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sub-Saharan Africa Topics specific to sub-Saharan Africa. (Includes all countries South of 17 degrees latitude)
Photo by Sean Howman, The Pamir highway in an unseasonably cold late October, Tajikistan

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Sean Howman,
The Pamir highway in an unseasonably
cold late October, Tajikistan



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  #16  
Old 11 Aug 2014
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OK, here's a possible itinerary

Some safety precautions:
Don't travel by night. Don't enter black townships like Khayelitsha or Mitchells Plain without a local guide. M/C travellers are not usually targets of muggers or hijackers, but in the more densely populated areas unnecessary stops along he main roads should be kept at a minimum.
At the accommodation make use of the cupboards. Don't let your stuff lie around in the room. Very often thieves go “fishing” for luggage with a hook. And once stolen, don't expect the police to help you. Consider it as a donation to Africa



But don't be put off by that. Southern Africa is a great country to visit. The people are mostly VERY friendly. A useful web site is the bikers' forum Wild Dog Adventure Riding - Index


My suggestion for a short trip:
  • Cape Town local: V&A Waterfront, City centre, Table Mountain
  • CT vicinity: Chapmans Peak Drive, Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, cruise along False Bay to Gordons Bay (good sea-food restaurant at the yacht harbour).
  • Travel north via Sir Lowry's Pass, Viljoens Pass, Franschhoek Pass, via Paarl (city centre), Wellington, Bains Kloof Pass to Tulbagh, a laid-back Karoo town with lovely Dutch-Cape architecture.
  • Route 62: One of the lovely routes through the Western Cape. From Tulbagh go for Worcester and carry on via Robertson, Kogmanskloof Pass, Montague, Barrydale. Turn south via Tradouws Pass towards Heidelberg, but turn left about 6 kms before Heidelberg, past Hessequa Hills Nature Reserve and carry on until you hit the R 323 just north of Riversdale. Turn north via Garcia Pass, Wapadskloof to Ladismith, where you get to the Route 62 again. Carry on to Calitzdorp via the Huisrivier Pass.
  • From Calitzdorp a beautiful day's tour would be through the Seweweeks Poort to the Gamkapoort dam. This is mostly gravel road, but if you reduce the tyre pressure you won't have any probs. No difficult terrain....
  • Same for the next part of the trip from Calitzdorp via Oudtshoorn to Prince Albert via the Swartberg Pass. This is one of the most scenic roads in SA, but again partly dirt road. So reduce the tyre pressure and proceed with confidence
  • Prince Albert is a very relaxed Karoo town with beautiful old architecture and good restaurants. A day-trip from here could be back up the Swartberg Pass and near the summit westwards, down to De Hel, a hidden settlement in the Gamkaskloof valley. Again, this is a dirt road, but the landscape is simply magnificent!
  • From Prince Albert ride westwards via Meiringspoort and then south-easterly via Uniondale, Uniondale Poort, Prince Alfred's Pass to Knysna, where you could explore the Garden Route back to Cape Town.
This should keep you busy for quite some time, and it takes you along some of the best roads in he Western Cape.



A useful web site for accommodation is Accommodation in South Africa - Where To Stay
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  #17  
Old 12 Aug 2014
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Hi scott
I agree with vaufi! Reduce it to south afrika... riding 400km a day is nice for a few days but not 3 weeks. I havent arived in sa yet so i can only talk about west afrika wich i know from a few travels. The nice thing in afrika, sometimes also annoying, is that time doesnt matter. So bring plenty of it and if you dont have short the travel. Chatting with people, at roadside foodstands, police or who ever. Tee ceremony, only muslim countrys, take fotos of all kind of funny things and just chillin... man its your holidays and not a fletch!! Enjoy!!!
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  #18  
Old 12 Aug 2014
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Ah yeah and come on, ebola is not an issue in whole afrika. Exept maybe Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Though i know people who were travelling thru all three countries a month ago. I was in northern Guinea two or three months after the outbrake...
I dont like the way media is treatening this case. Its a serious decease no doubt, but come on... not traveling afrika because of it, is juste ridiculous....
At least thats my opinion...
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  #19  
Old 12 Oct 2014
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Hi Guys, thank you so much for the information. My friend ended up pulling out of the Africa trip, so the plan for now is a three week tour of New Zealand. Quite different to what I was initially planning I know, but probably a good country to cut my teeth on, being my first international ADV tour.

Africa definitely remains on the cards though, I want to travel there above all else. I will keep the information that everyone has kindly supplied handy. Thank you.
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  #20  
Old 12 Oct 2014
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I've just completed a 2 week whizz around Lake Victoria.
Mostly paved roads, COMESA countries so borders, visas etc are a bit easier and friendly people.
I'd recommend it as a first foray into Africa (it has been my first Africa trip)
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  #21  
Old 12 Oct 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottC View Post
Hi Guys, thank you so much for the information. My friend ended up pulling out of the Africa trip, so the plan for now is a three week tour of New Zealand. Quite different to what I was initially planning I know, but probably a good country to cut my teeth on, being my first international ADV tour.

Africa definitely remains on the cards though, I want to travel there above all else. I will keep the information that everyone has kindly supplied handy. Thank you.
Hope you have good fun in NZ.
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  #22  
Old 14 Oct 2014
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Thanks guys. Pikestnt - I would LOVE to ride around Lake Victoria. Equatorial Africa looks like some of the most beautiful countryside on the whole continent. Do you have a ride report or blog?
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  #23  
Old 14 Oct 2014
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Erm... Yes I have but it's rather juvenile and really a cheap collection of f8rt gags rather than a helpful travelogue

Carry On Up The Um Bongo

Apologies if anyone is offended. It's not that bad... just infantile

As I say, I can recommend looping through TZ, Rwanda, Uganda and the Lake acts as a focal point. I wasn't much taken with Kenya but I'm at pains to point out that I probably just unlucky.

Pike
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  #24  
Old 14 Oct 2014
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I'm pretty infantile myself at times lol. Thanks mate, will check it out.
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