Capetown - Addis Ababa December 2019 - February 2020

[robertxpost]

Dear fellow travelers,

I am planning a trip from Capetown to Abbis Ababa perhaps even further north (Egypt?) from the beginning of December 2019 until the end of February 2020.

My plan is to buy a bike in Capetown to save the hassle of shipping. I am thinking about a Yamaha Tenerene 660 XT.

Please let me know if you have similar plans.

Cheers,
Rob
robertxpost@gmail.com

[Temporaryescapee]

Hi Rob

Firstly welcome!

I did that trip in 2016 so if you want any info just shout (I did a travel blog it if its helpful, best trip of my life).

Secondly I did it on an XT660z.....which i kept hold of in Cape Town, but am now selling. Details are in the for sale section on the forum. If it is of interest have a look and let me know if you want to chat.

(...and very happy to help with insights regardless of where you get to on your bike choice).

Cheers
Andy

[kiwiwannafly]

Hi Rob
About to embark on the reverse journey - Europe to SA via Ethiopia. Love to find out more info about places to see, border crossings, documents required etc.
Could trade you tales of cross Australia and anywhere in NZ.

[robertxpost]

Originally Posted by kiwiwannafly

Hi Rob
About to embark on the reverse journey - Europe to SA via Ethiopia. Love to find out more info about places to see, border crossings, documents required etc.
Could trade you tales of cross Australia and anywhere in NZ.

Its sounds we might bump into each other on the way. I have just started the prep myself so pretty green in terms of tips myself

[robertxpost]

Thank you Andy. Very kind. I had a look at the bike. Looks good but I am hoping for something under or around the 10K in mileage. I will definitely keep it in mind though. I would not mind reading it. I only just started with the prep and planning so any tips are welcome. Especially in terms of paperwork, insurance, tips in terms of gear to take, the route etc.

[Temporaryescapee]

Originally Posted by robertxpost

Thank you Andy. Very kind. I had a look at the bike. Looks good but I am hoping for something under or around the 10K in mileage. I will definitely keep it in mind though. I would not mind reading it. I only just started with the prep and planning so any tips are welcome. Especially in terms of paperwork, insurance, tips in terms of gear to take, the route etc.

No worries on the bike, good luck on the search.

Blog is here: https://temporaryescapee.wordpress.com/

I did a planning spreadsheet which I am happy to email over if useful.

Off the top of my head:
- need to register on South Africa to buy a bike
- get your insurance as you go (even if you have a policy that covers you you’ll end up having to buy local)
- you can get a yellow card (insurance) for east africa - buy at Tanzania border
- sort your visas plans early - how will you get your Ethiopia one? (might pay to use a visa agent - i did to save on hassle)
- don’t take too much gear, you can use my spreadsheet to decide what you need
- get a Garmin InReach so you can get help if needed
- get and read the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook (my checklists were build from this - invaluable)
- borders are actually ok when you get the hang of it but know which ones to avoid (typically the main ones - eg Beitbridge into Zimbabwe)

Places you must go to:
Die Hel & Baviaanskloof NP (South Africa)
Lake Kariba (zimbabwe) - take the ferry from Binga to Kariba if you can fit it in, fits nicely with Vic Falls
Nkhata Bay - check my blog for the name of the place (Malawi)
Livingstonia (Lukewe eco camp) (Malawi)
Uganda (Bwindi Impenetrable Forest)

Cheers
Andy

[robertxpost]

Thank you Andy. Extremely helpful. I had a quick look at the blog. Looks very good! Sharing your spreadsheet would help me out a lot. My email is robertxpost@gmail.com. Thank you so much for offering this. I have ordered the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook as well.

Kind regards,
Robert

[jonnymac]

Hi Robert

I will also be leaving from Cape Town in Mid November and riding to Cairo. No planned route yet. My bike is in Cape Town I came down the West Coast from Ireland to Cape Town November 18 to March 19.


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[uschilt]

Hi jonnymac

I'm also planning the same trip, starting in November. I'm planning to buy a bike in CT, where I currently live and then leave in November. Maybe we could do part of the trip together or even just share some of our plans?

Cheers

[robertxpost]

Same Uschilt Please drop me a line on robertxpost@gmail.com and perhaps we can have chat if you like.

Cheers,
Robert

[Ash7215]

I am interested why several of you are starting in Cape town and working your way back .....is there an advantage doing this or is it just personal preference.?The reason I ask is I am about to go plan a trip from London to Cape Town starting in January.

[robertxpost]

My original plan was also to ride from Vienna (which is where I live) down however as I leave in December I stepped away from that plan (too cold all the way to the south Balkans). I then looked at both shipping a bike as well as purchasing a bike in both Capetown and Alexandria/Cairo. Shipping a bike to Capetown was by far the easiest option and came out very reasonable price-wise. It also gives you the flexibility to arrange the last things easily in SA before leaving.

[jonnymac]

Originally Posted by Ash7215

I am interested why several of you are starting in Cape town and working your way back .....is there an advantage doing this or is it just personal preference.?The reason I ask is I am about to go plan a trip from London to Cape Town starting in January.

I left my bike there last March after riding down the west coast Atlantic Route from Ireland.
When I return I will continue from Cape Town going up the East on my way home to Ireland


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[robertxpost]

Thank you for your message Jonnymac. Sounds good! Please drop me a line on robertxpost@gmail.com and perhaps we can have chat.

PS: Buying a bike in CT seems more difficult than I thought due to the need for Traffic Register Number (ANR) which apparently takes 6 weeks so I might be shipping after all.

Cheers,
Robert

[Temporaryescapee]

For me a big factor was the carnet. At the time (2016) the UK terms were completely unrealistic and the RSA terms were very reasonable so it made sense to do it that way.

Also allows you to work your way into the trip a bit.