67-year-old adventurer rambles across Africa at snail’s pace

People approaching the age of 70 would usually be thinking about living life at a relaxed pace in a scenic setting.

Sally Parkinson, 67, is doing just that — but in not in the typical way. Her idea of slowing down in nature involves nosing a battle-hardened Land Rover Defender across the continent, taking in the scenery, and raising awareness about conservation and upliftment projects.

Parkinson, who was a sales and marketing executive living in Spain for 23 years, decided to come to SA after her daughter left home and her dogs passed away.

“One of my oldest friends lives here, and I’d always visited her over the years. I went to Namibia in 2023 and decided I want to see more.”

She said a documentary on the Okavango Delta stoked her sense of adventure.

“I volunteered for six weeks in Botswana and South Africa, getting really close to the wildlife, I met a Belgian couple living in Mozambique who bought an old Land Rover in South Africa and began travelling around — and thought, I’d like to do that.”

So she acquired her old Defender, dubbed the Kalahari Snail, and decided to travel across sub-Saharan Africa on her own under the handle of Sally’s Wheels.

“If I was going to do that, I thought maybe I could help raise awareness and funds for wildlife conservation and local community projects. I met someone on a plane who introduced me to Sandra Rubins, who works with the Natural Selection Foundation.”

According to its website, the foundation aims to make a difference in African communities, across areas of conservation, childhood development and regenerative tourism.

“I’ve undertaken the journey in stages, I’m now on number four and I joined the African Rally to start it. I’ve never done this kind of thing before, I haven’t prepared really well — I’m very last-minute.”

When Parkinson last messaged us a week ago, she shared a pin location near Idodi, in Tanzania, a coutry she had crossed into after trekking through Botswana, Zambia and Malawi. From Tanzania it’s on to Zanzibar, then Kenya. She’ll head back to Tanzania and park the Kalahari Snail there before going back to Spain in September.

“Then in December I’ll fly back with my daughter, drive into Uganda, see the apes and chimps, then send her back from Rwanda. Then I’ll carry on down through Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, Namibia and South Africa. That’s the journey — and I plan to stop at as many NGOs as I can.

“After returning to South Africa, the only locations left would be eSwatini, Lesotho and Mozambique. I also want to drive through the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.”

Parkinson said that although she didn’t really know the history of her Land Rover, “he” has turned out to be a good companion so far.

Observers can follow her journey on social media.