ed in the district of Karen, just a few
minutes’ drive from Karen Blixen’s
farm*, and is often said to epitomize
everything ‘adventure’. It’s here you’ll
see dozens of Land Rovers and Toyota
Landcruiser’s parked by their mostly
German owners, who leave them per-
manently, returning annually for two
or three months to enjoy Africa.
“I have travelled through Africa
on the East side, the West side and
right through the middle,” Wayne,
who I was fortunate to meet, became
a wealth of knowledge about routes
and places throughout Africa. A
South African now living and work-
ing in Dubai, he helped me plot the
remainder of the ride and provided a
lot of invaluable information.
After seven fantastic days in Ken-
ya, I travelled through Arusha and
Mount Kilimanjaro to Dar es Salaam,
one of the fastest growing cities in
the world. Leaving my bike at a safe
place just outside Dar es Salaam,
I took a ferry to Stone Town, as I’d
hoped to visit Zanzibar, the Spice
Island.
Renting an old Honda Bajaj, I criss-
crossed the tiny island (90 x 40km)
enjoying the sunshine, the white
sandy beaches and the warm sea.
Gated five-star resorts, with plenty
of tourists, were the norm. Five days
on the tropical island and it was time
to leave, I was more than ready to
return to real Africa.
For me, one of the biggest thrills
on a bike, is riding in places where
you are likely to come across wild
animals. Mikumi National Park is
such a place.
Heading west from Dar es Salaam
towards Malawi, it is hard to avoid,
as the A7 runs right through the park
for about 90km. I stopped several
times along the way, watching giraffe,
buffalo, elephant, wildebeest, zebra,
and numerous bucks. I later read
that there are lions in the park too. I
didn’t see any but did wonder how it
is permitted to ride through the park
TRAVERSE 44
on a bike. A wonderful and very ex-
citing experience. The road through
the park is stunning.
With a month remaining, I rode
through Malawi, the fourth poorest
country in the world, following the
shoreline of Lake Malawi.
The contrast to busy Tanzania
couldn’t be greater. Malawi really
comes across as extremely poor.
“If you speak to an African person,
and he or she doesn’t smile,” I was
told by a government official. “I can
guarantee you that he or she is not
Malawian”.
Malawi is often called ‘The warm
heart of Africa’, and for good reason.
Zambia soon became a favourite
of mine. One night at a campsite in
Southern Luangwa National Park I
was visited by a hippo. We looked
at each other through the tent’s
mosquito netting. A night guard on
his rounds passed by and the hippo
quickly trotted off … probably a good
thing!