Bike Touring in Africa

By David Mozer

Bicycle touring in Africa is for the good-natured realist who can appreciate the rewards of not being confined by barriers of glass, steel, and speed. You don’t even have to like dirt roads and rustic accommodations.

Benin helps you understand its people with three worthwhile museums: Ouidah, Abomey, and Porto Novo. Enroute from Ouidah you can relax in Grand Popo and take the low traffic road through Lakoso. The road from Savalou to Djougou and Natitingou has now been paved, opening up the Tatasamba area to bicycle tourism. This is one of the most scenic (and hilly) sections of the country.

Burkina Faso. Most places that attract tourists are clustered around Bobo-Dioulasso: the hippopotamus pond, crystal clear springs, hills, waterfalls. But villages throughout the country have weekly markets that are a cacophony of color, noise, and goods; the people are so pleasant it is satisfying to ride almost every place.

Cameroon, with 220 ethnic groups, is "Africa in microcosm." In the north you will find Waza National Park, with markets and opportunities for hiking and village stays. In the west there is the ocean, Mt. Cameroon, spa towns, the "ring road," and the cultural town of Foumban. The southeast has more beaches and virgin forests that are home to the lowland gorillas and the pygmy ethnic group.

Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The road system provides good access to all regions of the country. A particularly beautiful ride is from Man to Biankouma, Sipipou, and Danane. From Abidjan to Grand Bassam and Ghana is a pretty ride but somewhat spoiled by the heavy traffic.

Ethiopia and Eritrea. Visitors are exhilarated by the rich cultural, geographical, and environmental diversity of the country--some of Africa's most rugged and spectacular countryside,

Ghana is well set-up for people-to-people tourism: the people are extroverted; several old forts have been renovated into hostels; the area's culture and history are very accessible in museums, monuments, music, theater, and arts; travel is easy.

DAVID MOZER is director of the International Bicycle Fund, www.ibike.org, a nonprofit organization promoting sustainable transport and international understanding. Adapted with permission from IBF Newsletter 1997, No. 1.