Botswana Cycle Trip - Day 6 & 7

Johan and Howard's Botswana Cycle Trip - Day 6 & 7

After parasitizing the remnants of the security guard's fire to make coffee, we were offered left over eggs & bacon by our neighbours (an overland group).

This was chased by Nata Lodge's burgers & chips for lunch (best food this side of the Chobe by the way). Running out of excuses to linger any longer, we split.

Pulled in at Nata itself for some shopping (very nearly made complete fools of ourselves by both biting the tar in front of a busy shop front). Then hit the long road north towards Kasane for 56km day. This road very quickly let's you know you in wild country ... A leopard was watching us last night from an ele path next to our campsite before skirting us.

Day 7

Day 7 started with a 3km  push along sandy elephant paths in an effort to find the road again. Things got even better when an enthusiastic 15km/h headwind picked up and blew incessantly ... except of course during our lunch break, when the headwind was relieved by a 20km/h tailwind.

The monotany of the straight road and good kite flying weather was broken by a few great elephant sightings as they crossed in front of us.

The day ended on 84km in another very cool bush campsite.

 

Botswana Cycle - Day 4 & 5

Day 4 & 5 – Playing a little catch up with the blog... power’s been running low on the cell phone, legs, inspiration and the urge to sit around the fire and type ... the only thing we can hear right now are our asses!! But in a nut shell the last 2 days have been dotted with Wimpy food, road side braais, colds beers and warnings! Nearly every conversation we have with a road side local, has ended with the astonished individual saying something like, “eish! You are going to Kasane ?! ... aah ... is too far ... there are lions and elephants! ... even cheetah !!” . Be that as it may we pedal on as any two idiotic tourists would.

Derynne’s ‘biker’ uncle and his friend Pieter, caught up with us on day 5 in the village of Mosetse. After a quick hello, in true biker fashion they roared on ahead and set up a road side braai under a Mopani tree, complete with rump steak & cold beers ... after 65 km for the morning we didn’t hesitate to pull over sharply.  

I think the open road & blue sky infected Rex & Pieter like a virus, because they decided to push on another 60 km north to Nata Lodge to join us for dinner, turning their spur of the moment bike run from a brief visit maybe as far as Francistown, to a 900 km haul to Nata! Capitilizing on the moment, Johan tried to sell them a more wholistic Botswana holiday, by suggesting we swop bikes for the last 60 clicks to Nata ... unfortunately beer bellied bikers are a hard sell.

So that’s day 4 & 5 ... the distance stats are: day 4 – 75 km and day 5 – 130 km (the promise of more beer & our first hot shower, provided the petrol needed for day 5’s leg). 

Today (day 6) we start heading north of Nata to Kasane (315 km), which will take 3 – 4 days into lion & elephant country ... even cheetah!

Botswana Cycle Trip - Day 3

Johan and Howard's Botswana Cycle Trip - Day 3

A late addition to day 2's blog...

Vodacom SA can take a page out of Maria's book when it comes to customer service! Maria (daughter of Mabalisa) is the lady, who from her plastic table on the pavement outside a general dealer store in Selebi Phikwe, sold us a recharge voucher.

While typing last nights blog at 20h00, the phone rang, it was Maria and the conversation went something like this:

Howard: Hello
Maria: Hullo
M: Are you that guys on the bicycle?
H: Yes, is that Maria?
M: Is Maria ... Why (where) are you now?
H: Maria, we are lost ... all we see is mopane trees around us!
M: You are lost?! Hu ah ah ah ... Shame.
M: Is you phone wekking now?
H: Yes it is - thanks!
M: ah is good! You must be careful for that animals ...
H: We will, thanks Maria!
M: Ok ...

Ok, so no search & rescue party was sent out, but she did go the extra mile when it comes to after sale customer service - more than I can say for Vodacom!

Now the actual Day 3 was different to 1 and 2 ... Today was just one big headwind! To add to the fun we were having, Johan's front bearings packed in about 15km from the nearest village. Of course we didn't have any spare bearings, so we sat and ate biltong while watching traffic ... To solve the problem Arusa's hardware at Gonato had about a thousand of them in many sizes. He also pulled out a brand new axle to replace Johan's crooked one!

After a lunch of beef stew, samp and marogo, a quick visit to a shebeen-butcher for meat and OBS, we hit the road again finishing on 86km for the day!

Botswana Cycle Trip - Day 2

Johan and Howard's Botswana Cycle Trip - Day 2

Three achievements for today!

First full day under the belt (103km) + first night with really sore arses, and then we successfully navigated the maze of Botswana's world of sim cards, airtime & data bundles ... No easy task! (The cell phone that is - the 103km was a lazy sunday in comparison!).

Got to say the Motswana are the most optimistic people in Africa - we were flagged down by a certain meesta Williams who, standing next to his broken down Toyota Cressida, asked us through a mouthful of chicken whether we have a certain bolt for his prop shaft that had fallen off ... As thorougly as we searched through our panniers we sadly couldn't find one!?

Tonight we camped about 1km from the road, perfectly still, good moon - just the sound of the odd car on the road and the bell of a lost cow somewhere in the Mopane ...

Botswana Cycle Trip - Day 1

Johan and Howard's Botswana Cycle Trip - Day 1

D day arrived finally ... Enough talking, speculating, planning, guessing, hoping ... Now it's just DO!. 

Left the great metropolis of Hoedspruit at 0600 after saying our good byes to Derynne and the kids ... Stopped only in Louis Trichardt for a quick breakfast at the Spur, then blazed through to the Botswana border. 

Kitted out the bikes, did the obligatory photo shoot, said our good byes to Peter Radcliffe (who dropped us off) and pedalled across the Limpopo.

The only border post either of us have been through where the full staff compliment (all 3 of them) came out from behind those worn immigration desks to watch these 2 overloaded Mlungus wobble away on their bikes! Then it was pedal pedal pedal for 51km until we saw a cluster of koppies and Baobabs about 1km off to the right, which became camp ... Awesome spot! Climbed the one koppie for the views back across the bush. 

That's day 1 in a nutshell ... The only body parts that have something to say are the 2 arses ... funny that?!

Botswana Cycle Trip - Intro

Tying up loose ends for a month away is not really as easy as it sounds! Either way Saturday 28 July 2012 is looming for the start of sore backsides, stiff muscles & strong coffee ... the planned route is Zanzibar Border Post (on the Limpopo River) to Seronga (On the Okavango Pan Handle) (see image below).

About 1300 km odd - but flat and easy (we keep telling ourselves) ... We aim to get there by 21 Aug (give or take month) and then do a 6 day Trans Okavango boat trip through to Maun for a spot of fishing (and maybe a beer or two)...

Bikes locked & loaded (dig the Postman Pat baskets!), packing starting to happen ... Johan trying to shake a dose of the flu ... myself overdosing on oranges & all things vitamin C ... I think we set!



African Safari Tours in Mozambique

While South Africa tours remain to be incredibly popular holiday activities for tourists visiting South Africa, Mozambique safaris are also gaining attention by travellers and locals with itchy feet. As many tourists vising South Africa want to explore its vast and beautiful landscapes and are often looking to explore its neighbouring countries, we’d recommend doing a “three in one” trip, visiting South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland in one tour.

This trip will not only mean that your passport will be stamped by three different border posts, but will enable you to get a feel for what each country has to offer. With a professional touring company which specialises in African travel, you’ll be able to explore the best of each nation, save time with their valuable information which has been gained through their experience and will have the opportunity to be care-free and simply go with the flow while your tour operator does the hard work and planning.

Here is an example of the three-in-one tour which is hosted by African Travel Gateway, an African travel and tours company. Their tour is called the “Three Country Wildlife Wave Safari Tour” and will take you from South Africa, through to Mozambique and then to Swaziland before finishing back in the Rainbow Nation. Taking you to some of these regions most beautiful and popular tourist destinations, we’d highly recommend embarking on a tour like this to see the best of an area.

Here is a brief summary of the “Three Country Wildlife Wave Safari Tour”:

Starting in Malalane in South Africa, the first leg of the tour focuses on the Kruger National Park. Spend a day and two nights here observing its magnificent big five and wildlife. On your third day, you’ll enter Mozambique and drive to Maputo where you’ll be able taken on a tour of the history and culture of the bustling city. After the tour you’ll be driven about 100km south of the city to an idyllic lodge, Ponta Momoli Lodge. Spend two days on the beach, snorkelling and walking along the endless pristine beach before leaving for Hluhluwe and St Lucia.

On the way to your next destination, you’ll have the opportunity to visit a local orphanage, explore the northern Zululand and embark on an open-top 4X4 wildlife safari. Spend your last day at St Lucia on the beach, exploring the wetland park or visiting a local game reserve. Your next stop will be Swaziland where you’ll have a day to discover its unique culture, understand its royal family and visit the Mololotja Game Reserve. Your last day of the tour will be spent making your way back to Mpumalanga in South Africa where you’ll be taken to local rock paintings and rock formations.

With a tour schedule like this, you’ll quickly find yourself relaxing and will be sure to see the top attractions of each region. If you can see yourself lounging on a pristine beach, observing the big five or sipping cocktails out of a coconut, we highly recommend that you embark on a three country safari tour - discover a new culture, be entranced by a new location every second day and be refreshed by a sense of adventure.