Home » Malawi Tanzania » Cycle to the Summit Part 17 - Dar es Salaam to Lilongwe

Highlights of the Dar to Lilongwe stretch of Cycle to the Summit have included some super cycling and World Cup football action. We cycled through Mikumi National Park where we saw elephant, giraffe, zebra and buffalo, before crossing into Malawi to see first hand the famine situation that is featuring in the UK press. We also learned about the increasing problems associated with the AIDS epidemic. We are currently enjoying the hospitality and company of our friend Sutapa in Lilongwe. Over the next few days we will visit WaterAid and plan for the final stages of our journey to the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.

Cycle to the Summit Part 17 - Dar es Salaam to Lilongwe

Toby Hammond
2006-06-25 20:12:13

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in the 18-35 age group in Malawi is infected with HIV/AIDS and life expectancy has decreased to 39 years of age. These are staggering statistics, but not untypical of figures in other Sub Saharan African countries. In the afternoon we watched England qualify for the quarter finals, beating Denmark 3-0. We spent a very enjoyable evening chatting to Sutapa, Hannah, Annetta and Jenny and we hoped we would be able to meet up with them again in Lilongwe.

16th June 2002 - Nkhata Bay to Khande Beach - 63km

We cycled the marathon course in reverse as we made our way south along the shore of Lake Malawi. The road was very quiet as this route was closed to traffic because a major bridge had been washed away several months earlier. At Khande Beach, our camp for the evening, were startled to find three overland trucks, full of people in fancy dress. Although we felt rather underdressed, we joined them for a few drinks and many laughs.
17th June 2002 - Khande Beach to Ngala Beach - 66km
As we cycled south, we encountered the 'gap' where the section of road had been washed away by the rains. We watched as a digger manoeuvred across the river and clawed its way up the bank - a sight rather like a scene from Jurassic Park as the machine crashed through the vegetation that lined the river. We loaded our bikes onto a little tin boat -donated by the government of Botswana- and crossed to the other side where we had to bargain hard for a fair price for the short journey.

18th June 2002 - Ngala Beach to Nkhotakota - 79km

We cycled all morning through flat terrain and spent the afternoon relaxing in Nkhotakota, near to where Dr Livingstone had camped on one of his visits to Malawi.

19th June 2002 - Nkhotakota to near Salima - 109km

I chatted to Herbert, a 23 year old Malawian craftsman who was selling wooden artefacts to help pay his way through school. After Toby and Owy had overcome the bureacracy at the bank we pedalled to Salima and spent the night on the floor of a guesthouse since the beds were infested with all manner of crawling insects.

20th June 2002 - Near Salima to Lilongwe - 107km
The three hour uphill cycle was rewarded with a three hour freewheel into Lilongwe. At the top of the hill we met Paulo, an Argentinian cyclist who is cycling around the world. Once again, as we do with all cyclists we meet, we exchanged stories, inspected each others bikes and set off feeling reassured that there are other equally mad and crazy people in the world. We got lost in the 'Milton Keynes like' road layout of Lilongwe but eventually met up with Sutapa. We had met her in Nkhata Bay and she had very kindly offered us a place to stay while in Lilongwe.