Botswana & Namibia

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Biking the Elephant Highway

An excerpt from Lonely Planet Botswana & Namibia. 

When I was contemplating the possibility of a bike ride across Botswana and Namibia, I turned to my trusty rusty Lonely Planet: `Unless you're an experienced cyclist and equipped for the extreme conditions, abandon any ideas you may have about a... bicycle adventure.' The guidebook went on to emphasise the scorching sun, the paucity of water and the vast distances. `If you try to ride your bike here,' I inferred, `you will die.' What had I gotten myself into?

I was reassured by the fact that I would be riding as a part of an organised tour. The Tour d'Afrique is an 11,800km expedition from Cairo to Cape Town that is divided into 8 legs. As a member of a Lonely Planet relay team, I would ride the penultimate leg - the Elephant Highway - from Victoria Falls to Windhoek. So, thankfully, I did not have to worry about pesky details like drinking water.

Namibia and especially Botswana are sparsely populated countries. Even on the country's major highways, we rode for hours at a time without passing any sign of civilisation. In fact, we spent every second night at a bush camp, sleeping in the wilderness with no facilities except those provided by the TDA truck. Remember that this is the desert. Without a support vehicle, cyclers should be prepared to carry or pull at least two days worth of food and water.

The other aspect of the climate - the heat - was also not a major concern, since my trip took place in April. As it turns out, autumn in Southern Africa offers conditions that are close to perfect for cycling. We would set out at sunrise to take advantage of the cool morning air. I always needed a jacket to start, but that never lasted long; by midday it would be hot. Of course, by midday the speedier riders had already reached our destination. As one of the slower riders, I endured some hot afternoons, but the temperature rarely went above 30 degrees Celsius. The sun is brutal, no doubt, and the application of sun screen was a ritual that took place every morning and every few hours on the road.  Some cyclists wore a long-sleeve, lightweight base layer under their jerseys to protect their arms from the sun. In any case, there was no escaping the `biker's tan' showing off the line from the chamois shorts.

So I could handle the heat and the limited water supply, but what about the distances? At 1576km, the Elephant Highway is one of the longest sections of the tour and it was certainly farther than I had ever ridden my bike. The good news is that the landscape is mostly flat and the roads are paved.  The bad news is that it can be monotonous when you are riding for 6 to 8 hours a day. So how to prepare?

  • Take care of your body: make sure you have trained properly by logging many many miles.
  • Take care of your mind: bring an iPod.

Desolate landscapes aside, there is plenty to see along the Elephant Highway. Yes, elephants. They are frequently sighted along the main road north and west of Nata. I was thrilled when I cycled past a group of ellies congregating around a watering hole, and later, when a big one created a roadblock ahead of me. I was not so thrilled when I saw - or rather smelled - a carcass at the side of the road.

In case you are wondering, an elephant's top speed is 40 kilometres per hour when he is alarmed or upset. Fortunately, he can't sustain this speed for more than a few seconds. So as long as you get a head start on your bike, you can probably outride him.

There is other wildlife in the vicinity, although it can be difficult to spot from the road: keep your eyes peeled for giraffes, warthogs, various antelopes, iguanas, and plenty of birds.That said, if wildlife watching is your game, you'll want to schedule some time out of the saddle. Park your bike in Maun and take an excursion into the Okavango Delta (p000). Spend a few nights at a lodge between Nata and Maun so you can explore the Makgadikgadi Pans (p000). Trade your bike for a boat in Kasane and cruise along the Zambezi River (p000). Cyclists are not permitted in the national parks for good reason. (Nobody wants to be meals on wheels.)   

Mara Vorhees is a writer and photographer who blogs about food and adventure around the world. She has written guidebooks about Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Morocco, New England, Poland and Russia for Lonely Planet. Click here to read more about Mara.