Meet the locals
Getting close to elephants sounds great… the reality is a bit more daunting
CROUCHING SILENTLY BEHIND a stick-thin tree, I held my breath and looked on helplessly as the herd approached. Having spotted the well-worn path and elephant dung, I had put Rhonda the Honda next to the route to their watering hole, hoping for a spectacular photo. This was a one-shot deal — if I had misjudged these amazing creatures’ behaviour, I was going to pay, and so was my CRF250!
Thankfully they behaved as I had hoped and I watched from my stake-out with a sense of overwhelming elation and respect as, one by one, they passed by us just meters away. The youngsters stopped, with a look of shock before shuffling off as fast as they dared without losing face. Others took a closer, inquisitive look at this strange twowheeled animal, while some displayed mild annoyance at me, shaking their heads and flapping their ears. Thankfully, none touched the bike or charged.
Many parts of southern Africa will not allow motorcycles within their national parks and most of the wildlife is now restricted to these large, fenced-off areas. Not so with Botswana. Here they roam freely across the entire country, and naturally have right of way when our paths cross — as they often do. If you like sand then there is plenty of challenging riding here. The roads are generally long and straight but if you like wildlife this is the place to come.
Riding to Livingstone in Zambia, I met up with a local biker and crocodile-farm owner who had offered me a bed for a few nights. Charley Boorman and Ewan Mcgregor visited here during filming of The Long Way Down and I can now boast that I have slept in the same bed as Ewan. It may have been several years apart but let’s not get caught up in the details! I got to witness the amazing Victoria Falls. As Dr Livingstone himself said, it is “A scene so lovely, it must have been gazed up by angels in flight”.
From Zambia, I eventually crossed into Malawi and finally into the mountains of Tanzania. After 7000 miles, seven countries, one puncture and one broken nose in southern Africa, I sit in the bustling city of Mbeya listening to the call to prayer, signifying the beginning of my east African adventure.
From the majestic towering baobabs in Angola, to the elephants in Botswana, the stunning sunsets of Zambia and, of course, the long desert stretches in Namibia - southern Africa has all the ingredients for a great adventure. But Africa is a huge continent. I’m sure there are more adventures to come, as I inch slowly but surely closer to home.