Africa Five-0
 

Words & Photos: Jo Wynn-Williams

Milestone birthdays often come with bucket lists, and for our mate Euge, his looming 50 years stirred up an urge to bike and drink beers ‘under an African sky’. He created the ‘Biking in Africa?’ WhatsApp group. Excitement was instant and before we knew it, we had booked 12 spots on Escape Adventures' Kenya/Tanzania trip from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam in East Africa.

Then, like all well scheduled, really fun plans, covid came along and squished them. Several post-covid years later and few months after Euge blew out candles on his 53rd cake, we were finally Nairobi bound, some of us with less training miles under our tyres than others, but still enthusiastic for the off-the-beaten-track bike adventure ahead.

John Etherington, of Nelson fame, had first run this trip 24 years ago, building a unique biking tour along back roads, through Maasai villages and up into the Usambara Mountains. Since then John and partner Mandy have passed the baton onto Staveley-based couple Tom and Jamie.

We’d given ourselves an extra 24 hours at Wildebeest Eco Camp in Nairobi to shake some jet lag and get into the ‘hakuna matata’ groove of African life. Keen to venture beyond the gates of Wildebeest, our first morning in Nairobi was spent on a walking tour through the Kibera slum with ex-resident Frederick.

Kibera was established in the early 1900’s when segregated living was the norm and Nubian (African) soldiers who served the British Colonial Army were allocated plots on this then forested hillside. Less than 10kms from the centre of the city, Kibera is now the largest urban slum in Africa with an estimated one million people calling this makeshift housing set up home. Living conditions are less than basic, the rubbish and pollution overwhelming, and despite relatively hefty rental payments to the land ‘claimants,’ most residents lack access to electricity, clean water, ablutions, education and healthcare. It was a raw, confronting and humbling few hours.

That night around the firepit, NZ-based guides Clare and Tom held the first of many entertaining (for us anyway) briefings. Our friend group of 12, made up of three families - six adults and six teens/young adults - were joined by Bex and Noah, a lovely mother son duo who were brave enough to join us after covid played havoc with their original plans also. The following morning with the arrival of Joseph - our local guide and support vehicle driver - our full posse of 17 was gathered, bikes fitted and loaded in the truck (nicknamed The Beast) for an early exit out of the city.

Day 1: To Isinya 35kms

First stop was the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a non-profit organisation named after founder Daphne Sheldrick, that raises and rehabilitates orphaned elephants (and the occasional rhino) back to the wild. I have been a huge fan girl on Insta for three years now, subjecting my family to baby elephant antics over our porridge most mornings, so I was peaking at the thought of actually being at Sheldrick. As The Beast pulled up and the visitor queue was spotted, I declared this the equivalent of my powder day, going solo with elbows out to score a front row spot. An hour of pure happiness followed as we watched Raha (the 8 month old rhino) and two groups of baby elephants come running out of Nairobi National Park into the feeding area for their bottles, a back scratch and dust bath. After buying some merch and adopting a couple of babies we tore ourselves away.

That afternoon, with bellies full of fresh local produce sandwiched between fresh bakery bread, we rode 35kms down a luxe, smooth sealed road to camp. The main objective was to stretch the legs and iron out any bike set up issues. It also warmed up the waving arms and ‘jambo jambo’ vocals as we got a taste of the Kenyan welcoming committee.

Setting up camp soon became a well-oiled machine - tents up (after an initial master-class from Joseph), hot showers, dinner prep, Tom’s tyre repairs, pre drinks featuring Mark's gin bar, dinner and the nightly briefing were all washed down with big chats and a decent dose of laughter. The teens had the most stamina so they would typically end up on dishes, which was really a dance party with tea towels as props.

Day 2: Isinya – Selengai 85kms

The early mornings tended to be a bit hectic. Evening briefings always included a hard (one way) negotiation for a sleep in, so Tom and Clare were always relieved to see us fed, packed up, and all 14 of us ready for the staunch, non-negotiable, 7.30am ride out. Of course, as the heat of the afternoon sun beat down on us, even the teens were happy we’d knocked off a chunk of our riding early in the day.

In recent times this day to Selengai was all dirt road and animal spotting. The now smooth sealed road punctuated by regular, substantial towns and newly built houses is a reminder that Kenya is not immune to urban sprawl.

As we rode further south through the Kajiodo Region we began to get a taste of Africa’s endless views dotted with acacia trees, huge termite mounds and the brightly dressed Maasai people herding livestock. Feeling a little rock star-ish, we were constantly (nicely) mobbed by locals hoping for a jambo and passing hi five.

Education at primary level is now compulsory in Kenya, and school children would run across school yards en masse to greet us. Uniforms were always pristine, smiles wide and the delight at this small, fleeting interaction was heartwarming. Regular snack stops with Joseph and The Beast were interspersed with soda breaks in the villages. Locals gathered and chatted, slightly amused by us. The sodas were mostly served warm but did a great job of quenching our thirst and dampening the heat. The glass bottles (returned immediately for refilling) took us back to the 80’s, and the multiple 'Fanta' flavours were on rotation with post chug debates about passion vs. pineapple vs. grape.

It was an honest, fun day on the bike, and as we excitedly rode amongst camels into Leonard’s Selenkay Safari Camp we felt we’d earned our beer. Leonard is a well-respected, educated Maasai who runs a slick bush camp and accommodation operation on his farm. Shower water is heated over an open fire and delivered via a suspended bucket (bliss). Beautiful locally crafted jewellery allowed us to do some souvenir shopping before joining the locals for a traditional Maasai dance and (another) Tusker (beer). After dinner, Leonard joined us around the campfire and generously answered our questions about the Maasai people – their traditions, challenges, and adaptations in a rapidly morphing world.

Day 3: Selengai – Kimana Amboseli Camp, Amboseli National Park 40kms

We left the camp with a quick stop to check out the goats and camels, still safely tucked away in their overnight yards. Leonard has been farming camels (rather than the tradition cattle/sheep combo) since 2001 as a direct response to the increasingly drier months and unpredictable rainfall. They still provide milk and meat but only require a few hours of grazing a day, and obviously very little water.

The day's ride was not long, but it was our first taste of biking local dirt roads, which were often sandy and nicely corrugated with a few large potholes - requiring hands firmly on the bars at all times. With the dirt came a real chance of seeing wild animals. Our first giraffe spotting was cut short by our overly exuberant squeals of excitement. Lessons were learnt, and chatting in whispers from then on rewarded us with a couple of giraffes grazing by the road - unfazed by us (quietly squealing on the inside). As we reached the outskirts of Amboseli National Park, zebras, gazelle and ostrich began to dot the landscape, while trees laden with expertly crafted weaver bird nests continued to line the roads.

That night we camped at the edge of the park with a rare, clear view of Mt Kilimanjaro. Local monkeys provided light entertainment. Life was more than good.

Day 4: Amboseli National Park – Solomons Rock (Safari Day)

An early start got us into Amboseli National Park before the heat of the sun put the animals into sleep mode. We were instantly rewarded with a close up of a spotted hyena puddle bound, lions dozing, zebras fighting and elephants - so many incredible elephants - grazing and playing while constantly on the move. Located in southern Kenya, Amboseli is just over 39,200 hectares of semi-arid vegetation and swamps and is the home of the African Elephant.

We walked to the top of Observation Hill with our morning coffee and tin of biccies. The vast landscape and endless horizon dwarfed the huge elephants scooping vegetation with their trunks while belly deep in water. Our very own real life David Attenborough doco - it was mesmerising to watch and almost impossible to leave.

Still in The Beast, we stayed on the Kenyan side of the boarder markers as we skirted around a large dry salt lake to our overnight stop at ‘Solomons Rock’ (nicknamed by John back in the 90’s after a then local Maasai leader, Solomon). Solomons is pretty special, with the generosity of local Maasai not only allowing us to stay on the land, but welcoming us into their Manyatta (village) and setting up an impromptu local craft market for us.

A magical evening was spent up on the rock watching goats and cattle return to their babies and the safety of their pens (made from branches of the thorny acacia tree) for the night. A 180 degree swivel revelled Joseph, Clare and Tom’s delicious picnic dinner, which was washed down with a chilled wine, while the African sun set in spectacular style. It was a truly beautiful moment that left a big, warm print on all our hearts.

Day 5: Solomons Rock – Arusha 45 kms

After taking in the sunrise from the top of the rock and fuelling up on Clare’s french toast with bacon we pedalled away from Solomons Rock toward the border crossing into Tanzania at Namanga before driving on to Arusha. Richard’s eclectic playlist (which was gaining a staunch sing along and chair dancing crowd), Euge’s snoring and a few rounds of ‘Empire’ kept us entertained.

Day 6: Arusha – Mto Wa Mbu 100Kms

Arusha is the gateway to a bunch of overland safari trips, so sand coloured landrovers with pop tops rule the roads. Joseph drove us to the outskirts of the city, but even then the next 60kms on the bike felt a bit hectic as buses overtook trucks and safari trucks overtook everything. It was easy, quick riding but at the last snack stop before lunch a couple of us chickened out and opted for a less hair-raising ride in The Beast to the lunch spot. Turning off the main drag after lunch we enjoyed a smooth, quiet road, with plenty of Maasai to talk to and a bonus tailwind all the way to Mto Wa Mbu.

Mto Wa Mbu is the get in point for the Ngorongoro Crater safari trip, so there’s a good, busy, fun vibe to this small town. Tuk tuks and motorbikes buzz around adding instant colour and friendly beeps to the mix. With a big street market, our newly crowned professional shopper Wendy hit her straps. While we all sat at the Double M bar with proper cold Kilimanjaro cocktails, Wendy, Rach and I had a group of attentive personal shoppers gathering a beautiful collection of Maasai blankets and elephant print pants. Over a cold beer and without leaving our table we had propped up the local economy and covered off our souvenir shopping. Win win.

Day 7: Mto Wa Mbu - Ngorongoro Crater – Arusha (Safari Day)

A day off the bikes to visit the Ngorongoro Crater began with a very un-teen-friendly 4.30am alarm, but all was forgiven when two hours later we’d met buffalo on the misty tops and moments later some young lions chillin’ at the bottom of the access road.

The Ngorongoro Crater, which formed when a large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself between two and three million years ago, spans 260 square kilometres and is an impressive 610 metres deep. The crater floor sits 1,800 metres above sea level which explains the unexpected chilly temperatures. Lake Magadi is the shallow lake in the centre, but it is salt water, so animals have to find fresh drinking water at the various springs. The largest of these, the Ngaitokitok Spring near the eastern crater wall, is the safari picnic spot. Landrovers racked up along the water’s edge, there was a coffee / ice cream cart and a luxe toilet block. It was also home to a dozen hippos wallowing and occasionally scrapping in the water only a few metres from where we ate our bacon butties. Disconcerting and exciting all at once.

The afternoon was spent meandering back through the various groups of animals before climbing out of the crater and jumping on the road to reconnect with Joseph, Tom and a restocked Beast back in Arusha. Freshly washed kit, hot showers, comfy beds, cold beer and yummy Ethiopian curries welcomed us at Spices and Herbs Lodge.

Day 8: Arusha – Zebra Camp 35 Kms

On a mission to get away from safari trucks and into the Usambara Mountains, Joseph drove us east out of Arusha. The highways were lined with thousands of nursery plants. The main roundabouts were sponsored and themed accordingly, so between waves to locals there was much to look at. Soon all that peeled away and sisal plantations literally lined the landscape. We stopped at the first chance to get close up with a baobab tree, joining the long list of stuff getting a tick in the big and impressive box.

We were pleased to be out of The Beast (now feeling and smelling a little student flat-ish) and pedalling the last 30 odd kms along a dirt back road towards camp.

Education in Tanzania is not compulsory, so children from the villages arrive at our sides by the dozen. After some very broken Swahili/English chat and a photo, they would love to run alongside us on the bikes. It was hard not to feel heartened by their sheer delight in the moment and their impressive speed on foot.

The cattle grazed by the Maasai create an abundant source of material for the resident dung beetles. Not all dung beetles are of the rolling variety, but when you encounter one it’s hard not to wile away many minutes watching it roll a ball many times its body weight and size in a straight line back to its nest. Always prone to a robbery from a fellow beetle, they waste no time getting the precious cargo moved. We reckon it was almost Olympic sport worthy. Wendy, our resident compost expert, became the beetles's biggest fan.

Zebra Camp (named for the once abundant Zebras roaming the area) was nestled beside the river. The cool, clear water was swim tempting, but apparently hippos and crocs were a possibility so instead we opted for the less risky shower with the small, very cute resident bats. Mark cranked up his travelling soda stream, opened the gin bar and we nestled in for another night under African skies.

Day 9: Zebra Camp – Mullers Mountain Lodge 40kms

The narrow road up into the Usambara Mountains to Lushoto is long, steep and not short of a bus or two, so Joseph kindly, and carefully, drove us a few ks in on this hot day. We noted how very quickly the landscape changed from dry, grazed plains, to lush, tropical crops dotted with endless villages. The ride up from the drop point was really pleasant, roadside stands selling local produce (including immaculately peeled, juicy, sweet oranges) provided shady mini breaks along the way.

Lushoto is the main town into and serving the West Usambaras so it’s a busy place. John made the delicious samosas at the local ‘Sham Café’ an Escape Adventures morning tea tradition – they did not disappoint. Lushoto is also home to the large nursery that grows the trees we were due to plant at a local school the following day. A few of us had a peek at this before jumping back on our bikes for a hot afternoon in the hills.

The climb up to our lunch stop at Irente Farm Lodge was decent and temperatures were soaring, but the homemade spread (including their renowned cheeses, breads and condiments) that greeted us on the shady porch made everyone smile. With bellies full and core body temps returned to near normal, it was hard to leave Irente but the climb up to the lookout wasn’t getting done lying on the comfy couches (a nod to Rachel’s now regular post lunch cat naps).

The climb up to the lookout was worth leaving the couches for. Views for miles and a quick soda top up before Tom and Clare broke the news that we were backtracking to the turnoff before the up, up, up and over to Mullers. It was an honest afternoon of hills in the heat, but it was fun winding our way through the quiet dirt roads and never ending stream of locals that were always pleased to see us.

A really pleasant, long downhill took us to the gates of Mullers Mountain Lodge - an oasis with cold beer and grassy lawns. With two nights here, we opted for upgrades from our tents to ensuite rooms, although Euge stayed staunch and refused to budge from his canvas home, under the African sky.

Joseph’s skills are numerous and enviable. Aside from his excellent driving and safari tent assembly skills, he's fluent in seventeen languages (while travelling with us he was mastering Chinese Mandarin, so no doubt that number has now rounded up to an even eighteen) and is a gifted cook. On this night we were treated to his delicious potato version of ugali (cornmeal cake), which was washed down with cold beer beside the roaring campfire. The good life indeed.

Day 10: Mullers Mountain Lodge (day off)

In a rare, weak moment, Clare and Tom succumbed to the repeated requests for a sleep in, so a leisurely 8am start paired with a cooked breakfast had everyone recharged. By 9am we were collecting armfuls of nursery trees and heading up the track to a local school to add our bit to a community planting programme. For every tour rider and guide, Escape Adventures donate ten trees that are planted at a school providing trees to: keep (native); eat (mango, avocado); and make (desks etc). The children were delightful and engaged. After the planting, singing (theirs much better than ours!), a visit to the classroom, Jack and Robbie’s back flip display and Tom’s juggling act (we really did bring a mini circus), it was hard to leave.

The afternoon was void of planned activities, but earlier in the trip Ava had scheduled a Poetry Slam evening, participation compulsory. While Tom and Joseph created a feast of goat and vege kebabs, there was some last minute scribbling while the more prepared snuck in a dress rehearsal. Dinner was delicious and the poetry, while grammatically questionable, was both side splittingly funny and thought provoking. Euge and Wendy ignored the poetry brief and delivered a brilliant interpretive dance – inside out bike pants and sleeping bags made good baboon and dung beetle props. Tom’s campfire chocolate cake (a follow up from the very popular drunken choc dipped bananas back at Zebra Camp) topped off a 10/10 day.

Day 11: Mullers Mountain Lodge – Maweni Farm 35kms

The ride around the hills and down to Maweni was one of the shorter legs but voted ‘most fun’ day on the bikes. Delivering postcard worthy views, fun single and cobbled tracks weaved through the lush market farmland linking the mountain villages. Not even the cooler, drizzly day could wipe the grins from our faces.

Day 12: Maweni – Handeni 80kms

It was a quick exit from camp as we disturbed some angry local hornets with our early movements. Luckily 20ks of sweet, sealed downhill allowed the adrenaline to settle and the anti-histamines to kick in. As we traded the Usambara Mountains for flat sisal country, the mercury rose steeply and the 60kms of flat, clay back roads that took us towards the coast felt tougher than they should have. Stops were frequent with giant millipedes to usher off the road to safety, and observations of fresh elephant poo to keep us quietly hopeful of an encounter (sadly not to be).

Day 13: Handeni – Mkwaja 60kms

Daily temperatures were in the mid-thirties now, so to knock off a few clicks out of Handeni we clambered into The Beast and fast forwarded to the back roads. Clare had warned us about the day of ‘fun-dulations’ ahead, and she was right. The relentless mini hills and heat were sapping, but the groups of beautiful women and children cheering us on kept the stoke going.

After lunch the fun-dulations continued as we biked on and off a motorway that has been in a state of partially built for decades now.

At the end of the unfinished motorway lies the Indian Ocean and a deserted five star resort. It was built, fully furnished but never occupied, by an Italian who was hanging all his hopes on the motorway fast tracking tourists to the coastal retreat. His loss was our camping heaven. Indian Ocean swims, actual cold beers, a sit down curry and camping on the terrace under the giant baobab tree felt fitting for our final night of bush camping in Africa.

Day 14: Mkwaja – Bagamoyo 45kms

After a hot night and a 4am wake up with the first call to prayer, it was a double coffee morning before packing up and jumping on our bikes one last time. Leaving Vagabond in the cool of the early morning, we rode towards the entrance to Saadani National Park with a (caffeine fuelled) spring in our step.

Unable to ride through any of the National Parks, at the gates it was all aboard The Beast. Saadani is unique in that its eastern boundary lies on the coast of the Indian Ocean so wildlife have protected access to the beach and sea – animated scenes of Marty and Alex reuniting to strums of Chariots of Fire came to mind. While there are populations of four of the big five here (lions, elephants, buffalo and leopards), the vegetation cover makes them hard to spot from the road. We did get a final flutter of wildlife in some obliging gazelle and lots of monkeys.

A last supper, err lunch, on the other side of Saadani was all the sweeter for a chance encounter with a mini truck loaded with fresh pineapples. A few minutes later the two men had skilfully peeled seventeen and we each ate a whole pineapple ice block style.

The road out to main highway was rough and there were a couple of flat tyres just to test the humour. But we were on the home stretch and happily pedalling in the chat zone. We were amused by a young couple who passed us on a motorbike loaded to the hilt, the woman on the back holding a reasonable sized tv screen. Only about 10ks down the road we caught up with the dude pushing the bike and his very unhappy companion walking, still with the tv, a safe distance (for him) in front.

We quenched the last of the dirt roads with a valedictory soda stop at an intersection on the main highway before a quick 20ks to Bagamoyo. Hitting the outskirts we were met by the pleasant rush of local markets,  a bonus for the Unwins whose last night food wish list included avocados and mangos. Produce secured, we rode on and into Bagamoyo with a feeling a heaviness given the port's history at the centre of the slave trade in the 1800’s.

Arriving at the beautiful Travellers Lodge was pure bliss tinted with a quiet sense of dread that this long awaited African adventure was coming to an end. An extended swim in the ocean postponed the inevitable task of trying to reorganise our luggage into some sense of order and back into one bag for our various return / onward flights.

Proper cold brews and a delicious restaurant dinner were wrapped up with Mark and Ava’s version of the Tony Awards.

The hilarity culminated with two supreme awards:

John Etherington Award for services to international relationships;
Winner: Joseph

Mother Theresa Award for putting up with all of us;
Highly Commended: Joseph, Tom, Bex and Noah
Winner: Clare

We’d been encouraged to get up at sunrise and wander along the beach to the now flourishing seafood market. As another spectacular bright orange African sun rose, there was a beautiful, quiet hive of activity amongst the fisherman. We eyed a local coffee pot set up on the beach and shouted ourselves a morning fix.

Euge’s 50th was over. Just as he’d ordered, we’d ridden our bikes and drunk a couple of beers under postcard perfect African skies with bloody great friends. Africa, the continent brimming with big, beautiful (and spikey) things, is full of the less expected. It was time to say goodbye, but we’ll be back.