Sep 2016 – Joburg2Kili

Cycling through Masai land to Dodoma

Posted on 29th Sep 2016Leave a comment

We have made it to the capital city of Tanzania, Dodoma, after four days of riding in some serious heat through Masai land. Along the way we also reached the 4000km mark on our journey from Johannesburg to Moshi at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro.

ngwazi-daniel-800x600 — Joburg2Kili Team & Daniel at Ngwazi Sailing Club

On our cycle leg to Ngwazi Sailing Club we came across a German called Daniel who was cycling from Cape Town to Cairo. We mentioned to him that we would be staying the night at the Ngwazi Sailing Club and we would be happy for him to join us. Warrick shared with him the co-ordinates but we had expected there to be some signs to the place but there were none but alas Daniel managed to still find us.

We spent one rest day at the beautiful Ngwazi Sailing Club, which was in fact Warrick’s birthday. We spent the morning doing some errands which included fixing Warrick and Gareth’s back-wheel hubs and just giving the bikes a much-needed clean. The rest of the day we just relaxed around camp and Derrick and Gareth prepared a delicious birthday braai for dinner.

Happy Birthday Warrick - Bicycle Carving made in Malawi — Happy Birthday Warrick – Bicycle Carving made in Malawi

The next day we had a 90km cycle ahead of us to African Gardens Campsite which is about 10km from the main town Iringa. Derrick was feeling a lot better after having completed a course of the malaria treatment medication so he decided to get back on his Buffalo bicycle again. The first 40km of the ride were really tough as we had roadworks and ended up having to cycle along dirt road diversions with some big climbs. However, as soon as we got through the town called Mufundi there were no more roadworks and we had an awesome smooth road to ride on with a wide shoulder all the way through to African Gardens Campsite.

Whilst we were riding, Bryan drove ahead to Iringa to stock up on supplies before going back to setup our campsite. He also gave Daniel a lift as he was having issues with his bicycle so he was going to arrange a bus to Dar-es-Salaam from Iringa. Daniel decided to also stay at the same campsite with us that night.

viewpoint-mtera-reservoir-800x600 — Viewpoint on the mountain pass down to Mtera Reservoir

The next leg of our journey was a long and really hot 116km cycle through to a bush camp by the Mtera Reservoir. In the first 20km we had a serious climb up to the main town Iringa where we spent a bit of time sorting out some admin including drawing some more cash. After leaving Iringa we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere as there is very little civilisation along the way. Around 90km from Iringa we cycled down this incredible mountain pass with amazing views of the Mtera Reservoir. As soon as we descended the heat picked up to 40 degrees so we were all suffering. Bryan went ahead to try sort out a suitable place for us to “bush camp” for the night and luckily managed to arrange for us to stay at a mission clinic with a Masai warrior as our security guard.

From the mission clinic we had a fairly hilly 93km ride to another “bush camp” spot. We were now cycling through Masai land with some incredible baobab forests scattered across the landscape which was really amazing and helped take our minds off the heat. Bryan managed to find a bush camping spot for us on the top of a hill by a baobab and rocky formation. To ensure we got some kind of permission to camp on the hill, Bryan went to speak to a local in the nearby village called Joshua. As there was a language barrier, Bryan had to phone a contact he met in Rungwe called Daniel to help translate English to Swahili which worked out well and we had no issues camping in this awesome “bush camp.”

Today we had a short cycle of 74km to the Tanzanian capital city, Dodoma, where we are now staying at the African Dream Hotel for one rest day. The first half of the cycle today was flat and really beautiful as we continued to ride past baobab forests and then we had a gradual climb up to the city. Time has really flown by on this phenomenal journey and we can’t believe that we only have 6 more days of cycling left to our final destination, Mount Kilimanjaro.

We’ve made it to Tanzania – The uphill push towards Kilimanjaro

Posted on 24th Sep 20161 Comment

We have had some seriously tough riding over the past few days since entering our final country on the Joburg2Kili Expedition, Tanzania. But before updating on how things have been going in Tanzania, as we haven’t had much luck with signal the past week here is just a quick update on our final days in beautiful Malawi.

We had one rest day at Chitimba Camp by the Lake and decided to go check out the town of Livingstonia (Derrick also wanted to go to the hospital there to get a doctor to check on his knee which was troubling him). We had been warned that the road up to the town has 21 hairpin bends and you definitely need a 4×4 so we all jumped into the Jeep. The road was hectic with lots of rocky patches and narrow bends but the further you get up the mountain the more spectacular the views. We finally got to the top and found the local hospital which was quite an eye-opening experience. Unfortunately, the doctor wasn’t able to help Derrick with his knee pain so we headed back down the treacherous road. On our way down the mountain we stopped at the Mushroom Farm which is a lodge and campsite with incredible views looking over the Lake.

Joburg2Kili Team at a viewpoint on the 21 hairpin bend road to Livingstonia

The next day we cycled a relatively easy 80km to our last stop along Lake Malawi called Mikomo Beach Lodge which is just before Karonga. As the only campers we were able to take the prime spot on the beach to camp for the night. It was then time to say goodbye to the Lake and make our way to Tanzania. We had an early start as we had a 60km ride to get to the border post. The ride was relatively flat and we made it to the border much earlier than we expected. Bryan had stayed behind at the campsite to fill the water tank on the trailer which can take up to an hour and so he was still behind us when we got to the border so we had to just sit around and wait for him. We then headed over to the Tanzanian side and we all thought things were going quite smoothly until you have to start the whole car registration process. We ended up waiting for 3 hours to get both cars and the trailer processed including travel insurance so we were all feeling quite exhausted by the time we had to start riding again.

Joburg2Kili Team with Rob from Rugwe Avocado Farm — Joburg2Kili Team with Rob from Rungwe Avocado Farm

One thing that has been so interesting to note on this journey is that as soon as you cross over a border you instantly notice you are in a new country as the people, vegetation, signs, houses and advertising are all different. Crossing into Tanzania the terrain changed from dry savanna to tropical forests. The last 50km were really tough for us all not only because we had already had a long day waiting at the border but because we ended up climbing over 1000m in elevation. The day was running away from us and we only got to the turnoff point to the Rungwe Avocado Company where we were staying for two nights as the sun was setting. Bryan met us at the turnoff and we loaded the bicycles onto both the Jeep and Ford and drove up to the farm. Warrick was put in touch with Rob who owns the farm and we were all very grateful to both him and his wife Petra for letting us stay at their amazing farm.

The next day we had a rest day and decided to go and check out the Ngozi Crater Lake which Warrick had read about online. Derrick’s knee was still troubling him so he decided to give the hike a miss. The rest of the team jumped into the Jeep and we made our way to the start of the hike. Rob had mentioned to us that we must make sure to pay the entrance fee and to try get a security guard for our car as the place is quite remote and there had been incidences in the past. We got to the turnoff and noticed that there was no guard at the hut so we waited around for a bit and eventually two locals arrived who we negotiated with on the price and one of them called First jumped into the Jeep with us to be our security guard. We had to drive down quite a rocky and narrow road to get to the parking lot at the start of the hike. The hike took us about 30 minutes which takes you through a beautiful forest to a viewpoint looking into the crater lake which was really spectacular and untouched.

We then headed back down to the Jeep and found our car guard had done a runner which was very annoying. As we drove back up the rocky and narrow dirt road we came across a Toyota vehicle with some hikers we had seen on our way up that were stuck in a rocky section of the road. They were locals and didn’t speak any English but through some hand signals we managed to explain to them that we would try get them out with the Jeep using a tow rope. The first challenge was to get the Jeep past them as they were stuck in a gorge. They managed to reverse down and make just enough room for the Jeep to sneak past and then we got the tow rope all setup. The Jeep managed to hurl the Toyato out of the rocky patch it was stuck in with ease and we then said our goodbyes to some very grateful Tanzanians. To view a video of the Jeep pulling out the Toyota, click here.

We then headed back to Rungwe where we picked up a few supplies and Bryan sorted out some sim cards for the team which took a couple of hours. We got back to the Avocado farm just in time to enjoy the sunset. Derrick was not feeling at all well and had slept basically the whole day. Luckily Rob’s wife, Petra, is a doctor and she did a few tests which indicated that he might have malaria but she wanted to do some more tests at her practice in the nearby town Mbeya the next morning.

The next day, Gareth, Cam and Warrick headed off on a really tough 128km cycle to a place called Riverside Campsite with Bobby in the Jeep following behind them. Derrick and Bryan went ahead to Mbeya so Derrick could get some more tests done and Bryan could get a few supplies. The ride was seriously tough with close to 1500m of climbing. The last 60km were also on a really bad road with plenty potholes and big trucks and buses flying past. We also had quite a few mechanicals on this leg having to replace both Warrick and Gareth’s back wheels and Gareth getting a flat tyre. We eventually got to Riverside campsite which doesn’t have much in terms of facilities but is a beautiful location on a river. Derrick got the results of his tests which had come back that he didn’t have malaria but was just burnt out and needed to take it easy for the next few days.

carpark-camp-800 — Camping in the Car Park of Amana Guest House

The next morning, we planned to ride close to 90km and would then hopefully find a suitable bush camp to stay at for the night. Derrick received more results of the tests that were done and it turned out he does have malaria but luckily he had continued with the treatment and was already feeling a lot better but would not be riding for at least another 2 days. The cycle was once again really tough with over 1000m of climbing, a headwind, busy roads that were under construction so we often had to ride on these dirt road diversions which were super dusty with all the trucks and buses driving past. Bryan went ahead to find a place for us to setup camp but unfortunately the best he could find was Amana guest house in a little town called Makambako where the team decided to take rooms rather than camping but Warrick and Cam setup their trailer tent in the car park. We were all feeling really exhausted and decided to find a restaurant for dinner which ended up being very average.

Today we had a short but really hilly 65km ride to Ngwazi Sailing Club with over 700m in climbing. It was also really misty and cold when we left town, which also made the start of the day more challenging. We had our first near accident as Cam braked suddenly as it seemed as though a truck was about to drive in front of her which caused Warrick to come off his bike but thankfully he has no injuries. We will be staying here at Ngwazi Sailing Club for one rest day tomorrow, which happens to be Warrick’s birthday.

Joburg2Kili Team visit Nyika National Park

Posted on 18th Sep 2016Leave a comment

adios-campsite-rhumpi-entrance-800x600 — Adios Campsite in Rhumpi

We decided to change up our schedule slightly so we could use some of our planned rest days on the lake to go through to Nyika National Park instead. It was recommended to us as a place to visit whilst in Malawi especially as it is known for its leopards. So from the town of Mzuzu we cycled a flat and easy 72km through to a town called Rhumpi where we stayed at a campsite called Adios.

The next morning, we got up at first light to pack up camp so we could get on the road as soon as possible to head over to the National Park. We managed to arrange with the kind staff at Adios to look after our Buffalo bicycles and a few boxes as we needed to make some space for us six to fit into the Jeep and Ford with all our bags. We were under the impression that the 105km to Nyika National Park would take us around an hour and half but no-one had mentioned to us that the road through to the Park is a long dirt road with a lot of rocky ascents and descents. You definitely need a 4×4 and having a trailer meant we had to drive really slow.

nyika-np-800x600 — Entrance sign to Nyika National Park

After three hours we finally got to the Nyika National Park Gate, which was about 55km from Rhumpi but still had a further 60km to get to Chelinda Campsite. As we were paying the entrance fees, Warrick noticed that the Jeep’s back left tyre had a small puncture. As the puncture was quite small we thought we would be able to use one of those tyre fillers to seal it. We drove the recommended 12km and it seemed as though the puncture had sealed so we got out the compressor and pumped it up to the recommended pressure. About an hour later we started to notice that the puncture had not sealed properly and so we had to stop again to pump the tyre up.

chelinda-campsite-800x600 — Chelinda Campsite – check out that amazing view

As we were now in the Park we were all very keen to hopefully see some wildlife on our way to the campsite. Unfortunately, we didn’t see very much wildlife except a few klipspringers, mountain reedbuck and some zebras but we were all in awe of the incredible views as we climbed up to close to 2400m in altitude. We finally got to Chelinda Lodge after over six hours and all felt a bit exhausted as to how long the drive had taken us. After booking in we drove up to the campsite which is situated next to a pine forest and has the most beautiful view of the rolling grassland hills where roan antelope and mountain reedbuck grazed. We had all expected Nyika National Park to be a typical game reserve with lots of general wildlife but instead it was more like Dullstroom in South Africa with three huge dams available for trout fishing as well as pine forests and open grassland hills that just go on forever.

The next day Warrick went down to reception where the mechanic met him to help plug the puncture in the Jeep’s tyre. We then got some advice from the Chelinda lodge game ranger as to where we could go on a game drive. He suggested a route for us to take which was a loop to Chelinda Bridge. On the drive we saw a lot of different antelope including a massive herd of eland and roan antelope as well as a rare sighting of a pair of Denham’s Bustards. The views were really incredible and we literally felt like we were in the middle of nowhere as we did not see a single car or person along the way. The loop took us back to Chelinda Lodge where we decided to do some trout fishing for a few hours. Sadly, we did not catch anything although we had high hopes of having a wonderful trout dinner. We then decided to go through to Chosi Viewpoint for sun-downers and hoped to maybe see the resident leopard that lives in the area but unfortunately it did not show its spots. Being so high up in the mountains it was no surprise that by sunset the temperature plummeted and we all enjoyed an evening huddled around the fire.

The next morning, Warrick, Bryan and Cam decided to go for an early morning run to the nearby airstrip. It was really fresh that morning with a bit of mist around which was really beautiful. We then packed up camp and headed back on the long dirt road back to Adios campsite in Rhumpi for the night. That night we had gale force winds going through the valley and all us did not sleep very well. We all expected our tents to just break and blow away in the wind it was so strong but we were all very grateful to wake up to find nothing was damaged. As everyone barely slept we all got up at sunrise and were on our bicycles by 7am on our way to a place called Chitimba Camp on Lake Malawi.

view-lake-malawi-chitema-800x600 — View of the lake as we descended the mountain pass on our way to Chitimba Camp

With the wind pumping the first few kilometres were really tough going and we all felt like we were almost cycling backwards. At 5km into our ride Gareth got a puncture in his front tyre which he managed to patch up fairly quickly. Then at 11km Warrick managed to break a spoke on his back tyre and so we ended up having to replace his back tyre. Thankfully we did not have any more mechanical issues for the rest of the 85km ride back to the Lake. The cycle was pretty spectacular as you ride along a river for most of the journey and then after a really steep tough climb you descend down this windy mountain pass with the most amazing views of the Lake. We are now staying at Chitimba Camp and will be here for one rest day before heading further up the lake to one last stop and then we will be making our way to our next country, Tanzania.

Heading North along the Lake

Posted on 11th Sep 2016Leave a comment

After three relaxing rest days in Senga Bay, it was time to get back on our Qhubeka Buffalo bikes and start heading north up the lake to Nkhotakota.

sam-cool-runnings-800x600 — Joburg2Kili Team with Sam from Cool Runnings Campsite in Senga Bay

We packed up camp at first light, said our goodbye’s to Sam from the wonderful Cool Runnings Campsite and started our 128km cycle we had ahead of us. The Armstrong’s met up with Bryan to help with some of the shopping that was needed to be done and to follow him until they caught up with us on the road. Cam’s mom, Charlotte, wanted to ride along with Bobby in the Jeep to get the full experience of what it is like to drive behind us cyclists at around 18km/h. Cam’s father, Bill Armstrong and Bryan then drove ahead to sort out the accommodation for the night. The Armstrong’s had already booked into a place called Kwathu Lodge for the night but they did not offer camping so Warrick had found a place on his mapping software called Fish Eagle Lodge down the road from Kwathu Lodge, which he asked Bryan to go and check out whether we could stay there.

stuck-in-sand-fish-eagle-lodge-800x600 — The Ford and Trailer stuck in the beach sand at Fish Eagle Lodge

The 128km ride was fairly flat the whole way but it was really hot with a bit of wind. Bryan was successful with arranging camping at Fish Eagle Lodge so we followed the signs there. Once we arrived we were looking for where the campsite had been setup but we were pleasantly surprised to find Bryan, Bill and a group of locals by the Ford and trailer which was very much stuck in the beach sand. Bryan hadn’t deflated the tyres enough before driving through the sand to where we were going to be camping and got stuck. The boys got off their bikes and all started to deflate the tyres to try give the car some traction to get it out the sand with the trailer. After a few attempts they were eventually successful and got the car and trailer out the thick sand to this amazing campsite that looks over the lake and we have our own personal lapa to ourselves.

The Armstrong’s accommodation unfortunately was a bit of a disaster. Kwathu Lodge is nothing like it is advertised online and doesn’t have a bar or restaurant. As a result, they decided to rather forfeit their deposit at the run-down Kwathu Lodge and book into the chalets at Fish Eagle Lodge.

playing-bowo-800x600 — Gareth and Bobby playing Bawo

We spent our rest day at Fish Eagle Lodge just relaxing and catching up with the Armstrong’s. Gareth and Bryan went out onto the Lake on a catamaran they organised with the lodge. Warrick asked one of the staff at the lodge to teach him how to play a local game which involves marbles and a wooden carved board called Bawo. He then taught us all to play which is a lot of fun and we are hoping to buy our own set of the game when we get to a local market. That evening the Armstrong’s kindly treated us all to a dinner at the restaurant at the lodge.

The next day we all got up at sunrise to pack up camp to head further north up the lake to Ngala Beach Lodge. We also had to say goodbye to the Armstrong’s who were going to go back to the Sunbird Livingstonia Hotel in Senga Bay for a night as they have a late morning flight to catch back to Johannesburg from Lilongwe today.

The cycle to Ngala Beach Lodge was around 92km. The route profile was fairly flat with a few rolling hills but we had a headwind to deal with that thankfully wasn’t as difficult to ride in as we expected as it was blowing a gale when we left Fish Eagle Lodge. Ngala Beach Lodge is a really beautiful campsite with great views looking over Lake Malawi.

View of our campsite at Ngala Beach Lodge

From Ngala Beach Lodge we had a short ride of 75km to our next campsite along the lake called Chintheche Inn, which was recommended to us by the very helpful lady Sandy from Ngala Beach Lodge. We are here for one night and will be heading through to Mzuzu tomorrow for what we believe to be a very hilly cycle leg.

Enjoying some family time at Senga Bay, Lake Malawi

Posted on 8th Sep 2016Leave a comment

The past few days have been spent relaxing, meeting up with some family, eating lots of delicious local fish and enjoying spending time at the beautiful Lake Malawi.

On our first rest day at Senga Bay, Lake Malawi, we arranged an afternoon boat cruise to the nearby island called Lizard Island. Once at the island we snorkeled, Derrick went fishing, Cam and Bobby read their books and Warrick, Bryan and Gareth decided to swim to some nearby rocks where they wanted to rock jump into the lake. Our boat guide, Michael and his colleague prepared a Butterfish braai for us all which included a very generous serving of rice, tomato/onion mix and spinach. We then left the island in the early evening allowing us to view the sunset as we headed back to the shore which was really spectacular. That evening, Derrick’s father and step-mom arrived at the Sunbird Livingstonia Hotel where we met up with them for a wonderful dinner spent catching up on the past week’s adventures.

The next day, Derick and his parents headed back to the island in the late morning for some family time. Bryan kindly volunteered to donate blood as Sam, the owner of Cool Runnings Campsite, volunteers at the local clinic and cancer centre and had a patient that desperately needed a blood transfusion and luckily he was a match. Cam decided to get her hair re-braided as a lot of the braids were coming out from them blowing around in the wind whilst riding. One of the staff at Cool Runnings arranged for one of the ladies from Senga Bay to come through to the campsite to do her hair which was great – nothing beats getting your hair braided with a beautiful view of the lake.

dinner-on-beach-cool-runnings-800x600 — Dinner on the beach in front of Cool Runnings Campsite with Derrick and Cam’s family

That afternoon, we all headed back to the Sunbird Livingstonia Hotel as Cam’s parents, the Armstrongs, were due to arrive. We all then had some afternoon drinks together with both Derrick and Cam’s parents before heading back to Cool Runnings where Warrick had arranged with them to prepare a dinner for us all on the beach. Electricity certainly is a luxury here by the lake and it seems to be the norm to not have power for at least 6-8 hours a day. Unfortunately, Cool Runnings did not have any power that evening for our dinner; however, they made a plan and we had an absolutely delicious meal on the beach.

The next day, Derrick’s parents had to return to Blantyre for business so Derrick, Gareth and Bobby went through to say goodbye to them after having some breakfast at the hotel.

We had heard that Monkey Bay and Cape Maclear are two tourist destinations worth visiting along the lake so we decided to make a day outing to visit these spots along with the Armstrong’s. It is meant to be about a two-hour trip but it took us nearly 3.5 hours to get there. Warrick’s mapping app suggested we take this dirt road as a short cut which ended up being very slow as it was filled with potholes; however, it was an eye-opening journey for us all as we really got to see how poor this country is and how most Malawian people live and spend their days. It is also very evident how desperate they are for rain in the area as the land is just bone dry. The dirt road eventually took us back onto the main tar road we should have taken from the start and we made our way to Monkey Bay.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that Monkey Bay is actually not touristy at all. We drove into the Monkey Bay Lodge and hoped to find a suitable restaurant for lunch but unfortunately they had no food or drinks to offer us. The lodge has a great view of the Monkey Bay port but that was about it so we asked them where they recommended we go instead which was Cape Maclear. To get to Cape Maclear you drive through the Lake Malawi National Park, which is set in a beautiful mountainous, rocky terrain and ends at the Lake.

drying-fish-cape-maclear — Cape Maclear – Drying out little fish like biltong

At Cape Maclear we headed to Mgozo Lodge which was recommended to us by two Scottish girls who said it had the best food. After a delicious lunch, we all decided to take a stroll down the beachfront. It is amazing to just see how the lake is so important to the locals and how full of life it is; there are tables of tiny fish being dried out like biltong, hundreds of Malawians cleaning fishing nets, washing clothes, pots and pans and children swimming and playing in the water. After the boys had a swim in the lake we decided to start making our way back to Senga bay.

cape-maclear-mgozo-lodge-800x600 — Lunch at Mgozo Lodge at Cape Maclear

We drove back along the tar road avoiding the dirt road “short cut” but we hit traffic hour on our way into the town of Salima; however, this is not your normal car traffic we are used to but rather bicycle traffic.It is incredible to see how many bicycles there are in Malawi and it really is the main form of transport in the country. You see people using their bicycles for transporting everything from wood, charcoal, goats, pigs, petrol and additional passengers. We finally made it back to Cool Runnings after negotiating the bicycle traffic along the way. Cam & Warrick went for dinner with the Armstrong’s at the Livingstonia Hotel and the rest of the team went to the next door restaurant along the beach.

Where the Malawi are we?

Posted on 5th Sep 20161 Comment

Our campsite at Mama-Rula's in Chipata — Our campsite at Mama-Rula’s in Chipata

We spent our last day in Zambia on a rest day at Mama-Rula’s Campsite in Chipata which was much needed after some hard days of riding our Qhubeka Buffalo bicycles. Bobby was still not well and so he decided to go through to a local doctor, which was recommended by the owners at Mama-Rula’s. The doctor did some tests and gave him a dose of anti-biotics, which seem to be working well and Bobby is back to his normal entertaining self.

On Friday we all got up before sunrise to get packed up and ready to head off to Malawi. After our 3 hour experience at the Kazungula border crossing into Zambia we thought we better give ourselves plenty time to get through the Chipata border into Malawi especially as we still had just over 100km to ride that day to get to the Duck Inn.

Favio-border-crossing (800x600) — Meeting Favio from Argentina who is travelling around the world on his bicycle

We were much better prepared this time for the border crossing having gotten local Malawian Kwacha the day before and being better informed about the costs to expect to incur to get the cars through the border. However, it still took us about 2 hours to get through but it was a much easier process.

At the border we met up with Favio M Giorgio from Argentina who is cycling around the world. His bicycle weighs about 65kg with all his worldly belongings on him and we wish him all the best with his incredible journey.

Once through the border the ride was fairly flat and downhill for most of the way to our planned campsite for the night called the Duck Inn. Although the Duck Inn is not really a campsite, Warrick managed to speak to the manager, Scott, who was happy to have us come through to stay for the night. It really is such a beautiful spot looking over a big dam with lots of birdlife – a real gem.

From Duck Inn we had a short ride of just over 50km to Lilongwe. We were in for a real treat in Lilongwe as Shahid Samamad from Pulsit Electronics who is a contact of Derrick’s family very kindly put us up at the Sunbird Capital Hotel for the night. Big thanks to them as it was such luxury to be able to sleep in a bed for a night – it really is the small things you come to appreciate so much more when camping for nearly 5 weeks. Warrick was in contact with Scott again from Duck Inn who recommended a restaurant for us in Lilongwe called Kat-man-doo where we all went for dinner- the Nepali Momma’s are amazing!

Yesterday we got up at sunrise after a great nights’ rest at the hotel and enjoyed having a buffet breakfast before starting our 120km cycle through to Lake Malawi. We originally had planned to do this distance in two legs but decided to rather just get it done in one go and enjoy an extra rest day at the Lake. In the first 20km of the journey we were met by Peter from the Malawi Travel Guide who came to meet with us which was really great. He has an awesome website called Travel Malawi Guide with all the info you need to know on where to go in Malawi.

Peter from Travel Malawi Guide kindly came to meet with us on-route to Lake Malawi — Peter from Travel Malawi Guide kindly came to meet with us on-route to Senga Bay, Lake Malawi

The first 60km of the ride was really hard going as we had about 900m of climbing and we also had a 30km/h headwind we were riding into. But thankfully as you head closer towards Salima the route flattens out although the road is very eroded and so you have to be very careful as you ride through to Senga Bay.

On our first day in Malawi riding on-route to the Duck Inn two British couples drove past us and stopped to find out about our journey. We managed to see them again on our ride to Lake Malawi yesterday and they had just come from Senga Bay and recommended we definitely stay at Cool Runnings Campsite which is where we are now based for the next 3 days.

Derrick and Cam’s parents will be joining us in Senga Bay and staying at the Livingstonia Sunbird Hotel which is about 1km away from Cool Runnings. Lake Malawi is a really beautiful place and we are all looking forward to spending time here.