Trans-Africa 2006 Blog

7/4/7 – Pre-expedition training

Meeting up shortly before departure we all have a great chance to get to know each other and conduct some valuable training at our premises in Cambridgeshire. Passports, carnets, driving licenses and everything else can be checked and double checked. The support vehicle, bikes and crew get a good run-out and final tweeks and changes can be made. Thanks to Werner, the expedition mechanic, for some very practical bike maintenance and repair instruction and also to Kev, the expedition medic, for some valuable first-aid lessons on the final day. The group have quickly gelled in the hotel bar and all signs are that we are in for a great adventure. Posing in front of our mighty map of Africa for the obligatory group photo before we temporarily go our separate ways, suddenly the task before us appears immense. Vast swathes of yellow (aka the Sahara) followed by huge expanses of green (aka the Congo) and then more Yellow (aka the Namib & Kalahari deserts). In amongst it all the exotic sounding names – Brazzaville, Libreville and Yaounde – and familiar sounding, slightly frightening country names – Nigeria, Congo, Angola. Let the adventures begin!

14/4/7 – Departure & Africa

And so here we are again – the day of departure. Farewells done we are all keen to settle nerves and so waste no time in hitting the road. It is a quick, but cold ride to Plymouth to catch the ferry and then we are on our way. Central Spain, as always, is absolutely freezing and a few of us are regretting our tropical sleeping bags when we set up camp near Madrid. As we approach the Med however, the sun begins to warm us and it is a thoroughly pleasant ride down to Algeciras to catch the ferry to Africa. And so into Morocco and our first stop in Fez. Every time we come to Africa the first day of riding always has the same result – everyone re-groups and all the talk is of crazy drivers, near misses and suicidal dogs. We have another 15 weeks of these roads and the good thing about Morocco is that in comparison to the rest of the continent the roads are relatively calm, well ordered and safe! A few days in and everyone begins to settle into a new way of riding and the new and strange environment we have entered.

27/4/7 – Hello to the Sahara

Crossing the Atlas and the road to Ifrane, Midelt and then to Ziz Gorge is absolutely stunning and with a crisp, blue sky overhead we ride into the northernmost stretches of the Sahara. Our camp out in the desert at the great dunes of Erg Chebbe is a fantastic spot and as night falls a billion stars appear overhead as we sit, chatting around the campfire about the day’s ride and what is to come in the following weeks. The next day is spent training for the desert crossing in Mauritania where we can all get a feel for riding in sand. Our group has riders of varying off-road experience, from those who have competed in their own local enduro events, to those who have never taken a bike off-road before in their lives. Riding in sand requires a very specific technique and the only way to really gain any confidence is to get in the saddle and practice. We all have a great, if exhausting time blasting through the low dunes and across the vast desert plains surrounding our camp. Time to pack up and head on, back over the Atlas Mountains, for a rest day in Marrakech before we turn south once more and begin our Sahara crossing.

8/5/07 – The Mauritanian Sahara

It is a long road south through Western Sahara but we can begin to feel that our trans-continental expedition is really underway. In the space of a few days we have moved a not-insignificant distance across the map through Guilmim, Laayoune and to the stunning desert shoreline at Dakhla. From here we enter Mauritania, start of what many describe as the “real Africa”. Although Morocco is a long way from Western Europe culturally, once in Mauritania that difference becomes a chasm. Entering Nouadhibou we dodge meandering goats, screaming children and battered taxis as we wind our way through this chaotic, sand-blown desert town. We now have to get ready for the big desert crossing – about 250 miles straight across the Sahara without a road in sight all the way to the capital, Nouakchott. Apart from one unlucky accident the desert crossing is undoubtedly one of the great highlights of this whole adventure. Blasting across vast, featureless Saharan plains for mile after mile past golden dunes and finally along the beach is an experience never to be forgotten. It is a fantastic adventure over 2 and a half days of non-stop, challenging desert riding but unfortunately Rod, after a fairly innocuous fall on day 2, is incredibly unlucky and sustains a fractured collar bone. Kev, our expedition medic who is a motorcycle paramedic for the Surrey Ambulance Service, steps in to work his magic but it is an uncomfortable, bumpy drive to Nouakchott for Rod in the 4×4. We eventually hit tarmac once more and roll into town. It is an exhausted, dusty crowd who eventually ride into the hotel in Nouakchott for a well earned shower and several well-earned beers. A real achievement for all, and in particular for the novice off-roaders who have achieved far more than they would ever have thought possible just a few days back. The bad news for Rod however, is that his collar bone is confirmed as badly broken and unfortunately his trip is over as he prepares to fly home.

17/5/7 – Dakar & Gambia

Having waved a sad farewell to Rod we continue on to Senegal and the beautiful surroundings of Zebrabar at St Louis. From here to the heaving metropolis of Dakar and then Gambia beyond. Very quickly the desert gives way to a more tropical climate. Palm trees, colour, music and cold beer at every turn mark a big change from the more austere, arab dominated culture of Mauritania. It is now already week 4 and we are a quarter of our way to Cape Town. Everyone is now well into the routine of a life on the road – every day we have nothing to worry about but to just pack our kit, load up, and hit the road. We are all rapidly slotting into the African pace of life too and acclimatising to the increasing heat and humidity. From Banjul we are about to turn eastwards into the West African interior and our next big goal is Timbuktu.

26/5/7 – Mali & Timbuktu

The desert is hot, but it is a dry kind of heat. As we quickly become aware, dry heat is better than the humidity of Senegal and Gambia where we must re-acclimatise to a new environment. As we head inland to Mali, so we hit new heights as both temperature, and humidity, rise significantly. The first town that we reach in Mali is Kayes, reputedly the hottest city on earth and we can well believe that – it is roasting. As soon as you stop your bike you become drenched in sweat at the slightest activity. The blue sky has been replaced with a dull orange haze as we turn northwards back into the southernmost stretches of the Sahara Desert. From the huge mud mosque at Djenne to the laid-back, riverside town of Mopti and on to Douentza. Pete, Karl and Tony make an extra excursion through Dogon country and as well as contending with extraordinary heat, they must battle through tough sandy tracks for 2 days. They love the adventure but are grateful to return to the relative sanctuary of the main group. The road up to Timbuktu, as well as being almost unbearably hot, is severely corrugated and this takes its toll on the bikes as 2 shock absorbers give way within 2 miles of each other. Werner, our expedition mechanic, digs out our spare and on we go. We have a welcome rest day in Timbuktu and it is used to explore the town in the relative coolness of the mornings and evening, with the bulk of the day spent sheltering from the blazing sun. From here it is back over the Niger river and due south, back into the tropics and, we hope, some more bearable temperatures.

12/6/7 – Ghana

Burkina Faso is a fairly brief stop on our itinerary as we rest up in Ouagadougou to collect our Ghana visas. Mike is called in to the Ghanaian Embassy to personally receive a dressing down from the visa clerk. He apparently has too few clear pages in his passport, bearing in mind each country we travel through will generally use up at least two full pages with their myriad of visa stamps and stickers. Mike feigns an apologetic humility and sure enough the clerk, having extracted his pound of flesh, relents and issues the visa. Relieved, we hit the road and head to Ghana. We are now back in the tropics and although humid, the climate is now quite pleasant and much improved from the extremes of Mali. Our first stop is the Mole Game Park – a fantastic lodge sat on top of a stunning escarpment. From our hotel balcony you can watch elephants bathe in the watering hole below. The beautiful location, combined with the big, cool and clean swimming pool, mean that we are in heaven for 2 full days. All too soon we must pack up and hit the road once more – through the chaos of sprawling Kumasi and down to the palm fringed Atlantic Coast. From here we hit Accra, the half-way point of the expedition, and the beginnings of the tougher section through Central Africa. We take a few days to rest and gain a new member of the team who has flown in from Australia to join us from here to Cape Town. Time to clean and service bikes and prepare for what lies ahead!

17/6/7 – Nigeria & Cameroon

From Ghana into our next country – Benin. The Voodoo market in Cotonou in particular is an experience like no other and the photos of the various items on offer which are bought back must be seen to be believed. Another day excursion to the Ganvie Lake village and then it is into Nigeria. If you have never traveled through Nigeria then you can never fully appreciate the real nature of this big, complex and contradictory country. Endemic corruption, crime and bureaucracy go hand in hand with some of the most welcoming, polite and friendly people we have ever met. From Lagos we head north to Yankari Game reserve and hot springs before continuing on a loop back down to Calabar. Everywhere we stop we collect crowds of locals – sometimes chatting excitedly to us, other times so in awe of the sight of our big bikes, riding kit and support vehicle that they simply stare in silence. Every day in Nigeria brings new adventures and unforgettable experiences too numerable to mention here. On our final day in this unique country we head into the cool, mist shrouded hills and the Obodu Cattle Ranch for the night and spend an evening in front of a roaring log fire, sipping beer and reveling in some luxury before the travels begin once again. The road into Cameroon is our first real taste of thick, lush rainforest. The road turns to mud and progress slows until we reach tar again at Mamfe. From here we make our way to the capital, Yaounde, where we have more visas to collect and a full 5 days of rest, spent relaxing, sleeping and watching DVDs. The simple pleasures in life have taken on a new meaning and it is great to just relax and do nothing for a few days. We all know that from here we have Congo and Angola ahead of us and although looking forward to the challenge there is no doubt some trepidation for those who are entering the unknown.

14/7/7 – Angola

It is a short and easy ride on good roads to the Angolan border, from where we are expecting more than a thousand miles of broken roads, minefields and tough travelling. We are not disappointed! The roads, or dirt tracks, have not been repaired for at least 20 years and are a mass of deep washouts, potholes, sand and dirt – fantastic riding! It takes us 3 days to reach the capital, Luanda, from where the remote, isolated mud villages suddenly disappear to be replaced by a huge, modern and neon-lit oil city. From camping rough in the bush for the past 4 nights, we now find ourselves surrounded by bars, burger joints and 6-lane highways. Our R&R is soon over as we head out of the city, the oil wealth disappears, and once again we are passing smiling, waving children steering their donkeys and carts to market. We opt to take the coast road and the result is one of the best, most challenging and unforgettable day’s riding any of us have ever had. Rocky, remote tracks wind through mountains where terrifyingly steep inclines are followed by frighteningly steep descents. Hundreds of miles of empty wilderness, beautiful scenery and a real adventure in the depths of Angola – it doesn’t get any better. Those riders who were off-road novices at the start of the trip are now confidently steering their bikes along for hours of tough sandy and boulder strewn tracks. Eventually, after a night camping out, we emerge back into civilisation and hit tar once again. It is another day’s ride to the border with Namibia, and finally Cape Town is beginning to feature in our thoughts.

2/8/7 – South Africa & the end

As soon as we are across the Angolan/Namibian border it is clear that we have entered a very different world. The chaos has gone and is replaced with a western efficiency similar to anywhere in Europe or North America. It is with some regret that we find ourselves back in a world recognisable as the one we left behind all those weeks ago. The mind-blowing Namibian scenery however, more than makes up for it! Endless miles of serene landscapes where the creamy pastels of the savannah meet the cobalt-blue sky and mountain ranges bubble up on the horizon. From Etosha game park we head south and then west to Brandburg and Swakopmund before cutting back to the Fish River Canyon. The availability of all things western, including plenty of western food, restaurants and pubs, make our voyage through the penultimate country an absolute joy. Eventually the inevitable day arrives as we cross the border into South Africa and head to Cape Town. This mammoth expedition has one final challenge to throw at us as a big storm batters us all day – we are soaked and frozen by the time we reach our hotel. And so – the final day dawns and we jump on our bikes for the ride we have all been waiting for for 16 weeks. As we proceed down to Cape Point we all have mixed feelings. Pride in what we have achieved, sorry for an adventure now at an end, and pure, unadulterated happiness that we’ve made it! Time for another group photo at the iconic sign at the Cape of Good Hope and emotional handshakes all round before retiring to our final farewell dinner. From the Atlas Mountains, to the Sahara, Timbuktu, Nigeria, the Congo Jungle, Angolan trails and stunning Namibian landscapes, every day has been unique, unforgettable and a simply unbeatable adventure. Trans-Africa 2007 is now at an end and we go home to our loved ones with memories and new friends to be cherished for a lifetime.