29 March - 09 April 2018 Botswana Explorer's Route - Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)
Post by offroadbiker » 16 Jan 2018 14:04
This is a Custom Safari, limited to a max of 10 - 4x4 vehicles.
As with all our Explorer Routes, we will be using the more unspoilt parts of Botswana and explore back roads and tracks.
Our program will be determined by the progress of the previous day! Our campsites will be made “under the best tree at 16h00”
Please have a look at map… our Goals are as follow:
A – Starting the EXPEDITION in Sikwane at 08h00, our first goal will be to track and follow the Route used by the old Explorers like David Livingstone to navigate the pans to the Zambezi.
B – To do the almost 200km of the 19:20 cutline named line X.
C – After the Selinda Track (Linking Moremi with Seronga), we will explore a new cut line on the border with the Caprivi in extreme Northern area of Botswana. (Rated to have the toughest sand roads in Botswana)
D – From our Old Camp “Nuka” on the “Corni” cut line to travel to Gcwihaba Hills, the home of Drostky’s Cave – The World of the lost city of the Kalahari.
Camping gear must be basic and functional – please no trailers or caravans or complicated tents!
Ablution blocks will be non-existent and showers will be next to the vehicle.
We will have a communal campfire every evening and fresh “moer” coffee from the fire at first light!
Once again we will open our famous “bush restaurant” with open fire catering done by us. (Breakfast and Dinner for 7 days)
NB – THIS IS NOT A MEN ONLY TRIP! And as with all our trips, the aim is not a 4x4 challenge, but rather to explore from point A to B with respect for nature, our vehicles and the safety of the Group.
If you prefer a trip with a fixed day to day planner this one is not for you…..
Be assured of a great adventure!
MAP OF TRIP 2018 NEW.jpg (253.72 KiB) Viewed 2072 times
Post by offroadbiker » 16 Jan 2018 14:08
1. Alex Roux (2+3) - paid
2. Peter Conan (3) - paid
3. Michael Steyn (2+2) - paid
4. David Marais (2) - paid
5. Graham Cummings (2+2) - paid
6. Rolf (2+3) - paid
7. Phillip Weideman (2+2) - paid
8. Tommie (2) paid
9. Errol Wilken (2) - paid
10. Dirk de Clerk(2+2) - paid
Post by SJC » 16 Jan 2018 15:37
Shoe.. 4 minutes after first post of thread, already fully booked.
Post by Wilkie » 16 Jan 2018 15:52
AND ALL PAID UP ......
Post by offroadbiker » 16 Jan 2018 16:18
Die trip was gereel "off the record" as n rekkie trip vir toekomstige trips vir die forum.
Moet ook ongelukkig deur n gids gaan aangesien hy konsesie regte het vir die roete en die publiek nie daar toegelaat word nie.
As dit n goeie trip is sal ek vasmaak vir 2019 en oopmaak vir die forum.
Post by Michael » 16 Jan 2018 17:42
Julle moet waker slaap
Post by Tinus lotz » 16 Jan 2018 17:57
Julle moet uitmaak pappie
Post by offroadbiker » 26 Jan 2018 10:28
Nota: 19 Jan 2018
69 dae om te gaan...
Die Uur Glas loop leeg en dit is amper tyd vir ons groot Avontuur na Botswana. Soos genoem met al ons eposse, asook daai lekker kuiers daar by Dirk – Die is baie beslis nie die gewone Botswana Safari nie, ons gaan die egte Bos opsoek en poog om net “agter” paaie (as mens dit kan noem) te ry.
Die onbekende te soek en te kamp, waar niemand anders nog ŉ vuur gemaak het nie!
Om met julle te werk is vir my ŉ baie groot voorreg, nie net omdat ons 10 goed toegeruste 4x4’s op die Avontuur gaan wees nie, maar mense wat die bos sowel as hulle voertuie ken – dit maak dat ons regtig “behind” die “scenes” kan gaan!
Ten spyte hiervan is daar twee dinge wat vir my reg deur die Safari belangrik sal wees:
•	Ons respek vir die natuur, diere en lokale Gemeenskappe
•	Veiligheid van die groep, ja daar gaan ernstige 4x4 ry wees, maar ons gaan dit veilig en reg doen.
Ek weet almal wil die hele tyd weet – waar gaan ons ry wat gaan ons sien ens.
Ons kaart volgens die toerprogram is NET ‘N RIGLYN en gaan ons die program dag tot dag bestuur en saam besluite neem, maak nie saak wat omstandighede is of was nie ons poog om nie later 16h00 ons boskamp op te stel nie – Alles gaan om daai kampvuur gebeur!
Saam gaan ons van die mees ongerepte dele in Botswana opsoek, dik sand ry en lekker baklei met die swart turf wat ons die “mud-worxs” noem!
Om te help met voorbereiding (en weer ek weet ons het hier beslis nie groentjies op die Safari nie) loer na my lys wat ek aanheg met ŉ paar belangrike punte, die belangrikste vir my is die volgende:
•	Daar is net een kampvuur – ons kuier saam
•	Koplampe is ŉ absolute moet, asb. geen wit “tube lights” wat die hele tyd brand nie – dit lok nie net al wat ŉ insek is nie, maar verbreek die mooi van donker nag in die bos! – Ons lig waar ons loop en gebruik koplampe in tente ens.!
•	Ons self gebruik kerse vir kombuis tafels
•	Oor enkel skoene na 17h00 – weet dit is warm, maar ŉ skerpioen steek kan die Safari vir almal verongeluk!
•	As daar mense is wat die eerste keer Botswana besoek – asseblief moet nie jou ore uitleen vir die buurman se seun se niggie wat eenkeer in Maun gekamp het nie ! Diere kan ons eers verwag bo Nata - Onthou daar is nie iets soos probleem diere nie nee NET PROBLEEM TOERISTE!
•	Geen maar geen vullis word begrawe nie, niks word buite gelos nie, niks word net “uitgekrap uit ŉ vuil bord nie” Dit lok diere en maak dat diere hulle vrees vir mens verloor!! (Seker almal het daai foto’s gesien wat met Luiperd in Kalahari gebeur het)
•	Groot asb. die mooiste tyd van die oggend is met ‘n koppie moer koffie om die kampvuur! Niemand mag eers asb. ŉ slaapsak oprol tot na koffie en ontbyt nie – dit is beslis nie ŉ resies vir wie eerste klaar is nie! Ons vat koffie, eet ontbyt en dan begin ons oppak en ry as ons klaar is! Ja dit sal vroeg genoeg wees en laat die kommer oor program aan my oor!
•	Niks gaan ek vir julle wegsteek nie – as daar pyn is dan bespreek ons dit saam en maak ŉ plan!
•	Jy vertrou nooit ŉ slanke kok nie – ek hou van kosmaak, maar met julle om ons en by die kampvuur! Ons maaltye wissel van braai tot braai tot braai en dan ŉ lekker Africa Potjie ( Ja met groente), hoender geregte ens. – daar is altyd ŉ slaai op twee by en lekker vars broodjie of twee – die kos is genoeg glo my! Piet wat vir my werk is bekend vir sy moer koffie in die oggende, en dan sluit ons ontbyt “cereals” brood en iets warm in soos gebakte eier of omelette .... Bring maar net gerus ŉ lekker beskuitjie of twee as julle self bak! Daar gaan ook ander puik kokke wees, ek luister graag en niks keer ons om ŉ menu aan te pas nie!! So regtig as iemand ŉ spesialis is met iets in die bos laat weet!
Aanvulling sal gedoen kan word, daar is nuwe Choppies te Nata, sowel as te Shakawe en natuurlik alles wat ons wil koop weer te Ghanzi – Die langste “droë” stuk is tussen Nata en Shakawe, hier is egter weer klein “shops” waar water sowel as koeldrank kan gekoop word in beperkte verskeidenheid.
Na ons die produk aan julle gebied het, het ons ŉ baie goeie ooreenkoms gesluit te Shakawe met die lokale gemeenskap – ek gaan hier voorstel dat almal ‘n half dag met makorro’s die Okavango delta verken – twee pax per makorro met ŉ gits wat die “roei werk” doen! Hierdie is die ware Jakob en nie die Kommersiële weergawe wat jy in en om Maun kry nie! Koste beloop 550 Pula per boot, hierdie sal ŉ groot ondervinding wees en regtig die enigste manier om die Delta te verken!
Ons bymekaarkom punt – 09h00 by die Sikwane /Derdepoort Grens pos, onthou maar dat Brandstof baie goedkoper is in Botswana ek gaan vol maak so 30 km verder. By Dibete hek gaan ons links swaai rigting Sentraal Kalahari tot waar dit 4 uur raak!!
Met die kamp hou dit eenvoudig, die motto is KIS (keep it simple)
Laat weet gerus as daar enige vrae is – ek gaan T4A 2017 gebruik met kaart van Veronica Roodt van Botswana.
Sien uit sien sommer baie uit..
Post by offroadbiker » 26 Jan 2018 11:10
INTRODUCTION OF A NEW POLYMER P10 BANKNOTE
The public is informed that the Bank of Botswana will introduce a new polymer P10 banknote to be issued into circulation with effect from February 1, 2018.
The new polymer P10 banknote has largely maintained the same design and colour as the current P10 paper banknote, except that it has more advanced security features. The public is advised to familiarise themselves with the security features of the new polymer P10 banknote. The new banknote will circulate concurrently with the current paper P10 banknote.
The following guidelines will assist the public to confirm authenticity of the new polymer P10 banknote:
1. THE FEEL – polymer substrate is a thin plastic film used for printing money; the new polymer banknote, feels smoother than the paper banknote;
2. THE LOOK – the new polymer banknote has a Clear Window, which replaces the Watermark in the old paper banknote. When the banknote is held up against light, a Rampant Zebra can be seen in the Clear Window from the Bank’s crest on both sides of the banknote. The figure 10 can also be seen in the shield beside the Rampant Zebra;
3. THE TILT - when the banknote is tilted, a shiny golden diamond can be seen in the middle of the banknote. This appears and disappears as the banknote is tilted; and
4. CHECK – when looked under ultra-violet (UV) light, various parts of the banknote, such as the Serial Number on the left, a large number 10 next to the President’s portrait and some small text behind the Bank title, glow.
- When examined under magnifying devices, it will be seen that some areas of the banknote that appear either as a line or areas of plain print, are in fact small letters and numbers.
The Bank of Botswana has issued public education posters that are displayed at various places of interest, such as commercial banks, police stations and post offices to sensitise the public on the features of the new polymer P10 banknote. The new polymer P10 banknote will mainly be issued into circulation through commercial banks.
Post by offroadbiker » 29 Jan 2018 13:57
Precautions for unfenced campsites that are worth considering. This is primarily directed at those new to wild camping.
1. Always wear enclosed shoes or boots.
2. Make sure you have plenty of drinking water.
3. Apply sunblock to all exposed skin - liberally.
4. Always leave the vehicle doors unlocked in camp in case you suddenly need to seek refuge from a potentially dangerous animal visitor. Leave the vehicle seats uncluttered so that you can enter rapidly. Do not leave the vehicle doors open as you do not want mongooses, monkeys, baboons, or creepy crawlies such as rats, mice and snakes to enter your vehicle.
5. When setting up camp plan so that you feel more secure. Park the vehicle close to the tent and sit at night with the campfire in front of you and the vehicle screening your back.
6. Do not fall asleep in your chair in camp, especially an unfenced one.
7. Be sure not to consume so much alcohol that your level of alertness is affected.
8. Shut the #### up after dark; other people are there to appreciate the night sights & sounds!
9. Do not leave any food /leftovers /water / garbage open and out/ within reach around the camp-especially at night.
10. Do not store food/cooking utensils in your tent where their odor might attract unwanted attention from predators.
11. Pack everything into your vehicle/trailer overnight. The animals might wreck anything left in the open.
12. Do not be a chop and feed the wild animals.
13. Teach your kids camping etiquette, common sense, courtesy, respect towards fellow campers and the environment from a very young age whether in fenced formal campsites or unfenced campsites. Take them to unfenced campsites and teach them to be vigilant for themselves. Buy basic snake, scorpion and mammal identification guides, show them spoor of animals and insects in the sand and let them try to identify those. Make sure they know what a scorpion hole and tracks looks like, same with a snake. Give them a binocular and bird book and challenge them to identify all birds coming into the campsite, don't just tell them which bird it is. Make sure that they understand that they must not run and scream as this catches the attention of predators both during daylight and nighttime hours. Set a boundary for as far they are allowed away from the car and the vehicle, let them move and explore with in that boundary (obviously while you keep watch on them and the surroundings), don't keep them hidden behind a shade cloth wall the whole time, let them dig holes, bury themselves in the sand, climb a tree! Keep them very quiet and close at night fall.
14. Bones, bottles, cans, bottle tops, foil do not burn! Don't put it in the left overs of the fire and expect others to clean it.
15. If you cannot stand the long drop or if there is none and you have to dig your own toilet hole, dig it far from the campsite and dig it deep. Clear your ashes out each night of the braai and use that to cover the day's "business". The luke warm ashes are also very useful to curb the smell from the long drop.
16. Try not to sleep against the side walls of your ground tent (canvas).
17. Be careful when collapsing your tent and folding ground sheets. Scorpions, spiders or snakes could surprise you, always use gloves.
18. Make noise when leaving tent early in the morning as not to surprise predators in camp.
19. Cover the gauze door of the tent with the canvas door at night, and only open canvas over the gauze windows.
20. Park your car in front of the tent and keep unlocked, you can also use the remote to active the alarm from inside the tent if required.
21. Try to identify new animal tracks the next morning in camp, as a early warning sign for nights to follow.
22. In elephant areas it is unwise to carry fresh fruit, especially citrus. They have been known to dismantle a tent or even a vehicle if they scent this delicacy.
23. Do not camp under trees with ripe fruit or seed pods as these might well attract feeding elephants.
24. If elephant enter the campsite then just carefully move away without startling them. We usually just retreat to the far side of the vehicle.
25. Do not camp on/near established game or hippo trails as this might lead to dangerous or disturbed nights.
26. In setting up camp do not block wildlife access to waterholes.
27. When setting up camp be sure not to set up under a tree where baboons roost at night. The evidence will be on the ground in the form of their pungent feces. You do not want this all over your tent.
28. When harvesting water from a river or water source with crocodiles use a bucket with a longish rope to avoid approaching too close to the water's edge.
29. If there are rustic ablutions approach them carefully, in some areas lions love to lie up there in the cool shade.
30. Give someone your itinerary. This should be given to someone “at home", who is contactable at all times.
31. Inform the camp wardens of your planned daily routes. Make sure they write it down. This is naturally not possible when camping at remote sites.
32. Prefer to use minimal lights in camp in order to preserve our night vision. A brightly lit up camp leaves you isolated within your circle of bright light, blissfully unaware of what might be present just beyond your blinded vision.
33. There is no need to have a huge campfire. It is wasteful and it is largely a myth that a fire will keep wild animals away, especially semi-habituated ones.
34. If you are really nervous a good idea is to place lanterns with gentle light in strategic areas surrounding the outskirts of the campsite to increase your field of vision.
35. Take a strong torch or spotlight to scan your surroundings if there are any unexplained noises or when answering a call of nature. The eye glint of wild animals shows up very clearly in torchlight.
36. If one of you has to answer a call of nature during the night it is best if the one accompanies the other with a bright torch to keep a lookout. Some prefer to take some sort of sealable container to urinate into, with them into the tent at night. Broad-necked plastic bottles with a screw cap work best.
37. If lions do enter your camp lie as still as possible in your tent without speaking and avoid sitting up and allowing them to see your silhouette. They can scent you but regard the tent as a solid structure and do not perceive how flimsy it is. You do not want to attract undue attention or fuel their inherent inquisitiveness or make them more mischievous. If you are still up and about take refuge in your nearby vehicle.
38. Hyena will often be seen in the flickering light of the fire. There is no need to scramble for shelter, they are cowardly but have rarely been known to attack the unwary, they are great opportunists. One can usually just chase them off to a safe distance.
39. There is no evidence that a ground tent is safer than a roof top tent, but it is just one more layer of security in distancing you from the attentions of wild animals.
40. If a ground tent is used it should be of the more sturdy canvas ones rather than the “plastic” types and should not have too much exposed gauze on the door and windows.
41. Habituated vervet monkeys and baboons can be a great nuisance in camp and will quickly help themselves to any supplies left lying around or if the vehicle doors are open. Carry a catapult for these animals and just aiming at them is usually enough for them to flee??????.
42. Do not bury your garbage as hyenas will inevitably dig it up leaving a mess. Take all you garbage out with you if there are not secure, animal-proof garbage bins.
43. If traveling and camping in remote areas with no mobile phone coverage, consider carrying a satellite phone. Compile a list of relevant emergency telephone numbers, particularly local ones. Obtain the phone number and emergency number at the entrance gate.
44. Keep your tent zipped up at all times. This will prevent nasties such as rodents, snakes and particularly mosquitoes from entering.
45. It is probably wise not to put your meat onto the fire if you know there are predators in the vicinity.