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AFRICA TRIP


Louise_Gerhard

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We are planning a trip to Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Normally this is the places you do not visit alone.

 

This trip is planned for June 2011 (DV) during the Gauteng school holiday and the planning phase has already started. The idea is to introduce cachers to these countries and to extend this to further discoveries with a 2 yearly visit if it is successful. It is also needed to include all cachers and all vehicles. It is not going to be a 4x4 only event. If we visit other places other than the 2 ply stuff then we will gather at one point and we will use the 4x4’s to get there – ok also to get back. It is not prescribed to all of the events and it is open to all.

 

I myself never visited Zambia and Zimbabwe so I have no idea what to expect. One of the items that I have on my list still to do in my lifetime is to visit the Victoria Waterfalls and to see and to enjoy this great wonder of the world.

 

To assist with the planning of the events at these remote areas it is a complicated logistic nightmare. To assist with the planning I made contact with several cachers that could assist us with the planning, to give advice, to help with possible locations and to assist us with anything we should know of such as hotspots, customs clearances, culture, ect.

 

I am pleased to announce that contact was made with Takahiro Miyoshi which is a resident in Zambia. He is a very keen cacher but very limited in Zambia so it I think he will enjoy our company. A while ago he held a CITO in Zambia. Hopefully he will be able to give assistance and I am looking forward to meet with him. It will be great and it appears as if he is man with a lot of interesting caches in Japan. You can learn more from him on his web page. I will forward my skype address to him.

 

So the planning stage is getting ahead of schedule. The event in Botswana is resolved, the event in Gauteng is easy to do, and hopefully we will have a location in Zambia and Zimbabwe soon. This only leaves one event in Namibia but I have a possible location and just need permission from the owners for such an event. As soon as we have all of them in place I will draft the events and I will forward it to the reviewer for the first run but offline. I will then keep this off line until such a time that it can be published. We will have to ask for permission from Groundspeak via the reviewer to publish these caches well ahead of time. I will forward the event details privately to the cachers that are interested as soon as the first communication was done with the reviewer.

 

Questions and help needed:

1. I would like to design a magnetic sign for fitting to the vehicles, if any, that is prepared to join us on this trip. This will depend on the owner of the vehicle if he wants it on his vehicle or not. But it is good to identify the vehicles and it also serves as information to the public and hopeful someone will look at the web site to determine what the word geocaching indicates. To do this I will need to communicate my intention to the reviewer to determine if I am not breaking any rules, and if Groundspeak will give me permission for the use of their registered logo. I know that they are not keen on advertising. This I will do this weekend and we will pass the hurdles as we met them. Maybe the reviewer can publish his comments on this issue.

2. I am no graphic artist but an engineer with a square mind and seeing only black and white so I have a huge struggle with the design of the magnetic sign for a vehicle. If you have any artistic and/or creative side please give me some pointers with an idea for this magnetic sign. That will be great. Publish your design here. It must have the RSA flag and it must have the caching symbol (depends on permission) and it must have www.geocaching.com on it. Please help with this one, I think I need it. Gerhard

3. I do not know these areas and I will do some trips to the reserves when we are there to see the places off the beaten track. I will be grateful if any of the more experienced off-roaders can give me some feedback on these locations and what and where we need to go.

 

Gerhard

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Trev,

You are touching on one of the issues on my list. I myself was more to the west but not to the north corner. To get this off the ground we are busy with a risk assessment. Last point of fuelling, the next point of fuelling and fuel reach is on this list. This is where I need assistance from the guys that visited this specific area. If I read the logs then a couple of guys have done this trip and they should be able to add value here.

 

To get to Zambia you need to go through the Matetsi reserve. That could be a problem. It is a tar road but I am not sure if the big five is present. My guess is that they are there. I will do some homework. One of the questions for my contact and one to the reserve itself. I will also contact the different bike clubs to find anyone that has done this trip before if no cacher adds his comments.

 

For your benefit I include a photo to chew on the idea of a bike ride….. :laughing:

 

eeb819cf-7f6a-4233-a086-31f85470372f.jpg

 

Gerhard

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Ok Trevor,

Here is your answer. You can do it with a motor cycle.

1. You have to get to Gaborone, then you follow the road to Kazangula.

2. We will stay at the town on your left - safari lodge at Kasane.

3. The next day we will go to Katimo Mulilo through Chobe nature reserve.

4. You then have to go back to Kazangula and you have to turn left and you need to enter Zambia. Yep, there is no bridge but a ferry will take you across to the other side. Cost is about 25 to 14 American green ones but worth the effort.

5. Road is ok from here but we will travel through Chobe into Namibia while you travel on the other side of the river in Zambia and you then have to cross again back to Katimo Mulilo and we will see you there. If there is more than one vehicle than we could select one vehicle with you and if we return then we can swap roads again with the vehicles. Then each one will have the opportunity to drive on the other side.

6. We will stay for one day at this town and then we will head for Livingstone.

7. From Livingstone we will cross into Victoria Waterfalls the next day.

8. On our return we will go back to the ferry and not through the nature reserve. I was informed that the road is sometimes in a mess and very dusty. Easier with the tar road and around it.

 

Bottom line you can visit Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe with a motor cycle. There is however always the risk of meeting up with an elephant or a lion anywhere but the vehicles will have to box you in to make sure that we do not have any problem. I however do love the safety of my vehicle and I am not sure if I will do this. But it can be done. I hope this answer your question.

 

We will do camping in this area and at present we are still busy with the inquiries. My friend that side wants us to go deeper into Zambia to go and find his caches for a FTF but I am still chewing on this one. But this is tar road as well. Lake Kariba is close and we are also considering a trip to here but it depend on the safety feedback from other cachers. If there is any doubt then we give it a skip.

 

Gerhard

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My 2c worth...

1) Inland and coastal winter school holidays are the same, i.e. 25 Jun- 17 Jul 2011. Do you intent going the whole 3 weeks?

2) The Southern African Overland Forum has a wealth of relevant info.

3) I realise you just started looking at this but it would be great if we can get a rough idea of the planned route ASAP to help with our decision. Of course also info such as distances traveled per day, nr of days at any specific camp etc.

4) Do you intent making it an "all inclusive overland geocaching experience" (all travel together) or just to give us a list of the events and everyone must get there on their own? (your answer to TrevorH seems to suggest the latter)

5) (Only relevant if all travel together) Including as many as possible vehicle types will be great for caching but it will be a shame to miss out on the "real African experience" because you're stuck to easy accessible roads. A fine balance will have to be struck - my feeling is that I will base my decision to join the trip first on where we'll go then on the caching.

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Thanks Anton,

I forwarded you my design as well. Please do not burst out with laughter while rolling on the ground clapping your hands. It is going to hurt a lot. I did give it my best shot. I also forwarded it to Bruce but still waiting for his answer. Maybe the laughter will stop… :lol:

 

I am busy getting feedback from the property owners with regards to the permission for the events. One of them is interesting in caches and he has a cache on his property and he is looking forward to meet the cachers. So maybe if we can get a maintenance plan going with him we can place some additional ones in this area. Because this man is so keen – we moved the event from Gaborone to his property. He also has a geological formation on his property and he wants to show it to me. If it is worth it than I will try to do an EC. At least permission will be easy. Second language is a problem. There are very few locals - only foreigners that speak more than a 100 languages. So which one is the second language? Maybe it will be needed to do a second language survey. Go to about 30 people and in an area and asked them about their home language. Majority is probably the second language. Hell, to discover the second language will take more time than to do the EC. But I guess that is what they want. In Zambia we have 74 different dialects so I guess an EC is out of the questions. :wub:

 

My first justification letter was forwarded to the reviewer and we have to see the reaction from him and Groundspeak. I want to publish the events as soon as possible. Hopefully I did explain the urgency - if it is not acceptable than my reasoning need to be tuned and they my justification was not good enough. If they have an issue publishing them then I will have to publish them on this forum to warn cachers in time. (Short version, date time, waypoint and contact details for accommodation only) Hopefully the cachers that want to go along will notice it. I also requested permission to display the website on the magnetic sign just ion case Groundspeak have a problem with this idea. Should I push this issue – let them pay for the free advisement and the liberty to display their web site? Maybe I am asking for a hiding. :ph34r:

 

Accommodation is a problem and you need to get accommodation reserved as quick as possible. You also have to get your shots and you need to have your certificate ready if asked for such. Then there are several requirements such as triangles for Zambia and red reflectors for Zimbabwe but we will publish it at later stage. We got some feedback from Zambia again and it appears as if the road and conditions is safe to do about 4 caches from Takahiro Miyoshi. Maybe if he agrees to the maintenance plan we can plant some for him in the area but that will depend if he would like to keep an eye on them or not. But he has to decide if it is appropriate or not.

 

READY OR NOT - AFRICA HERE WE COME !!!!

 

Gerhard

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I forwarded you my design as well. Please do not burst out with laughter while rolling on the ground clapping your hands. It is going to hurt a lot. I did give it my best shot. I also forwarded it to Bruce but still waiting for his answer. Maybe the laughter will stop… :lol:

I don't think it is quite the time to give up your day job... :ph34r:

OK, it is a start and now I at least know what you are after. I shall add my 2c worth of tweak and let us see what comes out... B)

:P:wub:B)

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Hi Gerhard

 

We just returne from a 3 week Botswana trip. Entered Botswana from Gobabis to Maun. North to the Khwai Comunity camp (GC2CQ2X). Back to Maun, Gweta to Nata Lodge. From there noth to Kazungula, Katima to Grooitfontein.

 

Your distance from Gaborone to Kazungula is to far for a 1 day trip.

 

If you need any info you can pm me. I also lived in Tsumeb, Northen Namibia for years.

 

Marius

Edited by The Huskies
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Your distance from Gaborone to Kazungula is to far for a 1 day trip.

 

 

Agree with Marius on this one.

 

In the late 1990's and early 2000's we travelled every year to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

We used to love the round trip and the highlight in those years was the Kariba Ferry.

Francistown has a super camping spot at the Marang Hotel and the Nata Lodge just before Nata is nice.

Chobe Safari Lodge in Kasane is great (buffet braai is highly recommended!)

After Nata you travel through forest reserves where there are elephant etc. - so don't know how safe a motorbike would be.

How long would you be going for?

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I know Zimbabwe, eastern/northern Botswana, and southern Zambia quite well, so feel free to ask for more info.

 

Sadly, we won't be joining you for your trip - we're planning to visit the remote Matusadona Park again (southern shore of Kariba).

 

Must do's for us in the area you're looking at are:

- Motobos Nat Park near Bulawayo, some nice campsites in the southern reserve there, and Rhode's grave

- Makgadikgadi Pans, especially Nata bird sanctuary at the top end of Sowa pan, good camping there

- Northern Chobe in the dry season (mind-blowing), nice campsite about 40kms west of Kasane

- Kazangula Ferry is great fun

- Vic Falls, nice campsites a bit west of Livingstone, but best viewing from the Zim side.

- If budget permits, a houseboat from Binga and explore the SW end of Kariba

- Kafue in Zam. Never been there, but I believe it's great, and on our bucket list

 

We wouldn't go via Gaberone though - not much to see there. We'd rather go via Makopane to Francistown, or via SW Zim.

 

Oh, and the latest Garmin maps are.... well, not that helpful.

 

BTW, the main road from Livingstone to Lusaka is probably the best tarred road in Africa right now, so don't be scared to venture into southern Zambia if you get local info. Fuel in Zambia is expensive though.

 

I don't know the Caprivi at all, other than what I've seen from the Bots side, and the defence force part that I'd rather forget.....

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We have camped at Popa Falls in the Caprivi (Quite a distance from Kutimo). Nice spot but think it could be pricey as Namibian Wildlife Reserves prices have skyrocketed.

Another must do in Kasane is a sunset trip. We have often had elephant swimming next to the vessel.

Vic Falls central campsite is in the centre of town. Very open and normally full of noisy overlanders. There is another campsite about 2km's out of town: Inyati Valley Motel and Rest Camp where you can camp. We woke up one night while staying there to a dull thudding noise. We peered outside to see an elephant about 2m's away bumpimg a tree with his forehead! This can happen in the centre of town as well!

A nice trip that can be done by all vehicles is down the other side of the Okavango - from Popa Falls down to Shakawe and then either Maun or Ghanzi

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Bruce,

I like your design. The question is if this is going to be acceptable to all cachers? I was thinking of a size of 400 by 300 mm. That is a the size we use at work. With a magnetic sign like this we are going to have a couple of questions. Maybe we are lucky enough to introduce a couple of people to geocaching. Are there any objections against the sign?

 

I forwarded this idea to Rodney our reviewer, but still waiting for feedback. Do I need permission from ground speak? Ok, the symbol is added and it is registered is I assume that permission is needed. Andy with your knowledge as previous reviewer can you help me? I do not want to break rules.

 

Just to answer some questions.

Yes we are straying in a group. This is a remote area and it is better to be in a group. Border crossings are the normal hassles but sometimes road blocks can give you problems – in a group it is easier. The idea is to make it accessible to all cachers. The idea is to get together at a specific event point – then decided at that point where we go and who is going with whom, etc. At least the person without a 4x4 will have the opportunity to join in the fun and he is not limited to the camp or the tar road. Also if there is a team that does not want to go into any reserve then he has the option to do so or not.

 

But again my second name is not Hitler so if a cacher wants to go off-road on his own and he wants to separate from the main group to explore other areas then it is fine with me. This is why we have the different events. At least we have a control or a rendezvous point where we can get together; share some stories and a check in to make sure that all cachers are fine and accounted for. At least if a team does not pitch at any of these events we need to go and find him.

 

We will hold a starting event close to the Botswana border inside RSA. I had a look at FE’s plan to bypass Gaborone and I think he have a valid point. I am flexible and maybe I need to publish the intended route for the cachers. If there is a different idea then we change it. I do not cast anything in stone and we do the route planning as a group.

 

The idea at the event is to share some thoughts, make sure we know the travelling plans of each and every cacher. At least there is some sort of structure or a safety net. If you are in trouble stay in your tree for the next 4 days - sooner or later I will arrive at your tree. :D:rolleyes: It is vital to have these event points as a safety point and I hope I can get it pass the reviewer.

 

From there we will move to Maun and we will stay for two days before we make the run to the north. The owner at this location is quite keen to meet with the cachers. He has a cache on his property and near them. He also wants to show us a geological formation at his location.

 

I am busy checking with the various places to get an accommodation list. I will publish possible accommodation possibilities at the listing. Each and every cacher will have to book for himself. One of the reasons why the events must be published well ahead of time to make sure that the cacher that want to along have the opportunity to do this in good time. I can not publish the event 3 months before the trip – it could be too late. Hopefully we can have an answer from the reviewer soon.

 

I just had good feedback from Zambia and Kafu is on my list. Again it is great to get this feedback. I do not know it all and the more info we can get the easier and the more enjoyable this trip will be. I had this dream to visit these places and a newbie but never had the time to plan for it. So it is important to plan well. I hope we can get some people together and I hope we can get some foreign cachers at this event and it will be great to meet them.

 

By the way one of my team managers here at work, a Zimbabwean, has a farm near Kariba. His father is very influential and I was given a cell number of one of the top officials in Zimbabwe. In the unlucky event of a problem or a hassle at a road block we have permission to phone this official and he will resolve them - so nice to have a cell phone number. Here in Africa you need this sometimes and you need a friend higher up. He is also prepared to arrange for diesel and fuel for us as he has the contacts to get it cheap. I do not think it is needed but will keep it on my list in case we need something done.

 

Thanks for the great feedback. If you have any more news or info please feel free to share this. Gerhard

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Yep, a small problem to get the events listed. But there is some hope in this tunnel. We have to wait for a decision. If I can not sell this idea probably and it gets rejected then I have no option. I will publish the proposed events in list format - the place, date, time, gps point for those interested. I need to ensure that everyone is in a position to arrange accommodation. I will also upload the proposed route. At least with this you should be able to plan.

 

I am also under pressure to forward the final design to groudspeak for approval. Can we place our bets? Can we vote on the designs? Which one is the one we go for? Bruce you have the creativity, what appended to Anton? Pressure and pressure – please give me more. I work better while my back is aching. :) Gerhard

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Obviously my design tools are as outdated as a bow and arrow and my design talent as rudimentary as a rock painting but you should get the gist of it… (smooth the text, move the running cacher up (should be brown), the geocaching logo down and maybe it can work).

 

The flag is different and distinctive but I think the ethnic rock art is a bit hackneyed especially in the overdose we had with Fifa. How about using the geocaching theme and use Signal the Frog?

 

3731eb9e-3aa8-4bec-a8f3-97b9fe03543a.jpg

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Gerhard would like something generic which could be used more generally when we are out caching or at events.

 

So, I took out the reference to the date and the Africa trip and came up with this. What do you think?

 

How else could you describe us?

* Cachers on the move

* Geocachers on Safari

* Gone Hunting

* Out caching

* Enjoying the hunt

* Guided by GPS

 

67be48dd-523d-4e79-b3bf-81adda171043.jpg

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I do like the designs. The one from Hesamanti give a good feel and it does represent something unique from Africa and people can relate to it in all countries. The last one from Bruce is very useful. So is there anyone that want to select a specific one.

 

I studied the info given by FE and if there is less than 20 then permission is automatically granted based on the requirements they spelled out clearly. So it appears as if we do not have to request permission.

 

I had a long chat yesterday with Kuda one of our managers from Zim that have the farm at Kariba. His father is well known and they have the necessary contacts. He will prearrange anything we need. If we need fuel in Zimbabwe then he will arrange the price and where. When you arrive at the garage you just need to tell them you are so and so and they will hand you the fuel. He will also arrange for accommodation on the Zimbabwe side. If there are any problems with accommodation we could stay on his farm for free. If we have any serious problems at a roadblock we will contact him and he will phone his father and they will resolve this with the Police Commissioner. I thus have two contacts in Zim for use. To him the safety risk on the road in RSA and in RSA is greater than in Zim. During last year when there was a lot of trouble and a lot of problems with fuel and food in Zim this man organized the trip for our MD. He went through without any problem. There was enough fuel arranged for him and he even stayed over at Harare without any hitches. To him it was just an ordinary trip.

 

So during the weekend I will publish the intended route. The route back is the problem. I would like to go though Zimbabwe to Beitbridge, but then again the cachers will have to decide. They can also return through Botswana. This route is not cast in stone and it is open for debate. Maybe shorter, maybe longer, maybe an alternative but it will be a good start. With this I will indicate the check points in the form of events. The route will form the basis for the rest.

 

To bypass the event publishing rules for now, I will publish a word document on Google that will contain the full requirements. Medical, injections, times and dates, what we will do, where we will be, traveling plan, caches that will be visited, preparations, accommodation and contact details, border requirements, distance of travel , rest periods, backup plan, dates, time, etc. In this way I do not have to wait for permission but we can still proceed ahead of time and the listing is then just a formal something we do in due time. As soon as we agree to some sort of plan then I will start to pay for my accommodation to get that pinned down. Then it is a matter of time to see if cachers are going to join us. We could have some cachers that will do different trips but could intercept with us at the events which will be good. Thanks for all the input. This is one trip I always wanted to do but I never had the time to sit down and to plan for it. I guess now is the time. Thanks. Gerhard

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This is our proposed route with planned dates; open to discussion. We tried to shuffle the locations to balance the distances that need to be done. We also included some rest periods. I believe that cachers will not follow our exact route and that they will deviate from this and that they will plan for intersection at certain events/points.

 

If you have a better plan please feel free to discuss it on the forum but we need to finalize the route in the next two weeks to get the accommodation resolved. Any must to do item please feel free to include them.

 

After a long discussion with my own family they still do not feel safe to travel through Zimbabwe and the route was adapted and the route to Beitbridge was removed. If you feel you can add value by recommending certain accommodation locations feel free to forward them to me or publish it here. Exact event points will be published as soon as we have the acceptable route to all.

 

Day 1: 27 Jun 2011 (sunrise - 06h51 ; sunset – 17h31, 4 days until new moon )

Cachers, ok if any, gathers at Palapye. Here the different access routes are covered. Nearest border post is 116 km. (Bwa Martin’s Drift/Za Groblers Bridge). We will have a braai that night and we will share route info and planning that is needed or done. This is our first event point and it is more or less a gathering point for the trip. Maybe this is going to be an easy count. :) If you are planning to go your own way please feel free to give me your cell/sat phone and traveling details. I would prefer this in writing. This is not compulsory but at the same time I will only keep an eye on those that have gave me their traveling plans.

 

Day 2: 28 Jun 2011 (sunrise - 06h54 ; sunset – 17h49, 3 days until new moon )

At sunrise we leave Palapye for cache called c.cimum and then a trip to Planet Baobab. Distance is 524 km. The complete trip is about 6 hours and 30 minutes if all go well and if no roadblocks or stoppages are encountered. I am not in a hurry and will take it slow. If cachers want to go faster please feel free to pass me. I will find you at the next stop.

 

Day 3: 29 Jun 2011 (sunrise - 06h54 ; sunset – 17h49, 2 days until new moon )

Today is a rest day at Planet Baobab and feel free to do a quad drive on the pans, go for a walk, game drive, visit the area and/or do anything you like best. My team will not rest and we will be on our way to Kubu Island early the morning to explore the area. In all probabilities we will get stuck but the chains is going with so I should be able to get out with own recovery. This is 4x4 terrain only.

 

Day 4: 30 Jun 2011 (sunrise - 06h50 ; sunset – 17h54, 1 day until new moon )

On our way to the North. From Planet Baobab we will leave for Kasane and will stay there for the night. Distance is about 407 km with a time of 6 hours. Slow driving and I will stop during this trip. I am not going to fly down any tar road.

 

Day 5: 1 Jul 2011 (sunrise - 06h53 ; sunset – 17h59, new moon )

We will leave Kasane and we will be on our way to Katima Mulilo. On our way we will visit a cache called “William’s place” if available. This is 4x4 only to this cache. Total distance for the day is about 128 km without the travel to William’s place. More or less 4 hours is planned for this trip. We will overnight at Katima Mulilo. That night we will hold event 2. Some cachers could proceed from this point to different locations and please inform me of such plans. It is not compulsory to give me your traveling plans but if you need a backup plan please I am available. I hope to go for a trip on the Zambezi.

 

Day 6: 2 Jul 2011 (sunrise - 06h47 ; sunset – 17h52, 1 day from new moon )

We will cross the border near the little Sesheke Airport and we will enter Zambia. Our final destination is Livingstone. Distance is 208 km and expected total time is about 4 to 5 hours with stops/crossings. That night we will hold event number 3 – at this point cachers could also decide to go in all directions. I need to hold this one in a proper location with a real nice meal to celebrate our trip. We could meet foreigners at this point.

 

Day 7: 3 Jul 2011 (sunrise - 06h48 ; sunset – 17h52, 2 days from new moon )

A rest day. I will cross the Zimbabwe border and will visit the area to see more. Or cachers will stay on the other side as nothing is prescribed. We need to be back in Livingstone that night to prepare for the next trip. Here you can do what you want to do. I am planning to join a walk with the lions in the reserve. Luckily they feed them before the walk. I am just worried if they need a snack. Bottom line if you want to go with me and you feel any fear or you experience any trembling of the hands and/or feet please do not walk next to me. :D Naturally my wife and daughter refuse to do this walk. Visit the devil’s pool, go down the steps to the bottom, go to the boiling point, go for a bungee jump, and go for a slide. Do it in a group or do it alone. The world is yours to discover. That night we will hold a braai, event number 4, just to share info for the next extended trip and to see if anyone is missing after the walk with the lions. Also just to chill and to hear the stories and the experiences of the cachers. Hopefully we will attract some muggle attention and have some of them with us.

 

Day 8: 4 Jul 2011 (sunrise - 06h34 ; sunset – 17h43, 3 days from new moon )

A drive to Kariba. A total distance of about 562 km. probably in the region of about 9 hours to do with the cache finds. We will visit the Petrified Forest and we will stop along the way. If time permits we will try to get to the caches called Twin Giant, Boogie with Baboons and Monkey lookout. This is 4x4 only and I did use Google to determine access and terrain. Later that afternoon we will cross the dam and we will enter Zimbabwe again.

 

Day 9: 5 Jul 2011 (sunrise - 06h34 ; sunset – 17h44, 4 days from new moon )

Rest period again. Discovery time, sleeping time, relax time, family day – you call it what you like. Go for a trip with the boat on Lake Kariba. One of the last events will be held here the afternoon with a braai and to check if all cachers are there. No need to attend but safer to have this check point to make sure all is well and a great time to share the different experiences among each other and to share some photos. Many things to visit and I will also do a visit to Namsowa hill to have a great view over the lake. I will also go off-road in this area and feel free to join. If I am not at the event please send recovery, try to find the vehicle and then look for the biggest tree - I could be in there at the top. :)

 

Day10: 6 Jul 2011 (sunrise - 06h50 ; sunset – 17h56, 5 days from new moon )

Time to head home. This is the longest leg of the trip. Use of the ferry will be done. No need for swimming lessons. :) About 632 km back to Kasane with few stops. After all you had a day of relaxing. Time with border crossings should be about 9 hours maximum. We will stay for the night.

 

Day 11: 7 Jul 2011 (sunrise - 06h47 ; sunset – 17h41, 6 days from new moon )

We will leave for Francistown at about 08h00. But there is no haste. Trip is only about 499 km and at an estimate traveling time of 6 hours and 30 minutes. This is the final event point and wrapping up will be done here. Probably a braai that night or a fancy meal all depends how cachers want it to be done. We could find some cachers at this point from there various trips. Also a stock taking night to make sure that all is well and that everyone is accounted for and to resolve any issues if any such as rebuilding your vehicle on the sidewalk and in the sand. B) Final time to say goodbye and to share your last thoughts before we go our own separate ways. Also a time to beat the trip organizer in an attempt to voice your dissatisfaction with the trip. B) If more than one please stand in a row – hopefully the row will be short. Check on TB’s – if you lost any at Kariba then it is time to go back.

 

Day 12: 8 Jul 2011 (sunrise - 07h01 ; sunset – 17h41, 7 days from new moon )

From here I will leave for Gaborone but it is no longer consider as part and parcel of the trip – from Francistown cachers could be going into different directions. I will stay over at Gaborone and I will show the wife our factory and we will visit the caches that side. For me a distance of about 493 km and about 5 hours drive. We will visit the shops, Burgher war memorial and the info Centrum. We will stay for the night.

 

Day 13: 9 Jul 2011

Back to RSA – hopefully in one piece. A drive of about 419 km, total time of about 5 hours and 30 minute.

 

Day 14: 10 Jul 2011

Time to relax, time to check the vehicle, wash the car, complete the logs and to note the bad and good things and how to improve on this trip. I added this day to make sure I do not end at day 13 – I do not like 13 as you will realize.

 

Gerhard

Edited by gerhardoosMPsa
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Hi Gerhard

 

We have had a chat between us about the road trip. In concept it looks good, but the 14 days is a little bit to long for us.

 

From what we talked about, a 9 day trip suits us better. So that works out to a weekend, 5 days, and another weekend.

 

I still need to go through your suggested plan, and will report back here once done.

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Anton, more details on Planet Baobab below. This can be confusing.

http://www.botswana-direct.com/makgadikgad...s/planet-baobab

 

I do not believe that cachers will follow me exactly on the route as published. If your target is less than 10 days than you will have to skip the Kariba trip and you are back on target. I selected the route in such a way that the trip can be shortened for example the trip to Namibia can also be removed. But this is the base map and everyone will have to calculate their budget, requirements and needs. Even the trip to Kuba island can be removed and cachers can go straight up to Kasane. I will play catch up at the next event.

 

I would love to receive feedback on the following issue. I planned to do 6 events on this route. The motive is that it will enhance the cacher experience and for the benefit of the cacher and good for the community. The event points is selected in such a way at the areas where cachers could part or intersect with our route and that value can be added at that point. The event point is the official mark on the route where anything can be discussed such as the further details, border crossings, etc. Do not get me wrong – I will not do school class methods. I want to relax and if the questions are raised I will answer them. No need to write examinations on this one. The focus is on the gathering and not official info sessions. I would love to hear the experiences from other cachers and the way they enjoy it or things that they do not enjoy. I am away from civilization and I want to chill so that is what I want to do – but at the same time I do not want to loose cachers somewhere, if input is needed to assist then these official checkpoints must exist – if help is needed. My approach will be hands off so the cacher can do his own thing but in a safety Net. At least he is not alone. At least if he planned to pitch for the next event then we can start to search for him.

 

I am not that sure anymore, it starts to bother me. Is there any value in this approach? There are cachers that do read me wrong sometimes and they could interpret this as someone with a control freak method even when the motive is pure. Am I wasting my time – should I just go and forget about the other cachers and do the trip on our own with the exception of a couple of cachers. Now that the plan is unfolding I can see negatives and positives. On these extremely difficult events one can easily turn anything to the negative or to the positive. On the positive side we can introduce geocaching to others and on the other side maybe there is no one so why hold the event. On the one side we have cachers with their own ideas and their own route and with the events we could disturb them and plans must be adapted. On the positive you are not on your own but you have a group of cachers that can assist. On the negative side cachers could feel that they want to chill and they do not need interaction. On the positive side they could enjoy the company of the cachers and on the negative side they want to be alone. I am easy. Events is in or out - I am still going on the trip. (DV) Please give me you personal feedback and all input will be valuable as there is no right or wrong at this side. Should we hold the six events. :D

 

I contacted Groundspeak to obtain permission and I hopefully we will have some sort of positive consideration. If not then I will just bypass the rule with another method where cachers can be warned/informed. This is complex. :D Gerhard

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Gerhard

 

You could drive from Palapya to Letlhakane, Orapa to Kubu Island and sleep 1 night on the pans. This is an experience of a lifetime.

 

You can't go to Botswana and not see the delta. If you look at GC2CQ2x, it is on the northern side of the delta. You can get to this camp with a normal 2x4 bakkie. We had lions chasing zebra through our camp the 1 night. The Khwai river flows past the camp with hippos in. Elephants roaming the camp site for food.

From the Khwai to Kasane is about 300km, but it will be a full days drive.

 

I would suggest for accommodation at Kasane/ Kazungula the Senyati Lodge. It is +- 10km from Kazungule on the Nata road where the owner has his own water hole where elephants drink at night. We were warned of robberies at night in town.

You also have to do a sunset cruise on the Chobe river.

 

I can give you all the GPS points if you would like.

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Some feedback.

 

Thanks Team Huskies, good to hear from cachers with experience, this is valued input. I noticed that this team done a previous trip as part of the Overland challenge and was in this area during July 2010 again. Please forward me the waypoints to my e-mail. Also if there is any accommodation that needs to be mentioned by any cachers at the proposed stops as per route please forward me the details and contacts if possible.

 

Just another question. Did anyone receive any hepatitis A/B or yellow fever injections for trips to the African countries? To me this is a big grey area. I would like my family to get them as quick as possible, but naturally this is not without resistance. My friend that done these trips many a time thinks it is one crazy idea. However, another friend of mine Tony Sturgess, has a huge problem today with no answers. He used to accumulate his leave, every two years he will do the remote 4x4 tours. On his fifth trip after an outing in northern Namibia for 4 weeks his wife is not the same anymore. It started as a flue and she is suffering from abdominal pains and dizziness and all other strange sicknesses and the doctors are battling to find any reason for this. All tests and scans proved to be negative but she is sick today. It is no longer possible for them to these remote trips. To me the sickness and the trips have something in common and it started about two weeks after the last trip – not coincidence and today his view point on the injections is different but I think it is too late.

 

If I remember correctly then Hepatitis B is about 50 to a 100 times more infectious than the HIV virus because this virus can live up to 7 days outside of the body while the HIV virus dies outside the body. The deeper you go into Africa the higher the chance to get strange problems. At present this is not in force and not a requirement in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia or Botswana but only a recommendation. But if you are exposed to these viruses then you are in serious problems so to me it is easy. Get it done. Prevention is better than the cure which does not exist at present.

 

During my army days we had to use the water resources that were available and we used the same water and the same dams the locals used to wash themselves and many of them did carry some nasty sickness but our injections made sure that we suffered no consequences. I remember many a time where we had to brush away the animal droppings from the water just too get some sort of water for us. We used this water as is without sterilization but we are still alive and healthy today. (Touch wood) To me this is the same with this trip except we will not be subjected to these extremes and in all probability you will revert back to your own mineral water that you will have in the vehicle.

 

However, the risk is still there in the populated areas such us Livingstone and Kariba. Many people today do illegal border crossings from the Congo where it is a problem and they do use the same facilities that we use. You can control it by not using any ice blocks with your brandy and coke or any other drink. Use your own water. You can control by washing your hands after the toilet is used and if someone has shaken hands with you or after visiting public places. Stay away from food at any street vendors. If you can not peel it or you can not cook it then leave it alone. If you do attract diseases mentioned then the consequences is high so it is better to do prevention than to cure - which do not exists.

 

No – my name is not Monk but I need to inform cachers of all the risks. Their well being on this trip is important to me and I would like all to enjoy it and to chill for a while and to find 25 caches without a worry. This could spark a debate or frighten the daylight out of some cachers. I am not a doctor and if any cacher wants to support or choose not to support these injections please feel free to do so but speak to your GP first. If he feels as an objective person you need to get the injections than do it now. Do not wait until the event is published. The yellow fever injection must be done 6 to 12 months before the trip date. According to international standards you need to have the yellow fever certificate for at least 12 months before you are allowed to enter or exit any epidemic regions which is not applicable to where we go. Also your GP can not administer this yellow fever injection and it must be done at an approved facility. Your doctor will assist you. But again you are the decision maker and maybe you will feel that this is overkill but please again speak to the GP which knows your medical history and who can advise you as a professional.

 

For those that are thinking about this caching trip - remember you can join the trip at a later stage. You can also remove the Kariba dam visit and you can remove the trip to Kuba Island. The event is fixed and you will use the event/s if you need to rejoin the group so you can plan your accommodation around it.

 

Botswana is a relatively safe country and you can go higher up with very little risk with a normal vehicle. That will give you a trip time of 10 days and less. Please do not be scared to enter Botswana on your own. Do not go via Labotse border post. Too many people and it could be busy and it will take longer and too many places to go to. Go to waypoint S24 52.300 E25 52.924. (Ramotswa) Get there and stop inside to the left as you enter directly at the wire fence. Go to the first office on your left as you enter, fill in the little arrival form, pay and go to the right hand side for your vehicle entry. You have to pay in Pula and there is an exchange point at the border post. Just ask permission to enter the Botswana side first at the policeman at the gate to get some Pula and you are ok. Maximum is 10 minutes and you are done. Before entering they will ask you for your driving licence. No fuzz and painless. From there you will find a little river running across the road, no panic it is suitable for any vehicles. From there you will find the main route and Gaborone is next on the list. Do not speed and stop at any stop street and give way to pedestrians and taxis and you are ok. Yes it is strange but true, the taxis do not cut in front of you – you have to give them time to get back into the traffic. Not need for fear and you can enter on your own without me. I have a contact in Gaborone that will assist you if there is any problem.

 

I received no negative feedback for the event idea so I assume it is acceptable.

Gerhard

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Some good camping sites in Botswana.

 

Kubu Island - S20 53.590 E25 49.495

Khama Rhino sanctuary - S20 53.590 E25 49.495

Tautana Lodge - S21 42.234 E21 42.082 (lion sanctuary)

Kaziikini Kamp - S19 35.380 E23 48.172 (north of Maun)

Magotho Kamp - S19 07.276 E23 51.979 (Khwai river)

Planet Baobab - S 20° 11.425 E 025° 18.404

Nata Lodge - S20 13.509 E26 15.972

Senyati Camp - S17 52.364 E25 14.138

Island View Lodge - S17 32.663 E24 31.321 (Namibia - Katima Mulilo)

Shakawe Camp - S18 26.022 E21 54.215

 

;)

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We are planning to hold an event in Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia this year.

 

As a start we are heading for Swaziland. I am busy with the arrangements of the location and the listing could be published on very short notice. Our intended date is 19 February 2011 somewhere around 08h30. Please take note of this date as this one is cast in stone. If nothing else works we will gather as a mob close to the glass factory. If true then this gathering will be very quickly.

 

Planning for caches is extremely difficult. In this country you have many options. Good caches with a nice view but tough to get and 1 or 2 is the finds number for the day. On the other side, quick caches and if you get to 4 cache finds then that is good. In this country you do not achieve numbers; quick caches have a different meaning. Quick indicates 4 to 5 max and that is even a challenge. So please forget about "Hitting the numbers".

 

We have no idea how long it will take to get the listing published and/or how long it will take to arrange with the cachers that side so you had your warning. I did noticed that the recent cache publishing process is taking a pretty long time and from my side their could be delays. I am planning to stay for the weekend. Do not cry and please do not drop me and e-mail saying "But why so late .....". You are warned.

 

Please raise any questions and/or suggestions road trips, border get together at this forum and not on the listing. I will include this forum as a link on the listing. Gerhard

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Cache event listing was done on Friday 21/01/2011 at 11:39 and is waiting for publishing or rejection. But here is the link which will be available some time in the future. It should arrive in the next 7 days with the Karoo train.

 

http://coord.info/GC2MNMY

 

Short details for your information and to plan your trip if interested.

 

2. Event details:

 

Where:

At Matenga Restaurant. S26 26.785 E31 09.788. We will meet inside the restaurant. If you do get lost, please consult your GPS – it is available as a feature and you will find it.

 

When:

At 09h00 for an hour @ 19 February 2011. If you run late we will extend the event until everyone is taken care off.

 

What:

Just a breakfast event. The breakfast is not compulsory and only attendance to the event is a requirement to log the event. Please complete the logbook which will be available. This is not a requirement to log. We hope to meet with some Swaziland cachers and we hope to hear some good caching stories with hints.

 

If you want to join me at the border or you need to join from Gauteng please drop a note.

Edited by gerhardoosMPsa
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Cache event listing was done on Friday 21/01/2011 at 11:39 and is waiting for publishing or rejection. But here is the link which will be available some time in the future. It should arrive in the next 7 days with the Karoo train.

 

http://coord.info/GC2MNMY

Short details for your information and to plan your trip if interested.

 

2. Event details:

 

Where:

At Matenga Restaurant. S26 26.785 E31 09.788. We will meet inside the restaurant. If you do get lost, please consult your GPS – it is available as a feature and you will find it.

 

When:

At 09h00 for an hour @ 19 February 2011. If you run late we will extend the event until everyone is taken care off.

 

What:

Just a breakfast event. The breakfast is not compulsory and only attendance to the event is a requirement to log the event. Please complete the logbook which will be available. This is not a requirement to log. We hope to meet with some Swaziland cachers and we hope to hear some good caching stories with hints.

 

If you want to join me at the border or you need to join from Gauteng please drop a note.

 

We would've really liked to attend this one....but alas we will not be able to. We've just realised that the 19th is a Saturday - not a Sunday as we had hoped! We won't be able to get off work on the Friday to make our way to Ermelo for the night. We had hoped that if the Event was on a Sunday, we could've made a plan. But also, this weekend we will be under pressure, as all our family will be coming from Germany for their epic South African holiday the following weekend and we have a lot to prepare before they arrive. We'll need the weekend of 19/20th to do the necessary prep.

Thanks so much for organising though...we hope you'll do this again next year (like make it an annual thing).

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We are planning to stay for the weekend. The idea is to get the cachers at the border; get them across and give them the chance to look at the country first. If they decide "Not for me" then they can return. There are many places to stay. There is even house boats but they could be booked. For a boat it is about R1200 for the night that sleeps four people. (I think)

 

But the date is open for discussing, I am only arranging the event. Cachers decides how they want to do it. Same with the cache finds. Nothing is cast in stone and we will come up as a group with possible ones. If the group wants to split in two or three to find more caches then so be it. Then we go into different directions but as a group we log them. If they decide no ways, we do the easy ones all together than so be it. If they say let us do the climb to the top then we go for it.

 

But first we need to get cachers to attend this one, or else this is going to be one lonely event.

Gerhard

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Ok, maybe this is not that funny. We had to change the location of the event. I hope this is in order. This is now final. Sorry for the inconvenience. If you need to relieve high blood pressure drop the event organizer an e-mail and vent it. :)

 

I dropped an e-mail to the reviewer and hopefully we will have this resolve. The correct waypoint is attached as a note. Not nice Mr. event organizer. Gerhard

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Ginger, jy is 'n baie stoute smurfie. :) Post #40 above have the link on this topic. But here it is again. http://coord.info/GC2MNMY I hope your team can attend; long time since I saw this team at an event.

 

I need to say this - the reviewer used the bullet train last night. As soon as the request for way point change was placed the lisitng was correct. Thanks reviewer for the speedy effort and sorry for the additional work but we stumbled a bit with the blond stuff. At least the mess I made was resolve with this listing. Gerhard

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Last year in October another event was being arranged for Swaziland, the "Then organisers" proposed that their event was arranged with in to short notice and cancelled the arrangements. As far as I know they are still planning and maybe we could here from them when they intend to host their event. Maybe we (as cachers) would have the option of two events in Swazi within two or three weeks. Any word on this?

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Swaziland is about 300 km away from Nigel. I am prepared to attend such an event but not at two weeks interval. To do two trips, one weekend on standby, another long trip for caching and trying to scrape some monies together for an extended trip into Africa will give me a financial knock in one month. But if this in somewhere deep in March then there is a good possibility that I will attend. But again personal circumstances are different and for other cachers it could be possible.

 

My personal reason why I arrange this event is the following – only my 2 cents worth. I drive every day of my life at 129 km/hr on a tar road for 35 km per trip and I sleep in a house. I have stresses like a guitar string. When I go to Swaziland then I want to relax and I want to do it different. I want to go off-road and I want to get muddy and I want to drive sideways through one hell of a mud run. I want to go boulder hopping up the hill. If we get stuck then we get unstuck, it is all part of the trip. I want to do a hike and I want to visit Sheba’s Breast and I just want to sit down and I want to enjoy the scenery. Just charging the mental batteries. I want to find caches but if there is a good trial then I will select the trial and if there is a cache then it is a bonus. Here I do not chase the numbers – that is for another day in Gauteng. My wife and daughter are not coming with on this trip as they know and they understand that this is my time where I run away from the normal things in life and they are mature enough to allow me that space. Unfortunately the organizing of the trip will be determined by the attendees and what they plan to do as a group. If they arrive with sedans - I can not expect from them to follow me up the hill. If they want to do the quick ones then we do them. If they want to stay with me for the weekend then it is their choice. If the majority does not want to hike then we do so – but somewhere I will still have the time to relax and to enjoy the company of the cachers.

 

Maybe we first need to determine if there is any demand for an event in Swaziland. The event that is currently in progress will quickly prove if this is viable. I have at this stage a couple of “maybe” attendees on my private list and hopefully we will be more than 4 teams which are much more than expected. I am only praying that I am not the only one at this event. That will feel like a DNF.

<_<

 

At present we are not sure what to plan for our outing when the event is completed. Are we going off road - there should be enough mud, are we going up the mountains, do the hikes, how many caches, are we staying on the tar; should we do the quick hits? I have this feeling that most cachers will tend to hang back and will rather adopt an approach of “Let us see how the first group respond and let us read their experiences first”. So maybe two weeks is too short to publish another event. Some people like to read of the experiences of others and they need time to think about it. G

Edited by gerhardoosMPsa
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