Southern Africa: Bike power to horse power

[tenderfoot]

I'm realy enjoying your report, you're showing me a number of must-do's for future reference.


It's just a matter of time before someone takes you to task regarding the "highest bungee jump", so I might just as well refer you to Wikipedia's entry on "bungee jump".

Originally Posted by slideways

Eastern Cape/ Sunshine
On the way to Knysna we came across the world's highest bungee jump, the Storms River/ Bloukrans Bridge, 116mtrs



More coming

[slideways]

On to Knysna, to visit with a good friend of mine. I had never been to knysna before but when I got there I fell in love with the place.





The Knysna heads, I am looking for some property in this area, what a view.



This is looking down from the top of the head in the previous picture.



Same location looking back towards Knysna.



There are many nice beaches surrounding Knysna great for surfing,kite boarding, fishing or just hanging out on the beach watching bikinis!

You must stop here for lunch at Keurboom Beach.



A nice bungaloo on the beach.



I went quad biking with my friends in the Knysna Forests what an awesome place to ride. Just be careful of the Baboons, they take no shit from humans!
We rode all day and I don't think we rode the same trail twice. I had never cared much for quads but my friends YZ450 was a blast to ride.



After three wonderful nights in Knysna it was back on the road for a 500K ride to Cape Town and it looked like it was going to be a wet ride all the way.
So I donned my Frog Tog and off we went.



We took the scenic route R62 to Oudtshoorn all the way to the Mother City.





Bikers paradise the R62.





We stopped in Ladismith for a bite to eat. Little did we know the roads behind us and in front of us were being shut down due to flash floods.



After lunch this is what we found less than a mile up the road.



The police had the road blocked and said we may have to wait awhile for the floods to subside.





After about an hours wait the Police said that the road was still underwater but we could probably make it through if we wanted to try.
So off we went.



The bike was sliding a lot in the mud but we made it.





We got passed the flooded area and came through this cool tunnel.



The base of Table Mountain with its "cloth" hanging over.



Riding up Signal Hill, with the city of Cape Town below.



A trip up Signal Hill is a must not only for the great views but it is a fun twisty road to ride.



There are great coastal roads hugging the ocean and rugged mountains.





Another lovely day in Africa comes to a close.



Our accommodation for the night in Camps Bay was fantastic.


A room with a view.



Lots to smile about, this place is beautiful!



We chartered a heli at the V&A Waterfront to get a better view. What the hell we are on vacation.



The view of the Waterclub and the 2010 World Cup Stadium in the back ground.



Next the wilds of Botswana.....

[slideways]

Ok a few more shots of Cape Town then off to Botswana to see some big game.

This is a shot of Camps Bay where I am staying now.



Flying along the Atlantic Seaboard



Heading towards False Bay



Start of the Erickson Round the World Sailboat Regatta.



Base 4 Helipad.



Our ride to Botswana



Once in Maun we hop on a Bush Plane for our flight to Camp Macatoo in the Okovango Delta.



After a flyby to check that the strip is clear we land on the camps dirt strip.



We say farewell to our pilot who says he will be back to get us in a week.



Our guide and vehicle waiting to take us to our camp.



We have not driven far when we run into a herd of Ellies.





Warthog



We were met with a Tswana greeting song when we arrived at camp.



Jo the stable manager brought out the new ride. Don't have to worry about any final drive or transmission failures here.



You can get close on horseback.



This Ellie was not amused at our close approach.





After 4 hours in the saddle we have to rough it and take our lunch in the bush.



More game in the afternoon.



Elephants are amazingly quiet they seem to appear and vanish in the blink of an eye.



We rode up on this fresh kill, once the horses got a whiff of the lions and the dead buffalo it was time to go.



We rode out to the kill the next day and the owners were there. Two male lions, they are the king of the jungle when they hunt in pairs, no animal is safe when they are on the hunt.



The I would eat you if I were hungry look!



Cooling the horses while checking the ponds for Hippo.



After an all day ride we reach our fly camp.



Complete with bucket shower.



The view from the tent.


Cantering across the flooded plains of the Delta





More lion kills.




A full grown giraffe was brought down by the same two lions shown earlier.


Another amazing day in Africa.


MMMMMMMMMM breakfast



Our Chef and guide. It was amazing how great the food was , everything was cooked over an open fire. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and friendly.


The pizza oven is a hollowed out termite mound.



Our tent at the main camp. Two nights in a row there was an elephant feeding right next to our tent. He even left us a present. Ellies shit big.No problem for the dung beetles they make it dissapear rikki tic.


All to soon our pilot is back to take us home. But first he must unload a Cessna crammed full of supplies for the camp.



A huge thank you to African Horseback Safaris and SAMA Motorcycle Tours for an AMAZING African experience.





Hope you enjoyed the ride

[slideways]

Originally Posted by tenderfoot

I'm realy enjoying your report, you're showing me a number of must-do's for future reference.


It's just a matter of time before someone takes you to task regarding the "highest bungee jump", so I might just as well refer you to Wikipedia's entry on "bungee jump".

I should have said highest bungee jump bridge. That is how they advertise it.

[Cloud9]

Great report and photos. Thanks for the rides!

[space monkey]

very nice RR and well documented ,
i always knew SA was a great country

[lunachick]

Awesome trip report and fotos - finally! Thanks for sending me the link by the way ;) Camps Bay looks gorgeous!

K&P are up in BC with the bus and 2 of their motos, I think they're flying back down to Cali next month at some point and riding the 650's up the coast. They are really keen to ride with you guys, maybe you can even get Ken Norie out. Jarett has a dirt bike now, I think it's a CR250.

ciao, L

[supercub]

WOW, cool report and great pics

[rustynutz]

Ah yes, sometimes being a South African makes me feel quite smug

[crispy bacon]

thanks, always nice to see your own country through a foreigners eyes

[RockerC]

Very well put fwd,I guess you'll cherish the memories of theis ride for a long time.

Thanks for sharing!

[slideways]

Thank you for all the nice comments. South Africa is a wonderful country and for all you people living in the states it is easy to get there. Delta has added a direct flight to Cape Town out of Atlanta . (with a fuel stop in Dakar).

[freeflow]

wow, how did I miss this one? great report....

I've heard you. "must visit Africa". loud and clear. added to the list.

[slideways]

Originally Posted by freeflow

wow, how did I miss this one? great report....

I've heard you. "must visit Africa". loud and clear. added to the list.

Thanks FREEFLOW.

[Thorne]

Awesome RR.............