In October 1995 I travelled with a rented BMW K100 some 12000 km trough
Southern Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and (for 2 hours) Lesotho.
This is a report on what I experienced while travelling.
I hope this information will be helpful to prepare your trip.
The K100 I rented from Tours for Africa, 168 President St, 2001 Johannesburg,
Ph. +27-11-402-3309, had already run 150000 km, but was in good shape. Just note
that they´ll charhe you for even the slightest scratch or dent at the end.
I started from Johannesburg eastward to the Transvaal (that name might have
changed now) Drakensberge. There are 3 campgrounds in the small town of Sabie,
but only the Jack of the bushveld campground in the towncentre takes motorcycles.
Its very popular with motorcyclists from Johannesburg on weekends.
The bakery on the main street serves good breakfast.
There are several waterfalls nearby, Horseshoefall is nice, Bridalveil Fall is only a
trickle in the dry season, Lone Creek Fall is the best.
I suggest not to spend any money in this town, since the campground that is run
by the city of Sabie refuses to accept motorcyclists without explanation.
Best roads in this area include Old Toms Pass and Robbers Pass.
Messina (near Zimbabwe border)
The city of Messina campground on the mainroad is conveniently located but dirty
(maybe better now, the city workers were on strike). Spurs Restaurant close to city center is good.
When leaving South Africa at the beitgridge border post stop at what looks like a small village
on a little hill. This is the border station. You have to leave the car and enter
the customs offices. Remeber, borders in Africa are real borders, unlike in Europe where you
can just drive through without stopping.
Motorcycle Travel-tips Southern Africa (Part2)
Zimbabwe:
Border crossing at Beitbridge is slow. Fill out all papers correctly and avoid the
teenagers that try to help you for money.
The Main roads are in good shape, there is no traffic. Campgrounds are excellent,
people are very friendly and extremly helpful. There seems to be a relativly low
crime rate.
Zimbabwe Ruins:
The largest Ruins south of the Sahara that gave the country its name, are impressive,
a must for all visitors. There is a nice small campground at the foot of the ruins near
the main entrance (Entrance and Camping fee 67Z$). Fabolus sunset views from inside
the ruin complex. The braekfast at the nearby Lodge is expensive.
Bulawayo:
Excellent, large Caravan Park near the city center (the best I´ve seen during my trip)
Changing Travellers cheques at Barclays Bank near the post office is straightforward, no queues.
There is a post office in the Haddod and Sly department store without queues.
Wozawos restaurant in the downtown shopping disrict had cheap and tasty lunch specials.
There is a swiss bakery in town.
About 10 km north of town on the road to Victoria Falls is a new service station.
Halfway between Bulawajo and Victoria Falls is Halfway hotel petrol station.
Hwange National Park:
Impressive wildlife. 40 Z$ entrance fee plus 20$ for camping (very dusty, occasionaly visited
by lions). Motorcycles are not allowed beyond the Campground, but its no problem to hitch
a ride into the park. After 10 km visit Nyamandhlovu Viewing platform. I sat there for 7 hours
and saw about 200 elephants plus many zebras, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, kudus, buffalos etc.
Miombo tours seems to have the best excursions into the park. The evening drive costs 15 US$.
Don´t miss Hwange Park.
Victoria Falls
Very touristy, but the Falls are worth a visit. Everything is expensive, growing crime rate.
Campground was almost full, arrive early, good downtown location. Many restaurants and souvenir
shops (in Curio village on the way to the falls) in town. Masses of tourists. Many go rafting
on what is called the toughest commercial rafting in the world (several 5+ rapids). Its a lot of
fun if you like it, but don´t attempt it when you feel unsure. We flipped 3 times on a one day
tour and I almost drowned under the raft in a long rapid. Just watch the videos of the rafting
trips every evening at the Ilahla Lodge if you feel unsure. Watching them is fun.
An African folk show at African Experience near th Victoria Falls Hotel is very touristy, but not
bad. Try the open air dinner buffet at the hotel gardens (130Z$), expensive but good.
The Falls close at sunset, in the dry season great photographing. They are more impressive than
Niagara Falls, but Iguazu Falls are even better.
Botswana:
The road from Victoria Falls to Kasane in Botswana is good, border crossing straightforward.
Campground on the banks of the Chobe River at Chobe Safari Lodge is okay, stay away from the river, I have seen crocodiles and water snakes. The evening cruise into the Chobe Nationalpark, home
of 30.000 elephants is very impressive. Thousands of elephants, buffalos and other animals were
bathing in the river with a great sunset in the background. There is gas available in town.
Some locals told me, the road to Namibia was closed to motorcycles because of frequent attacks by
elephants and buffalos inside the Chobe nationalpark. Don´t worry, its open. There is no alternative
anyways, except driving 3000 km through Botswana and Southafrica to Windhoek.When leaving Kasane the
pavement ends and a sandy, corrugated road leads through the Chobe Nationalpark towards Ngoma Bridge
and Namibia. Watch for crossing animals and deep sand. The road was passable with normal street tyres,
I fell only once when I was too fast.
Motorcycle Travel-tips Southern Africa (part3)
Namibia:
You can use South African Rand and Namibian Dollar everywhere (Same value). The road from Ngoma
Bridge to Katima Mullilo is rather sandy, seeems to be under construction.
Katima Mullilo is the largest town in the Caprivi Strip and rather busy. Long queues in the
only bank. Several stores, large car dealers, no motorcycle parts available. The next (and
only Namibian) BMW motorcyle shop is 1200 km away in Windhoek.
Fromatima Mulillo its 100 km on a very good highway to Kongola. Last gas station for 200km.
There the once notorious gravel section of the Caprivi highway starts. The surface is good,
some corrugated and sandy patches, but no problem. After 150km of gravel, a large construction
site with deep sandy deviations slowed me down. The highway will become a phantastic paved highway
all the way to Botswana soon. Another adventure is disappearing. The gas station at Bagoui was
dry, but there is one at Andara, 30 km off the main road. Suclavo Lodge near the Popa Falls on
the Okavango River allows Camping and serves bad food in a beautiful setting, overlooking the
River. The road to Rundu is boring, straight, perfectly paved and fast. Rundu has a large gas station
with a supermarket. From there to Grootfontain its just straight, more than 100km. I was surprised
to find people begging for bread on the roadside, altough Namibia in general is a rather wealthy
and well governed country in Africa.
Grootfontain:
Its a real town, with traffic, shopping district, restaurants, good bakeries and treelined clean
streets. A real difference to the dusty, ´more Àfrican` northern part of Namibia. The city runs
a good campground, with free entrance to adjoining city pool. The nearby museum in the old fort-
ress of the colonial army is very interesting, extremly well kept, but with erratic opening hours.
Beautiful demonstration of the former life in this region. No entrance fee, but donations are
welcome and recommended.
Etosha:
Etosha nationalpark is closed to motorcycles, we would be meals on wheels for lions.
Several motorcycle travellers told me, that its possible to park the motorcycle at the gate and
hitchhike (illegal, but often tolerated) into the park. I wasn´t that lucky.
A friendly, but firm park ranger at the gate refused to discuss any of these options. She told
me in perfect german, to turn around and take a bus tour into the park. She would not admit me
into the nationalpark if she found me as a hitchhiker in a car. That lady must be a descendant
from one of the stiff Prussian army officers during the colonial times. Nearby Mokuti Lodge offers
rooms for 295 N$ (90 US$) and evening game drives into the nationalpark for 130 N$. Too much for
me. Later I met travellers who got a ride in a car into the nationalpark and were not allowed in
to the park by the same lady, hitchhiking is not permitted.
Outijo
The campground south of town adjacent to a lodge is not recommenable, with a very expensive,
dusty and poorly kept campground, but with nice pool, restaurant and bar.
Khorixas:
Fingerklip, a mini-Monument Valley is worth a visit (side road from the Outijo-Khorixas) road.
Don´t attempt the direct small road from Fingerklip to Khorixas after rain or with low clearance
vehicle. It was hard work on a K100, and showed that even a K is capable of getting through some
Motocross tracks.
The Khorixas Rest Camp campground filled up. Nice pool, expensive meals, many german tour buses.
The road from Khorixas south to Uis Myn passes Namibias highest mountain, Brandberg, through a
beautiful desertlike countryside. From Uis Myn to Hentiesbay the road is sandy, with almost no
traffic, the temparature drops near the coast from over 30C to 15C (daytime).
Nearby Cape Cross is home to a large colony of seals.
Swakopmund:
Nice resort town. Strong colonial flair with an interesting mix of different architectural styles.
New Buildings blend in with the old buildings. I was struck by the wide variety of goods available
in the stores and supermarkets after having travelled through poorer areas of Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Cafe Anton deserves 2 stars in the international Cafe-Konditorei Michelin guide. The offer the
best Schwarzwälderkirschtorte (Black forest Cherry Cake) in Africa.
There is a coin operated laundry next to the bungalow appartments on Swakopstrasse.
Near Walfishbay is a large colony of pelicanes.
Windhoek:
All roads to Windhoek are in excellent condition. The city seems to be prosperous and is clean and green.
I felt safe, despite the rising crimerate. Motorcycle Center in Klein-Windhoek, Nelson Mandela Drive
(BP-station) is very helpful, specialised on BMW and Kawasaki. As far as I know, its the only
BMW dealer in Namibia. The bakery in the Woermann and ? delicatessen department (Kalahari Sands
complex). The Arebush lodge offers good camping near the old airport runway, which is still used
for small planes.
Sesriem:
The red dunes of Soussousvlej are a must on everybodies itiniary. Next to the often filled campground is
a dusty overflow camp. The nearby lodge offers 1hour balloontrips for 300 US$. On the nearby road to the
Soussousvlej, motorcycles are only allowed to the first dune (Elim dune). From there are great views
of the desert and the red dunes at sunset and in the early morning. The roads to Sesriem are
sometimes sandy, the road from Sesriem to Soussousvlej is very sandy.
Duwisib castle:
An unexpected sight in the semi-desert, a castle in the middle of nowhere. Build by a German
duke around 1910 to breed horses, it was abandoned when the British-Southafrican forces overran
the colonial Schutztruppe in WW1. Now brilliantly restored by the Namibian state, its a small
museum. A nice, shady campground adds to the attractivity of this place. A nearby farm was
beeing converted into a guestfarm and a reataurant was planned in 1995.
Helmeringhausen:
Very small place, petrol is not available on Sunday and after 6pm.
Lüderitz:
The road from Ketmanshoop is fully paved and easy to travel, petrol is available in Goageb and
Aus. No facilities at Seeheim. Lüderitz is a nice town with an colonial athmosphere on a rocky bay
in the middle of the desert. Windy campground on Shark Island, beautiful location, great sunsets.
There is a good restaurant on Bismarck Street, moderatly expensive. Good selection at local
supermarkets. To visit the nearby ghost-town Kolmanskop a tour ticket is mandatory, tour starts
at 09.30 and 10.45h. There is no transportation from Lüderitz to Kolmanskop available.
Fish River Canyon:
Impressive sight, remined me of the Grand Canyon, without trees, mass-tourism and only one quarter
of its size. There is a nice campground at Hobas. The road to Ai Ais is bad, but passable.
AiAis:
Another unreal place. In the middle of the desert, a campground, a small hotel, a restaurant
a shop plus a big pool and a modern indoor spa. Don´t expect a refreshing bath in the pool,
the thermal water is hot. Most visitors arrive in the evening, after a long day
DRIVE ON
roads and leave the next morning.
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