Bikepacking in Botswana: Bobonong to Palapye via Robelela
Nov 29th, 2023, 01:45 AM
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Bikepacking in Botswana: Bobonong to Palapye via Robelela
Botswana is renowned for scorching sun, deep sand and large, dangerous animals. On the face of it, not an ideal destination for bikepacking. But when we came to Botswana to live our bikes came along, and there are plenty of places to use them. November is a very quiet time of the year here, so our company shut up shop for a few days last week and went exploring on our bikes. It was 285 km of gravel trail which takes you through some wild country far from the usual tourist spots. We did it over four days. It’s a great way to see the country and meet the people.
November isn’t really the best time of year for a cycling trip here. It tends to be hot. The forecast clouds and light rain didn’t appear, and instead we were cycling through a heatwave. The backpacks were quickly dumped into the support vehicle, and in the heat of the day the helmets were put on over sunhats.
Day 1: 30 km in the saddle.
Bobonong always seems exotic. A market village with stalls selling everything imaginable clustered around the bus rank; donkey carts mingling with the traffic, and flocks of goats wandering freely and unattended through the streets. For me it has always been the edge of adventure: a gateway to the wild country beyond, and a last chance to stock up on essentials. There is even a shop that sells some bicycle parts. Nothing esoteric, but if you’ve forgotten to bring chain oil they will have some.
And the street food is delicious. The local tribe are BaBirwa, and their cuisine is very different to that of the Tswana. One favourite is delele, a kind of wild jute which has a lovely flavour but a rather unusual texture, producing long gooey strings from fork to plate. Messy to eat but well worthwhile. But we can’t linger.
Surprised children shout Lekgoa mo baesekeleng (a white man on a bicycle) as we ride to the edge of the village. Tourists are rare in Bobonong, and bikepackers are a real novelty. It would be fun to stop and chat, but we want to reach the Lepokole Hills before dark. Should have set out earlier !
We turn off the tarred road 5 km beyond the village, and from here on it’s gravel all the way. The ploughing fields with their neatly thatched mud huts give way to forest as we leave the river floodplain and gently climb into the hills and through a rocky pass. The forest here is full of baboons, vervet monkeys and brightly coloured birds, but the road demands close attention as here and there boulders peep through the gravel surface. It’s hard to maintain a regular rhythm.
Tonight’s accommodation is the Lepokole Hills Nature Reserve, which lies beyond the pass. This reserve is run by the local community. They have a camping site with fixed tents and bedding. The reserve is fenced to keep the elephants out – the big attraction here is the San (Kalahari Bushman) rock art, and no-one wants the elephants to damage it. The other attraction is climbing the big granite domes. From the top of the domes you can see for miles.
You won’t find a coffee machine in Lepokole village but you will find ladies brewing traditional beverages, and a litre of sorghum beer or brandybush wine is a very affordable BWP 7 – about 60c US..
We actually started our trip in the middle of Bobonong. But Naomi wanted to pose with the road sign ! The main roads in Botswana often have a gravel track like this running alongside, mainly used by donkey carts but handy for cyclists !
Gooey strings from a plate of delele. Messy to eat but delicious.
A street kitchen in Bobonong
Lekgoa mo baesekeleng ! James roadtesting an adjustment before we set out in earnest.
Deserted gravel roads and easy pedaling: a cyclist's heaven.
The Lepokole Hills
Lepokole Hills campsite
A welcome bed - a private furnished tent for about USD 12 for the night
November isn’t really the best time of year for a cycling trip here. It tends to be hot. The forecast clouds and light rain didn’t appear, and instead we were cycling through a heatwave. The backpacks were quickly dumped into the support vehicle, and in the heat of the day the helmets were put on over sunhats.
Day 1: 30 km in the saddle.
Bobonong always seems exotic. A market village with stalls selling everything imaginable clustered around the bus rank; donkey carts mingling with the traffic, and flocks of goats wandering freely and unattended through the streets. For me it has always been the edge of adventure: a gateway to the wild country beyond, and a last chance to stock up on essentials. There is even a shop that sells some bicycle parts. Nothing esoteric, but if you’ve forgotten to bring chain oil they will have some.
And the street food is delicious. The local tribe are BaBirwa, and their cuisine is very different to that of the Tswana. One favourite is delele, a kind of wild jute which has a lovely flavour but a rather unusual texture, producing long gooey strings from fork to plate. Messy to eat but well worthwhile. But we can’t linger.
Surprised children shout Lekgoa mo baesekeleng (a white man on a bicycle) as we ride to the edge of the village. Tourists are rare in Bobonong, and bikepackers are a real novelty. It would be fun to stop and chat, but we want to reach the Lepokole Hills before dark. Should have set out earlier !
We turn off the tarred road 5 km beyond the village, and from here on it’s gravel all the way. The ploughing fields with their neatly thatched mud huts give way to forest as we leave the river floodplain and gently climb into the hills and through a rocky pass. The forest here is full of baboons, vervet monkeys and brightly coloured birds, but the road demands close attention as here and there boulders peep through the gravel surface. It’s hard to maintain a regular rhythm.
Tonight’s accommodation is the Lepokole Hills Nature Reserve, which lies beyond the pass. This reserve is run by the local community. They have a camping site with fixed tents and bedding. The reserve is fenced to keep the elephants out – the big attraction here is the San (Kalahari Bushman) rock art, and no-one wants the elephants to damage it. The other attraction is climbing the big granite domes. From the top of the domes you can see for miles.
You won’t find a coffee machine in Lepokole village but you will find ladies brewing traditional beverages, and a litre of sorghum beer or brandybush wine is a very affordable BWP 7 – about 60c US..
We actually started our trip in the middle of Bobonong. But Naomi wanted to pose with the road sign ! The main roads in Botswana often have a gravel track like this running alongside, mainly used by donkey carts but handy for cyclists !
Gooey strings from a plate of delele. Messy to eat but delicious.
A street kitchen in Bobonong
Lekgoa mo baesekeleng ! James roadtesting an adjustment before we set out in earnest.
Deserted gravel roads and easy pedaling: a cyclist's heaven.
The Lepokole Hills
Lepokole Hills campsite
A welcome bed - a private furnished tent for about USD 12 for the night
Nov 30th, 2023, 01:11 AM
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Day 2: Lepokole to Robelela: 48 km of pedaling
Day 2: 48 km in the saddle
The gravel road from Lepokole to Robelela is little used by cars. It initially runs through cattlepost country, and the sparse local traffic is mainly donkey carts. The first half cuts across the grain of the countryside, crossing numerous small rivers. Each is an invitation to stop beneath a shady tree and sit for a few minutes to see what wildlife is about. Most of the mammals in these parts are nocturnal, but mongoose and monkeys are diurnal and always fun to watch; with luck there will be big monitor lizards; and there will always be birds.
The tiny shop in Tshokwe doesn't sell much, but icy cold drinks are always welcome. Peo got the last can.
They get automatic right-of-way !
Sun hat or helmet ? Naomi found a way to wear both at once
The exterior plaster of a hut is a mixture of sand, clay and cow dung. Different coloured sands are used to create the patterns.
Local families will have their main house in a village; a picturesque thatched hut in their ploughing field, to be occupied seasonally; and another, typically less picturesque hut at their cattlepost. The cattle roam freely on common land during the day, but are locked up in a kraal at night to keep them away from leopards, and one of the menfolk will stay with them.
Every Motswana seems to be happiest at his cattlepost. Cattle are an important part of the national psyche. The man you see dressed in rags, herding his cattle of a weekend may be a city lawyer in a smart suit during the week. There might be a BMW tucked away behind the hut. Or he might be an economic refugee from Zimbabwe, fleeing destitution back home. Here at the cattlepost both will be the envy of their peers.
Just after lunch we were at the little village of Tshokwe, population 1586 at the last census. Tswana tradition is to set an extra place at the table in case a stranger should show up This custom has died out in the cities, but is alive and well in the countryside. It would be rude to refuse an invitation into a family compound. Rural Tswana dishes look simple at first glance, but what they have to offer is so much more than meets the eye. Lehata is a lovely stew of mung beans and fresh sorghum kernels. Mophane stew is dried and salted caterpillars stewed with tomato, capsicum, onion, fresh chilli, cumin and minced garlic. Absolutely delicious.
The 23 km from Tshokwe to Robelela is through forest much of the way: easy pedaling but you have to keep your eyes fixed on the road. This is elephant country, and the piles of elephant dung left on the road are a very real hazard to an unwary cyclist.
What to do if you meet an elephant ? If you don’t bother them they won’t bother you. But cycling between a mother and her calf is best avoided. The elephants typically travel in herds, and if the herd is feeding on both sides of the road it might be better to stop and wait for them to move off.
Robelela is a tiny, backblocks village and unless you have brought your own tent there is nowhere to stay. We had the luxury of a support vehicle, and at 39 degrees C camping seemed less attractive. So we opted for a night of air conditioned comfort at Phokoje Bush Lodge, 50 km away. It has an extensive menu. New Zealand greenshell mussels in a creamy white wine sauce are hard to resist, and so is the swimming pool. Just the thing for an overheated cyclist !
The gravel road from Lepokole to Robelela is little used by cars. It initially runs through cattlepost country, and the sparse local traffic is mainly donkey carts. The first half cuts across the grain of the countryside, crossing numerous small rivers. Each is an invitation to stop beneath a shady tree and sit for a few minutes to see what wildlife is about. Most of the mammals in these parts are nocturnal, but mongoose and monkeys are diurnal and always fun to watch; with luck there will be big monitor lizards; and there will always be birds.
The tiny shop in Tshokwe doesn't sell much, but icy cold drinks are always welcome. Peo got the last can.
They get automatic right-of-way !
Sun hat or helmet ? Naomi found a way to wear both at once
The exterior plaster of a hut is a mixture of sand, clay and cow dung. Different coloured sands are used to create the patterns.
Local families will have their main house in a village; a picturesque thatched hut in their ploughing field, to be occupied seasonally; and another, typically less picturesque hut at their cattlepost. The cattle roam freely on common land during the day, but are locked up in a kraal at night to keep them away from leopards, and one of the menfolk will stay with them.
Every Motswana seems to be happiest at his cattlepost. Cattle are an important part of the national psyche. The man you see dressed in rags, herding his cattle of a weekend may be a city lawyer in a smart suit during the week. There might be a BMW tucked away behind the hut. Or he might be an economic refugee from Zimbabwe, fleeing destitution back home. Here at the cattlepost both will be the envy of their peers.
Just after lunch we were at the little village of Tshokwe, population 1586 at the last census. Tswana tradition is to set an extra place at the table in case a stranger should show up This custom has died out in the cities, but is alive and well in the countryside. It would be rude to refuse an invitation into a family compound. Rural Tswana dishes look simple at first glance, but what they have to offer is so much more than meets the eye. Lehata is a lovely stew of mung beans and fresh sorghum kernels. Mophane stew is dried and salted caterpillars stewed with tomato, capsicum, onion, fresh chilli, cumin and minced garlic. Absolutely delicious.
The 23 km from Tshokwe to Robelela is through forest much of the way: easy pedaling but you have to keep your eyes fixed on the road. This is elephant country, and the piles of elephant dung left on the road are a very real hazard to an unwary cyclist.
What to do if you meet an elephant ? If you don’t bother them they won’t bother you. But cycling between a mother and her calf is best avoided. The elephants typically travel in herds, and if the herd is feeding on both sides of the road it might be better to stop and wait for them to move off.
Robelela is a tiny, backblocks village and unless you have brought your own tent there is nowhere to stay. We had the luxury of a support vehicle, and at 39 degrees C camping seemed less attractive. So we opted for a night of air conditioned comfort at Phokoje Bush Lodge, 50 km away. It has an extensive menu. New Zealand greenshell mussels in a creamy white wine sauce are hard to resist, and so is the swimming pool. Just the thing for an overheated cyclist !
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