The Sub-Saharan Adventure: Exploring Limpopo

Hey there! I’ve been on quite the adventure lately. The latest stop on my journey was at the amazing Pride of Africa Reserve (POA). This reserve is part of the Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve, and let me tell you, it’s something special.

What makes POA stand out is that it’s the only reserve in Gauteng where elephants roam freely. Can you believe it? The last time elephants roamed freely in this region was over 100 years ago! When we reached out to Mr. Paul Hayward, one of the owners at POA, he generously agreed to let us camp on his land. But as much as we wanted to cycle alongside lions and elephants, they weren’t too keen on the idea. So Mrs. Haywood, being the kind soul she is, offered to pick us up at the gate.

Once Mrs. Haywood caught a glimpse of my buddy Alex, she decided it would be best to load him and our bikes onto the roof of her Land Rover. We then made our way to their lodge, where we had planned to set up our tent. But to our surprise, Mrs. Haywood invited us to stay in the lodge itself! Talk about a stroke of luck.

We had a wonderful evening at the cozy and beautiful Hunter’s Pride Lodge. The next morning, we got an early start and continued our adventure to Sondela, which was about 60 kilometers to the north.

Hey there! I’ve got a story to share with you about our epic adventure at the Pride of Africa!

So, last Friday, we hit the road bright and early, and right from the start, we could tell it was going to be a scorching day. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, our off-the-beaten-path route led us through some seriously treacherous sand just north of Mashobe. And believe me, it got even worse when our adventurous buddies, Amanzi Awethu!, decided to try out this wild new sport called trans-ploughed-field racing. Talk about pushing the limits!

With the blazing sun beating down on us and all our water supply depleted, we soldiered on, slowly making our way through the last two kilometers of bushes and fields. We were completely drained by the time we reached the Sondela campsite. You can imagine how relieved we were to finally collapse into those refreshing swimming pools!

Now, let me tell you about our journey to Nylsvlei Nature Reserve. We were lucky to have our university pals, Wiebke and Simon, join us for the weekend. And of course, we graciously unloaded some of our heavier gear into their car. It’s always nice to share the load, right?

So, the ride from Sondela to Nylsvlei was pretty awesome. We cruised along a wide gravel road with just a slight rolling incline. I think we spotted a total of two cars in the span of three hours. It felt like we had the whole road to ourselves! But you know how the universe works, right? Just when things were going so smoothly, the cycling gods decided to play a little trick on us.

Three kilometers away from our campsite and just as the once gentle cloud cover turned ominously dark, Murray had a tire blowout. Talk about terrible timing! We sprung into action, trying to fix it as fast as we could. But guess what? We ended up breaking not one, but two of our tire levers in the process. We didn’t give up, though. We persevered and managed to get a new tube in and started pumping away.

Now, here’s where the gods really tested our patience. Just as we thought we were in the clear, the tire gave us one final surprise – it went flat again! And to top it off, when we attempted to remove it, we broke our third and final tire lever. It was a tough blow, my friend. We had no choice but to walk the rest of the way to Nylsvlei, with the rain pouring down on us.

Heading towards Doorendraai

So, after some clever maneuvering with lifts, we managed to handle the tire problem on Sunday morning in the not-so-busy town of Nysltroom. Once back on the road, we took a leisurely journey up into the Waterberg Mountains, heading towards the Doorendraai Dam Nature Reserve. Now, I have to admit, we were a bit puzzled when we stumbled upon an old, rusty gate in front of what seemed to be an abandoned reception building. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years. With our bikes and bags in tow, we were just about to come up with a plan to get over the gate and set up camp in the bush, when a car drove up from the other side. The driver, just as confused as us, explained that the new entrance was on the far side of the reserve, about 20 kilometers further down the road we had originally taken. Thankfully, he kindly let us in and allowed us to cycle through the reserve to the other entrance.

It was around 5:30 in the evening, with the sun beginning to set and the sky sparsely covered with clouds, when we experienced the most breathtaking hour of riding along the glassy waters of the dam. As we rode, tsessebe, warthogs, and impalas scattered from the road ahead of us. It was an incredible sight. Normally a popular spot for fishing on the weekends, the reserve was empty on a Sunday, which meant we had the whole place to ourselves. After a refreshing dip in the crystal-clear dam and a cup of tea on the riverbank, we felt rejuvenated. As night fell, we gathered around a crackling fire, enjoying the peaceful silence that only the African bush can offer.

The sun was just beginning to set as I found myself back on the road, embarking on a new adventure. Today was unlike any other, as I received a message from an old acquaintance, Paul Shearer. He reached out to me and extended an invitation to stay at his family-run resort in beautiful Polokwane. Excitement washed over me as I realized our plans for the day had taken an unexpected but promising turn.

The morning air was crisp as I set off, eager to reach my destination. My anticipation grew as the kilometers passed by. A quick stop in the bustling town of Mokopane provided an opportunity to refuel, both literally and figuratively. With the midday sun beating down, I dialed Paul’s number, letting him know we were on our way.

“How far is it from here?” I inquired, feeling the excitement and curiosity bubbling within me.

“Only 30 kilometers,” Paul replied promptly. “You’ll be here in no time, my friend.”

Man, that hill between Mokopane and The Ranch Resort was a killer. I mean, it was steep and it really took a toll on us. But after two and a half hours of pushing through, we finally made it to the resort. And you know what? All that pain was instantly forgotten when we stumbled into the bar and ordered ourselves a well-deserved beer. Ah, the sweet taste of victory.

The Ranch Resort is absolutely gorgeous. It’s like a fancy place that feels out of our league, especially with our grumpy attitudes and clothes covered in salt from all the sweat. But you know what? They welcomed us with open arms and we couldn’t be more grateful. It was such a relief to get a good night’s sleep that wasn’t on the ground.

So, after our first week of cycling on the Great Road North, we’ve covered a total distance of 397 km. And let me tell you, we’ve learned a lot along the way. Like how it takes Murray Beaumont more than 300 km to finally fall off his bike. And trust me, nothing, absolutely nothing, can remove a tire like a teaspoon. Oh, and here’s a fun fact: it turns out that one man can devour a large bowl of oats, two servings of muesli with yogurt, two boiled eggs, a slice of carrot cake, and a juicy steak all in one day. Don’t ask me how we figured that out. Let’s just say we’ve got some seriously hungry cyclists in our group.

Hey there, buddy!

Guess what? No one can hold a talented rider back!

That’s right, no one can hold a talented rider back!