CKGR north half loop in 3 days/4 nights ??

[muzungu]

Hi all,
The planning only it's so much fun... love this stuff but going a bit crazy with the itinerary at times. Yet another call for feedback, useful advice will be duly paid back in the form of an ice cold beer by the Mediterranean on the island of Mallorca just send me a PM when you drop by.

Our last leg of the trip, 3-day/4-night at CKGR, driving times as per T4A v9.10:

02-jun NXAI to CKGR Sunday Camp restock/refuel at Rakops: 6 hours + stops
03-jun Sunday Camp to San Camp CKTAU-02 (thru cutline): 4 hours
04-jun San Camp to Letiahau Camp CKWIL-07: 2.5 hrs
05-jun Letiahau to Kori Camp CKKOR-3 near Deception Valley: 2.5 h
06-jun CKGR to Manu - 4 hours

Not sure how accurate these Tracks4Africa time estimations are for driving conditions on early June. Has anyone got any experience with these autoroute timings?

The idea is to sleep near-ish Matswere gate on the 1st and last nights (arriving from Nxai and leaving for Maun). I also understand that Deception Valley is worth a whole day so we'd stay near there last night. That gives us 2 more nights somewhere deeper into the park. Want to go easy not spending all the time driving, lets say 4 hours day max. so me thinks we can do half of the northern loop anticlockwise skipping Passarge Valley & Pan by going through the cutline. Pipers P. detour is estimated to be 2.5h and back from the nearest camps Phokoje or Letiahau so we'll have to skip that as well.

Any suggestions for a better 3-d/4-n alternative?

Very much appretiated, muchas gracias

PD. The map below outlines itinerary. Green tents mark where we'd sleep.

[witklipbank]

Hi,
Tracks4africa's time is good, june is dry and winter, so, the sand may be more sandy, but it looks possible, just remember that only sunday1 and kori is booked throug gabarone parks, the other camps by bigfoot.

[Kalamazoo]

Looks like a nice short trip. I just love the North of CKGR. Everything is very possible but I would check on fuel availability ar Rakops closer to the time.

Sorry last point - Deception is a must so travel slowly, or stop and relax just for the hell of it!!

[StevePe]

We did this trip early May last year (3 vehicles, 6 adults, 6 kids (14-2yrs) 6 nights. Arrived late (gets dark 5ish and they will not let you drive through the park to arrive at your booked campsite after dark) but not a problem as camping at main gate good with hot running water and clean ablutions. No fuel at the one and only garage in Rakops - call "Juliet" on +267 75106249 to check availability. Stayed second night at Passarge 2 - had been moved from the valley site to a new position on an exposed rise (windy and no view) and very little shade - not great. 4 nights at Dec04 - very pleasant but we all agreed Kori 3 and 4 best sites. We saw all the game pretty much within Deception Valley itself, mainly dusk and dawn: lion, cheetah and 4 cubs, leopard (in camp at night!), bat eared foxes and lost of birds. My recommendation would be to camp in Deception Valley and do day trips from there - work on 20km speed and if you get going at 6am - just before dawn (which will be very cold!) and get back for brunch at 10 you'll get it all in, rather than move camp every day. Enjoy!!

[muzungu]

Thank you all for you advice, especially for noting the no-fuel-at-Rakops potential problem. I'll definitively call that number to check it out.

* Kasane-Gweta: sleep at Planet Baobab. Refuel at Nata. Top-up at Gweta
* Then two nights at Nxai Pan which will consume some fuel.
* Then the drive to CKGR

If there isn't diesel at Rakops I guess we've got 2 options for refueling, both imply double backs:
- go back to Gweta as we leave Nxai Pan on the A3
- go down to Mopipi and back north to the gate

Either way we'd be late but we could stay at the gate camp.

Not ideal but I don't see any other option for refueling. The car I'm hiring its supposed to have long-range tank and a few jerry cans but I don't trust that lasting for 2 days at Nxai Pan, 3 days at CKGR and the driving in between...

[StevePe]

Mopipi, 60km south of Rakops, has two fuel stations (Shell and Caltex) so if Rakops dry your shortest distance to top up is the extra 120km to Mopipi and back....worthwhile in my view as you do not want to run out of fuel in the middle of the CKGR...or have to limit game drives to avoid this...