Cycling Safari across vast landscapes
Travellers can experience an adrenaline rush like nothing else when traversing the vast stretches of grasslands, savannah, and woodlands in Africa on a cycling safari. Up close and personal encounters while peddling along should be on the bucket list of every discerning traveller.
What to expect
Exploring on two wheels instead of four offers a different viewpoint. Participants on this kind of safari will amble along virtually silent and at a snail’s pace, forever scanning the horizon for signs of life. These may include anything from zebras, wildebeest, and antelopes like impala to bigger species like elephants, obviously at a safe distance. There are a variety of options through specialised tour operators when opting for a cycling safari and making use of pedal power when game viewing.
Small groups moving leisurely along well-trodden paths are ideal for families while mountain bike races with a connection to conservation issues will suit the more adventurous.
An Important Note
A cycling safari, led by an experienced guide, is activity driven and it requires at least some level of fitness for those who opt to go this route. It mostly passes through flat landscapes. However, the occasional hill will ask for some extra effort of participants. Distances from between 20 and 50 kilometres during a time of a couple of hours can be covered, with a welcomed refreshment stop in between.
The best destinations for cyclists
For the adventurous safari-goer, a mountain bike excursion in the Mashatu Game Reserve in the Tuli block is a must. Pedalling in the footsteps of the grey giants is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Experience the best of all worlds when taking to the saddle at the southern point of Africa. There are countless destinations within the country’s borders, from the bushveld to the coast, where travellers will be wowed by the awe-inspiring scenery and rich and varied wildlife.
Highlights abound when opting to get on two wheels and explore the “Pearl of Africa”. From Kibale Forest National Park and its chimpanzees to Queen Elizabeth National Park and the tree-climbing lions and then the ultimate experience of coming face to face with the gorillas of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
The country of “A Thousand Hills” is an exceptional cycling destination with countless routes zig-zagging across the landscape. Leaving the confines of the concrete jungle of the capital Kigali behind, travellers will make their way along tea plantations, dense green hills, and volcanic lakes and be rewarded with the spectacular sights and sounds of the natural world.
With one of the largest concentrations of elephants on the continent, the grassland and mopane woodland of Hwange National Park is prime cycling territory. A short distance away, Matobo National Park is known for the imposing Matobo Hills where black eagles are regularly spotted.