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3 May 2012
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African game parks on a motorcycle
Hello all.
I'm living in Italy and scheming a 6 month trip to southern Africa. I've been there 20 years ago, Namibia by rental car, Botswana to Kenya on an overland trip, uganda by public transport.
I want to return (with or without my dear wife) to make the run Tunisia (easy by ferry from Genoa) to SA.
What is the story on visiting game parks in TZ and Kenya and Botswana on a motorcycle? Is it impossible in all parks that have cats and elephants and hippos?
We are just back from 3 weeks in Morocco, what a fabulous country for off road riding. 1500 euros for 2 of us for 3 weeks, 2/3 hotels, 1/3 camping, 4000 km.
Ciao
Jim
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3 May 2012
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Hi,
You can enter the Micumi National Park in Tansania on the way to Malawi with a motorbike scince the main road is crossing it. There i saw many Elephantes, Girafes and other animales and on the road i saw the sign beware of hippos...
Transafrika - Motorbike travel tour through africa part 1
Greetings, Tobi
Last edited by ta-rider; 4 May 2012 at 14:50.
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3 May 2012
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wildlife, pests we call them.
You can ride a bicycle in hells gate national park Kenya as there isn't anthing that will harm you. If the park has cats it's probably best not to ride a bike in them. Cats like to chase things. Elephants aren't so bad, you will see them on the road south of Dar a salaam on your way to Malawi and again around vic falls. Hippos kill loads of people ever year mostly in the water during the day but a few people are killed at night on land when they get between mom and baby hippo. Plus its body expensive to take a foreign registered vehicle into tz and Kenya nt parks.
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Compass expeditions adventure motorcycle tours
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4 May 2012
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So what do us moto riders do to see lots of wildlife, park it somewhere and join a safari tour? for a few days or a week?
how much are the vehicle entry costs? I've seen figures like 10$ pp/day in the TZ parks.
thanks!
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4 May 2012
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Hi,
Well Ngorogoro and Serengeti in Kenya would have been US$ 100 each pp + renting a vehicle thats why i did not go there.
Kruger National Park in Southafrica was really cheap. People who saw me with the strange german numberplate invited me to hop in there car so i parked my bike outside and just payed the local southafrican entrance with was US$4 per day or so. Tourists pay about 10 times as much but its still ok. To enter Molof Park close by was even free and there where lots of Girafes and Zebras running around as well:
http://www.adventure-travel-experien...=en_expedition
Greetings, Tobi
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4 May 2012
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Roberts Camp, Northern Kenya is a very nice place to stay.
robertscamp.com
Plenty of hippos to see and they'll wander around your tent at night munching the grass. Take something to record the sound of it in your tent. (I didn't - pity).
Also in the day sometimes, getting close to the back end of my parked bike:
You can ride through Mikumi park in Tanzania, but maybe ask locally when's the best time to see the most. I rode through and saw a crowd of elephants. Went again the next day and there were none to see. Always giraffe and zebra close to the road though.
The Nairobi to Mombasa road goes through a park and there's sometimes wildlife to see from the road. One huge elephant when we went through.
I found that wildlife ignores traffic tearing along the roads, but as soon as you stop on your bike it mostly scarpers. Best way I found is to slow right down immediately on seeing something ahead, but keep moving. Then if there's something on the side of the road you can blend in with, trees, (or a bridge parapet worked well once) stop gently and wait a while before getting off.
Somewhere on the HUBB I've read about a campsite in Zambia (Eastern Zambia I think) where elephants regularly wander through.
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8 Jun 2012
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Riding a motorcycle in nearly all game parks is not allowed... "no pikipiki" you will be told. I have ridden across the Skeleton Coast and also through South Luangwa game park on my KTM.. but those were exceptional circumstances. No chance in Kenya or Tanzania.
As for animals.. whilst the game parks concentrate the animals for conservation ... you WILL see every type of animal OUTSIDE the parks (maybe not rhino or wild dog as they are rare) but do not be mistaken that elephants, lions and hyenas know the boundaries of the Msai Mara or Serengeti they do not and you can ride through the masai villages and trails and maybe see them. You will almost certainly see lots of elephants. There are some places that are not classified as game parks such as Lake Charla in Tanzania which are full of game and beautiful.
Enjoy.... you'll love it
R
Rupert & Fanny's Big Bike Trip | South Africa and the world on KTM 990 Adventures
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimosse
Hello all.
I'm living in Italy and scheming a 6 month trip to southern Africa. I've been there 20 years ago, Namibia by rental car, Botswana to Kenya on an overland trip, uganda by public transport.
I want to return (with or without my dear wife) to make the run Tunisia (easy by ferry from Genoa) to SA.
What is the story on visiting game parks in TZ and Kenya and Botswana on a motorcycle? Is it impossible in all parks that have cats and elephants and hippos?
We are just back from 3 weeks in Morocco, what a fabulous country for off road riding. 1500 euros for 2 of us for 3 weeks, 2/3 hotels, 1/3 camping, 4000 km.
Ciao
Jim
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12 Jun 2012
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Games parks and carnets
Thanks all for these encouraging words; as i fret with bike prep and impending paperwork issues; the animals are, in part why I'm going, having gone there 20 years ago in 4 wheeled transport with motorcycling just a distant dream
So what about Carnets; that is my next hassle, the CAA for us Yanks is our only option. Is it required for a run down the east coast, Tunisia to Capetown?
What is the #1 place you enjoyed?
What is the #1 thing you wish you'd brought?
Jim
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13 Jun 2012
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Carnet is required for South Africa. (and a lot of other countries too!)
Just came out of Botswana.
- Chobe NP you are not allowed through with a bike, although you will crossi t for about 90 km's on the north driving from Kasane to Namibia.
- Moremi NP you may not enter with a bike, but you can drive about 50km's into the park to the south entrance. You will (and are allowed) to pass the Veterenary gate, then drive these 50k's to the entrance, where you cannot proceed. The animals don't pay entrance tickets though, so you will see some elephants, giraffes, zebra's etc.
With a guided tour (12 hour day tour) will cost you anywhere from 90-120USD per person, depending on the amount of people.
Flight with a Cessna over the delta can be done for <600Pula, about 85USD per person if you can fill up a 3/5/7 seater airplane.
Top tip: drive over the Ntwetwe Salt pan, really nice unpaved track of 160 km's long. Just go south from Gweta.
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24 Oct 2012
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Nah, no animals to be seen in Africa.
Chobe transit route, Botswana:
On a previous trip we dumped the bike at the guesthouse near Kruger we'd been using and then picked up a 4x4 to get to the lodge we were staying in for the next two nights. Lots of lions around, I was quite happy to be in a car for once. Expensive to have two vehicles on hire, but by gum it was worth it!
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9 Feb 2015
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No need for carnet in Africa,go to Chobe Np,Botswana
Quote:
Originally Posted by dstehouwer
Carnet is required for South Africa. (and a lot of other countries too!)
Just came out of Botswana.
- Chobe NP you are not allowed through with a bike, although you will crossi t for about 90 km's on the north driving from Kasane to Namibia.
- Moremi NP you may not enter with a bike, but you can drive about 50km's into the park to the south entrance. You will (and are allowed) to pass the Veterenary gate, then drive these 50k's to the entrance, where you cannot proceed. The animals don't pay entrance tickets though, so you will see some elephants, giraffes, zebra's etc.
With a guided tour (12 hour day tour) will cost you anywhere from 90-120USD per person, depending on the amount of people.
Flight with a Cessna over the delta can be done for <600Pula, about 85USD per person if you can fill up a 3/5/7 seater airplane.
Top tip: drive over the Ntwetwe Salt pan, really nice unpaved track of 160 km's long. Just go south from Gweta.
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Carnet,I didnt have one.They will ask you for it,custom like to use stamp.
I rode from Poland to Cape Town west coast and east coast back to Poland
Inc Egypt with out carnet back in 2012.
I do recommend chobe park in kasane,Botswana,you will see all the animals as they come and drink from the river, I was very lucky to go on boat and safari with very friendly priest from Poland who is running the only Catholic Church there for over25 years,I was able to camp on church property.I spend aprox $20usd for boat ride + 25 for safari,father had pick up truck with some other friends and there was room for me.
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10 Feb 2015
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You're no safer in a jeep than on a motorcycle. Most of the vehicles they use are all open top.
Of course on a tour, you've probably got a park guide with a tranquiliser gun there to protect you.
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4 Feb 2015
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Anyone have recent experiences riding INSIDE game park boundaries? Or in animal conservatories? I know you can often see them if you ride around the edges but... officially inside?
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4 Feb 2015
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Only one I found I could ride through on the bike was between Das Es Salam and Iringa in Tanzania. That was 12 months ago though, Public road so always open.
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