Africa Friendship Safari '09

“Nag ou Grote” (Good Night Chap). These words sparked us into a laughing frenzy as we could see this was clearly going to be the last one for the night. We had been fishing and snorkeling all day while not leaving the cold ones far behind. Some of us had dived into the white caned stuff along with some Fanta passion, but as Roger Federer clinched his Wimbledon title, our barman ran out of clean classed and poured the last double into one of those small goblet glasses. This along with the ice left very little space for some passion and would clearly strike the final blow to an already fairly unstable person. As we say in Afrikaans: This would be a “sitter”. As per usual I am getting ahead of my story, so let me start at the beginning.

Sat 27 Jun 09, a date long anticipated eventually arrived and marked the start of the AFS. During the planning phase we sat down and deliberated a name for our trip and after must discussions it was decided top stick to the name Africa Friendship Safari, as this was the name I used for previous trips that ventured into southern Africa and seeing that I organized those trips I had no objections against us using the name here. After all we were friends, we were making new friends and life was sweet.

The four of us fltr: Antonie, Excalibur, Basil and Leo


Harties dam was smoking from the early morning cold


Excalibur in full flight


Basil in full flight


..and Antonie in full flight


We met at a very cold Engen in Harties at 7 AM, during my ride to Harties I saw -4.5 twice on the trip computer. Yes Africa is not for sissies but fortunately we were dressed to withstand the extreme cold – at least some of us, other were riding with GS gloves, but thanks for heated grips. From Harties our route took us NW towards the Martins Drift border post and although conditions were slightly warmer the temperature never got above 9 degrees during the entire day. Our destination for the day was the Tati River Lodge in Francistown, but if we made good progress we were going to push it to the Elephant Rock Lodge near Nata. Unfortunately several Suff Africans were also heading for Botswana and we spend the best part of two hours trying to get thought the officialdom before we finally could celebrate being out of SA with a cold one at the Kwanokeng Lodge.

As with all trips the first night is generally a night where you go big or you go home and we certainly upheld the tradition. Fillet steak in Botswana costs 45 pula per kilo, way to expensive for the locals, hence most butcheries have ample supplies of this delicacy and we went so overboard with the fillet we had to have some for breakfast the following morning.

Fillet for supper


Certainly the spirit of being on an African Adventure had gotten hold of us and although we were nursing slight flue symptoms from the B&C, our spirits were unstoppable. From Nata the road, or at least the black stripe indicated on the GPS as a road vaguely resembled the tarred version we know here in South Africa and our progress was slow to put it mildly. We had about 300 km’s to cover and my initial thought that this was going to be boring soon changed into “Are we ever going to get through this”.

An X3 with no spare wheel



…what do you do, you continue till the tyre disintegrates, then continue on the rim, till the rim is so worn out, the shock mounting touches the ground, then you STOP, 150 km’s from the nearest town and elephants all around


Getting rid of thermal underwear in Nata


Interesting pedestrians



After about 150 km’s of constant dodging in and out, around and through potholes the road finally became a bit better but then the huge piles of elephant dung indicated that we were in for even more surprises. Mother nature did not disappoint and we passed at least 36 elephants either as lone bulls or as herds before we eventually arrived at the Kazangulu ferry crossing in Kasane.

Pick your line – yea we also thought to the left on the gravel was best


Basil tempting fate – seconds later this elephant mock charged, leaving Basil scurrying for the accelerator


Breakfast in a very cold Francistown


It was Leopoard cold – there was just a disturbance in the grass


Km after km of trucks lines the road to the ferry where according to truckers they sometimes spend up to 3 days just to get across the Zambezi. Bikes are showed to the front of the queue and as they are fitted on the side of the ferry were cars cannot go, the initial unhappiness of the cagers soon makes way for friendliness once they notice we are not jumping the queue.

Rows of trucks waiting to cross the Zambezi


Excalibur on the Zambezi


Our spirits soon took a tumble as we were send from pillar to post, one office to the next, pay this and pay that and eventually after 3.5 hours we were finally cleared to leave the border post. Less than an hour later our tents were erected in the Waterfront Campsite and we were ready to hit the town.

Our first cold Mozi for the night


Livingstone has undergone major changes since my last visit and the regular SA fast food chains all have franchises in town. We opted to treat ourselves to the local Ocean Basket, seated on the veranda pouring B from our gifkanne while Sipho was trying to figure out how the lot of us were getting pissed from drinking just coke.

Monday morning we visited the Vic falls and spend all morning doing the touristy thing and also visiting the Royal Livingstone Hotel.

Elephants just before the Vic falls


The four of us with the “Smoke that Thunders” in the back ground


One of the 7th Wonders of the World


Really worth a visit even though a beer costs close to R60, friendly staff and done in the best colonial style I have seen in a long time.

The Royal Livingstone


Enjoying a cold but expensive Mosi against a spectacular backdrop


…….more Livingstone


……where everybody is dressed to kill, except the visiting bikers


At U$1000 per tot, the barman has only sold three tots in the life of the hotel, one to Arnold Swartsenegger (sp)



While having a bite for lunch we decided to put the rest of the day to good use, let’s hit the road and make up for future rests days along Lake Malawi or the Mozambican coast, so by 2 pm our goods were packed and we hit the road. Of course we learnt a valuable lesson – our symptoms were not yet focused on bewaring the wildlife, so while we were visiting the falls our campsite was raided by a troop of baboons who had somehow managed to eat all the sugar from the plastic container with special clips to prevent it from opening in a pannier and Antonie’s head lamp, which was in pieces and some missing. We would be more cautious in future.

Roads was generally in a good condition at the start with road works happening



I did a quick calculation and realised with some luck we could cover the best part of 300 km’s before the end of day and located the Moorings Campsite about 50 km’s before Mazabuka, which would give us a nice head start for the next day. We made the site with daylight to spare. The owner is very strict on foot and mouth control – our bikes were sprayed, we had to step in that special bath and had to wash our hands in that special muti. First time I had to do all that.

The SA Spar in Choma


Our bikes being sprayed for foot & mouth


The campsite was filled with several tents and we thought we were in for a pleasant night chatting to fellow travellers, but it soon turned out this group of about 20 Yank women were all out on safari and were only returning the next night. Maybe a blessing in disguise. The place was really sorted - ice, cold coke, hot water and good firewood - all a weary traveller might want.

While passing through Choma I saw a Spar, yes exactly like the local version with all the regular SA products listed, bought some steak, replenished the sugar and tea so we were sorted for the night. The steak was not as tender as back home, maybe the braaier was too intoxicated, but the campsite was quiet and we all woke the next morning with swollen eyes from a good night sleep in fresh air. By 11am we were in Lusaka gulping down a Debonairs pizza, hell life was tough in Africa. Honey had somehow blown her headlamp, maybe a pothole or 2000 had taken it’s toll, so this was the right town to get a new one if anywhere else in Africa.

Debonairs in Lusaka


Yet another Police road block. Here we were warned about reckless Zambian drivers


Some evidence of their recklessness


When we got to the Luangwa river, Basil was so pleased he dropped his bike


Our destination for the night was the Flat Dogs campsite which appealed to me because all the campsites were wooden platforms high up in trees to keep you out of harms way of elephants and hippos’. We were heading north on a dirt road from Petauke but our progress was too slow - after 5 pm we finally reached the town of Ukwimi. We still had some 120 km to go with the condition of the road seriously deteriorating and the night fast approaching.

The road past Ukwimi taking it’s toll


After the second rider took a tumble in the sand I decided this was not going to work, if someone would fall and break a bone, the nearest help would be very difficult to find, so we headed back towards Ukwimi. Here a flaunt English speaking gentleman by the name of Ruben offered to host us for the night at his house so we settled in amongst a sea of spectators while they “ooh”ed and “aah”ed at every tent that were erected, or a mattress that was blown up or whatever. The local little shack shop didn’t sell coke – it was too expensive for the locals, so we settled for the night with a crate of lemonade and brandy with no ice. Excalibur cooked some of our emergency rations and we had a feast.

Our supper for the night


Our campsite in Ruben’s backyard


That night Ruben and his co-worker strongly advised us against following the road further north as the wildlife became more abundant from the town of Nyamuluma to Mfuwe - if we were stuck in thick sand and an angry elephant bull with a sore tooth were to get hold of us, we would regret our decision. This advice along with the fact that Flat Dogs closed for camping from 1st July (the next day) forced us to alter our planned route. Between July and October camping is not allowed – it’s the dry season and there are too many animals roaming the campsite so we would have to stay in the rather expensive luxury tented accommodation. This placed us a full day ahead of schedule but we would put that to good use somewhere along Lake Malawi or the Moz coast.

At 75c per bottle I had to buy all his stock, to ensure we didn’t run dry on Lemonade and rum/brandy for the night


Ruben and his colleague entertaining us


Nice road from Ukwimi to Chipata


Leaving Chipata after lunch


On a bridge somewhere

Our hosts for the night put us on another delightful little track that would lead us to Chipata which is the SE border town into Malawi. As fuel were very expensive in Malawi we opted to travel north on the Zambian side of the border where petrol is slightly cheaper, but this decision was regretted later that day. From Chipata to Lundazi the road was in a terrible state. Raubex, the Freestate company is starting work on this road but we spend km after km dodging endless potholes and oncoming traffic that has little to no respect for fellow road users. Earlier the day at a Police roadblock we were advised to be cautious of fellow Zambian drivers as they are notoriously dangerous drivers.

Potholes don’t come much bigger than this


Late afternoon saw us arriving at the border post into Malawi at the little town of Mqocha only to discover that Excalibur’s and Basil’s passports were never stamped when they entered Zambia. They were illegal immigrants and the asking price to allow them out of the country was U$400. After much deliberation the price dropped to U$50 per person and we eventually got going again. The road was red powder dust – terrible to ride and with fading light I was convinced we would spend another night in a local village. The guys hanged in there and with the last sun raise giving way to total darkness we finally hit the tarred M1 route that runs from LiLongwe to Msuzu. I had promised the guys we would not travel at night, but we were in the middle of nowhere, so we decided to continue.

Entering Malawi after buying our way out of Zambia


The delightful road from the border to Msuzu


Basil sporting his dust make-up


The road we followed from the border was rather dusty


Fuel for Excalibur’s bike being siphoned from Honey


About 30 km’s short of Msuzu, Excalibur’s 1200 grinded to a spluttering halt. Take note from the moment your trip computers says your range is zero you can still cover an additional 32 km’s before it finally calls it quits. We had 3 adventures, so in no time we siphoned fuel from the petrol bunkers into his bike and we got going again. We rolled into Msuzu at around 8pm but decided after filling with fuel to continue the odd 60 km’s to Nkata bay – our planned destination. So after about 350 km’s and about 15 hours in the saddle we rolled into Nkata Bay- late night but happy that we were all safe and sound.

Our first Carlsberg Green at the Njaya Lodge, Nkata Bay, Lake Malawi


Fortunately the kitchen was still open so we settled for some chicken and salad – really first class


The next day saw us exploring Nkata Bay while fishing, snorkelling, drinking lotsa cold ones and having a helluva relaxing rest day. Man those Carlsberg Green’s are absolutely delightful tasting! Make you fart like a hippo but really nice. To top it all I also managed to catch the first fish with Basil’s brand new rod – something that didn’t go down too well it seemed, especially since he was giving it his best try for about 2 hours and I managed to pull out a smallish Chambo with my 8th cast. We also used the opportunity to put the local artist Juma through his paces and had paintings done on our bikes and panniers of Lake Malawi scenes. Really a talented chap and we all went to bed very pissed and happy with the art work he had delivered on our pride and joy!

Washing off the dust from the previous day


Happiness all around

Lunch


What a spectacular place – Njaya lodge, Nkata Bay, Lake Malawi


..more


Keeping them green ones cold


I have been threatening for year to go and show my mate this place, what a privilege


Happiness all around


Juma starting his masterpiece on my pannier


…….and the final product


The staff from Njaya, John in the white and Dixon in Blue


Honey sporting her latest masterpiece

Senga bay was our next destination and the ride down the shores of Lake Malawi was uneventful albeit very scenic. I was using the latest edition of tracks4africa and as I approached the town of Nkotakota I saw an indicated bakery where we stopped for lunch and also noticed the Livingstone tree as a waypoint. Both spots were well worth the visit even though we were totally swamped by locals when we stopped at the Livingstone tree. The tree was planted to commemorate the spot used by Dr Livingstone as a camping site during his return visit to the lake back in 1863. A few photo’s and some video clips later and we got going again.

The road south from Nkata Bay runs through a rubber plantation


This smoke is actually Lake flies. The locals catch them and form them in a cake like shape. Some says it tastes like fish, other reckon it tastes like banana. Sorry I can’t tell


Africa’s main mode of transport


Lunch break


The Livingstone tree in Nkotokotha


All this riding gave Excalibur lover balls


In Senga bay the wind was pumping but even thought the waves were good for body surfing we weren’t prepared to face the chill when stepping out the water into the wind. Excalibur cooked us another splendid meal from our emergency rations before we hit the sack to sleep in a tent that was constantly shaking under the gushing winds. We all agreed that even though it was a beautiful site, the wind was sort of ruining it for us all.

View from your tent in Senga Bay


Group Photo in Senga bay




From here we headed further south around the bottom of the Lake towards Monkey bay where we eventually settled into the Fat Monkey’s camp site. If we wanted to pitch our tents any closer to the lake we would have to erect them in the water – man life was sweet and the view even better. The site was packed with fellow travellers from all over – most notably a group of 4 your Isreali’s who had just completed their military service. They flew to SA, bought a Land Rover, yea I know it’s a k@k choice, but were travelling southern Africa for the next 9 months. The rest day was put to good use as we went on a Tiger fishing trip, yes I also didn’t know there was Tiger in Lake Malawi, but I was given proof, so we opted for it. Our day started at 05:30 when we left for Thumbi Island, Excalibur was not the fishing kind, so he stayed at the camp site checked out the girls and explored town. After 20 minutes and no bite, “Jackson” who was our fishing guide directed us to another spot on the opposite side of the island, where we also had no luck. The technique used by the locals is to drop the bait to the bottom of the lake – we used over 120 metres of line, but it was seemingly not our day. “Jackson” in the meantime was throwing out a piece of line with only a hook and bait, and in no time the fish was taking bait. Needles to say I managed to pull out two fish on my first try, one a fairly sizeable one I might add and by the time we returned to camp (11 am) we had landed 43 fish between the three of us. I guess in golfing terms you could say I was a ringer, but I was surely having lotsa beginners luck.

Toy’s R Us, just south of Monkey Bay


Stanley is really a talented crafter


Next up was a snorkelling trip and a local luncheon arranged by Excalibur which was meant to happen at 12 noon. “Steady” was our next guide and while we explored the wonder of the Lake Malawi water life, “Steady” and “Getting There” prepared a sumptuous meal of rice, local potato and fish. Afterwards we were trying to mention all the different colours and species of fish we saw, but it was just impossible. We also managed to do some washing as our riding suites were showing some serious stains from all the dust and insects and sweat. Really a fruit full day.

Panniers make for an excellent single tub washing machine


Some of our catch


Not huge, but better than nothing


Cape McClear from the lake


Fat Monkeys, or Cape McLear if you wish, has to be one of the MUST visit spots when visiting Malawi. The place was really a treat and all the stress of the office and life back at Jo’burg gets pushed to the very back of one’s mind. To top it all Fat Monkeys is also good at making pizza’s so while Roger Federer was busy winning Wimbledon for the umpteenth time, we were enjoying splendid Mexican pizzas along with several cold ones after what can only be described as a splendid day.

Any closer and our tents would have to stand in the water


Sunset on Lake Malawi


Excalibur made friends with Mike, who was dating a 58 year old Dutch girl


Our main muff snorkeler


Do not use this spot as a toilet


The water life of the lake as can be seem from above


“Steady” cooking our food


On one of my regular 2am pee sessions I caught the full moon on the lake


the harbour at Monkey Bay

As with all things in life, the good has got to come to an end sooner or later, so it was with a sad state of mind we packed our bikes the next day and pointed our bikes south towards Mozambique. The fellow Suff Africans advised us to cross in Mozambique at the Dedza border post as it was very quiet and the road from there down south to Tete was wide with a broad shoulder and mostly important of all – free from potholes. Petrol was also cheaper in Moz. At the border post the Mozambican officials asked us if we would pose for a photo with them – really a first for me. Very friendly and efficient, and within 30 min’s we were heading south in Mozambique.

Friendly border officials


Just into Mozambique


The bridge in Tete over the Zambezi


As you past the border post the sign posts announced Tete 268 km’s and Maputo is about another 1111 km’s from Chimoio– not for the faint hearted. As promised by the fellow countrymen at Fat Monkey’s the road was good and before you could say Tete we were sitting down in Tete having – yes you’ve guessed it another pizza, but not before Excalibur’s bike ran dry again and he had to buy on the black market at double the price.

Buying petrol on the black market at double the price


More lunch


To top it all the bastard security guard at a local service station was giving Antonie and me shit for not filling our bikes at the “bike” pump, I still can not distinguish between the bike and car pumps, but let’s leave it at that, so after several words of wisdom we decided fcuk him and headed for another filling station. Antonie’s moermeter was in the red and he never filled his bike. Needles to say about 24 km’s from Chimoio he also spluttered to a fuel-less halt, so I opted to tow him instead of siphoning fuel. Take notice – a 1200 Adventure can cover an additional 52 km’s after the trip computer has announced the range as zero and then it will take 37.98 litres to fill. The road to Chimoio is in a terrible state, at one pothole a pickup had managed to loose it’s left rear wheel. I have no doubt in my mind that should a bike hit that hole it would stop dead in it’s tracks and the rider would cartwheel of the bike. It was night when we went past it, on a bend so sorry no photo’s. We had covered close to 800 km’s and by the time we booked into the Pink Papaya, it was dark and we were hungry. After filling our bikes and the bastard attendant spilling fuel all over our bikes, only to announce he had no change, we were in a foul mood and needed a cold beer soon. No camping allowed forced us to the dormitory room, to be shared with a petite little pommy girl called “Tollie”. She was in for a pleasant surprise, poor thing. After supper and a few cold ones at a local restaurant we set about snoring the place to pieces while she lay awake trying to think of words that would best describe the noise generated by these four middle ages SA men. The next morning she was willing to pose for a photo with us, but had decided to spend another day at the pink Papaya to “rest”. Can just imagine her report when she get’s back to her parents in pommy land.

No Paradiso rum in Chimoio


Our beds at the Pink Papaya


.and this girl who shared our room


Once you turn south from Chimoio, this sign greets you


Mozambique also likes to grown them big in their country


Vilanculous and the seafood were beckoning and my fellow travellers didn’t disappoint. By 4 pm our tents were up, we had bought 6 bottles of Paradiso rum (go big or go home) along with raspberry, 3 kg of calamari and 4 kg Kingfish and some gelo (ice). The sun was still up when the first body was laid to rest and by the time we hit the sack he had 2 companions. Our neighbouring campers were an elderly UK couple who has sold everything and was touring Africa in a Range Rover they had bought in Cape Town about 9 mths ago. They must have thought the average white, middle aged SA man has got a serious drinking problem as they sat in front of their tent in total darkness listening to us cavorting.

Boabab Beach resort in Vilanculous


View from the campsite


Antonie fetching some charcoal


Not for the faint hearted


First night calamari & kingfish for supper


Almost ready


Early morning and the tongues were already red from R&R


Preparing some of the 16kg of prawns


Eat to your hearts delight


Buying more raspberry


More shopping in Vilanculous


More prawns for supper


Our UK neighbours


The next day we found a better gelo shop, replenished the raspberry that was depleted the night before and I found a prawn seller who was willing to part with 16kg of large prawns at R30 per kilo. I convinced a local to clean the prawns for us for an additional R30 so for lunch we ate ourselves silly on prawns. There was some left for supper, but to be safe I got us another fish just as a backup.

That night the UK couple decided “If you can’t beat them, join them”. Herbert soon fell to the first R&R and Anna happily joined in. We listened to all their stories of visiting the mountain gorilla’s, and other amazing adventures and they were certainly enjoying our conversation. At one stage Anna was laughing out load on slipped a fart that was so load it put me to shame – awesome performance a connoisseur would say!

Well we saw them the next morning when they rose at around 11am, and if I recall correctly they looked a lot healthier the previous day - must have been the few drops of rain that fell during the night that caused them to have a bad night sleep.

Inhambane as seen from Maxixe


Our holiday was roller coasting towards it end, so we had to hit the road south. Tofu was calling. Not much to report on the route, we stuck religiously to the speed limit and arrived at Bamboozi ready for the next round of R&R’s. Unfortunately Bamboozi didn’t allow camping any longer, a good thing as we were greeted by the most unfriendly staff I have encountered in recent memory, so we headed to another spot. We ended up hiring a chalet for the lot of us, right on the beach front, and in no time we had a case of raspberry, coke, some rum, gelo, kingfish and Tiger prawns at R70 per kilo for supper. Life is great when all plans just come together and by now we were all well trained in who had to get what for the night. In the chalet next to us were two Dutch chaps drinking on half a bottle of Amarula. We expressed our condolences at their stupidity, and after giving them a taste of my B&C they sped off to the market to get themselves some Sir Richelieu and coke. We became best of friends over a few drinks they had never drunk before, but sure as hell was appreciating. I don’t think they quite understood Excalibur when he asked them: “Al lekker meid ghenaaiden? We cooked our food, ate ourselves to Bushmen levels and eventually stumbled to bed to snore ourselves into dreamland.

Tofu


From our chalet


This is 2kg of Tiger prawns cleaned


………and Kingfish


After Tofu the shores of Bilene was beckoning, definitely one of my top holiday destinations. We always camp at the Complexa Palmeiras and as we pulled into site “Las Vegas” was immediately at hand with pieces of bricks to put under our side stands in the sand. He has been our bat man since my very first visit back in 2000 and to this day I trust him to serve us to the absolute best of his ability. While we erected our tents, he sped off to get a case of mixed raspberry/coke, gelo and charcoal and before our tents were up we were already hearing the clinging of gelo in our glasses. As we were fairly weary from travelling two days straight in a row, we opted to treat ourselves in the local restaurant; it would just be easier as we were planning on leaving early for SA the next morning. After supper we made a fire and stared into the fire while gently sipping our drinks. The campsite was fairly booked and our nextdoor neighbours, two young chaps were reasonably loud – we were in the mood to listen to the silence, but they wanted to listen to Lady Gaga. I knew we would get our revenge when they went to bed and tried to sleep, as our snoring would have kicked in by that time. My obligatory pee at 2 am confirmed the fact that they were battling to sleep as my friends and I were in top notch and our snoring was keeping them awake. Nothing as sweet as payback.

Bilene and the Complexa Palmeiras


The road over Moamba


By 6:30 am we were packed, Las Vegas was at his post so we gave him the crate of empty’s of which he would get the deposit back and paid him some money for his friendliness and helpfulness along with some leftover food. He was happy, we were on our way and by 7am we pulled out of town after filling up. The gravel road past Moamba was in the worst condition I have ever seen, but turning back was not an option, so we pushed on. Later a section of the road was graded and we pushed harder, and by 9:30 am we were standing at the Namaacha border post ready to enter Swaziland. Bazil had picked up a slow puncture, our first trouble of the trip, but we sorted that in double quick time which placed us in Nando’s in Manzini at 1pm. Over lunch Excalibur mentioned that we should show Basil and Antonie the road over Bulembu, really a great route and definitely the cleanest border post I have ever crossed in SA, plan accepted. After crossing we turned off to Badplaas and by 4pm we stood at the gates of the resort booking ourselves a chalet. It was terribly cold, and we were in no mood to spend the night in an icy tent, so we opted for the 4 beds chalet. Unsuspecting bathers sat with us in the warm baths while the weeks dirt and dust and grime was slowly washed off our bodies, while outside it was surely minus temperatures.

A game park in Swaziland


Towards Bolembu border post


View from Bolembu border post high into the mountains


…also called Josephsdal on the SA side


Down towards Badplaas


Bolembu


Our last braai for the trip was like all others – lotsa wood, a rusted grid on a skew braaier, enough coke, ice and whatever, but by 10pm after eating ourselves to a standstill we were all in the sack and truly tired. Sunday lunchtime we were at home, glad that the trip went down so smooth and with no real incidents. All was safe and our loved ones happy to see us back.

Last braai in very cold Badplaas


Nect morning on the way home Honey hit 100 000 km;s


Happy rider and bike


Last stop before home – Ultra City, Middelburg/Witbank


Thanks to my mates who joined, you each have your own unique attribute that makes you invaluable on a trip like this. Thanks for all the laughter’s, and jokes and sh!t talking. I had an absolute blast of a time.

Herewith a few statistics of the trip:

Total distance covered: 6243 km’s

Fuel consumed: ± 373.33 litres

Cost of fuel: R3215 (exchange rate not fixed)

Expenses:

Crossing into Botswana: 100 Pula for road taxes (1 Pula = R1.15)

Fuel = R5.66 per litre

Crossing into Zambia: R1 = Zambian Kwacha (ZK) 658 / U$1 = ZK5000

Ferry man U$5.00

Carbon Tax ZK: 50 000

Community Tax: ZK 10 000

Insurance: ZK 1 125 000

Fuel = ZK6216 per litre

Crossing into Malawi R1 = Malawian Kwacha (MK) 20 / U$1 = 174MK

Insurance MK 1000

Fuel = MK 204 per litre

Crossing into Mozambique R1 = 3.5 Meticals / U$1 = 29 Mets

Insurance R80

TIP R50

Fuel = 24 Mets per litre

Camping was on average R80 per night

Food is readily available in most towns, depending on how fuzzy you are.

R8000 should be more than enough for a trip like this, depends how many colds ones you enjoy and how many tourist activities you want to enjoy! They are generally charged in USD and fairly expensive eg: to Bungee at Vic Falls cast 105 Euro.

Wow Leon - nice to see the story behind the story! What great memories these are

So when are you writing a book???

Fantastic trip Leo. What a story to read.

Amazing !
Awesome !
You really need to document a trip like this. A book is a great idea.
How about a presentation at the Noggin ?
This would inspire anyone to go touring !

Welcome home.

Brilliant Leo and friends, as usual your awesome ride reports don't dissapoint!!

Thank you very much for sharing! I might just get fired seeing that I have not started working this morning due to reading this absolute amazing trip report! I liked the painting on the pannier.. what a great idea! Thanks again Leon!!!!

Thanks for sharing your African Safari Leon!
You are GS'ers of note and great to have a(nother) formidable writer and story teller in our midst!

FANATASTIC READ! Hard to work with posts like these...