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  Topic Name: East African Bikepacking on: September 12, 2013, 12:10:06 AM
cameronmehl


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« on: September 12, 2013, 12:10:06 AM »

The idea is to ride between each CURE International hospital in East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia) to increase exposure for them. I work for the hospital in Kenya and am currently able to ride around here, but as far as logistics goes for the other countries, I'm having some significant trouble.

Using google maps the trip is around 3300 miles. Definitely would love to take advantage of the amazing single track in these countries, but am unaware of just how to link them up. Maybe I won't be able to because of the lack of info on the singletracks? There is often a dirt road next to paved roads or singletrack next to dirt roads out here, so I suppose that's my best bet.

I'm just starting out on planning, but would like to do this, if possible, in April of 2014.

So what do you guys think? How would you guys start to plan for this ride?

Here is the Google Maps walking route between the hospitals: https://www.google.com/maps?saddr=CURE+international+hospital+Addis+Ababa,+Ethiopia&daddr=CURE+International+hospital+mbale,+uganda+to:AIC-CURE+International+Children%E2%80%99s+Hospital+of+Kenya,+Kijabe+Road,+Kijabe,+Kenya+to:CURE+hospital+blantyre,+malawi+to:Beit+CURE+Hospital,+Great+North,+Lusaka,+Zambia&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=-3.381824,33.706055&spn=25.195799,39.199219&sll=-2.547988,33.925781&sspn=25.214055,39.199219&geocode=FU02igAdXodPAiGdjhLi6TpiBCkX-5KwEY9LFjGdjhLi6TpiBA%3BFX9lEAAdEWsJAiEs34HZSZBfmCkRvNaLDbZ4FzEs34HZSZBfmA%3BFRCM8f8dmmAuAiHuWcGqhivQuSk_HaWijiopGDHuWcGqhivQuQ%3BFfzhDv8dSkwWAiHnF95Ypt68IyljYX91vkXYGDHnF95Ypt68Iw%3BFZqNFf8dKYCvASGUfyKKmTjMlym_V3xTIvVAGTGUfyKKmTjMlw&oq=Beit+CURE&dirflg=w&mra=ps&t=m&z=5
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  Topic Name: East African Bikepacking Reply #1 on: September 12, 2013, 05:22:51 PM
dgjessee


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« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2013, 05:22:51 PM »

Great plan dude! You're running into some of the same issues I am in planning a route in South America. From what I have found talking to other tourers/bikepackers a lot of it comes down to talking to people. Plan an all dirt corridor for your route so you know you'll at least be off pavement, then try contacting any mountain biking guiding services you can search for. They may know of some good trails that will help you along your way. You also may just have to play it by ear. Essentially sticking to your "corridor" and when you get to towns or villages, ask if they know of any good tracks off the road that head in the right direction. The adventure is you're never going to know which trails are legit and which are going to run out. I use ridewithgps.com because it does have the OSM maps which do a good job of identifying dirt tracks and roads better than many. You might even find some singletrack listed on there.

Good luck! Sounds like a fantastic trip I'm jealous of.
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Cycling is not rocket science.

  Topic Name: East African Bikepacking Reply #2 on: December 20, 2013, 03:09:06 PM
wahday


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« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2013, 03:09:06 PM »

Not to discourage you, but much of your route through the northern half of Kenya and into Ethiopia is highly unstable at the moment. Instability in northern Kenya (including Moyale which is shown as part of your proposed route) and many parts of Ethiopia (along the Kenyan and Somali border in particular) have resulted in many western countries categorically advising against any travel in those regions at all. There have been kidnappings in those areas.

I have traveled to some countries where certainly the state department warnings did not reflect the realities on the ground (that is, they were overblown) but this stuff is pretty serious and westerners are a key target for kidnapping. For some it is akin to pirate activity in the Indian Ocean where captors are seeking ransom, but in other cases it is islamist militant activity. This is especially true in the Somali, northern Kenya, southern Ethiopia region. So, be cautious.

I lived in Uganda for a year and a half in the mid 1990s and had a tremendous experience. Personally I never experienced any kind of trouble crime-wise, but I did know some who did, especially those travelling upcountry by themselves (or at least as the only American). Highway robbers are real, though the three cases I knew of did not involve any violence. In one case, the guy was left literally standing on the side of the road in his underwear as the thieves stole everything else, including the van the group was traveling in. Again, not frighten you off, but just to alert you to the potential dangers of traveling alone or in a small group by bike.

I will mention, though, that while I was there a group of doctors from, I believe, Canada passed through on a trip to raise awareness and money for health issues in the developing world. They were biking from Algeria to South Africa and in different legs of the journey picked up local riders for a while. A Ugandan friend joined them from Kampala to Tanzania. I had dinner with them and they had some pretty outrageous stories of close calls and scary situations, but at least at that point in the journey no one had been injured or robbed.

Certainly my experience in Uganda was that the vast majority of local folks were outrageously gracious, accommodating, helpful, friendly and just plain delightful. And I have no reason to feel this would be any different in the neighboring countries. But word travels fast when you are a foreigner and those who might have nefarious intent will find you quickly, so be safe!

Your route does not go through Rwanda at this point, but there is a national cycling team there. This seems like the kinds of groups you might want to connect with to identify routes and get some local support for repairs, resources, etc. http://teamrwandacycling.org/
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  Topic Name: East African Bikepacking Reply #3 on: January 07, 2014, 07:22:05 AM
Rooster Cogburn


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« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2014, 07:22:05 AM »

I came across several westerners biking in Ethiopia while I was bumming around by local bus and grain trucks.  I spent most of my time in the southeast where the high Bale Mountains provide some remnant patches of native vegetation and wildlife.  Those I met on bikes weren't having a very good time.  The main highways are clogged with large trucks, buses, and livestock.  And strangely, the kids who are otherwise good eggs, have an obsession with chucking rocks at westerners on bicycles.  Few Ethiopians ride bicycles.  Highway 6, the main north-south route is particularly dangerous on a bicycle.  The traffic is unbelievable.  A better north-south route is from Dodola to Adama (Highway Cool.  The Bale Mountains are south of Dodola and traversing these mountains on a mountain bike would be a kick.  The wide, well-used horse trails and double tracks are ideal for biking and the people are wonderful.  Unfortunately, I don't know how a person would find their way through this maze of trails.  Few people speak English in this part of Ethiopia.

I've never met such interesting and generous people than I did in Ethiopia.  Some young males in the big cities will try to scam you but they do it with good humor and without physical threat. They are a source of entertainment and make good interpreters for the price of a beer.

I hope your trip works out well.
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  Topic Name: East African Bikepacking Reply #4 on: March 31, 2014, 12:09:27 AM
occamsrazor


Location: UK / Kenya
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« Reply #4 on: March 31, 2014, 12:09:27 AM »

Just to say hi from someone else in Kenya.... Curious if you ever did the trip...
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