Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)



I had two aims when planning this trip. Firstly to find the desert elephant in the North West of Namibia and secondly to explore the caprivi and some of Botswana. Both , I achieved but the satisfaction between the two differed vastly. I also learnt a thing or two about   touring and of course about myself.

Ater McDonald

My preparation for a solo self sufficient trip lasting 3-4weeks was thorough. Necessary tire repair kit, compressor, tools, oil, spare fuel container, satellite phone, camping gear, emergency medical kit, emergency food supplies, clothes, maps, gps, emergency telephone numbers (duplicated and stored apart), letter form medical aid re cover incase of emergencies including casavac, insurance details etc etc were all taken care of and so I was ready to venture north and enjoy.

Three days of hard riding finally got me to Khorixas 1885km from home, from where I was to explore and find the elusive desert elephant. These magnificent creatures sometimes roam in small herds but often single and are mostly found in the dry river beds of the area. North-west of Khorixas in the areas of Twyfelfontein, Palmwag and Sesfontein I would find these sometimes elusive elephants, I was told. Unloading my bike of the gear in Korixas at the lodge and only keeping enough water, tire repair kit and some food I set to explore the roads around and towards Twyfelfontein for a few days.

Burnt mountain near Twyfelfontein.

The roads were in fantastic condition and the Tourance tires front and back combination with pressures lowered to about 1.6 bar worked very well for me. I traveled between 80 and 100 km/hr in places, few times having a bit of a scare as I hit the very loose gravel on the sides of the tracks resulting in fish-tailing that got the heart pumping. Stopping very frequently to just absorb the silence, take in the absolute beauty around me and dismally failing to capture this on my little camera..

The roads are very well signposted with mostly numbers and this together with my gps I never got lost. Unfortunately no elephants here although the odd kudu, springbuck and smaller antelope were sometimes seen. I then moved 161km further west to Palmwag. . Palmwag is on the map but is not a village but just a Lodge with a campsite. The campsite is fantastic, facilities great, welcome pool and a well stocked bar and the food good to boot. Situated right next to the dry river bed it was a perfect area to be based at and search for the elephant. This proved unnecessary as the elephant found me! Relaxing, dreaming of nothing special when I saw him in the riverbed feeding off the long grass not far from my camp. What a moment in my life, a dream come true and something else to be ticked off my bucket list. I can’t describe the feeling when I saw him, suffice to say one of those very special moments of my life and etched deeply into my memory bank.

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I then made a decision which I now regret. Having achieved this great dream of finding the elephant I decided to head north-east to the caprivi to spend more time there and in Botswana and not to explore the areas further north to Epupa falls as initially planned.

 Grootberg Pass area

Two days of riding, over the most magnificent Grootberg Pass (Gemsbok, Kudu and lots of raptors), checking out some of my old haunts while being in the army at Otavi (nothing recognizable) then overnight in Grootfontein (694km for the day) got me to Divundu, the start of the Caprivi Strip (402km). I camped at the Popa falls (more of a series of rapids) under large trees next to a branch of the river.

camp at Popa Falls

The campsite is run by the Namibian Nature Wildlife department and very pleasant, quiet and clean. It was fascinating to watch the local children handle their makoros(sp??) very efficiently even paddling them upstream as if there is no current using bow and arrow to shoot fish for their supper. Already there were ominous signs for me and my loaded GS. Sand!! Any road that is not tar has sand and lots of it in places with exception of the main road through the Mahango game park to the Botswana border which is still good gravel.

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From there I went through the Caprivi Park to Kongola.  This is a lovely straight good quality tar road of 200km with mostly bush on both sides. Interspersed in places are villages of the local population living I hope in harmony with nature around them. Evidence of elephant was everywhere, broken and damaged trees and I kept my eyes peeled. Three times I had to stop quite quickly as groups of them came bursting out of the bush to cross the road. They appeared nervous and did not spend much time crossing the road, almost running across. I kept my engine going, for I was scared at the time. Should I need to make a quick get away would I be able to make a u-turn quick enough? But fortunately at no time was I threatened in any way. Apparently these elephant are “wild” and nervous of man for they are often harassed by the locals, chased by dogs and even hunted as they migrate between the Caprivi and Angola.

elephant in the caprivi

Then on to Katima Mulilo I went to find a place to unsaddle for as long as I wanted.

The rest of my stay in the caprivi, on the Zambezi near Katima was a welcome break but also disappointing in the sense that for me rather artificial. The lodges and campsites of which there are many were enclaves of green paradise dotted along the banks with tribal/rural Africa all around with overgrazing, deforestation and just general habitat destruction. The human population along the banks of the Zambezi is heavy and nature again bears the brunt of man and his demands on it.

sunset on the Zambezi

 Again, I could not go anywhere off the tar as by now sand replaced any gravel and for me this was a big no no. Getting stuck, burning my clutch or dropping the bike was not on my agenda so I had to give this a miss limiting my touring of the area missing out on so much that could be seen and experienced. I will definitely return in a 4x4 to do this.

After a few days I headed back to Popa falls and from here into Botswana via the Mahango national park. Any side roads off the main gravel road through turned out to be too sandy for me to enjoy some game viewing. A few times I tried to follow some of the side roads but was forced to turn back due to the deep sand in so many places. I stopped at  a lodge about 2 km form the tar at Shakawe. The only parks motorcycles are allowed in are those where the “national roads” travel through them. The sand monster raised its ugly head again in Botswana limiting any riding to the tar. So I spent a few days exploring the immediate area by foot and boat on the Okavango river and just relaxing, birding and chatting to the guests.

Makorro on the Okavango

The owner of the lodge turned out to be a girlfriend of mine in Capricorn primary school, wow talk about a small world.

Heading on down the tar road to Ghanzi, about 500 km away, where I was to stay on a game farm as all the accommodation in the town was booked due to a political rally. This again proved to be futile as standing at the gate to the game farm it was 10 km of, yes, sand to the homestead so I decided to keep moving. Petrol was also a problem for one of the scheduled stops for me to fill up had run out of fuel. Luckily I made the next stop but to do so my speed was reduced to 80 km/hr for about 130 km to stretch my range. I ended up  covering 330km with 30km odd left on the reserve signal as I pulled into Ghanzi where there was fortunately fuel. I decided to keep on going and head for Gobabis back in Namibia where I was going to spend the night. Stopping along the way, brewing a cup of tea and dunking a rusk in the shade of an acacia was also one for the memory bank. The simple things of life is so often become the most memorable moments too.( 830km for the day.)

brewing a cuppa in the Kalahari

From Gobabis I traveled south using the dirt roads through towns like Hoaseb, Leanordville and Aranos. The red sand of the Kalahari with acacia and grass patches, the quiet and freedom was very alluring.

red sand of the Kalahari near Aranos

Again, the road surface was hard but the loose gravel ridges were treacherous if you venture onto them. Concentration was required and appreciating the scenery was mostly limited to times when I stopped.

ribeware of the gravel!

By now I was well on my way back home and already felt the regret of not spending more time in the north-west. The sand of the caprivi and Botswana made it impossible for me to really achieve what I wanted to. Perhaps with a lighter bike than the GS and backup carrying the load then touring these areas could be workable but definitely not for a loaded heavy bike.

What did I learn?

Sand limits touring ability on a loaded bike!

Be well prepared for mishaps. The peace of mind knowing what the plan of action will be should trouble hit is very reassuring.

 Take fewer clothes. I washed in the evenings and things were dry in the mornings.

Cell reception throughout my journey.

No bikes allowed in any game parks.

Distances are vast. Be prepared for long rides. This allows much "thinking" time which is good.

Namibian roads and infrastructure fantastic. Botswana is another story. Be prepared for no petrol.

Take small denomination notes along as change is often a problem.

At all times have more than enough water.

Apply sunscreen all the time and use a skin moisturizer daily.

Do not rush, enjoy the journey.

Stop often, smell the roses.

Ride well within yourself.

Listen to your body! I say this on good authority as I felt my left calf muscle starting to pain 2 days from home and ignored it. I had developed a deep vein thrombosis from the sitting for long periods and was lucky not to have had life threatening consequences not to mention the discomfort of hospitalization while anticoagulant therapy was initiated.

So:

: 6501 kilometers traveled.

: Consumption on dirt at 80-100km/hr up to 20km/l

: No oil used.

: No mechanical or tire problems.

: No danger/harassment from any locals in either country.

: Great fun.

:Plan the next trip.

home!