s here where the Defender 130 feels most at home %u2013 not in a showroom or parked in a leafy suburb, but out in the wild where its capability becomes part of the scenery. And yet, despite its imposing size and rugged intent, the Defender doesn%u2019t dominate the drive; it complements it. Its air suspension and quiet cabin allow you to truly take in the surroundings, not just pass through them. That%u2019s especially true when the heavens open, turning the clay-rich roads into slippery tests of confidence. The Defendersimply shrugged, and carried on.The Journey Becomes the RewardWhat struck me most about the route to Qwabi wasn%u2019t how difficult it was, but how liberating. The road becomes