Dream Tours
Mombasa to Kinshasa
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Cross the African continent - the other way!
Tour d'Afrique has it all wrong; I don't have 4 months and 10,000 Euros to spare, so I am going to cross Africa in 2 months for 5000 Euro.
Come join me on a pioneering voyage through the heart of Africa. This might be a little more off-the-beaten track than the Tour d'Afrique, so this won't be for the faint of heart.
The Aim: We are not trying to retrace the steps of some European colonialists, nor are we hoping to solve all of East Africa and the Congo's problems, but we are going to explore, and meet the people and broaden our understanding of this mysterious place - and tough it out on long days in the saddle, on less than idea jungle tracks in humid conditions in some of the most dramatic and breathtaking scenery one could imagine - lush jungle, high mountains, endless rolling hills, volcanoes, beautiful lakes Victoria and Kivu, and the giant Congo river.
The Route: We will travel through the well known areas of East Africa like Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengetti, and then we'll disappear into the jungle and over the "thousand hills" of Rwanda. Then a short break along the shores of Lake Kivu and a trek with the famous mountain gorillas, and then its on to the Congo, and the towns along the Congo River like Kisangani, Bumba, Lisala, and Mbandaka, and finally Kinshasa, the third largest city in Africa.
How will it work: The hope is that by 2013, when we run the tour, that the various areas of unrest in the Congo will have quieted down, and that the peace treaties will hold, and that tourism and security infrastructures will have improved - if not then 2014.
Map
Photos
1 People Counted In
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Joan Louwrens
Counted in Mar 12, 2010 |
Discussion
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Henry Gold
May 22, 2009 02:06PM |
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What about the the rain and mud?
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Shanny Hill
May 22, 2009 02:11PM |
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Bring your rain jacket, but yes its a good point. I will need to do a better analysis of the right season to run this tour. Any suggestions?
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Theresa Brown
May 25, 2009 05:47AM |
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Your thoughts about going all the way to the Atlantic? Cabinda doesn't rhyme with Mombassa, the way Kinshasa does, but going from the Indian to the Atlantic would be cool... plus tons to explore in Gabon for those who want to travel a bit afterwards.
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Shanny Hill
May 27, 2009 07:36AM |
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Good point Theresa, but you can't beat the name! Maybe we build in an additional few days (optional) at the end for those that want to hit the Atlantic.
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Christoph
Jun 3, 2009 04:47AM |
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Hey Shanny,
I'm dreaming up a similar tour, but with double length - until Côte d'Ivoire. A continuation of my Biosphere Reserve Project (www.biosphere-tour.org). And I'd love to share ideas about routes and the right season to do it ...
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Shanny Hill
Jun 3, 2009 07:22AM |
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Hi Christoph, thanks for your note. I went to your website. Interesting project. This is very much in the early stages, and I will have to see if I can garner enough interest from the online community before I can make this a reality, but I would be happy to continue discussion here with you on logistics. And going to Cote d'Ivoire is tempting. As for seasons, what do you think about starting in Mombasa in either Dec or January to avoid the worst of the rains in the Congo, but any way you play it, there will be a significant amount of rain on this journey, but better I think to have it in Kenya, TZ, and Rwanda, where the roads are reasonable good. Comments?
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M Coo
Jun 4, 2009 11:05AM |
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Rain or shine I would love to do this.
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Joan Louwrens
Mar 12, 2010 08:28AM |
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This has to happen ! I would also support going on to Gabon and the Ocean. Keeping healthy may be more difficult but just another challange
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Kimutai Cherono
Mar 17, 2010 09:10PM |
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Is Congo even doable, they use planes or boats, I believe there are no roads.
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ituri
May 6, 2010 07:06PM |
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It's pretty difficult to get informations about DRC, and even more difficult to cycle there. Here are some pictures from my crossing in 2007. (http://www.to-adi.ch/component/option,com_joomgallery/func,viewcategory/catid,16/startpage,5/Itemid,67/lang,en/#category)
You will find a google map with the track cycled and some tips and tricks in "country info" on this site too.
good luck
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Shanny Hill
May 6, 2010 07:36PM |
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Hi ituri, thanks for your comment and your link. You have some amazing photos. What an epic trip you took. For now this DreamTour remains a Dream, at least for a few years still. But we would love to run a tour like this. All the best...
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