Taking a pause after The Met: Cycle-touring in Africa.

Among the best advice I received when I left The Met was to not say yes to the first work opportunity that might present itself, and instead, to take some time for myself and my family. After 5.5 busy years, this advice resonates and I heed to it. In so doing and with the encouragement of my incredible wife, I decided to fulfill my dream of cycling in Africa.

GoogleMap screenshot of Zambia and surrounding countries: marked in blue is the route we followed.

I love cycle-touring as a means of learning about a geography and culture. There is an all-encompassing self-reliance and adventure I feel when traveling independently by bicycle: loading everything I need on two wheels, setting off on an unknown route spanning hundreds of miles, talking to locals for guidance about directions, road quality, and stores, managing my energy-levels, food and water supplies, and finding a safe place to camp each night.

My cycling partner, Bruno, and I picked Zambia as our destination for a three week tour covering 1,500km. We were drawn to the idea of following the Zambezi River and seeing Victoria Falls — the largest waterfall in the world. We also heard numerous accounts about the friendliness of the Zambian people and peacefulness of the country.

Some of the straight roads of Zambia. Left: The M10 between Kazungula to Simonga. || Center: The 45km dirt road — the “back-way” — from Chisamba to Lusaka. || Right: The newly-built M10 between Senanga and Ngonye National Park: it is not yet on GoogleMaps.

Our first days of cycling were humbling. The vastness of the landscape, the straightness of the roads, and the distance between each human footprint was different to anything I had experienced. We cycled 100km without encountering a recognizable store, and the 40F / 104F midday heat meant we consumed five liters of water each day. It was physically and mentally exhausting, yet intensely fulfilling.

Views of the Zambezi River. Top left: The sand beaches at Ngonye River Camp. Sioma, Zambia. || Top right: The new bridge being constructed over the Zambezi river, linking Botswana and Zambia; currently it is a ferry-crossing. Kasane, Botswana. || Bottom left: The view from Zambia into Zimbabwe from Camp Nkwazi. Simonga, Zambia. || Bottom right: Appreciating the river’s tranquility 20 meters upstream of the Victoria Falls. Livingston, Zambia.

The scale, diversity, and energy of the Zambezi River was breathtaking. On many occasions we found campsites on the river bank and soaked-in beautiful sunsets and sunrises over the river.

Riding south along the T2 at sunrise after departing Fringilla Farm for the 100km cycle ride back to Lusaka, Zambia, our final day of cycling.

We were off the beaten track, but we were not alone. We found a community of hospitality and camaraderie in all the campsites — hosts and fellow travelers shared information about the road ahead. It was this community, at the remote Ngonye River Camp, that advised us to re-route through Chobe National Park in Botswana. We also adjusted our total cycling distance, opting to hitch a ride down a particularly expansive section of remote road. We would end up cycling 750km over the three-weeks.

Encountering local wildlife is what made this cycle tour most unworldly. It is difficult to describe the deep awe I felt when three zebras popped out of the bush onto the road in front of us. Or when I woke at 2am by the grunts of hippos eating the grass around our tent. Or when we saw that the road ahead of us was “occupied” by baboons.

Top left and top right: Elephants and crocodiles from our river safari in the Chobe National Park, Botswana. || Bottom left: Two of three zebra we passed on our morning cycle ride to the Victoria Falls, Zambia. || Bottom right: Cycling past a pair of giraffe near the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site, Zambia.

Both from our river-side Namwi Island Campsite in Katima Mulilo, Namibia. Left: Health and safety signage. || Right: An unwelcome guest discovered on Bruno’s handlebars.

Less awe-inspiring perhaps were the uninvited animal guests: the ants that invaded my half-open pack of biscuits in my cycle-pannier or the spider that crawled up to Bruno’s handlebars. We quickly agreed we would keep our shoes inside the tent at night.

Left: Screenshot of the iOverlander iOS app., a community platform for sharing tips with other self-guided overland travelers. This became an indispensable tool throughout the trip. || Center left: Screenshots of the discussion in the “Cairo to Cape Cycle Club” WhatsApp group of 205 cycle-tourers currently crossing Africa. || Center right: Writing down directions from a local in Chisamba, Zambia, about the dirt-track “back-way” to Lusaka. || Right: Cycle-tourers, Magda and Manu, @piggybackriders on Instagram

Lusaka and Victoria Falls are popular transition points for cycle-tourers on the Cairo to Cape Town route. These cyclists made our three-week ride seem pedestrian by comparison: hearing their stories of life on the road was inspiring.

• Magda and Manu are a German couple we met in Livingston whose cycle-tour started in Munster, Germany, and had so far led them across Europe, through Iran and Oman before crossing into Africa (@piggybackriders on Instagram).
• Gilles Pillonel from Switzerland, whom we met in Lusaka. He set off 14 months ago from Shanghai, China, and had so far cycled 17,000km. He was also the first cycle-tourer to be granted permission to cycle across Saudi Arabia. (@8gillo8 on YouTube).

Left: Our tent and home for 21 days — the MSR Carbon Reflex 3 — here pitched at the Greenview Lodge in Mongu, Zambia. || Center left: Our incredible stove, the Firebox Nano: we were given rosewood(!) to burn as fuel. || Center right: A typical breakfast: baked beans and coffee were our morning staples. || Right: A fancier dinner: coconut milk “curry” with zucchini and broccoli, served with brown rice.

Cycle-touring in Africa was exhausting, raw and exhilarating. It reset my energy levels and I returned to Amsterdam with greater perspective on my time at The Met and my personal and professional priorities as I determine my next career steps.

Thank you to my friends and colleagues who advised me to take some time out when I left The Met. I do not know whether this trip is what you had in mind for me, but I will be passing-forward your advice in the future.

Left: View on the Victoria Falls from the Victoria Falls Bridge spanning between Zambia and Zimbabwe. || Center: Experiencing Victoria Falls up-close inside the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site, Zambia. We were in Zambia at the end of their wet season, so the Falls were at their most plentiful and were producing large quantities of spray. This provided us with the first (and only) opportunity to use our rain gear. || Right: View of the Victoria Falls from their eastern edge.

Thank you to my long-standing cycle-touring partner, Bruno Zuzze — @bozze_ on Instagram — for being a far better photographer than me. All the good photos in this article were taken by him.