Details of our trip

Here is a day to day account of our trip.

2 Sep Leave Lisbon
3 Sep Arrive Johannesburg
4 Sep Armando to leave Johannesburg and arrive in Maputo to pick up bike. Paula stays in Johannesburg
5 Sep Armando to leave Maputo to Johannesburg. Paula is in Johannesburg.
6 Sep Johannesburg
7 Sep Leave Johannesburg to Colesberg
8 Sep Colesberg to Mossel Bay
9 Sep Mossel Bay to Cape Town
10 Sep Cape Town
11 Sep Cape Town to Springbok
12 Sep Springbok to Fish River Canyon in Namibia
13 Sep Fish River Canyon to Luderitz
14 Sep Luderitz to Sossusvlei Area
15 Sep Stay in Sossusvlei Area
16 Sep Sossusvlei to Swakopmund
17 Sep Stay in Swakopmund
18 Sep Swakomund to Windhoek
19 Sep Windhoek to Ghanzi in Botswana
20 Sep Ghanzi to Maun and then flight to Okavango Delta
21 Sep Okavango Delta
22 Sep Okavango Delta by flight to Maun and then by road to Gweta
23 Sep Gweta to Kesane to Chobe National Park
24 Sep Chobe National Park
25 Sep Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls
26 Sep Kesane to Nata
27 sep Nata to Kharma Rhino Sanctuary
28 Sep Kharma Rhino Center to Vaalwater in South Africa
29 Sep Vaalwater to Johannesburg

Click HERE to see Facebook Group of our Africa Adventure

Bike and Equipment

2011 BMW R1200GSA in proud Portuguese colors.
75,000Kms with Touratech suspension and ceramic clutch, Sargent custom seats and 21" front wheel.
Will be using Michelin Wilds for Leg 1 and Continental TKC80 for Leg 2.
Will be taking bike tools and spares on my left box, camping gear on right box and clothes on a SW Motech 60 ltr bag on the back seat. Top case and tank bag will be used for stuff needed during the day.
Will be using mainly paper maps but will also have a Garmin GPS and a mobile phone.
Will be taking a GoPro camera and a SPOT device.
I will be wearing a BMW Rallye 2 suit, Touratech Aventuro helmet and Atlas neck brace in Portuguese colors.

Vaccination, Malaria and Medicine

Went on a consultation with a specialized doctor and getting vaccines for: Yellow fever, Typhoid, Meningitis, Rabies, Tetanus and Hepatite A
The actual list of things to watch out for is much longer but we decided to take the above ones only. Here is the long list ...
Yellow fever
Hepatitis
Cholera
Typhoid
Rabies
Diphtheria
Influenza
Meningitis
Measles
Rubella
Polio
We will also be taking Malaria pills. There are two options, a weekly and a daily pill. We will be taking the daily pill as it has less side effects.
We are also taking an extensive pharmacy with us (see list on previous post)

Lists for stuff to be taken

One of the most important things for these types of trips is the various lists that one has to do to ensure we do not forget any of the critical items.

Here are a number of lists that were put together after looking at many sites and using our experience of other trips.

Clothes

1. Sandals
2. Flip flops
3. Shorts
4. Underpants
5. Under garments for riding
6. Jeans
7. T-shirts
8. Hats
9. Belts
10. Socks
11. Long sleeve shirts
12 Jackets
13. Rain Gear
14. Swim suit
15. Towel
16. Running shoes
17. Sleeves

Personal hygiene

1. Soap in plastic case
2. Shampoo
3. Tooth brush
4. Tooth paste
5. Floss
6. Comb
7. Razor
8. Deodorant

Electronics

1. Phone
2. Satellite Phone
3. Camera
4. Chargers
5. Small radio
6. Battery charger
7. Computer
8. SPOT
9. GoPro camera and different types of mounts

Gear and Protection

1. Pants
2. Jacket
3. Boots
4. Neck Protector
5. Chest Protector
6. Gloves
7. Helmet
8. Watch
9. Ear Plugs (2 sets)
10. Eye Glasses
11. Sun Glasses
12. Rain Suit
13. Heated Jacket
14. Notepad and Pen
15. Swiss army knife
16. Hippo Hands
17. Camel Back
18. Visor cleaner
19. Spare Bike Key
20. Set of bungee cords
21. Tank Bag 

Camping

1. Tent
2. Small hammer
3. Sleeping bag
4. Pillow
5. Floor mat
6. Repair kit
7. Head light
8. Eating utensils
9. Water purifying pills
10. Protection blankets
11. Small blanket
12. Mosquito repellent including DEET
13. Hand sanitizer or/and wipes
14. Matches/lighter
15. Batteries
16. Compass
17. Whistle
18. Knife
19. Small umbrella
20. Food (Cans, Bars, energy small bottles with caffeine)
21. Ziplock bags (different sizes)

Medicine

1. Probiotics
2. Antibiotics
3. Malaria pills
4. Diarrhea pills
5. First aid kit
6. Ibuprofen
7. Allergy pills
8. Anthistamines ointment for bites, stongs allergies
9. Cough medicine
10. Cold and flu medication
11. Motion sickness tablets
12. Throat lozenge
13. Alcohol or antiseptic ointment to clean wounds
14. Mid laxative for constipation
15. Fluid and electrolyte replacement powder or tablets
16. Eye lubricant
17. Thermometer
18. Sunscreen
19. Nail clippers
20. Specific medicine

Bike Maintenance

1. Set of tools appropriate for the bike
2. Tire irons
3. Pump and air pressure monitor
4. BMW Key tool
5. Tires (as needed)
6. Front and Back tubes
7. Fuel siphon
8. Rag
9. Insulation tape
10. Duct Tape ( American tape)
11. Cable Ties
12. WD40
13. Tyre Fill
14. Tow rope
15. Spare break pads
16. Oil filter
17. All purpose glue
18. Loctite
19. Pratley Steel
20. Multimeter
21. Spare air filter or cleaner
22. Bottle of Oil

Motorcycle getting ready

Today spent most of the day preparing the bike for her flight on Sunday to Maputo, Mozambique.
It is amazing that for the platform we started with 3x 6m iron tubes that were cut many times and soldered together to create a specially designed structure to carry the bike and the bags, tires and accessories.
Thank you to Claudio Sousa (Art on Wheels garage), David and Hugo for this outstanding work as well as helping the packing and loading of the bike.
One more step closer to our African Adventure ...
Make Life a Ride !