From Kilkenny to Cape Town - via Cairo!

Last January I set off with a friend, Andy Warwick from London, on a journey of a lifetime.
We flew to Cairo where we planned to cycle to Cape Town, over the next eight months. Having prepped for about ten months prior we had our vaccinations, malaria tablets, camping equipment and cycling kit ready to go but we were basically setting off otherwise into the unknown.
We planned to cycle through 12 countries across 12,000 km but we had no idea the route we would take, the places we would stay or the circumstances we would encounter.
Was I petrified? Yes. Was I excited? Hell yes!
I had wanted to properly travel through Africa for years. My Mam spent over two years teaching in Kitwe, Zambia when she was my age so the stories, photographs and artifices from her time were a constant fascination growing up. Her courage to move to Zambia from a not so global Ireland of the 1980s was something I always looked up to.
Also my work as curator for October Gallery, London made my grá for the continent even stronger. Working with some of the greatest living artists from Africa meant it was extremely important that I spent time and research there.
Believe it or not cycling seemed the best possible way to immerse myself in the continent. I did a couple of 100km day trips but nothing could have prepared me for the intensity of a heavy bike with 35km of weight, 40 degree heat and sandy roads.
Cycling Cairo to Cape Town is not for the faint-hearted; each country had its challenges but not what you might expect. The first thing most people ask me is ‘did you have any trouble?’ The countries I cycled through reminded me of the Ireland I knew as a kid - everyone had little yes, but everyone helped each other.
Kids in villages were seen as the responsibility of the village so looked after by everyone. Robberies didn’t happen and locks were non-existent. I brought a large sturdy lock for my bike and dumped it in Egypt as there was just no need.
Whenever we needed help, help was given be it food or water, mechanical help or a lift to the next stop to get assistance. People welcomed us into their homes and their lives. It was remarkable.
From Cairo we headed down the Red Sea and then back through the Eastern Desert of the Sahara towards Luxor, and then followed the Nile through some of Egypt’s beautiful countryside before heading down to Aswan.
After getting our visas we crossed the border to Wadi Halfa via a two-day ferry ride which, until a few years ago, was the only way to officially cross through the countries.
Intense Heat
Once in Sudan we were really in another land; the intense heat, vast desert land and food limitations were very apparent but we were excited to begin our 900km cycle through the desert to Khartoum.
Wild camping amongst the sand dunes was incredible, but we quickly realised our cycling day needed to change. Rising before sunrise at 5am and cycling our 100km before 11am was a must otherwise the heat was too unbearable.
In Sudan, an ingenious system of clay porous pots placed under thatched structures provided much needed water for us every 50km or so throughout the desert. Along with the locally known ‘Cafeterias’- a basic structure which offered shade, hot food of beans and bread, and robe beds for the night for passing truckers - we were well looked after and made plenty of friends along the way.
The border crossing from Sudan to Ethiopia was the starkest. The rolling green hills were a welcome sight after the desert but it was the only country where we experienced some hostility. It seemed bicycle tourists were becoming a bit of a target for local children to throw stones at and antagonise.
Crossing to Kenya was a real delight as we met another cycling duo and spent time cycling through Kenya together. In Northern Kenya we hit desert lands again but the rainy season was approaching so wild camping was becoming more difficult in the storms.
Taking longer back roads down to Nairobi we got to see all of the animals we could ever wish for, from our own saddle. Zebras darted across the road in front of us, giraffes ran beside us, elephants bathed in the streams, it was a surreal time.
Nairobi provided some much-needed repairs for the bike and us with care packages coming from home - Barry’s tea included of course! We were sad to leave Kenya, but little did we know the best was to come as Tanzania and Malawi were our highlight countries.
Cutting across Northern Tanzania we cycled by Kilimanjaro and the Ngorogoro crater as we moved towards the Indian Ocean.
The people of Northern Tanzania were remarkably kind and we cherished each village we stopped for ‘chicken and chips’ in. From a little seatown village called Panagani we took the only semi running motorboat across to Zanzibar and spent three weeks on the island exploring its sandy beaches and fruit-laden land.
Heading back across Southern Tanzania we cycled through valleys of the famous ancient Baobab trees and tea plantations.
The warm heart of Africa - Malawi - lived up to its title and we were looked after from the minute we entered. The flat roads by the lake are thronged with cyclists so we immediately felt at home.
Malawi has some of the most intelligent and educated people I have ever met and their laid-back lifestyle reminded me so much of home.
Lake Malawi is incredibly beautiful and we sailed for three days down it on the Illala ferry which brings much needed supplies to villages isolated by mountains and lakes. It was a mastery in loading; considering so much was brought on and off the 1950s Scottish vessel.

Cutting across the continent we proceeded to Zambia which felt a bit like coming home. Travelling to Kitwe, in the Northern Copperbelt region, I was warmly greeted by the Sisters of St John’s Convent where my Mam had lived, and worked in the adjoining school.
Special Time
It was a very special time of the trip to meet people who had known Mam when she was my age and see the cottage she stayed in and the classrooms where she taught - a surreal and moving experience.
Zambia brought the immense Victoria Falls which were a huge highlight, and the joining of four countries. We spent a brief two days in Zimbabwe to see the Falls from the other side and then proceeded to these elephant highway of Botswana where over 150,000 elephants called home.
Day one brought my most scariest moment of the trip when a spooked young male elephant charged across the road towards me.
I stopped cycling hearing shouts from Andy and faced it as running or cycling would have resulted in a severe stamping. This action stopped it in its tracks and after some stares, howling and ear flapping a car in the distance scared it back to the bush.
I was extremely lucky, but still consider the elephant to be one of the most beautiful animals left on this earth. We had longed for Botswana’s flat plains, but the endless kilometres made cycling mind numbingly tough. However we camped with locals who were trying to stop poachers and others who guarded cell towers so the experiences were varied and interesting.
We high-tailed it across the Windhoek, Namibia where we faced more desert lands.
Despite the lure of more western foods being more available we quickly learned Namiba was extremely barren and desolate.
Breathtaking
Its landscapes however were breathtaking; deep red sand dune valleys, massive canyons - the fish river canyon is the second largest to the Grand Canyon - so the long days on bumpy sand landed roads had their highlights.
Namibia did bring some of our toughest days cycling as the sand sometimes became too heavy to even push and carrying all our food and water quickly became impossible. Passing vehicles became a lifeline; we could never begin to express our gratitude to the people who stopped and gave us everything we needed on those tougher days. Winter had also hit, which meant freezing temperatures at night camping but this did however lead to some stunning night skies with a mass of shooting stars visible every night.
Heading south towards the Orange River we crossed to South Africa and were back to green landscapes again. Flower season was still in bloom so we were greeted by rolling hills with flowers of every variety.
The Western coast of South Africa is mainly large farm lands of vineyards and crops. Pushing towards our August deadline and flight home we quickly made it through to Cape Town, where an audience quickly gathered around to congratulate. I think our tears, weathered faces and scruffy bikes gave away something of our journey and achievement. It was an overwhelming feeling to have made it.
Charity
While being a self-motivated journey we wanted to make it worthwhile and nominated Save the Children as our charity to sponsor after undertaking the massive task of cycling thousands of kilometres. We were also extremely lucky to be sponsored by the Kilkenny-based carpentry company McDermott and George and transport company Tuplin, London who bought sponsored kit to make our journey and campaign for a Save the Children possible.
I also need to thank my family, friends and neighbours from home who gave me so much support and love to get me through tough days and believed in me from the start.
There are a number of things I have learnt from this trip. One is personal: that our bodies are capable of much more than we think. The other is general: that the over-riding majority of people in this world are good and generous. We really are all the same all over the world.
For more information on Deirdre’s journey see www.cairo2capetown.com