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The ultimate road trip: 12,500 miles across Africa on a motorcycle
His zigzag tour will take in 22 African nations including South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, the Saharawi Republic, and Morocco. . .
. . .before he ends up skinny, exhausted, and happy at my house in Spain, where my wife will fatten him up with her excellent paella.
Full disclosure: Thomas is a friend of mine. We covered the massive Hindu pilgrimage of Kumbh Mela together in 2001 and barely managed not to get trampled to death by hordes of naked holy men. But even if I didn't know him, this trip is so thoroughly cool I would have reported on it anyway.
Thomas isn't just going on vacation; he'll be visiting innovative grassroots projects that are making life better for the average African. Through his website Africa Heart Beat he'll be telling us about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, such as creating a job center for landmine victims in Mozambique, an AIDS theater group in Botswana, and a Muslim-Christian vocational center in Mali that's bringing the two communities together.
"The idea of crossing Africa came to me when I was 10," Thomas says.
"A large map of the world hung above my bed in a small Warsaw apartment. I would study the geography of each continent, its road and railroad network. The most prominent continent would be Africa, placed in the middle of the map, right above where my head would rest on the pillow. The idea stayed in my mind for years. I would eventually learn to ride motorcycles in India and cover the Horn of Africa for publications in Poland and US. In January 2009 my grandmother passed away and I decided it was time to do the trek I've been thinking about for so long. Traveling for travel's sake was past me, and I decided I needed to find a purpose as I travel, something that would give meaning to the journey and benefit others."
While 20,000 km is a long way to ride, he's done it before in India. His longest journey there was 20,000 km on a 1950s technology 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet. I've ridden that bike and it's a monster-- heavy and tough enough for the task. This time he'll be probably picking up a KTM 640 LC Adventure, a lighter but rugged off-road bike from a dealer in South Africa when he flies there Thanksgiving Day.
He'll be crossing some very remote areas but will keep in touch as much as possible with an array of communications equipment. There will be regular updates on his blog, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. On the day after Thanksgiving, when Thomas is safely in Johannesburg and on the first day of his eight-month journey I'll be writing about some of the gear he's bringing along and share some advice he has for covering your own journeys as you do them.
Know of a project Thomas should cover? Tell us about it in the comments section!
While 20,000 km is a long way to ride, he's done it before in India. His longest journey there was 20,000 km on a 1950s technology 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet. I've ridden that bike and it's a monster-- heavy and tough enough for the task. This time he'll be probably picking up a KTM 640 LC Adventure, a lighter but rugged off-road bike from a dealer in South Africa when he flies there Thanksgiving Day.
He'll be crossing some very remote areas but will keep in touch as much as possible with an array of communications equipment. There will be regular updates on his blog, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. On the day after Thanksgiving, when Thomas is safely in Johannesburg and on the first day of his eight-month journey I'll be writing about some of the gear he's bringing along and share some advice he has for covering your own journeys as you do them.
Know of a project Thomas should cover? Tell us about it in the comments section!
Filed under: Africa, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Spain, Budget Travel
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sightseer Nov 27th 2009 12:52PM
That sounds like a great motorcycle tour! I am planning one to Glacier Nat park soon, but it's not as long as this one. Read more about touring at http://www.sightseeingreview.com/motorcycletouring.php
www.swazi.travel Nov 28th 2009 2:48AM
Go Thomas ! What a great adventure ! If you need a place to stay when you pass through Swaziland, please let us know and I can almost guarantee that we can find a complimentary room fit for a king for you.
Swaziland might be small and you can cross it in less than a day, but please don't rush through, there is lots to see and do here.
have a great ride
thomas Nov 29th 2009 3:34AM
Hi,
Thank you so much for the offer. I am currently in Joburg organizing the bike. I would love to stop by Swaziland and any help would be much appreciated. Please email me at tomek123@aol.com.
All the best,
Thomas
thomas Nov 29th 2009 3:16AM
Hi,
Thank you so much for the offer. I am currently in Joburg organizing the bike. I would love to stop by Swaziland and any help would be much appreciated. Please email me at tomek123@aol.com.
Thomas