Chobe Botswana
 

Has anyone ridden through this? The road/ track looks pretty cool to ride.
Found some pics of the signs at the gate and can't see anything saying that bikes aren't permitted like some SA parks do.

I'd be coming from the south.

Yea we drove a truck trough Chobe during rainy season. Big river crossings and so. Nice video:



http://schoene-motorradtouren.de/?report=lkw_tour

Thanks. Anybody on a bike?

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I've ridden through Chobe NP on the transit road (tarmac). Be surprised if bikes are allowed anywhere else. Saw a big herd of ellies on the way.

no bikes in chobe,moremi.
park in kasane and go on a game drive.
make sure to go on a chobe river sunset cruise,we liked it so much we went
twice.can be arranged at almost any lodge.

maybe camp at senyatti lodge.

4x4 community forum.za has loads of great information

have fun
kp

Dang. That sucks. I'm allergic to tarmac. What are my options then?

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A couple of years ago I rode from Ngoma to Kasane, which is the transit route through the Chobe Game Reserve. Yep, was tarmac, but quite a few heaps of fresh elephant dung. Dense bush all along the road. Was sort of scary to travel on a heavily packed bike :scared:
At Kasane there's a nice lodge with a campsite.

I won't be able to get there from Maun if they won't let me through. Looks like there aren't many options to avoid pavement in Botswana it seems.

Not many game parks/reserves will let you in on a bike- the chewed remains of a dusty overlander next to his bike with claw marks in the seat might freak out the gentle tourists who flew in to see the big cats. It is a bit of a schlep from Maun to Kasane- worst bit is the Caprivi which is a long dull road (although plenty of ellies around- we saw a herd of three dozen) treat yourself to a night at Nunda River lodge near Divundu to make it bearable...

Plenty of off tarmac in Bots, just not in the game parks- the pans will keep you amused, plenty of tough sand too. The Chobe Transit route ain't that bad:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/u...ia2011/346.jpg

I'll have a look at those places when I get to the office. Have there been attacked by cats on bikes? Haven't heard of any by bears here in NA. Had a black flee right in front of my front wheel. They've attacked mountain bikers but I'm thinking motorbikes are too fast and large.

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I'm not sure if I'm understanding your suggestion but I think that may be because I didn't clarify that I'll be reaching Botswana from Northern Namibia. But are you suggesting riding the Namibian Caprivi pan handle towards Zambia instead?

I was hoping to be able to do this. Blue is tarmac, magenta is dirt. Just about all the dirt options I see on here are blocked by parks it seems.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...20Okovango.jpg

Ah, I see. If you're going to Kasane via Maun from (eg) the Mohembo crossing area then it's a bit of a schlep across to Nata before heading north. That said, you'll be able to do some riding in the pans on the way. I loved the Okavango and of course Maun (recommend Island Safari Lodge) is the place to be to get a boat in. I can see why the shortcut would be attractive in that case.

In some places you might be able to talk your way in to a park/game conservancy with a bike (that's definitely been done), but probably not in Botswana. Might be worth having a look on Wilddogs and seeing if anyone has squeezed through the fence.

Dunno if anyone on a bike has ever been caught by a cat- there have been some encounters- would scare me shitless! Look at that Chinese woman who got killed a day or two ago in a wildlife park near Beijing- mauled by a tiger cos she got out of her car:eek3: Darwin Award nominee there I reckon!

Well, if you come from norther Namibia, then you've had many options to see elephants and giraffes in the wild (no tarmac, no gate, no permit). Bots is made for wealthy people on package tour, not for dirt bikes.

Laurent

I've received suggestions to ride the cut lines on the wilddog forum. I'll look into that. Looks pretty cool actually.

I used to work with a South African environmental scientist who worked in the bush. He's not too worried about wild cats but shit scared of the ones in the lion parks who are used to and without fear of humans.
Off course he has no experience on bikes.

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Chobe Botswana
 

Mikumi NP is the only one you are allowed to drive through by bike
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...49272b2682.jpg


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No bikes allowed in parks in Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya. Or for that matter almost all parks in SA. Namibia and Malawi are a little more flexible in some parks which are primarily "scenic". Thats not to say that some of the larger parks don't have major roads transecting them (including Mikumi and Chobe) which any vehicle can use.

The rules aren't because a cat would try and take down a moving bike, because it wouldn't. The risk from cats is if you get stuck/break down/come off and have no refuge. The main risk is actually from elephants. You often don't see them until you're on them, they don't like engine noise and unless you are confident you can maintain 40 mph through deep sand, will not hesitate to run you down. A car is bigger, more intimidating and can turn the engine off to diffuse the situation whilst keeping the occupants safe.

We used to live and work in an NP where a lot of the locals rode bikes. It was 60 km from the camp to the gate and when we were on a trip into town we would have locals on bikes in convoy with us so that in the event of a problem they had some protection. These are people who live in these environments from cradle to grave and understand the risks.

Good post above.

I asked these questions before my recent trip and had a close call with elephants in QEH (Uganda), where the answer was yes you can. The question when it comes to the parks is not just 'can I' but also 'should I'.

My view now would be 'no problem in open terrain but not a clever plan in dense bush'.

Hi,

This Friday I'm leaving on a 3 week trip by 4x4 in Namibia and Botswana.

Depending on the conditions I would like to cross Chobe from Kasane down to Maun.

Is there any recent advice on the condition of the trail I am talking about?

And does anyone have a recommendation for a affordable campingplace in Savuti (or another camping place which is half way down the trail).

Cheers!

Donkey

This is the best forum to ask this kind of information.

Botswana

Lots of forum members travelling that way on a very regular basis. I think you will find it is very dry at present but be prepared for deep sand (deflate your tyres) and long stretches where two cars can't pass without getting off the track up into the bush which can be tricky.

Savuti only has very expensive tented accommodation (several hundred dollars) or a campsite for $50 pppn. However, the campsite is generally fully booked up many months in advance. There are some other options beyond the gate but it will be a very long drive from Kasane. You may be better off going via Nata, much further in km but on tar and outside the park so lots of affordable camping options. Check out Elephant Sands, Woodlands, Planet Baobab. Anyway ask on the SA 4x4 forum above. They will give you all the details.

Thank you!

The Chobe Transit Route is open for all traffic, including motorcycles. But is very dull. Tarmac now as well. It was a bit more challenging before being tarred. I've been through there a few times but only saw one small herd of Roan. That's frustrating when you consider just how much game is packed into the Chobe river front.

Camping at Ihaha Campsite on the Chobe river front is proper hardcore adventure. No comforts. No fence. Animals come right into the camp. I can remember it being a particularly long walk from the tent to the toilets - at night. Awesome. Deadly. We also got mildly interrogated by the BDF anti-poaching patrol - quite rightly they trust nobody.

As for driving through the park by 4x4, you do need to be fully equipped and experienced. Take a big tank of water. Two spare tyres etc. Make sure someone is expecting you at the other end, and tell them your route. It's not like most other parks in Africa. There are many unpleasant ways in which you can die out there. But that's part of the fun.

Even driving for a short distance in Chobe, not far out from Kasane, is quite challenging. My father-in-law once got stuck in deep sand with buffalos near by. He made himself a sand ladder with elephant bones!

Chobe
 

We just came through that way a month or so back.

We went in on a bike from Zambia, crossed the river into Bots at Kazangula and rode to the park to camp. You can't go in on bikes. As someone has already said, you take a boar ride out to see lots of stuff. However, if you're going on to Vic Falls, take the boat ride there. Chobe is crowded and commercial. The boat trips from VF are much better.

The roads around there are all fine. My mate went south to Nata then west, I went west into Namibia's Caprivi Strip. Take spare water and spare fuel (coke bottles are great).

Have fun.