Jan and Leoné Vorster – A Life of Daring and Adventure

To this day, Jan and Leoné Vorster still live in a leafy suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, mere miles from where I was born and mostly raised. But, before I was conceived, this Afrikaner couple had already traveled far and wide and achieved what most, even today, consider near impossible. Jan and Leoné traveled overland long before the convenience of fax machines, personal computers, and the omnipotent internet. How challenging but rewarding must it have been to travel the Global South in the late ’60s without the convenience and distraction of the modern world? It is unimaginable how difficult it must have been to source and ship a suitable vehicle, research routes, apply for visas, and overcome the nearly impenetrable bureaucracy that smothers us even today to transport and covert currency, navigate, and communicate. 

Jan and Leoné are another breed from another time, and their story deserves to be told and studied. Our family met the Vorsters at the Overland Expo event held outside Flagstaff, Arizona, in 2016. They invited us into their formidable old Land Rover, Dipli, where we enjoyed a meal of pasta, red wine, and inspiring stories.

When asked what inspired their choice to adopt an overland lifestyle, they both agree that it is simply the best way to see the world. While their parents were initially appalled by their decision to travel, their friends were envious. As they continued their travels and eventually retired, their children humorously remarked, “Kids leave home, parents don’t.” 

Years after we first met, the couple finally slowed down and were content with an occasional journey from their home in South Africa to the United States. We reached out to Leoné and asked if she wouldn’t mind sharing an overview of their story with us and our readers. We are delighted to offer an attempt to summarise an adventurous life that has endured the tumultuous exploration of decades. We have had the privilege to observe that Jan is a man who defies pigeonholing and lives within a mathematical world of black and white with few shades of gray; he is incredibly knowledgeable on most subjects that matter, with a deep laugh that is seldom drawn forth but always waiting to be exhaled. Leoné is more than just the yin to Jan’s yang; she’s a woman whose mind is as sharp as a razor, with a wit that can elevate you to the stars or trim you gently to a chuckling nub. We see in them ourselves but can only wait and work patiently to earn a sliver of the wisdom this couple has earned, a wisdom that globally, very few people, perhaps a handful, share.

In an effort to find the seed of the deep roots of this expansive tree, I asked the couple who inspired them to travel to help them discover that such travel was possible from their isolated homes at the bottom of Africa. Leoné recalls her early inspirations, growing up with an aunt who traveled abroad annually. This exposure sparked her interest in exploring the world, which led her to embark on a camping tour of Europe after just two years in the workforce. In 1968, Leoné and a friend hitchhiked from Johannesburg through Kariba Dam (Rhodesia), Lusaka (Zambia), and Tete (Mozambique) to Lake Malawi. This journey took place during the height of the independence war in Mozambique.

Okavango and Makgadikgadi in 1964

On the other hand, Jan was introduced to travel by his parents, who took him on various trips within South Africa. A significant experience came when Jan was nine years old, and his family traveled to Europe while his father, David Vorster, worked in London. In March 1964, Jan’s father purchased a 1962 long-wheelbase Series 2A Land Rover Station Wagon and joined the Land Rover Owners Club of Southern Africa (LROC). They outfitted the vehicle to be “safari ready,”’ and in July 1964, they embarked on a journey to the Okavango Delta in then Bechuanaland (now Botswana). These early experiences set the stage for the couple’s shared passion for travel and were, perhaps, the common flames that lit the candle.

Botswana, 1968

The two first crossed paths in 1967 at the National Institute for Metallurgy, where Leoné worked in the library, and Jan was a research scientist. Although they had their own individual plans for travel at the time, their shared love for exploration soon became a joint venture. Their first significant journey together began in 1969 (after Leoné had proven her mettle to Jan with her 1968 Southern Africa hitchhiking trip) when they purchased a Citroën 2CV in Paris and set off on a three-year adventure across 28 European countries, covering 50,000 kilometers in 16 months. From there, they shipped the vehicle to the United States, where they continued their journey, driving 30,000 kilometers across the country before heading from Ottawa to Buenos Aires—a trek of 23,000 kilometers, after which the Citroën was shipped to South Africa. Among the many memorable moments of their travels, one that stands out is when their 2CV managed to cover 9,000 kilometers in just 23 days from Cartagena, Colombia, to Buenos Aires. This journey was particularly significant as it was marked by urgency—Jan’s father was seriously ill, and he needed to get home. Jan flew ahead from Argentina, leaving Leone to arrange the shipping of the vehicle back to Durban.

Atacama Desert, 1971

The following years were spent settling down, earning a living, and starting a family. By 1980, with their daughters, Liesl and Ingrid, now 6 and 4 years old and ready for adventure, Jan built his first 4WD camper on a Land Rover Forward Control and shipped it to Uruguay. Upon arrival in South America, they were met with devastating news—their vehicle had been destroyed during a storm at sea. After negotiations, they were able to purchase a brand-new Volkswagen Karmann Ghia camper in Brazil with the insurance money and set off on a year-long, 40,000-kilometer journey around South America. 

This trip was marked by both challenges and memorable experiences, such as driving South to Ushuaia in the bitter cold of July with Leoné and their two young daughters huddled in sleeping bags with hot water bottles and Jan using a blowtorch to heat the camper. After many more adventures during their year-long journey, they returned to South Africa. For the next 13 years, their travels were confined to school holidays. During this time, Jan once again built a camper based on a Land Rover Forward Control, and the couple attended several motorhome shows in Europe and America as Jan embarked on the small-scale production of overlander motorhomes.

Their final major South American expedition began in 1998 as part of a larger journey around the world that spanned until 2023. As of October 2019, they have traveled across six continents, passing through 111 countries, covering 365,000 kilometers over 10.5 years on the road, not counting time spent at home. Looking back over all those years of global travel, Jan and Leoné have learned valuable lessons, and traveling through different countries brought various challenges. 

Their experiences include overturning their vehicle in both Tanzania and British Columbia, being ambushed by Somali bandits in Kenya, and being detained for three days by both Ethiopian border guards and Russian soldiers on the Mongolian border. They were escorted by armed guards in Kenya, Yemen, and Egypt and were attacked by criminals in Poland. In Mongolia, their vehicle was held for ransom by border guards. They faced frequent stops, more than 70 times by Russian police and several times by corrupt Kazakh police. They were arrested and detained by police in Nepal and stopped and questioned as terrorist suspects by the FBI in Washington, DC, due to the propane cylinders mounted on the back of Dipli and the vehicle’s highly unusual appearance.

The journey also brought them to great heights, such as over 4,600 meters in Tajikistan and Bolivia on “The Most Dangerous Road in the World,” and to lows below sea level in Death Valley, California, and at the Dead Sea, where Jordanian soldiers visited them at 2:00 a.m. They drove long detours to visit the geographic centers of five continents. They reached the southernmost point accessible by road at Moat in Tierra del Fuego but were stopped by armed oil field guards from driving the final kilometers to the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. In Colombia, they were intercepted by soldiers guarding a massacred village on a remote bush track in La Guajira but were allowed to continue to Punta Gallinas, the northernmost point of South America. They also found themselves marooned on a sandbar by an incoming tide after driving down a river to the southernmost point of North America on the Azuero Peninsula, Panama.

When asked about their favorite overland destinations, Jan and Leoné mention the USA, Australia, and Brazil for their ease of wild camping, and Cambodia and Uzbekistan for their cultural richness and hospitality. Reflecting on their extensive travels, they say they wouldn’t have done anything differently, and they regard the USA and Brazil as the most hospitable countries for overlanders.

Over the years, they’ve traveled in various vehicles. Each vehicle had its strengths, but Dipli, with its bathroom, 4WD capability, and strong engine, is Leoné’s favorite. Jan, who has worked on all their vehicles countless times, agrees with her preference. Their advice to prospective overlanders is rooted in their deep experience: understanding your vehicle and its capabilities is essential. With the proper preparation and mindset, the challenges of overland travel become manageable, and the rewards—experiencing the world in all its diversity—are immeasurable.

Dipli is still their current travel vehicle and has undergone extensive mechanical modifications to handle the rigors of overland travel. These modifications include a high air intake to keep dust out, a two-stage air filter, multiple electric radiator fans, and a robust fuel system with a 280-liter main tank and a 65-liter reserve. Dipli also features dual steering controls (the vehicle can be converted from right-hand drive to left-hand drive in less than an hour), power steering with an oil cooler, and reinforced springs for field repairs, among other enhancements.

Djibouti and ferry to Yemen, 1998

Mongolia, 2000

Thailand, 2001

For those dreaming of a life of adventure but daunted by the challenges, the Vorsters offer simple yet profound advice: choose the right partner, read up on destinations and vehicle options, camp as often as possible, and understand that comfort is relative—hot showers may not be a daily occurrence. 

The Vorsters’ story is a testament to the enduring allure of exploration and the deep satisfaction of embracing the less traveled road. Their journey, with all its highs and lows, reflects a life lived fully and on their terms. Through their travels, they’ve not only seen the world but also connected with it in a way that few others have, and we are all enriched by their courage and experience. If you want to dig deeper into this wonderful couple’s story, visit their website overlandhb.co.za.

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