Touring in Africa: suggestions?

[serbring]

Hi all,

I'm fascinated about Africa and I'm considering to tour there for the next summer. Is there any route most of the bikers follow? Any safe country?

Thanks

[Heltor Chasca]

I've done a bit through Southern Africa. And I've visited East Africa. I'd be happy to pass on my ideas. I think 'safe' is definitely down to perception. What happens in the newspapers is ALWAYS very different to on the ground.

There are some good bike travelogues on Africa on Kindle and second hand on Amazon. Let me know what ideas you have. Mine would be about 10+ years out of date. Things happen very quickly in Africa.

It is an amazing continent that you MUST visit.

[hufty]

Saying I want to tour in Africa is about as general as saying I want to tour in Europe - there's a lot of variety out there. But my suggestion for a taster trip would be Uganda. The climate is lovely because of the relative altitude, and there's a lot of greenery as well as a lot of dust. I never felt unwelcome or unsafe (maybe a little bit when cycling through the reserves) and I think it's politically stable. From the airport it's a 20 min bike ride into Entebbe where there are backpackers and so on, and if you're heading north/west there's a passenger ferry across a river to avoid the main road to Kampala - all in all a nice soft start to a tour.

There's not so many tourist attractions per se - you're not going to get temple fatigue ever. The food can be monotonous and stodgy, and prices rocket as soon as they get quoted in US dollars ie if you do anything in a National Park. Maybe not a good destination if you're gay but on the other hand who's going to know.

[mercalia]

and you need to be fit to be able to cycle fast enough to avoid becoming a happy meal

[Geoff.D]

I spent 2 years working in Ethiopia, 1981 to 1983. Things might well be (and probably are( very different now. But, my experience was very positive. I toured on a motorbike, camping wild and sometimes using the nationalised guesthouses (ex-Emperor's palaces) and sometimes local hotels. Very cheap, and cheerful

I was welcomed and never felt unsafe, except from the animals. But I took my lead from the locals in how to deal with them (e.g. crocodiles were safe, but hippos weren't). The unsafe areas due to human violence were known and restricted by the government, such as the war zone with Eritrea.

The country is steeped in history, from biblical times right through. It had a black Jewish population as well as an orthodox Christianity embedded next to many tribal cultures. It even had a modern relationship with Rastafarianism and I had a surreal night in a tukul (round hut) chatting away with a Rasta who had taken up Emperor Haile Selassie's offer of free land to any Rasta who wished to repatriate himself from Jamaica. Our conversation centred on cricket - Wes Hall, Charlie Griffiths, Fred Truman, et al. Deep in the Rift Valley !!!

Fascinating stuff.

I gather that the Chinese have pored some money in in recent years (e.g. the road north from Addis Ababa is now paved to the source of the (Blue) Nile and the ancient capital Gondar.

Perhaps the biggest drawback was the crowds of onlookers that I attracted as a "farenge". I couldn't go into the bushes to relieve myself without having a circle of interested onlookers. Also begging was the norm....but then why wouldn't it be with such a wealth difference? But, stone throwing by kids as I went through villages seemed to be "fun" for them.

[mnichols]

Very interesting post. Africa is definitely on my list, but I must admit to being a bit too worried about being safe to get it off the drawing board. Would love to do an epic ride in Africa

[Heltor Chasca]

20+ years living there did one thing: It taught me that fundamentally, human beings are out to help and be kind. Indigenous Africans are some of the kindest I have come across in the World. Tribally there are vagaries in cultural behaviour, but so long as you demonstrate respect, you will be just fine.

Dogs are worse than the wildlife. The beer is better than the water. And lock your bike up [emoji6]

[mnichols]

20+ years living there did one thing: It taught me that fundamentally, human beings are out to help and be kind. Indigenous Africans are some of the kindest I have come across in the World. Tribally there are vagaries in cultural behaviour, but so long as you demonstrate respect, you will be just fine.

Dogs are worse than the wildlife. The beer is better than the water. And lock your bike up [emoji6]

Where would you recommend for a tour and where would you steer clear of? Any do's and don'ts?

[brumster]

Slightly OT, but Helen's Take On Africa is a fine book to read.

[Geoff.D]

..........fundamentally, human beings are out to help and be kind.

+1
Of course, not all are of this mind. But we use our common sense to steer clear of such, even in this country, don't we?

[Heltor Chasca]

20+ years living there did one thing: It taught me that fundamentally, human beings are out to help and be kind. Indigenous Africans are some of the kindest I have come across in the World. Tribally there are vagaries in cultural behaviour, but so long as you demonstrate respect, you will be just fine.

Dogs are worse than the wildlife. The beer is better than the water. And lock your bike up [emoji6]

Where would you recommend for a tour and where would you steer clear of? Any do's and don'ts?

Really good way to see Africa with is a 'soft' introduction from Cape Town in South Africa. Amazing cycling down the 'Garden Route' to Port Elizabeth or George. If you have more time carry on to Durban along the Indian Ocean coast line. This is more sparsely populated so will give you more of a wilderness experience. Mountains your thing? Head inland through the Drakensburg. Hluhluwe was interesting. Hated Joburg. Or you could go the other way up the Western Cape and enter Namibia.

Namibia blew my mind but I wasn't on a bike. Botswana Stunning but I found it expensive. Zambia (stunning) and Moçambique (run down) I backpacked. Malawi fun. I lived in Zimbabwe. Doable, but has revenue problems. Desperate people make bad decisions.

I visited Kenya. Loved it, but found the colonialism was still in practice which was a shock.

I really fancy Eritrea / Ethiopia myself. Central Africa terrifies me for some reasons. Mental block.

[geomannie]

Over the last 6-7 years I have made about 15 trips to Tanzania, both the main city Dar es Salaam, and to remoter parts. It is a fascinating country to visit and I love the more rural areas. The people are very friendly and levels of civil unrest are pretty low. Terrorist activity is virtually nil. Minor criminality is of course present, but then I can equally well say that about my home city of Glasgow.

Despite having been so many times I would think twice before cycling. Cycling is a popular means of transport but vehicle drivers give very little room and pass by inches, on narrower roads expecting cyclists to get off the track in advance. There is no malice in this, its simply the way it is. DIstances are also large and If you were to go, I would suggest working out a route that kept you off the main roads. A mountain-type bike would be preferable. Openstreet mapping of Tanzania is now quite good and far better than the published maps.

If you ever do get to Tanzania, my favourite area is Kyela, at the north end of Lake Malawi (aka Lake Nyasa). This is a flat agricutural area where cycling if by far and away the most popular form of transport. It would be cycling heaven if it were not for those pesky vehicles passing too close. This is a short video I made showing the large number of cyclists on the road https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWU-FZhH3o.

[Sweep]

thanks for the charming vid geo

[mnichols]

Central Africa terrifies me for some reasons. Mental block.

You've hit the nail on the head. That's made me realise that I've generalised the whole of Africa based on what I hear on the news about probably just a few countries

[Heltor Chasca]

Great video geomannie. Aside from the palms that you see in this video and East Africa, you could be anywhere in Africa. And with he number of bikes, the NL!