Beemer Mike
Race Dog
Trip Report: â??Around the Deltaâ? by Mike Cliff (Beemer Mike).
This was a trip organized by Darrell and Michelle of GS Adventures. Their trips come highly recommended. I (Beemer Mike) was on a BMW GS 1150 Adventure and Emile (950 Adv) was on a KTM 950 Adventure motorbike.
Route: Johannesburg, Zeerust, Lobatse, Kanye, Jwaneng, Kang, Kalahari Rest, Gantsi, Sehithwa, Gumare, Drotskiâ??s Cabins, Mohembo, Caprive game reserve, Katima Mulilo, Ngoma Bridge, Chobe National Park, Kasane, Nata, Ntetwe Pan, Planet Baobab, Nata, Francistown, Serule, Selebi-Phikwe, Kwa Nokeng, Martinâ??s Drift, Thabazimbi, and back home in Johannesburg.
Before leaving I rode down to Parys, but will discuss this in more detail later.
Day 1 (16th August 2007):
Met up at the Pinehaven Sasol garage at 7h30 am. Charles had a brake fluid leak and so he and Graeme turned back towards Northside BMW for repairs
Emile (KTM 950) and I (BMW 1150 Adv) left for Zeerust, to fill up and have breakfast before meeting up with the rest of the group (15 other bikes).
Crossed the border at Lobatse and I was reminded why I hate that border post. To get the bikes through into Botswana took almost two hours, as a result of one third party cashier.
Back on the road and the kilos were eaten up without further event. Clocked Ostrich next to the bike at a casual 60 km/h. Also saw small buck and a Blimp belonging to Bots De Beers. Fuelled up at Jwaneng and Kang. Booked in at the Kalahari Rest, some thirty kilos north of Kang. At camp saw kudu walking around and ate his brother in a lovely stew for supper. Used a donkey to heat water for the showers. Temperature that night fell to -2 degrees. Charles and Graeme caught up with us.
Distance = 660 kms.
Day 2 (17th August 2007):
We all packed up and left at 8h30 after breakfast. Stopped and fuelled up at Gantsi and left for Drotskiâ??s in the Delta. Stopped at the turn off to Dâ??kar. Yay, I had done itâ?¦.. Parys/Dâ??kar in three daysâ?¦ beat that Alfie Cox!!!!! Stopped for lunch (bully beef and rolls) under a huge tree next to the road, just after the Sehithwa turn. Fuelled up again at Gumare. Drotskiâ??s is 1.4 kms of sand off the main road. I managed to fall off twice!!! Drotskiâ??s has a magnificent reception / bar area and the cold beers were devoured with relish. Had Kudu stew again for supper.
Distance = 700 kms. Total distance = 1360 kms.
Day 3 (18th August 2007):
Rest day. Had a great breakfast in the restaurant and then it was off into the Ali boats for fishing. I caught a tiger fish, yippeeee! Did some washing and then Emile managed to purchase a whole fillet from the kitchen so lunch was fillet rolls. We all went out for a sundowner booze cruise.
Day 4 (19th August 2007):
After another huge breakfast in the restaurant we left Drotskiâ??s place. Only managed to drop the bike once en route to the road. Once on the road we headed for the Mohembo border post and the Caprivi strip and game reserve in Namibia. Encountered about 35 kms of good dirt road, yet ABS brakes were needed to miss the huge troop of Baboons that crossed the road in front of me. Fuelled up in Namibia at the t-junction just past Popa falls. Alas whilst in the Caprivi Game reserve my oil light came on. Stopped and checked the bike, but there was plenty of oil in the bike and the oil mark bubble full of oil disappeared upon starting the bike meant that there was enough oil in the bike and that the oil pump was working well enough. Obviously an electrical fault, so rode on further. We had hoped to fuel up at Kongola but the pumps were dry so we rode on to Katima Mulilo. As we entered Katima Mulilo Emileâ??s KTM ran out of fuel but managed to free wheel into the garage where we all fuelled up. Rode to our camp sites for the night, Namwi island (tel: +264 (0) 6602540188). Beautiful pristine grassed campsites, with a communal bathroom large enough to shower a small army. They had arranged a braai for us and the Captain Morgan was never so cold!
Distance = 367 kms. Total distance = 1727 kms
Namwi Island: Katima Mulilo
Day 5 (20th August 2007):
Breakfast was arranged at the Caprivi Lodge and what a mess. The first recipient got scrambled eggs, bacon, wors, fried tomato and toastâ?¦ the last got fried egg on bully beef! All at the same price. En route to the road I dropped the bike again in the sand. This proved to be a good omen because with the drop the oil light went off, never to reappear again! From Katima Malilo we rode down to the Ngoma Bridge border post and re-entered Botswana. To get to Kasane we rode through the Chobe National Park, and cme across loads of elephants, giraffe, tawny eagle, kudu and duiker. There has to be something said about sitting on your motorbike whilst elephants roam and feed about 100 meters away from you, knowing that should one of the mothers charge ( there were two calves) you might just have enough time to switch on the ignition before the distance between you is covered, awesome!!! We rode through to the Torro camp sites. The camp sites on their own are pretty good, yet without grass, however every site has 2
Day 6 (21st August 2007):
Rest day. Started off with a morning game drive which turned out to be awesome. Lots of elephants, a pride of lions with cubs, a huge herd of buffalo, impala, hippos both in and out of the water, crocs, and a kudu with easily a set of Rowland horns (three and a half turns). The local Spar and Choppies are well stocked, as are all the bottle stores. There was a huge warthog walking through town as we drove by. That night we had an Ali boat game drive trip. We saw lots of everything, even elephants swimming from one of the islands to the main land, and an overzealous buffalo that actually tried to jump into the boat. Stunning sunset.
Day 7 (22nd August 2007):
Also a rest day. Spent the day by the now filled swimming pool eating left over braai and drinking left over drinks from last night. Africa is not for sissies!!!
Day 8 (23rd August 2007):
Packed up, fuelled up and left Kasane en route to Nata. Boring straight road with the exception of a herd of elephants that decide to run into the road in front of us. Thanks to ABS brakes we all managed to miss each other. Saw giraffe as well. We fuelled up at Nata and made off towards Planet Baobab, however before we got there we turned onto the Ntetwe pan. Awesome getting up to 100kms plus on a dry panâ?¦ made for some stunning photographic moments. Planet Baobab is an incredible place with the coldest beers in Botswana. I had their hamburger and salad for supper and it must rate as the best hamburger that I have eaten for a lloonngg time. As Emile and I were breaking away from the rest tomorrow to get home early (for a wedding that I had to attend), I decided to book us into one of their two bed chalets. Planet Baobab offers camping sites, bushman huts, two bed (no bathroom) chalets, and luxury chalets.
Distance = 406 kms. Total distance = 2264 kms.
Day 9 (24th August 2007):
After a quick breakfast we left for Nata again to refuel and started our trip towards home. We fuelled up in Francistown, turned right and drove down to Serule where we turned left to Selebi-Phikwe where we refuelled again. The traffic was driving us nuts after the isolation .Whilst in the garage on the left hand side in Selebi-Phikwe one of the attendants insisted on washing my â??windscreenâ? with the squeegee. I nearly fell of the bike laughing. Funny maybe but I shall make a point of filling at that garage every time that I am in that area. From Selebi-Phikwe it was a smooth ride down to Martinâ??s Drift and Kwa Nokeng where we had one of their tents with single beds waiting for us. We arrived at Kwa Nokeng at around three pm and refuelled, having to dodge the Ostrich on the forecourt at the petrol station. Cold beers and Captain Morgan was soon followed by a nice buffet and early to bed.
Distance = 576 kms. Total distance = 2840 kms.
Day 10 (25th August 2007):
Up early and left at 06h00am for the border and home. The border was pleasantly quiet. Stopped for fuel and a toasted sandwich at the Wimpy in Thabazimbi before getting home at around 11h00am.
Distance = 446 kms. Total distance = 3286 kms.
This was a trip organized by Darrell and Michelle of GS Adventures. Their trips come highly recommended. I (Beemer Mike) was on a BMW GS 1150 Adventure and Emile (950 Adv) was on a KTM 950 Adventure motorbike.
Route: Johannesburg, Zeerust, Lobatse, Kanye, Jwaneng, Kang, Kalahari Rest, Gantsi, Sehithwa, Gumare, Drotskiâ??s Cabins, Mohembo, Caprive game reserve, Katima Mulilo, Ngoma Bridge, Chobe National Park, Kasane, Nata, Ntetwe Pan, Planet Baobab, Nata, Francistown, Serule, Selebi-Phikwe, Kwa Nokeng, Martinâ??s Drift, Thabazimbi, and back home in Johannesburg.
Before leaving I rode down to Parys, but will discuss this in more detail later.
Day 1 (16th August 2007):
Met up at the Pinehaven Sasol garage at 7h30 am. Charles had a brake fluid leak and so he and Graeme turned back towards Northside BMW for repairs
Emile (KTM 950) and I (BMW 1150 Adv) left for Zeerust, to fill up and have breakfast before meeting up with the rest of the group (15 other bikes).
Crossed the border at Lobatse and I was reminded why I hate that border post. To get the bikes through into Botswana took almost two hours, as a result of one third party cashier.
Back on the road and the kilos were eaten up without further event. Clocked Ostrich next to the bike at a casual 60 km/h. Also saw small buck and a Blimp belonging to Bots De Beers. Fuelled up at Jwaneng and Kang. Booked in at the Kalahari Rest, some thirty kilos north of Kang. At camp saw kudu walking around and ate his brother in a lovely stew for supper. Used a donkey to heat water for the showers. Temperature that night fell to -2 degrees. Charles and Graeme caught up with us.
Distance = 660 kms.
Day 2 (17th August 2007):
We all packed up and left at 8h30 after breakfast. Stopped and fuelled up at Gantsi and left for Drotskiâ??s in the Delta. Stopped at the turn off to Dâ??kar. Yay, I had done itâ?¦.. Parys/Dâ??kar in three daysâ?¦ beat that Alfie Cox!!!!! Stopped for lunch (bully beef and rolls) under a huge tree next to the road, just after the Sehithwa turn. Fuelled up again at Gumare. Drotskiâ??s is 1.4 kms of sand off the main road. I managed to fall off twice!!! Drotskiâ??s has a magnificent reception / bar area and the cold beers were devoured with relish. Had Kudu stew again for supper.
Distance = 700 kms. Total distance = 1360 kms.
Day 3 (18th August 2007):
Rest day. Had a great breakfast in the restaurant and then it was off into the Ali boats for fishing. I caught a tiger fish, yippeeee! Did some washing and then Emile managed to purchase a whole fillet from the kitchen so lunch was fillet rolls. We all went out for a sundowner booze cruise.
Day 4 (19th August 2007):
After another huge breakfast in the restaurant we left Drotskiâ??s place. Only managed to drop the bike once en route to the road. Once on the road we headed for the Mohembo border post and the Caprivi strip and game reserve in Namibia. Encountered about 35 kms of good dirt road, yet ABS brakes were needed to miss the huge troop of Baboons that crossed the road in front of me. Fuelled up in Namibia at the t-junction just past Popa falls. Alas whilst in the Caprivi Game reserve my oil light came on. Stopped and checked the bike, but there was plenty of oil in the bike and the oil mark bubble full of oil disappeared upon starting the bike meant that there was enough oil in the bike and that the oil pump was working well enough. Obviously an electrical fault, so rode on further. We had hoped to fuel up at Kongola but the pumps were dry so we rode on to Katima Mulilo. As we entered Katima Mulilo Emileâ??s KTM ran out of fuel but managed to free wheel into the garage where we all fuelled up. Rode to our camp sites for the night, Namwi island (tel: +264 (0) 6602540188). Beautiful pristine grassed campsites, with a communal bathroom large enough to shower a small army. They had arranged a braai for us and the Captain Morgan was never so cold!
Distance = 367 kms. Total distance = 1727 kms
Namwi Island: Katima Mulilo
Day 5 (20th August 2007):
Breakfast was arranged at the Caprivi Lodge and what a mess. The first recipient got scrambled eggs, bacon, wors, fried tomato and toastâ?¦ the last got fried egg on bully beef! All at the same price. En route to the road I dropped the bike again in the sand. This proved to be a good omen because with the drop the oil light went off, never to reappear again! From Katima Malilo we rode down to the Ngoma Bridge border post and re-entered Botswana. To get to Kasane we rode through the Chobe National Park, and cme across loads of elephants, giraffe, tawny eagle, kudu and duiker. There has to be something said about sitting on your motorbike whilst elephants roam and feed about 100 meters away from you, knowing that should one of the mothers charge ( there were two calves) you might just have enough time to switch on the ignition before the distance between you is covered, awesome!!! We rode through to the Torro camp sites. The camp sites on their own are pretty good, yet without grass, however every site has 2
Day 6 (21st August 2007):
Rest day. Started off with a morning game drive which turned out to be awesome. Lots of elephants, a pride of lions with cubs, a huge herd of buffalo, impala, hippos both in and out of the water, crocs, and a kudu with easily a set of Rowland horns (three and a half turns). The local Spar and Choppies are well stocked, as are all the bottle stores. There was a huge warthog walking through town as we drove by. That night we had an Ali boat game drive trip. We saw lots of everything, even elephants swimming from one of the islands to the main land, and an overzealous buffalo that actually tried to jump into the boat. Stunning sunset.
Day 7 (22nd August 2007):
Also a rest day. Spent the day by the now filled swimming pool eating left over braai and drinking left over drinks from last night. Africa is not for sissies!!!
Day 8 (23rd August 2007):
Packed up, fuelled up and left Kasane en route to Nata. Boring straight road with the exception of a herd of elephants that decide to run into the road in front of us. Thanks to ABS brakes we all managed to miss each other. Saw giraffe as well. We fuelled up at Nata and made off towards Planet Baobab, however before we got there we turned onto the Ntetwe pan. Awesome getting up to 100kms plus on a dry panâ?¦ made for some stunning photographic moments. Planet Baobab is an incredible place with the coldest beers in Botswana. I had their hamburger and salad for supper and it must rate as the best hamburger that I have eaten for a lloonngg time. As Emile and I were breaking away from the rest tomorrow to get home early (for a wedding that I had to attend), I decided to book us into one of their two bed chalets. Planet Baobab offers camping sites, bushman huts, two bed (no bathroom) chalets, and luxury chalets.
Distance = 406 kms. Total distance = 2264 kms.
Day 9 (24th August 2007):
After a quick breakfast we left for Nata again to refuel and started our trip towards home. We fuelled up in Francistown, turned right and drove down to Serule where we turned left to Selebi-Phikwe where we refuelled again. The traffic was driving us nuts after the isolation .Whilst in the garage on the left hand side in Selebi-Phikwe one of the attendants insisted on washing my â??windscreenâ? with the squeegee. I nearly fell of the bike laughing. Funny maybe but I shall make a point of filling at that garage every time that I am in that area. From Selebi-Phikwe it was a smooth ride down to Martinâ??s Drift and Kwa Nokeng where we had one of their tents with single beds waiting for us. We arrived at Kwa Nokeng at around three pm and refuelled, having to dodge the Ostrich on the forecourt at the petrol station. Cold beers and Captain Morgan was soon followed by a nice buffet and early to bed.
Distance = 576 kms. Total distance = 2840 kms.
Day 10 (25th August 2007):
Up early and left at 06h00am for the border and home. The border was pleasantly quiet. Stopped for fuel and a toasted sandwich at the Wimpy in Thabazimbi before getting home at around 11h00am.
Distance = 446 kms. Total distance = 3286 kms.
