NAMIBIA: KHOMAS HIGHLAND HUNTING SAFARIS Revisited

[NTX]

Now that sounds like a trip done right! I’ll be there next week hunting with QHS Namibia located near Etosha. Jaco at Namibia safari corporation has a new restaurant and brewery on his property that you’ll enjoy. I was there last June. We are all looking forward to reading about your next experiences. Best of luck to you, sir.

 

[WAB]

Awesome!!! One of my African highlights was driving a cruiser and camping across Northern Botswana from Maun to Kasane and back. Nothing compared to your jaunt FWB!

 

[AZDAVE]

Now your talking, two of my favorite pass times Hunting and motorcycle riding. I can say I am very envious. Have a great trip, ride safe and shoot straight.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Sounds like the start of a great adventure! Best of luck and stay safe.
Post a few progress reports as you have time and internet access.

 

[flatwater bill]

@NTX .................best of luck on your hunt. Perhaps I will stop by and see you. I was a beta tester for Jaco's brewery at Namibia Safari Corp...........it was a tough job, but I sucked it up...and @WAB ..I think that DOES compare very favorably....bet it was stunning.....FWB

 

[cmk]

I can report that @flatwater bill is still alive, and was in high spirits after dinner tonight at Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris.

The man thrives on red wine, gun trivia, 80's pop music and african stories of yesteryear.

A truly great evening was had!

 

[flatwater bill]

Every journey requires a destination. Without it, you are simply a wanderer.
My destination was Zebra Camp. You can see 100 miles from there. So they say.
I rented a motorcycle in Namibia for 17 days. Hunted a bit along the way. Am home now.
I'll post a brief hunt report in a day or two.....when feeling returns................FWB

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Every journey requires a destination. Without it, you are simply a wanderer.
My destination was Zebra Camp. You can see 100 miles from there. So they say.
I rented a motorcycle in Namibia for 17 days. Hunted a bit along the way. Am home now.
I'll post a brief hunt report in a day or two.....when feeling returns................FWB

Can’t wait! I’m sure you had quite the adventure

 

[BRICKBURN]

Congratulations on completing your wander.

 

[Nyati]

That sounds like a great adventure

 

[TwoTracks]

From your earlier picture, I was expecting an imbedded review on a KTM 690. That Royal Enfield is super interesting. After you get the good stuff out of the way, I’d like your thoughts on that bike.

 

[flatwater bill]

Day 4.....made it across the desert. Saw one other motorcycle. Saw an adult male leopard cross the road in front of me in broad daylight. I am in the bottom center of this foto, hoping to find a place to spend the night. With a bar. .......FWB

 

[cmk]

Every journey requires a destination. Without it, you are simply a wanderer.
My destination was Zebra Camp. You can see 100 miles from there. So they say.
I rented a motorcycle in Namibia for 17 days. Hunted a bit along the way. Am home now.
I'll post a brief hunt report in a day or two.....when feeling returns................FWB

Great to hear that you and Tim survived the trip. Some of those roads are taxing enough in a 4x4, and I bet that experiencing them on a motorbike is felt even more.

Looking forward to hear of the rest of your wanderings.

/cmk

 

[BTB Joe]

So I was driving through Namibia a few weeks ago and spotted a celebrity on a motorcycle. Looked like Colin Farrell but it turned out to be none other than Flatwater Bill! It was a pleasure to meet you at Khomas Highland Bill. I’m looking forward to reading about your trip.
Regards,
Joe

 

[Troubleshooter]

Well done!

 

[flatwater bill]

THE ROAD TO KHOMAS
Khomas Highland Safaris is only 62 km from the shop called "Namibia Motorcycles". A short easy first day. I didn't know how long the rental arrangements would take, transfer from the airport, and such. Getting out of Windhoek traffic, riding on the wrong side of the road, and being up all night on the flight from Frankfurt made for an unsteady start. Namibian drivers are not the fastest or the most dangerous drivers to share the road with. But they are in the top 10. We left the tar road and hit the gravel 20 km out; tension fading a bit with the lite traffic, low speed, and pretty scenery. Then we plied the C-28 westward.

Riding a bike in a foreign land is an experience unlike most others. You smell the dust, the sweetness of hot vegetation, feel the coolness of the air in the road dips, and just have a heightened sense of vigilance and awareness. When whisked away in an airconditioned cab by your PH, mindless of where the night will catch you, and knowing it is all prearranged, you can mentally detach. Top Gun will not allow that to happen.

The bike shop I had originally dealt with went TU. They stopped responding and their website shut down. Without a word. Shop and motorcycle changed. The Royal Enfield Himalayan is called an adventure bike. It was. It really was.

Ours was not a tour. I arranged it and planned the route. I knew where I wanted to go....approximately. But I didn't know how long each day would take, or how fatigued we would be, I could not find anyone who had ridden the back roads, and I didn't know their surface condition or exactly how far we could go on a tank of gas. Everyone I talked with in the biker community either wanted to sell me a group tour from Capetown to Windhoek, or give me a tattoo. I had never ridden a Himalayan before, and needed to plan for the inevitable "AWA".......as always.

We arrived at KHS about 3 PM. Philip was busy with other clients, but still gave us a warm welcome. He runs a hunting operation, not a motorcycle rest-stop, but he kindly made an exception for me. Here we rested and hunted two evenings. We also met up with BTB Joe, CMK, and friends from Finland. Tim and I watched waterholes two evenings, but nothing exciting filtered out of the scrub at twilight. A full moon and a recent rain spared us any trophy fees.

Next morning, we planned to leave for Swakopmund. 295 km of gravel, sand, steep grades and crossings. There are only 3 places to spend the night between KHS and Swakopmund: Harmonie, Donkerhuk East and Donkerhuk West. They were all full. We needed an early start to make the longest leg before dark. I can't see well enough to ride at night and dodge hyenas, ardwolfs, and cattle. I arranged for a young man from the shop to meet us early, ride with us to Swakopmund, and bring spare fuel and a tire kit for the journey. Since the six men originally agreeing to this bike trip had winnowed down to just Tim and me, we wanted help for the toughest day. But he did not arrive, and we left at 1PM without him.......FWB
(Tim and I leave the desert camp.)

 

[flatwater bill]

Some days are just train wrecks...... FWB

 

[flatwater bill]

We were not at Swakopmund when the darkness swallowed us. The deep sand and the late start from KHS were killers. Still 80 Km out, we found a place to pull off, sat and drank some water and ate an energy bar. Exhausted. No vehicles had been by in over an hour, and it began to rain. Far behind us a lone headlight winked and bobbled as it approached. a motorcycle was coming! Not traveling like Tim and I traveled. Like old men travel. It was flat-ass getting with the program. It slid to a stop, and Mikhail, our helper had caught us. He told us how the gas station attendant in Windhoek had topped off his tank with diesel fuel. It ran a couple of clicks to an isolated spot and died. He hiked to a hill, got mobile reception, called for a rescue truck and returned to the shop. There he transferred his gear to fresh bike, and rode to catch us. Petrol motors are fussy about diesel.

The three of us rode on in the dark. It was pitch black with the cloud cover. Far ahead we could see the white ocean mist walling up as it bumped against the dry desert air. I was so tired that I drifted into the right lane and stayed there. Mist coated my glasses. Flipping the visor down, I turned on the helmet stereo hoping to stay awake. "It is the night, my body's weak, I'm on the run, no time to sleep"...played softly.

We found our hotel. Our room had been canceled. Awa. We got that sorted quickly. Helmeted and dirty space aliens must not dwell in reception. A double whiskey, chased with a Tafel, a quick shower, and we fell into bed not bothering to eat. It proved to be the only hard day of the trip.

Rested, knowing an oryx hunt was only two days away, and after a champagne and fresh oyster breakfast, we blasted out onto the salt road in a stiff sea breeze. Namibia Safari Corp here we come. Ride like the wind.....................FWB

 

[flatwater bill]

We become oryx hunters. Do you follow?..............FWB

 

[flatwater bill]

We arrived at Namibia Safari Corporation (NSC) lodge after a some wrong turns, great scenery, and a few bruises. We unpacked and parked the bikes for 3 days. Rested and refreshed, we hunted oryx.

NSC hunts a vast area. One part is stiff with oryx. Though the drought took its toll on Namibian wildlife, we still saw about 150 oryx one day. Jaco said he had counted 1000 there before the dry years. Good to see things bouncing back.

With a lot of gemsbok available, we were able to target only the largest and oldest bulls. All oryx look big to the uninitiated and it takes some experience to judge them. They are one of the most difficult species for the newcomer to field judge. No one should come to Namibia without hunting these National symbols....they are big, tough, wary and great eating. And their coloration is absolutely wild.

After a couple of abortive stalks where we were foiled by lite cover or shifting wind, we finally closed on a monster bull with two cows. Tim made a great shot from 282 meters. We heard a solid hit, and the bull staggered off. Tim fired again at about 300 meters and another solid hit did the trick.

All oryx look big. Old bulls have heavy horns. The closely packed corrugations at the base indicate an old bull. You can't place a third horn between the bases of a bull, but you usually can on a cow. The long skinny horns of a cow are appealing to some. Not to others. (This is what I have learned. PH's may know better ways to judge)

We joked about following the loaded bakkie too closely, especially on a motorcycle, with those fierce horns pointing backward.

The smile says it all....the first African trophy for Tim (AKA Easy Rider) in the salt. Hopefully not the last one.

FWB