Monday 6 April - Kwanokeng to MakgadiGadi Pans

We started early and after having breakfast and refueling the bikes we leave Kwanokeng and head towards Serowe for our next fuel stop - all tar. Shortly after Serowe, we turn onto the first sandy section – a service road that follows the vet fence towards our overnight stop – MakgadiGadi pans. We came across a group of 4x4’s en route in the same direction and we pass each other a few times – dust – until we split off to follow a different track!!! We stopped every 15 km to regroup and also for a lunch break. The road gradually disappeared until we were just following the somewhat overgrown clearing along the fence and we had to cut our way through the brush in places to get the vehicle through. The surface was badly washed away at some of the streams which took some time to get the support vehicle through.

We finally reached the pans at sunset and decided to set up camp on the outskirts so as not to be disturbed by the 4x4 crowd. This was our first real long and tough day, but the scenery and surroundings were beautiful and no-one complained.

Sunday 5 April - Kwanokeng Rest day

After crossing the Botswana border at Martinsdrift yesterday, we set up camp at Kwanokeng lodge.

This morning we enjoyed a hearty breakfast on the deck after which we took an exploratory ride around the area to get ourselves acquainted with the Botswana dirt roads.

Louise managed to score first when she put her bike down while practicing a sand corner.

After returning to camp we spent the afternoon around the pool while waiting for the support crew and vehicle to arrive.

We also had to fix the first and (in hindsight) only puncture of the trip.

Support crew had a smooth border crossing and arrived safely just before sunset. In the evening we enjoyed our first “bush meal” prepared from the food supply that was so thoroughly put together by Louise.

Saturday 4 April - Leaving Pretoria

The vehicle, trailer and bikes are loaded and we are ready to leave Pretoria.

Today we will make our way to the Martinsdrift borderpost 400 kms away - mostly tar and we will camp at Kwanokeng just across the border.

We were also due for our second repeat of Malaria tablets

Friday 3 April - Pretoria

Today is spent in and around Pretoria.

In the morning we took a quick ride out to Rietvlei nature reserve and then to Fort Klapperkop from where we got a nice view of Pretoria.

Then we had a quick stop for brunch. 

Back at Johan's house we start packing the food crates. This will be loaded into the vehicle and onto the trailer in the evening. The packing happens at a slow pace - this will be our last relaxing day before leaving for Botswana tomorrow.

Thursday 2 April - Arrive in Johannesburg

We arrived in Johannesburg on time and found the bikes to be in good condition - what a relief!!

From the station it is a 60km ride to Johan and Louise's house and this takes us nearly 2 hours in the traffic.

We arrive safely and after fuelling up we stop at a little sidewalk restaurant first for a cool drink to quench the thirst and calm the nerves.

 

At Johan's place we unpack and there is time for a shower before going out to supper.

Wednesday - 1 April - Departure

....and so after a long and restless night the wait is over and we awake to a beautiful morning. We have lots of time to do the last few things and there is even time to have a hearty breakfast.

Then we say goodbye to our neighbour Theuns, Gary Bresleau whom we only met yesterday, and our 2 dogs Kumba + Nina before hitting the road. We brave the back-end of the morning traffic into Cape Town - I find comfort in the thought that for the next few days we will be riding through the African bush where the only traffic is elephant crossing the track!

At the station we wait for the train which arrives 30 minutes late and we are given 5 minutes in which to load and secure the bikes as well as find our own compartment. Here we are on the platform and ready to load.

A huge rush and I am quite concerned about the bikes being strapped in properly. But we are now on the train on our way to Johannesburg and hopefully we will not get a huge surprise when the luggage compartment is opened at our destination 28 hours later!

Tuesday - 1 day to go

And so there is only 1 day to go.

All that is left is to load everything onto the bikes, get a good night's rest and then the adventure can begin. A final note - although I will attempt to update the blog as frequently as possible, I do expect limited connectivity in the more remote parts, so there will be times when days will go by without any updates.

Thank you to those of you who have been part of our preparations and training sessions for the trip or just following our progress on the blog. Thank you for being part of our trip thus far and please keep checking back regularly for updates.

Gerhard & Deirdre

Monday - 2 days to go

Final, final preparations, mostly arrangements that need to be in place at home while we are away. I could also only confirm today that the motorbikes will in fact be able to go on the same train as us - the alternative would have been to put them on an earlier train but that would've introduced some additional logistics.

We also had to pay one last visit to the shops. I had a few last minute thoughts about checks I wanted to do on the bikes, so spent some time on that. It is mostly fiddling around to ensure that everything is just perfect for our departure - after all the rushing around it feels kind of strange to sit back and not be busy with something regarding the trip. The excitement and anticipation is just too much.

Sunday - 3 days to go

Today we had the big job of packing and repacking all of the equipment into their respective containers (until I was satisfied with the weight and balance distribution). We also packed our trip clothes and we are now at the point where we simply have to put panniers on the bikes, strap the tires on, and go.

I’ve had several updates and conversations in the last few days on the conditions of the Botswana sand roads, and it does leave me with more than just excitement – I am somewhat concerned about our safety as well as the demands that will be placed on our fitness, endurance and riding skills. I do know however that if we complete this journey, all of these will have significantly improved.

The rest of the day was spent reading other people’s trip reports, watching off-road biking videos and relaxing with the dogs.

For once I feel that things are under control and I have some time to spare to focus on other last minute arrangements before leaving home.

Saturday - 4 days to go

As we will be going into high malaria risk area, we have to take precaution. Today being 1 week before entering the area, we are taking our first pills – the insert in the box warns of all sorts of side effects, so lots of joking about who will be showing which effect first!!

We spent the rest of the day laying out all equipment to go on the trip to do a final check and also to get a fair view of how much there is.

From here we can decide what should be packed where on which bike, and what has to stay. Seeing the stuff together finally makes one realize that the trip is real and definitely happening – no more dreaming. It raises the excitement levels one more step, even more so knowing that we are still traveling relatively light considering what we are about to attempt. Food, water and most of the camping gear fuel will be carried on the support vehicle. Seeing as the vehicle will not be with us along all sections of the route, we have to ensure we carry the basics on the bikes in order to survive a few days without support.

Friday - 5 days to go

Today the signage went onto the bikes.

I also spent some time fitting my helmet cam in a different position on the bike. I found that having it on the side sometimes causes the angle to change and then the footage is wasted. I have now mounted the lens on the tip of the air scoop for the oil cooler and hopefully I don’t get a thrown up stone through the lens. I still don’t have an answer for dust on the lens of a forward facing camera and will just have to clean the lens every opportunity I get.

Thursday - 6 days to go

Today I collected the two spare tires for Deirdre’s XT. Suppliers have been out of stock for a while, but the friendly guys at Trac-Mac in Bellville managed to source me a set from another dealer. At home we are in the process of laying everything out on the floor to be checked before it can be packed. I was also shown an article in Leisure Wheels magazine on a couple of guys who did a bike trip on Botswana’s sandiest roads – want to get hold of the mag tomorrow for some weekend reading.

Wednesday – 7 days to go

Today the signage for the bikes arrived.

I also spent some time shopping for the last few needed spares and accessories such as Liquid metal, Q-bond, oil etc. I also had a call from Louise to confirm the medical supplies.

Johan is currently on another trip through Botswana lead by Jan du Toit and Prof Johan Bakkes. News is that there has been lots of rain in Botswana and further north towards Angola, that the rivers are high and the swamps are wet, and that the water will only reach the southern parts in a few weeks’ time. Johan should be in a position to provide better feedback on the area once he returns.

Excitement is running high all round!!

Prologue

Who are we

Both of us are experienced outdoors people who have traveled to all corners of South Africa by 4x4. We are passionate about extreme endurance sports (ultra and trail running). We are constantly looking for new challenges - we once placed 3rd overall and 1st mixed team in a national 4x4 challenge.

We have often spoken about a trip into Africa that will be different and so in 2009 we decided to make it happen. To make this trip even more special we decided to do it on 2 wheels rather than 4x4.

The Beginning

In January we consulted the calendar which showed that April had lots of public holidays and so the date was set. With the route options still wide open we started looking for possible travel companions and very quickly there were lots of interested people.

After considering many options, we finally decided upon the route through Botswana. Due to the difficult and sandy riding conditions and the presence of free roaming big 5 wildlife, most of the original applicants withdrew. Pillions could also not be accommodated and so it was down to a small and manageable group of adventurers.

The Botes family from Pretoria -
Johan on his BMW 1200 HP2 – Johan is a very experienced rider (I met him on the advanced off-road course). He knows Botswana well and has done a few previous trips in this area. He finalized the finer detail of the route.
Louise (Johan’s wife) - very competent on her BMW 650 XCountry has had formal training and also attended the 2008 GS challenge.
Wynand, (Johan’s son) is currently a student and will be joining us for the Easter holidays riding his BMW 1200 HP2
Jana, twin sister of Wynand's and also a student, will be driving backup - Toyota Land Cruiser and trailer

The Mitton family from Cape Town -
Deirdre – a very experienced off-road pillion as well as competent on her Honda CRF230. Due to the latter not being street legal, we had to source another bike for her to do the trip with and the choice fell on an older yet good condition Yamaha 600 XT.
Gerhard (me) on my BMW 1200 GS Adventure – by far the heaviest machine on the trip and definitely in for a tough time in the sand!!!

And so a little over 2 months lay ahead of us for planning & preparation. We also did a lot of training rides to familiarize Deirdre with the different handling characteristics of her now taller, heavier and more powerful machine. It was fitted with custom made crash bars (thanks to our good friend Sarel Oberholzer)

Before we knew 9 weeks flew by and we are now in the final countdown – 7 days until we leave Cape Town on 1st April. The first leg of the journey will be for Deirdre and me to travel by train from Cape Town to Johannesburg where we will meet up with our companions. Together we will then depart from Pretoria on 4th April for our 10day trip around Botswana after which we will travel back to Cape Town via the Northern Cape backroads, while Johan and his family return to their home in Pretoria.

Just under 5000 kms in 15 days!!