Get good and gritty from Uganda to South Africa.
Inspiration , in most cases , is n’t born out of bit . Or perhaps better suppose , the best ideas often come at the hardest times . Such is the Book of Genesis account of my bike drive across a expectant swath of African soil , measure out 5,000 statute mile from Uganda to South Africa .
Six calendar month before I embarked , I sat on the side of a dirt road in the southerly Sierra with my friend Sean , riffing on how to get out of our current kettle of fish . We were testing fresh electrical motos and thing were n’t on the dot going to project . Our co - conspirators , Marlin and Josh , were busy hooking up a towage circle in Bob Hope of limping a bike back to Bishop . The integral week was a comedy of errors — deadened batteries , broken belt , blown tubes — which set the panorama for a big idea .
I asked Sean about his dream trip , believe little of it . His answer was as immediate as it was round-eyed . After years live in Uganda , exploring rural roads on a beater four - throw , he chirped , “ I ’ve dream of riding across Africa for a X . ”
Photo by Andy Cochrane
A handful of months afterward , relying on some mystery cocktail of hustle , circumstances , and corporate penchant for mischief , we set out to do just that .
The early planning process
While there ’s no situated moto route across Africa kin to the Pan - American Highway in our cerebral hemisphere , there is a well documented thoroughfare fromCape TowntoCairo . It stays mostly on tarmacadam , paralleling the southern coast to Durban , then north through Mozambique and Malai , before head to Dar es Salaam , Nairobi , and Addis Ababa , followed by a final energy to Cairo . The second most popular trans - continental path follows the western coast and finish inMorocco . But we had other plan .
This was n’t a matter of practicality as much as it was knowing what makes us happy : driving down a dirt road , semi - lost in a foreign land . This kind of adventure tend to appeal a flavour of being natural , small , and very live all at the same meter . It ’s a potent emotion , and once you get a hit of it , it ’s hard to quit . We knew betimes on that we needed to start from scratch ; we were n’t slap-up on a copy / paste tripper report .
The first stair wassecuring a month of PTO , and the 2nd was compute out how in the mankind we were give out to tick Sean ’s bucket list . Napkin math show it was n’t possible to ride from the Med to the southerly tip without an abundance of long , boring highway miles . Even with the right bike , 7,500 knot in 25 days ( after exclude a few for flights and a buffer for mechanically skillful mishaps ) did n’t pencil . So , we nem con chose the alternative , a short itinerary that allowed us to go further off the beaten route .
Photo by Andy Cochrane
Building an Africa road trip route from the ground up
We originate by map a series of checkpoints — national parks , lakes , deserts , waterfall , and lodges for semi - regular showers — and connect these dots from north to Dixieland . nutrient and throttle stoppage were left unwitting , to bear on a sense of exemption and flexibility . We planned to go off - power grid for long stretch , which required tent , stoves , dried meals , first aid , tools , and a repair kit , among other thing .
By opting to start up in Kampala , we cut a couple thousand miles of flaxen riding across the Sahara , allowing ourselves to focalize on temperate zone to the south . This impart 5,000 miles — the equivalent of driving from NYC to LA and back — to calculate out . We begin piecing together the itinerary from halfway across the public .
We plotted central arrest likeKatavi National Park , Lake Tanganyika , Victoria Falls , the Caprivi Strip , theSkeleton Coast , andNamaqua National Park , plus a twelve or so more . Linking them together , our path wound through the exuberant hills of Uganda and Tanzania , crossed the savannas of Zambia and deserts ofNamibia , transected the famous Skeleton Coast , and wrap up in South Africa . Sure , it was n’t a full crossing of the continent in the purest sense , but it was still a lengthy escapade across several delimitation .
Photo by Andy Cochrane
Using genus Beta from local anaesthetic , hours on Google Earth , and more than a few web log coney holes , the route start to fall into stead . The skilful part was the multifariousness of horseback riding ; over the path of the month we were to pass through a half dozen ecosystems , from red the Great Compromiser jungle to ancient seabeds with moonscape rock formation . Because of the nature of the trip , I ca n’t apprise you as to on the nose how to repeat the route , but hopefully you’re able to learn from my experience .
Hop on a Motorbike in Laos for an Adventure-Fueled Road Trip
Go full-throttle with disco caves, flooded ghost forests, and blue lagoons.
Equipment, cops, and mishaps
We then turned our attending to the packlist . Without first globe conveniences ( search at you , Amazon Prime ) , our gear had to be reliable for the prospicient haul . Everything was filtered through the crystalline lens of “ Will it hold up to endless chuckhole and washboard ? ” If we were skeptical about an token , we left it at home .
We opted to rideRoyal Enfield Himalayanmotorcycles—411cc , five - speed escapade motorcycle — which other than one payoff ( more on that below ) , held up outstandingly well . Despite motorcycles being wide popular in East Africa , most have much littler engines , make larger bikes like these harder to rent . We found a rental company in Tanzania , East African Motorcycles , that had what we wanted and was willing to ship them to our starting location . We alternate on the opportunity after spending a few months looking for bike .
After sign up a rental agreement and financial obligation waiver , we were give keys , a copy of the registration , and carnets , which permit us to scotch outside borders with the cycle . In Africa you do n’t call for anything more than a US driver ’s licence , although it ’s credibly a good idea to have good car policy , locomotion insurance , and some kind of outside aesculapian and/or rescue insurance , likeRedpoint .
All of our equipment was packed intoGiant Loop saddlebag , 68 - liter soft luggage that convey close to 80 pounds each without dramatically changing how the bikes devolve on . They were filled with bare clothes , sleep bags , tents , andGood to Go desiccated meal , which cook quickly and are quite tasty after long day . We used aGarmin Zumo XTfor seafaring andCardo Edge headsetsfor communicating , a last - minute accession that proved indispensable for base hit .
A lot of preparation went into the escapade , but even the intimately laid plan are n’t perfect , and those who undertake a similar road should come disposed for misadventure . On our first solar day , we neglected to pluck up spare tube , pop up one just 90 miles in , and wasted hours search for a moto shop in the middle of nowhere . A week later we found ourselves maroon overnight in the twilight geographical zone between Tanzania and Zambia , without our passports or moto registration . Over the class of the trip we were pluck over twelve times by traffic cops ( sorry , momma ! ) , many of whom were just looking for a bribe . In these instances , we rely on Sean , our chief litigator , to get us out of all but one ticket with some of the most cunning ( and complete bullshit ) excuses I ’ve ever heard . If you’re able to bring a Sean on your tripper , I ’d recommend it .
Take in the wildlife of Uganda
The first night we camped inMurchison Falls National Park , on the banks of the Nile . We see hippos , giraffes , and lions driving through the park , all in a matter of hr . Not long after dark we blot an elephant , which looked even bigger lit by headlamp . Jet lagged and blurry , this all felt surreal .
We originally plan to maneuver due west , past Lake Albert and throughQueen Elizabeth National Park , on our way to Rwanda . However , the mete between the two land was come together due to COVID , so we opted to head east , towards Kilimanjaro . While Uganda is most renowned for Lake Victoria , the headwater of the Nile , and the tightness ofmountain gorillas , what stick out out the most was the the great unwashed . Nearly everyone we extend would wave and smile , or pop the question nutrient and a place to crash for the Nox . Those memories dish up as a monitor to be generous to strangers we adjoin .
Rent a Safari Vehicle for an Animal-Filled Rwanda Road Trip
Drive between four national parks to glimpse gorillas and explore lush, bewildering landscapes.
Ride some good dirt through Tanzania
After get SIM notice and supplies in Arusha , we departed forLake Manyara National Park , riding into the night before we got to our campsite , which ended up being shut down when we got there . So we headed a half minute down the road to another one . This became a recur practice . Tanzania had some of the best dirt of the head trip and as such we spent almost no prison term on the tarmac . We would often rally until our face bruise from grinning and the Sunday was about to set .
Along the style we found a variety of bivouac , from the front yard of a Lutheran Hospital to the shores of Lake Tanganyika . One memorable website was side by side to a pond of a hundred hippos , which fortunately kept their distance for us . The very next morning we woke to a ruck of a dozen elephants walking only a few meters from our collapsible shelter . At the mo it palpate magical ; in retrospect it was downright terrifying .
On our last full day in Tanzania we drive through Katavi National Park , moving slowly due to foxy clay . We stopped on a bridge over the Katuma River , and properly below us were alligators , hippos , and elephant , all coexist in this tiny haven . This was the most savage and remote we experience all misstep .
Photo by Andy Cochrane
Camp your way through Zambia
Our trip changed quickly as we entered Zambia , with my cycle losing accelerator pedal reactivity due to a fuel injection job . This was an yield from the showtime , but ab initio only a underage one . After a spoiled gloam on a single track due to the bogging , I was cautious about proficient equitation . So we stuck to big roads , trying to get to Lusaka , the capital , before it totally blew up . On the way we found nice campsites atLake Chila Lodge , Kapishya Hot Springs , and in theMutinondo Wilderness .
The wheel nearly made it , finally breaking down not far from the city outskirt . Josh and Marlin , in a full - circle bit , hooked up the tow shoulder strap and volunteered to ride it into the city . The next challenge was recover a mechanic that have sex anything about fuel injection bike . After knocking on shop doors for hours , we finally detect one through a local Facebook group . After a full day of toiling , we were back on the road .
We stopped by Victoria Falls , then direct to the Namibian border . The last stretch of route , just 60 miles , take us closely four hours due to massive potholes litter the route , as if it was a war geographical zone .
Photo by Andy Cochrane
Zoom across the deserts of Namibia
After bar overnight on the Kwando River , just north of theOkavango Delta , we drive through the Caprivi Strip andBwabwata National Park , and crossed into a new ecosystem — the immense and bare Kalahari Desert . For the next few Clarence Day we pushed due west towards the coast , crusade extreme heat and getting progressively more remote . On the last sidereal day of this push , somewhere in the Namib Desert , the only other sign of life we saw was a single ostrich campaign along the horizon . That ’s how empty it was .
We eventually made it to the logic gate of the Skeleton Coast and negotiated with the ranger to let us through . With the Atlantic almost in sight , the wind picked up to a penny-pinching gale , force us to lean left at nearly 30 degrees to just keep them straight . That day we also almost ran out of gas — and got even nigher the next day , engage turns riding in a peloton to conserve what we had leave and arriving with all four bike on empty .
Bow Down to the Animal Kingdom in This Safari National Park
One of Africa’s biggest national parks is full of big game and a big salt pan you can see from space.
Get existential in South Africa
We returned to the coast via Namaqua National Park and continued south , mostly on tarmac . The riding in South Africa was the least eventful of the stumble – the country is much more developed than others we visited . After bask some meter inWest Coast National Park , we made our final push to Cape Town .
It was a surreal feeling riding into the metropolis , pass over in mud and dirt , after 5,000 mile in the saddle . No one around us knew or care what we had just done — and aboveboard , it was better that manner . As we stopped at a beach belowTable Mountainfor a swim , it initiate to all sink in . We ’d discover ourselves in a myriad of less - than - optimal circumstances , but somehow it all finger easy . Almost fun . Twelve flats , cops , border agent , close calls , slick clay and inscrutable sand , rainstorms , and swelter heat ; none of it got to us , in the end .
Sitting there , sunburnt and sore , it was backbreaking to not get existential . We had fulfill this big goal , plan the trip of a life and drive all the manner across Africa — but the road , the gear , the places did n’t matter . The actual outcome was a labor union , the friendships we ’d solidified along the way . A trust , a respect , and a love that will never be relegate . And really , what more can you call for for than that ?
Photo by Andy Cochrane
Photo by Andy Cochrane
Photo by Andy Cochrane
Photo by Andy Cochrane
Photo by Andy Cochrane
