I am going to Africa, with bike, for my 'significant' birthday next year.
Thinking Tanzania, but that is open, anything up to 6 weeks in July/August [no prizes for guessing my job], fairly low budget. I have looked at some organised/guided tours, all £££ of course, but also wondering if it is possible to do some of the things, parks, villages, etc independently [my preference].
Has anyone done anything like this in Africa ? independent or guided, or would anyone want to share a trip, or research and blue sky dreaming at least.
I don’t have any real information to contribute. Other than I’d love to see pictures and read about your trip.
Oh, and am jealous! But that’s for me to deal with.
I do know there’s a lot of information about Morocco (and people on this forum have been) I have some maps and guides. That’s where I’d go, or gulu area of Uganda as I know some people through work who are there.
One of the problems with Africa is that it would take several lifetimes to visit and meaningfully experience all of it.
I keep coming back to the idea of fatbikepacking around the lakeshore of lake Malawi (a lake the size of Scotland) or at least part of it as my ideal African bikepacking adventure.
I lived there in 2005/6 and traveled all around that part of Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia as well as Malawi).
The reason we choose Malawi and the main reason I keep considering it for a bikepacking trip is that it's one of the least developed and friendliest of all the countries in that region.
In my experience the more developed and urbanised places in Africa are the less appealing/suitable for wild camping and generally traveling through on a bike they are (warning: a very personal and possibly outdated opinion).
One problem I have with planning my imaginary trip is the 'roads'.
They tend to fall into one of three categories. 1. very busy tarmac roads which I wouldn't want to ride on for prolonged periods. 2. incredibly poorly maintained dirt/tarmac roads which are utilised by insane drivers and trucks or 3. quiet dirt tracks/paths which might suddenly descend into miles of loose sand, be flooded and impassable or simply stop altogether without warning or viable alternative through routes.
None of the above are particularly reassuring when planning a trip
Another thing Malawi had going for it is the relative safety whilst wild camping.
Other than a few hippos and crocs in certain parts of the lake there are relatively few things that'll eat you wandering around the bush.
That's good and bad depending on what you want to get out of your trip. I remember being massively disappointed reading about how little megafauna there was in Malawi before moving there but whenever we camped out I was massively thankful not to have to worry about being eaten :)
All of the above is just my two cents and so feel free to take/leave all of it but it's what I've experienced and the conclusions I came to.
I think a bike trip in Africa would be guaranteed to be an amazing and memorable experience and not necessarily for the same reasons you planned in advance (things rarely go to plan in Africa).
