Myths about the dangers of cycling biking in Africa cities

NaiCycle is a Nairobi-based entity.

Africa is a dangerous area as well as its individuals are naturally terrible.

Although there certainly are pockets of violence and no-go locations on the continent, biking in country Africa is as risk-free as cycling in rural areas in Europe or The United States And Canada. In the majority of areas, you can leave your bike outside stores, have a stroll around the village and even raise to see a waterfall and also when you return your bike and also possessions will exist when you return.

Some African mega-cities such as Dakar, Johannesburg as well as Lagos measure up to their credibilities as unsafe places and you absolutely wouldn't wish to plan a tour through dispute zones such as Somalia or Eastern Congo.

Thankfully, with a little preparation these areas are easily circumnavigated. In most African resources, keeping your street-smarts is enough to remain free from harm's method. Throughout both years we invested biking around the continent, many Africans we experienced were gentle, modest and hospitable. They warmly welcomed us into their towns as well as shared generously of all they had.

African roadways are so negative they're impossible to cycle on.

Flawlessly smooth!While it holds true that Africa lacks a thorough smooth freeway network, that belongs to the enjoyable.

Bouncing along on a narrow track swing at laughing toddlers, trading introductions with children trudging off to college, quiting to chat with villagers on their means to the areas-- the alleyways are the very best way to discover the genuine heart of Africa.

Roads can be harsh, particularly after hefty rainfalls, so you might not have the ability to cover as much distance in a day as you would certainly in other components of the world. With a little method, however, you'll soon come to be a pro at cycling via seas of sand, browsing rock-strewn roadways and also navigating through sloppy, rutted tracks. And for those of you with overly-sensitive bottoms, do not misery. You can cycle virtually 12,000 kilometres completely from Cairo to Cape Town on smooth tarmac with less than a thousand kilometres on unpaved roadways.

Africa is also warm for cycling.

The African continent extends 30 levels north as well as southern of the equator and also thus differs significantly in regards to environment. The only region where it's really warm as well as suffocating all year round is the slim band of lowland tropics that straddles the equator. Cycling through Namibia in July (the southern hemisphere winter months) will certainly suggest frost on the outdoor tents, you'll experience snow on the high passes in Lesotho in August and also the highlands of Ethiopia are refreshingly trendy year round.

Africa teems with 'dangerous' wild animals.

Seeing wildlife is the primary reason the majority of people jump on an airplane as well as fork over countless bucks for a safari. However bicycle touring in Africa does not suggest being frequently looking for billing herds of elephants.

Actually, on the majority of the continent, the advancement of human ways you'll have to go out of your way to see wild pets.

That said, among the most effective biking spots for wild animals viewing from the saddle remains in Botswana. We whooshed by zebras, elephants, as well as mating giraffes on the primary highway. Mikumi National Forest in Tanzania is also a terrific ride for wild animals viewing. Riding near the NamibRand book in Namibia is a great place to spot gemsbok, hill and levels zebra, springbok and kudu.

The majority of wild animals aren't really harmful as long as you don't do something really dumb like the man in Sudan who keet relocating closer and also closer to get shots of those adorable hyenas. The word on the overland route is that he got consumed and all that was left was a heap of bones and also some wonderful close-up shots of hyenas.

What are Africa's many harmful animals? Right here's the leading 10 checklist of Africa's the majority of fatal animals (indicating any living point): the hippo, lion, crocodile, mosquito, black mamba, excellent white shark, buffalo, elephant, smoke adder, and certainly man himself.

After the mosquito, a biker's biggest fear will be staying free from the elephants and also buffalo.

Africa is really corrupt and also I will certainly need to pay lots of allurements.

Just another pleasant boundary official in Africa!You're extremely not likely to encounter any kind of type of corruption in East Africa or Southern Africa. Small corruption in West and also Central Africa, on the various other hand, is rather common. We were consistently asked to pay various 'handling charges' at boundary crossings as well as cops checkpoints and occasionally asked to make a payment in the direction of a beer, soda or fuel for the generator. By persevering, remaining friendly as well as being patient I never ever ended up paying and bribes or extra charges other than on one unlucky occasion in Equatorial Guinea.

I will certainly have trouble locating food if I cycle through Africa.

Sudanese food-- looks delicious, does not it?Food lacks do occur in Africa, yet as a bicyclist with money to invest you are unlikely to be affected by them. We spent two years biking with Africa, including some very remote stretches where a lot of the local population was living off food relief provided by worldwide help agencies, and also we were constantly able to acquire food in your area. Markets may not be overruning, yet you'll locate sufficient staples to fuel you on your following cycling destination.

Africa has lots of terrifying diseases and also I'll probably drop deathly ill.

Alright, this is partially real. There are lots of unpleasant illness bouncing around the African continent. The even more usual conditions in Africa consist of Jungle fever, Aids, Lassa High Temperature
Bilharzia, Cholera, Diarrhea, Amoebic Dysentery, Liver Disease An and also B, Rabies, Typhoid, Yellow High Temperature as well as E-coli.

NaiCycle, after paying attention to stories of bikers from Nairobi claims, the method to remaining healthy and balanced in Africa is to get all the essential immunizations and taking the right anti-malarials. After that the possibilities of dropping 'deathly ill' and also requiring to be repatriated are greatly diminished.
And while jungle fever can be serious, we have actually both made it through 2 spells of this common disease without problems. With jungle fever, you have actually got to remember to obtain therapy quick-- as soon as the initial symptoms occur.
Be aggressive with your health care while in Africa and the most awful thing you'll possibly fall victim to is a case of the tourist's runs (or possibly a mild instance of jungle fever-- it's not that bad, truly!).

Africa is bad as well as consequently unclean.

Tidy towns in Africa.Africa is surprisingly clean and also clutter free. The African continent is clutter free due to the fact that the people are so bad. Every little thing is recycled. Youngsters as well as also grownups will be asking you for your valuable plastic containers, empty jars as well as used tires. Heaps of roadside rubbish so usual in various other components of the establishing globe are unusual in Africa.

Africans as kept in mind by NaiCycle blog know nothing regarding personal health. Off the beaten path I'll never ever have the chance to bathe.

Nothing can be additionally from the truth. Africans are fastidious concerning personal sanitation.

Water for showering is a standard part of hospitality in Africa. In more than two years biking through Africa, there were just a handful of days when water for showering was unavailable.

Somebody may have to run off to the river a fill out a pail so you can have a shower, yet Africans comprehend the importance of keeping tidy.

The water in Africa is not safe to consume.

Just a joking! This is not my suggestion of secure alcohol consumption water.NGOs throughout African have actually made a substantial press to provide safe drinking water in backwoods. According to the WHO, 64% of Africans have actually access to boosted drinking water resources (i.e. piped water or boreholes).

If doubtful, you can constantly buy bottled water, which is widely readily available throughout Africa. A more cost-efficient as well as environmentally friendly option is to detoxify water using a tiny pump.

NAICYCLE is full of stories about Cycling in Nairobi, which will demystify many of these myths.