ABF2501 Adventure Big Five - Cape Town to Victoria Falls
All the group has arrived safely and fortunately no baggage issues (well just one delayed TM but he met us at dinner :-) ). After meeting up we have the welcome briefing and then the bikes are handed over, giving everyone a chance to play and make any kind of personal adjustments. We head into the V&A Waterfront for dinner and drinks but nobody is burning the candles as we are all excited to get up and get going in the morning. Tomorrow the forecast is sunny and warm and looks like it will be a belter first riding day.......
It's a beautiful morning as we leave Cape Town, but shortly afterwards we can see some rain clouds in the distance and the rain is coming down. We get lucky as we skirt along the coast and then make our first stop at Bloubergstrand where we can view Cape Town and table mountain in the distance. We press on inland and come to Paarl and the Afrikaans language monument - celebrating the 11 official languages of South Africa. We take coffee and admire the view from here, but don't dally as the Bainskloof pass awaits us. It's a stunning ride up and there's a few of the group who have to dodge baboons as they run across the road with no care. It's another awesome view from up here as we look down into the valley and Paarl. Then we are down the other side and into Ceres where we stop for lunch in this great little cafe - we need a quick break and some refreshment. After lunch we are straight out of Ceres and then up the Gydo pass, where another awesome view awaits us. Afterwards we have a longish ride through the mountains before the tarmac stops and turns to gravel.. It's dusty but the road is freshly graded which makes life easy for us and we head up to the top of the Middelburg pass, stopping briefly for a quick group photo. Then we are down into Citrusdal, gas up and arrive at the hotel nice and early - time for a quick beer in the bar before dinner. What a great day to start the tour.......
It's cooler and overcast today as we head out of Citrusdal. After a few km we hit the gravel and the fun starts. The overnight rain has dampened things down so there's no dust and we can make good progress. We stop for a photo at the concrete bridge that was completely flooded last year and then stop for coffee in Clanwilliam. A "lost" mobile phone delays us briefly but then we are on our way again heading towards the coast on Lamberts Bay. It's windy and cool so we don't stay long but then we just rip up the gravel road to Vrydendal and stop for lunch at Vanrhysdorp. We gas up and head north and it gradually gets cooler. We stop again to gas in Garies and then head out for the last 100km towards Springbok. The temperature drops to 10 degrees at some point but we press on and arrive at the hotel. It great to be back here - the weaver birds are still busy, the peacocks still strut around the gardens and some of the famous Namaqauland flowers have started to bloom. Awesome......
It cold as wet this morning - 8 degrees and raining as we head north out of Springbok towards the Namibian border. The border crossing isn't busy but we still have to deal with all the form filling nonsense even though all of us already have evisas! Anyway we get through and then stop for gas and a quick early lunch once across the border. It's stopped raining by now at least and is warming up nicely. We head out and make our way towards Aussenkehr through the vinyeards that dot the area. At Aussenkehr we are back on the gravel, but the groups runs freely and rips it until we reach the Ai-Ais resort where we stop for some liquid refreshment. The group is doing really well on the gravel and we reach the Canyon Village hotel by just after 4pm, which gives us some time to freshen up before we take a short guided walk up into the rocks to watch the sun set while drinking a cold Windhoek lager. A perfect way to end the day.....
It's a beautiful sunny morning but still chilly at only 8 degrees. We head out and make the short ride to Fish River canyon and spend some time there just taking in the views - the scenery is breathtaking. Afterwards it's another short ride for us to the Canyon Roadhouse where we stop for another early lunch break. It's a quirky place but great fun at the same time. After lunch we head out towards the Naute Dam. Along the way we get a slow puncture so we stop at the Naute Kristal distillery to sort that out while everyone does a gin tasting session!! (Joke: it's coffees all round:-)) We head up to view the dam and it reallyhas rained a lot in Namibia - more rain this year than the last 15 and it shows as the dam is full compared to last year when the water levels were really low. We have time on our hands till so we ride past Keetmanshoop and visit the Giants playground and the Quiver tree forest. We get to see the Cheetahs feeding at the same time. Back to Keetmanshoop and our hotel in time for dinner.......
Its another gorgeous day when we awake - but same old same old - 8 degrees and a cloudless sunny and blue sky. It's a shorter day today so we head out slightly later by which time it's got up to 10 degrees. We head north out of Keetmanshoop and its just a straight blast up the B1 to Mariental. But as we leave Keetmanshoop something has changed - last year this was just desert, but now there are yellow grasses everywhere alongside the road, and there's some green shrubbery to either side disappearing in the distance. The road disappears into the horizon just looking like a yellow river endlessly flowing on and on. The rains have transformed the landscape completely. We make a quick pit stop after about an hour and then continue. We gas in Mariental and take a quick Spurs lunch. Afterwards some elect to go directly to the Lodge while a few others ride to the Hardap dam - until 2018 the largest reservoir in Namibia. The reservoir has completely filled up since last year and the brown waters suggest it's ongoing. We still manage to reach the lodge late afternoon and then time for a quick beer or two on the terrace before dinner. Another perfect day :-) Tomorrow we are heading further into the desert and the Namib Naukluft national park.....
It has been another spectacular day in the Namibian desert as we ride to the Namib Naukluft National Park. We have a relaxed start to the day as its all tarmac to our Maltahohe lunch stop. This road is amazing - we just ride and ride and ride. There is just desert scrub to both sides that stretches to the horizon. There's fences to both sides so somebody owns the land but there is just nothing there - in the 115km we see only a small herd of cattle and a flock of sheep! We take lunch in Maltahohe then set out for the lodge. The first 100km is straight again on the gravel with not much to see, but the road is in good condition and there's not much traffic. We make a quick break just before the mountains and then we are off again. The scenery is amazing and the mountain pass is just so different now there are grasses everywhere. We make good time to the lodge and it's great to be back on the terrace here taking a sundowner and soaking up the views :-)
What a difference a year makes. We take the C19 to Sesriem and it's just as nasty as it was last year. But once we enter into the Namib Naukluft National Park it's a world of difference - instead of desert there are swathes of yellow grasses and it makes a fantastic contrast against the orange backdrop of the dunes here. We make our way down to Sossusvlei and then trek up about 20 minutes to get into the dead vlei - it's still as spectacular as ever. Some of the group start the trek up the "Big Daddy" dune but then come down the steep dune face to meet us in dead vlei. Afterwards we head to the end of the road and then take a picnic brunch - we need it after a 6:30 start this morning. After brunch we head back and then stop in Sesriem canyon, taking a walk through and up to the remnants of the floods that were here in march/april. We have a bumpy ride back to the lodge but then we are free for the rest of the day to relax and recharge the batteries. Tomorrow we head to the Atlantic coast and Swakopmund........
Today was a super tough day. We leave the lodge and ride to Solitaire where we fill up with gas. But the guys in the lodge already informed us the road to Swakopmund is in very poor condition and they were not joking! It is very corrugated for many km, and the wind has also blown some deep sand into some sections and the going is tricky. Just before we reach the Tropic of Capricorn is especially nasty but everyone does really well and so we stop there for a rest and some photos. The roads through the Goad and Kuiseb passes are not too bad, as is the first few km afterwards, but then the corrugation and sand comes back making progress difficult and slows us down. Eventually it turns better and we make a stop at the Vogelsfederberg and climb up to take some photos. We have a well deserved lunchbreak at the Dunes mall in Walvis bay and then continue around to Flamingo lagoon. But today it is very windy and the flamingos are not out to play just standing in the shallow waters but far away from the beach. So we continue our journey along the Atlantic coast with the wind pushing us from the side and the waves crashing down onto the beach - but it's a great way to finish our super tough day. We arrive in Swakopmund at our hotel right in front of the jetty. The sun is shining so it's time for a walk on the jetty to enjoy the views with the waves crashing beneath us and the jetty rocking as they pass by.
It's another sunny day with a clear blue sky - but there's an 8 degree nip in the air. Today the group splits up - some people opting for some morning shopping in Swakopmund while others head out to the Spitzkoppe. As we ride out to the Spitzkoppe there's a slight delay - a huge transporter carrying a massive excavator takes up the whole road. Even the oncoming traffic has to pull over off the road to let it get past. Eventually we get past and soon we are on the gravel road that takes us to the Spitzkoppe. It's in good condition so we make good time and stop for some quick refreshments when we arrive. Then we head out to the rock arch to take some photos. That done we head back to Usakos for lunch and to meet the rest of the group. After lunch it's slow work as there are a lot of roadworks but eventually we get to open road and can make good speed again. A quick espresso stop in Okahandja and then it's the last 75km to Windhoek. We hit the afternoon traffic which isn't very nice but still make the hotel with plenty of time for a sundowner at the 15th floor bar.
It's another gloriously sunny day this morning in Windhoek - but overnight the temperature plummeted to -2 degrees!!!! So it's a fresh start for us as we head out of Windhoek, but fortunately by the time we depart the temperature has reach a balmy 5 degrees!!! We have a 520km ride ahead of us today so we are on the road by 08:40. Once we are out of town we start to see some wildlife - predominantly some baboons and some wild boar, but there's also some horses and Oryx to keep them company. We ride for about an hour and then take a quick break to warm up. Jeff on the Tenere is the only one without heated grips so he is suffering a little. We carry on and reach Gobabis late morning, so have another refreshment and warm up break before heading out to the Botswana border. We get a police check as we arrive but all papers are in order and they are very friendly. The border crossing goes remarkably smoothly and we are through in just over an hour or so. We stop shortly afterwards for another gas stop and we can indulge in some ice creams now as it's eventually got up to about 20 degrees. As we head into Botswana there's a slight change in the environs - there are no fences on either side of the road now and there are all manner of horses, cattle, dogs, goats and donkeys wandering freely on the road so we have to take some care. A last refreshment stop at the roadside and then it's a short ride into Ghanzi and our hotel for the evening. Tomorrow we have a shorter ride to Maun and the Okovango Delta so we can relax a little.
We only have a short ride today so we set out a little bit later and let the temperature rise a couple of degrees. Then we have a bit of a mix up with the van and the day takes a bit longer but we arrive in Maun in the end. There is not so much to see along the way - it's noticeably drier here and there's still a lot of animal dodging on the road as well as a few potholes but largely that is it. The good news is that we still arrive in time to take a scenic helicopter flight across the Okovango Delta. The perspective from high up is amazing and there is so much water in the delta now compared to last year. The wildlife is still abundant just spread out a little more and we see Elephant, Giraffe, Buffalo and Zebra to name but a few. It's an awesome end to the day.
Today we go on a game drive to Mormemi game park. It's a 5:30 start and the luxury jeep ride to the park entrance is always a highlight of the trip - and to boot we get a splendid sunrise. At the entrance we stop for a packed breakfast and to warm ourselves in the sun. We already saw a lot of game on the drive in but when we enter the park there is much more. Baboons and Impala are sharing a water hole and are then joined by some Eland. We drive on and see Zebra. Then we get a call on the radio - a Leopard has been spotted! The driver whisks us to the location and we have a great view of this fantastic animal. Later we see Elephant, Lion and Giraffe - the show just goes on and it's amazing to see these animals that we saw yesterday from the sky at close quarters. We stop for a picnic lunch and then all too soon it's time to head back. But it has been an awesome day and for sure another highlight on this trip.
We make another slightly later start to let things warm up and at 9am it's already 20 degrees. We head out of Maun heading east and towards the Makgadikgadi salt pans. Not long after we leave town there's a police checkpoint and disease control but after that its plain sailing. We see some wildlife along the way (Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra) but not nearly as much as last year when the weather was so dry and the animals were congregating where the elephants had broken into the water mains. After about an hour we stop for a refreshment break but are quickly on our way again. We gas up at a brand new gas station in Gweta and then its just a few km until we reach our lunch stop at Planet Baobab. It seems the place burned down last November and has been rebuilt but the service is still as slow as ever. After lunch it's poor condition roads and lots of potholes but it doesn't take too long to reach Nata and we refuel again. There's a big group of bikers from South Africa and Zimbabwe there so we swap tales for a while but then head to the Lodge. A quick puncture fix and then it's off to the Nata Bird Sanctuary to check the conditions. The change is amazing - where before was a dry moonscape is now covered in tall grasses and now the lake stretches into the distance as far as the eye can see. Back to the lodge and there time for a quick beer, watch the end of the Community Shield and then dinner. Another perfect day!!
It was a chilly night in the "tents" in Nata Lodge but the morning warms up quickly and by the time we leave it's already 20 degrees. We pass through Nata and on the other side there's a lot of roadworks going on - when realistically they should be improving the Nata to Maun Road. There's a queue of trucks at a Police checkpoint that holds us up for a while but once we are through it's plain sailing. We stop after about and hour to refresh a little as it's creeping towards 30 degrees now, then stop at Pandamatenga to gas, after passing and waving to a nice Policeman who was just setting up his speed camera! We have a nice BBQ lunch and then continue to Kasane, arriving in time to have a shower and freshen up before taking a river safari. It's a relaxed way to finish the day and we see Elephant, Buffalo, Crocs, Hippos and Storks before heading back to the Lodge for dinner. No riding tomorrow as we take a bus transfer to Victoria Falls.......
First thing this morning a few of us take the game drive offered by the Lodge. It's not nearly as cold as Moremi and the park entrance is only 10 mins away. Almost as soon as we enter the park we come across a small elephant who is very indignant to see us and charges towards us making lots of noise only to break off and run away again - seems like he lost Mum! We drive down to the river and spend some time watching the lions and a herd of Buffalo playing standoff - quite interesting. Then we meander through the park seeing many Impala, more Hippos, Storks and Elephants before making our way back to the Lodge for breakfast. At 10:30 we leave and head towards the Botswana - Zimbabwe border. There's a bit of a queue but it's no so bad and we arrive at out Lodge in time for lunch. at 3pm we head down to the falls and it is as spectacular as ever. There is significantly more water than last year and it's an awesome way to finish the tour, even if we get slightly wet. Back to the Lodge and a farewell dinner to bring the tour to a close. It has been a really outstanding tour so thanks to All from William and Lenro and we hope to see you all again at some point......