We titled this bicycle journey of discovery “Nomads by Nomads”, the nomads being us (veteran vagabonds) actively seeking out traditional nomadic peoples. A thematic forces an itinerary because the focus is clear, the only question is where is the next target and what is the best route to it. Since Dar es Salaam we’ve been on a nomads “holiday” and it’s been anything but a vacation. With just a vague sense of being en route to Cape Agulhas, and nothing more as parameters than our desires, the possibilities are endless and the choices tortuous. A lot of time is spent scrutinizing maps, reading other travelers’ blogs and interviewing locals about the best road options.
Ruan, the young owner of Calabash Safari Lodge planted the seed of us heading for the Indian Ocean again, this time in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. Not an option we had explored but we put it in our back pocket. First we had plans to climb up to the cool and mountainous highveld, in the small kingdom of Eswatini.
Leaving Calabash Safari Lodge in Marloth Park with less luggage (see post #46), new friends and heads full of memories ! Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
Marloth Park, gated community à la South Africa! Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
Exiting the dimension of safari lodges, game-drives and wild animals we finaly enter “regular” South Africa. The country is an economical and cultural powerhouse with its influence felt from faraway on the continent. Bigger, stronger, faster on National Road #4. Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
Happily leaving N4 behind and turning onto road #38. Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
Two jacaranda trees were first imported into South Africa from Brazil in 1888 and planted in Pretoria. Since then, the strikingly beautiful tree has been declared invasive and posing a potential threat to the indigenous forest. Interestingly, in the 1920s and 1930s the trees only started to bloom in mid-November. Gradually over the decades, the date of bloom has advanced through October to the early weeks of September. This is referred to as a phenological shift, and is observed across a range of species globally as a result of climate change. Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
Square one of a 38-km ascension to the Josefsdal border post with Eswatini, through the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site. Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
The site became UNESCO protected in 2018 because “The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains contain an outstanding record of some of the oldest, most diverse, and best-preserved volcanic and sedimentary rocks on the early Earth. These outcrops have been intensively studied for more than a century, and provide key insights into early Earth processes including the formation of continents, surface conditions 3.5 to 3.2 billion years ago, and the environment in which life first appeared on our planet.” Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
The first 10 kilometres hoist us quickly above 1,400 metres of altitude, where the air is cooler and the views are uplifting. Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
“These highly accessible ancient exposures present a continuous 340-million-year sequence of rocks, starting 3 600 million years ago. Their physical, chemical and biological characteristics provide an unparalleled source of scientific information about the early Earth.” Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
Where is the pass, dude? Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
Sleeping a stone’s throw from the border with Eswatini at 1,500 metres of altitude. Mpumalanga Province, Republic of South Africa.
eSwatini
eSwatini used to be called Swaziland until its current king, Mswati III, changed its name in 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence from Britain—on his own 50th birthday! The king of the last absolute monarchy in Africa is known for his traditionaly polygamous household—15 wives at the moment, recently engaged to a potential 16th wife—and lavish lifestyle. Playing the part of opulent autocrat to a T, the monarch collects expensive cars, watches and planes, while most of the 1.2 million Swazis live of subsistence farming.
Soon after crossing the desolate Josefsdal border post, we ride through Bulembu. Founded to exploit white asbestos from 1939 to 2001, the small town is now privately owned by Bulembu Ministries, a non-profit Christian organisation. eSwatini has a nationwide orphan crisis, the result of an out-of-control HIV/AIDS epidemic and Bulembu provides care for orphans with housing, education and medical services. The town is self-sustaining with enterprises in timber, saw mill, honey, bottled water, dairy and tourism. Hhohho Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
Rolling over the creases of Archean-aged deposits on the Swazi side of the Barberton greenstone belt. Highveld at its best! Hhohho Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
The town of Piggs Peak coming into view! Hhohho Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
Sunday in a Christian country contrasts with other days. Shops are closed, the road is quieter and people are dressed to impress! Hhohho Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
Beneath a cruel sun, climbing steeply out from the bowl where Maguga dam lies. The dam is on the Komati River and its main purpose is irrigation (sugar cane). Hhohho Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
African Zionism is the predominant religion of eSwatini. Hhohho Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
In coastal Mozambique we were witnesses to wide temperature differences between northern and southern winds, but we still doubted the weather forecast when it announced a 20 degree drop! Under a cloudy sky, with a breeze coming straight from Antarctica, we don pants, wool socks and jackets to ride the smooth dirt to the Pine Valley. School children enquire politely, in English, about our origins and destination, and wish us a good trip. Cool, calm and collected! Hhohho Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
Roadside fire roasted corn! After 4 months of incessant heat, riding in 14 degree weather is a trip. We have so much energy and humour; no deep sighs, no sweat wiping. Hhohho Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
Eswatini is very proud of Sibebe Rock. The 1,488 metres high plutonic slab is marketed as the world’s largest granite dome, and second only to Australia’s Uluru as the world’s largest rock. With no way to verify this, let’s just say that hiking to the top, with Lucky our local guide from Sibebe Trails community project, amongst sculpted boulders, grasslands and wild flowers is a worthy way to spend a morning. Hhohho Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
After lunch, Sibebe Rock from the Pine Valley floor. Within 13 kilometres we’ll have climbed steeply—again—to Mbabane, the kingdom’s capital, crossed it and entered the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in the eZulwini Valley. You got to love a pint-size country! Hhohho Region, Kingdom of eSwatini
After setting our tent up under a tree, amongst the warthogs and vervet monkeys, at Sondzela Backpackers, we meet Charlene, a german woman volunteering for a month inside Milwane Wildlife Sanctuary. Charlene is helping to tame horses and preparing them to carry visitors safely on a territory teeming with wildlife. One afternoon we follow her to the Mantenga Reserve and its replica of a mid-19th Century Swazi village with its traditional beehive huts. Manzini Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
The sprawl of townships along Highway MR3, forming the cities of Matsapha and Manzini, is a necessary bridge from Eswatini’s middleveld to its eastern lowveld. Manzini Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
Slowly descending on MR8 we bump into Meryem Belkihel (@meghyem0ut). The young Moroccan woman has been riding her bike solo for over 18 months, starting in her home town of Casablanca. The social media maven shares her love for the continent, in Arabic and English, and aims to highlight the strength, resilience, and achievements of women across Africa. Her destination is ultimately the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, but for now she is doing laps around Eswatini, waiting for the post-election fury in Mozambique to cool. Lubombo Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
Between Big Bend and the Lavumisa border post camping options are sparse and we stop at KaMsholo Bushveld Safaris, a private highway service stop, to check our options. The campground is expensive and the surrounding thorny acacia savannah garanties us four flat tires in the morning. For a few Swazi emalangeni more—actualy, we pay with South African rands, which are accepted and at par value—we can sleep in a cute beehive. Another incentive to stay is that Charlene, our new German friend, is at KaMsholo for 3 nights to train horses not to react to giraffes. The tall blond delights us with her rebelious nature—not a fan of the king—and her subversive effect on colleagues. In the shower block she warns, « Check your body for ticks, there are quite a few here ». Lubombo Region, Kingdom of eSwatini.
South Africa
Entering South Africa at Golela the road dissapears into the Pongola Game Reserve, the wild frontier might be here really! With the majestic Lebombo Mountains as a backdrop, giraffes munch on acacia needles by the road and warthogs flee, tails up. Looking for a safe place to sleep, we arrive at Nkonkoni Fishing Camp as daylight starts to fade. The gate is opened by a stern security agent and we are instructed to ride down towards the Pongolapoort reservoir, where the campground is located. KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
A couple kilometres down the path two white pick-up trucks are stopped. and an arm, sticking out from one of the cabin’s window, is vigorously warning us to stop. « Elephant », the driver whispers. When the mastodon starts hastily coming towards us we drop our bikes and decamp. Then he stops to chew on some leaves. « Do you think we could put our bikes in the back of your truck? », we ask one driver nervously. While Pierre stays in the cargo bed with our mounts, I leap into the illusory safety of the cabin. KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
Thus started a long duel between the pachyderm and our metal caravan. For almost an hour the one-side turf war raged on. « So, you South Africans are used to this? », I ask the two men sitting in the front seat, obviously fishing for some reassuring words. « Actually, we are technical engineers from JoBurg. As for me I have never seen an elephant! », answered the passenger! KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
As the sun is setting, the Good Samaritans drop us off at the fishing camp’s campground, by Craig’s overlander vehicle. The man from Cape Town has been camped here for a few days and, upon hearing of our adventure with the beast, climbs inside his house-on-wheels then pops out with a mug filled with ice and whisky! Thanks brother! Craig understands our difficulty navigating in a country where large roads are filled with terrible drivers—not an unkind judgment, the statistics speak for themselves—and smaller paths come with a warning regarding wildlife, the four-legged and two-legged kinds. He offers some insight and gifts us a precious road atlas. Again, thanks! The next day, we try a small dirt track to reach Mkuze, along sugar cane plantations, with relative success. KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
Refueling at Mkuze’s SuperSpar! KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
Confined to Highway #2 and its heavy truckage of sugar cane and coal for too long, we attempt to reach St. Lucia off-pavement. The small town lies in a coastal estuary and is a gateway to iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Another obstacle to free roaming in South Africa is fenced-in private land. KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
After following a fence for most of the afternoon, not finding a passage east, we come out on the main road, still 30 kms from St. Lucia. A huge road sign advertising a cheese farm in the neighborhood convinces us to give up on the coast and continue south. Sometimes this is how an itinerary choice is made! KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
Hiding behind the gate at the St. Lucia Cheese Farm & Forest Lodge is a super welcoming family and their big dog. Chantell and Kyle have left their urban life in Johannesburg 8 months ago and have reinvented themselves as cheese makers and inn keepers in the forest. They invite us to sleep in a bungalow undergoing renovation—hot shower, tent in the dining room, the best. Sharing our state of defeatism with Chantell, regarding a potential visit of St. Lucia, the woman is having none of it. « But you’ve come so close! Not going would be a pity! », she roars. So the next morning, after what is called a Bull Breakfast at the cheese farm (eggs, bacon, tomato, mushroom, beef patty, fries and toast), we return to the main road and turn east towards St. Lucia with renewed inspiration. And this is how an itinerary choice is revisited! KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
To visit the provincial park we book a full day safari with a St. Lucia agency. iSimangaliso is home to the clear waters of the Indian Ocean, wide undeveloped sandy beaches, a forested dune cordon and a mosaic of wetlands, grasslands, forests, lakes and savannah. KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
Tony drives us, in an open game vehicle, to buffalos, hippos, rhinos, crocodiles, zebras, kudus and duikers, but stops to point at smaller Jesus birds, ibis, white storks, and even ants nests and dung beetles. Our guide serves breakfast on the coastal rocks and, at Cape Vidal, whips up a bush braii with wine for lunch. My my, are we getting addicted to these game drives? KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
Visite parc provincial iSimangaliso
During our excursion in iSimangaliso our bikes are safe in St.Lucia, at African Dreamz Guesthouse. Because of a rain-carrying southern wind, the motherly owners invite us to camp inside the boat shelter. KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
Looking for a route through Zululand to Lesotho. I hardly stir when Pierre tells me his right foot is swollen. KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
With precise instruction from Sean at African Dreamz, we rejoin Highway #2 on byways through sugar cane fields. The highway still feels dangerous—flash news : anywhere in the world, the shoulder is an emergency or stopping lane, a breakdown lane, but in South Africa it’s just a lane!—but Pierre is especially sensitive and irritated by the noise and lack of road courtesy. The next morning he rises with an angry insect bite on his right quads and sore lymph nodes. KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
« I told my girls, when you see people with loaded bikes like this, they come from far, they are on a long journey, right? », this father ask after approaching us at a gaz station. The answers we give qualify us for a family portrait! « Canada? », the girls squeal . « Is there snow there? », they ask eagerly. On my phone they watch a short video of Pierre snowblowing the walkway to our house in Petite-Rivière-St-François, in waist-deep fluffy powder, and giggle some more. Once the joyous encounter is over, Pierre confides that he feels very poorly. With gray clouds forming in the sky we race to a generic hotel from a bargain chain. We roll the bikes inside a large room as the first rain drops hit the ground. Empageni, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
With the help of Google, Pierre makes a self-diagnosis : African tick bite fever! Making a quick mental inventory of where a tick could have gotten to him within the past two weeks the possibilites are few. The night spent inside the beehive, maybe? I write to Ruan at Calabash Lodge, who becomes our South African life buoy, and ask advice. « O no! Try stay cool with some ice and some pain killers…ride it out and keep hydrated. The evening sweats will get bad but it’s good. I’ve had it quite a few times », answers quickly our younger friend. Empageni, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
So far, we’ve been stranded for 10 days. Pierre is doing better 🙂
