Dirt roads, more game, and Africa at its core June 10-30

Crossed border into Zambia with elephants on the side of the road. This is real Africa with lots of poor rural villages, lots of people walking on the side of the roads, bicycles carrying 2 -3 people. Difficult to find a place for ablutions on roadside as people everywhere. Lusaka the capital is a big sprawling country town with friendly, helpful people. Petrol shortage in Lusaka and north but managed to get some from a big barrel at inflated prices.

Exhausted Biker

Then into Malawi which was even poorer and so many children everywhere. Rode along the edge of Lake Malawi staying at Senga Bay, Nkhata Bay watching the fisherman haul in their small fish and walking along the beaches. First experience of kids and people asking for money.



After the rain

Rain at Nkhata Bay turned the steep hilly dirt roads into slippery mud- this was our training for the dreadful dirt roads which were under construction in Tanzania. 











Road to Dodoma

Travelling from Iringi 300kms to Dodoma with most of the road under Chinese construction-so many trucks, heavy corrugations, sandy sections and mountain passes often travelling at 10-30km per hour!

By the time we got to Dodoma we stuffed the shock which is now being fixed.









Past dry savannah plains with lots of acacia and baobab trees and Maasai villages- Tall Maasai men and children tending their herds of goats and cattle looking so elegant and colourful dressed in their red sarongs and capes.  Overnight in some African village at the local tuck stop guest house with no running water or light-paid a guy to sleep next to the bike. Lots of children around the bike.

Maasai woman

Guest house in African village

Sealed road to Singeda then on to Arusha, the gateway to the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater where we went on a rather expensive safari for 4 days.

Cheetah

Amazing experience –so much wildlife –lions, leopard, elephants, zebra, gazelle, wilderbeest etc and unexpected bee stings whilst looking at a cheetah held up in a tree by 2 hyenas! Thanks to our amazing guide Salulu we saw everything and had a fantastic time. See his safari company www.idreamofafrica.com for individualized tours.

Rare species?

? Wilderbeest migration

on safari

Then across the border to Kenya and on to Nairobi for some advanced riding skills training in the traffic of a chaotic and mad 3.5 million city. Sought refuge in a convent with lovely nuns whilst bomb blast rocked through church in eastern Kenya.

Don't let this happen to you

Buying bananas

Balloon flight over Serengeti

Jude haggling with Maasai women