Where to visit in South Africa, Namibia & Botswana?
 

Hi guys, I'm planning a trip in January, solo (unless I find a friend online to come with me) and the current plan is to buy a bike in Cape Town and ride it to Johannesburg through the Namibia and then Botswana in a big loop. I'll have 6-7 weeks and plenty of time to visit different places and areas.

The main problem I'm having is deciding on a route and what places to visit / ride through. I don't really know anything about the region and what would be the most interesting / beautiful places to visit.

I've stitched together the image below from google maps showing the three countries to jog anyone's memory, what I really need are some suggestions on where to go and what to see!

Any suggestions would be very very much appreciated, thanks very much.

Mark

http://s3.postimg.org/offbqud3l/Southern_Africa.jpg

As a start I'd be looking on UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage List

A google on "African motorcycle roads" has a few hits to look at too.

There would be a few blogs on HU too that would make usefull reading.
Travel Stories/Blogs | Horizons Unlimited

From Cape Town head north to the Cederberg (stay at the Cederberg Oasis camp) then north to enter Namibia at Vioolsdrift. You are then in the Richtersveld NP which is stunning. Head up to the Fish River Canyon (Canon Roadhouse) then Sossusvlei to see the dunes.

Etosha is a great place for game viewing.

You could then head east to Maun to see the Okavango Delta which is an amazing place- take a mokoro trip in to see it.

Then up to the Caprivi (Nunda River camp is great near Popa Falls) and then along to Kasane where you can get to Victoria Falls- easier to go in on a bus, but perfectly OK on a bike too. Take a microlight flight to see the falls at their best.

Heading south you get back into Sa at Martin's Drift and you could head down to Kruger- see the Blyde River Canyon. Obviously you can't take the bike in to game parks but there are always tours available. You can easily get to Swaziland from there too.


If the weather is OK have a pop at the Sani Pass into Lesotho and then either cross country through Graaf Reinet and Oudshoorn (see the Swartberg Pass) and through the Klein Karoo stopping at Ronnie's Sex Shop or the Country Pumpkin.

The alternative is heading down to the coast and seeing the Transkei and on to the Garden Route from George.

Have a look at the Wilddogs forum for ideas- those guys live there and there is a ton of ride reports and useful information.

This is only a tiny selection of things to do out there. You are in for a treat, but need to spend some quality time with a Bradt guide book and the internet:thumbup1: Good luck, Africa rocks!

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/u...5/P1030146.jpg

First of all: Mark, would you like to stick to tarmac or include dirt roads? Mostly the dirt roads are well kept, but sometimes you've got to deal with a bit of sand. Not too tough though.

Great tips from Reggie. I'll add some suggestions:
The Cerderberg route is fine, but the eastern side of the Ceder Mountains is definitely more spectacular. So, head for Ceres from Cape Town, take the R303 north. After a small settlement "Op die Berg" turn right. This will take you along the eastern part of the Ceder Mts.
Along the way you will come to an old mission station Wupperthal. Carry on, and when you hit the R364 turn west to Clanwilliam across the Packhuis Pass with the crazy rock formations.
The N7 then takes you north to the NAM border, but you will not be able to enter the Richtersveld NP, which doesn't allow quadbikes or motor cycles. But when you arrive at Vioolsdrif (border post), turn west along the Orange River. This dirt road takes you right along the southern border of the Richtersveld to Sendelingsdrif, which is the entry to the NP. There is a lodge and a campsite.
If you're lucky the ferry across the Orange is in use, which takes you directly into NAM. There again you turn east, all along the Orange until you hit the road north to theh Fish River canyon. Absolutely superb landscape!

Sossousvlei is also a must-see with its huge sand dunes. Swakopmund is much more interesting than Windhoek. From Swakopmund you could either travel along the Skeleton Coast, check out the seal colony at Cape Cross and then turn to Sesfontein, or travel from Hentjies Bay to Sesfontein. From there via Opuwo to the Epupa Falls on the Kunene River. The falls are truely spectacular!
After that, check Reggie's post, Etosha is very interesting, the swamps in BOT are even more so. Victoria Falls are just as much a must-see for travelers in the region.

That intinerary should fill your 7 weeks in SA easily.

Sani Pass and the road leading north to Oxbow is terrific, but far away from your planned route. Swartberg Pass and surroundings are a totally different aspect. Add a few weeks to your travel budget, then you could carry on from Johannesburg to the Kruger Park, Blyde River canyon etc. Then carry on to Lesotho and check out Drakensberg Mts., Sanipass etc. South of Lesotho are some more very remote and extremely beautiful mountain passes like Volunteers Nek, Lundeans Nek, Naudes Nek, Bastervoet Pass etc. etc. Finally Swartberg Mts. and back to Cape Town. But that's a different story ;o)

Thanks so much for your responses guys, that was exactly the sort of info I was after :)

I will try and cook up a rough route in the coming days and plot it on a map and see what people think.

Vaufi: I was hoping to mostly stick to tarmac or gravel roads but dirt would be totally fine if there's occasional traffic on it and it's not too remote. I will be on a 250cc enduro type bike I think, but I have basically zero experience/skill offroad though and will be solo so don't want to risk getting stuck somewhere or coming off badly. Some dirt / mild adventure would be really great though actually.

I have a couple more questions actually: How frequent are places to sleep, get gas and find food along most B-type roads in Namibia and Botswana? I know I'm talking about three different countries in total and it probably varies hugely in different areas but I'm just trying to get a general feeling for whether I will have to camp much, bring my own food etc. Is it quite possible to find a lodge/hotel/somewhere to stay most nights you think?

Thanks for all you help again,
Mark

I've found that a 300km range is what's needed over there, and I carry a 5 litre fuel bag for when I'm unsure about fuel availability. Haven't ever run dry, but you must remember to fill up when you can, because the fuel stop you're aiming for may have run out or have a power cut or whatever.

Once you're off the main roads in Nam and Bots things can get quite sandy and accomodation can be a problem. Again, Tracks4Africa can help with planning, their maps have tons of detail. They also do paper maps which are available here in the UK.

I tend to skip lunch on the road- maybe have some peanuts or similar when I take a break, but I never free camp so breakfast and dinner are always available- most lodges have camping available which keeps costs down while still allowing a reasonably civilised lifestyle. There are plenty of lodges in the areas you are travelling in, but some of the distances can be great, a bit of a drag on a small bike. That said, I rarely exceed 100kmh on a big GS. There is a good tourist infrastructure in Bots and Nam, get a feel for the place by looking at ride reports.

Oh, and a camelbak isn't just a C&E wank out there.

In NAM the gravel roads aren't too bad. Usually well graded like this pic in the north-west:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlinkhttps://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

With a light dual purpose bike no probs.

BOT tends to have more sandy pistes, so there I'd rather stick to tarmac roads.



https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

Agree- and by main roads in Namibia I mean tarmac and graded gravel (B & C roads)- it's the more minor D roads that tend to be on the sandy side.