Image: Rene Cormier
Africa is a top pick for motorcycle riders seeking adventure, but many see it as a tough destination for only experienced travelers. Is it too risky for beginners? Do you need special skills? What's there to see? In this episode, we'll explore these questions with an expert in Southern African motorcycle travel.
About Rene Cormier: Rene spent almost five years traveling around the world on a motorcycle and shared his experiences in his book "The University of Gravel Roads." He launched Renedian Adventures in 2009 and has been guiding tours for the past 14 years in Africa, Mongolia, South America, Scotland, New Zealand and Canada.
Motorcycle Tours: Renedian Adventures
Images: Rene Cormier
Links:
The University of Gravel Roads - Now available on Audible, and read by the author!
Renedian Adventures Ltd: Africa Pre-Trip Suggested Reading List
One of our favourite books to suggest is called "The Sheltering Desert", by Henno Martin. It is a non-fiction account of a couple of German geologists who go to live in the canyons of Namibia to avoid WW2. It may be hard to find over here, but every bookstore in Namibia should have it. There is a movie about this, but it is not very good.
Specific to Botswana the fiction favourite would be anything from Alexander McCall Smith, whose series “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” is based in the Botswana capital of Gaborone. Easy, fun, reading.
The biggest book on this list is “The Covenant” by James A. Michener. If you can make it through all 1235 pages, you will be treated to a fictional account (set in historically accurate situations) of the complete history of South Africa. It helps to enjoy reading and history for this one.
Wilbur Smith is a South Africa author who has written many, many historical fiction titles with an African theme.
“The Scramble for Africa” by Thomas Pakenham is a historical book that sheds light on the politics and egos of those grabbing for African land in the Victorian era.
“The Long Walk to Freedom” is the autobiography of Nelson Mandela. If your tour includes a visit to Cape Town, you can arrange a half day tour to Robbin Island and see the cell where he was incarcerated for 26 years. If you see the movie version of this book, you will see two quick scenes that were filmed in Colette’s house that she grew up in.
And it should be added that most country guidebooks do a great job of bringing travellers up to speed with the need-to-know background. Public libraries have a good selection of guidebooks to browse through.
For those who prefer to watch than read, any BBC documentary on the Okavango Delta is worth watching, among many others.