Bicycle Africa / Ibike
Pre-departure Information
|
|
Bicycle Africa / IbikePre-departure Information |
|
MEMO
To: Bicycle Africa Program Participants
From: David Mozer
Re: Program Preparation - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY
Thank you for your registration materials and welcome to the program.
I hope that you find this program to be a truly unique experience that will enrich your life well beyond your dreams.
We have prepared this packet to help you make the most of the trip and avoid problems.
Because you will be in a country, with a non-western culture, on a route that at times shows no evidence that the Western culture, some preparation is advised.
We have prepared several pre-departure documents to help you make the most of your trip and avoid problems. Please study these carefully. We have tried to organize them so the most important information is easy to find, but if you are not finding information on a topic you need try Ibike A to Z
Please don't overlook the importance of exercising on your bike between now and your trip. For your safety and enjoyment, and the enjoyment others in the group, being in reasonably good physical condition is important. The program is not an iron person competition, but it does involve physical activity.
Pre-departure materials:
The Pre-departure Checklist For Travelers is design to help you organize, manage and pace your preparations.
Each program has it own page of special note, including the itinerary, maps, travel information, health issues, special equipment, insurance and visas requirements. (If the link to your program is not hooked up let us know and we will connect it)
| Botswana / Namibia | Burkina Faso | Cameroon | Eritrea | Ethiopia |
| Ghana | Guinea | Kenya | Liberia | Malawi |
| Mali | Morocco | Senegal | Sierra Leone | South Africa |
| Tanzania | Togo / Benin | Tunisia | Uganda | Zimbabwe |
In the notes for your program is a link to a custom packing checklist. For more information on the items listed refer to the Annotated Packing List (PDF) online. The later is a generic packing list for world bike travel. The notes and annotations should help you decides what best meets your needs and what you can leave home. If you have any questions please let us know. For programs to less developed areas, if you bring things that you are willing to part with at the end of the trip (from bikes to tennis shoes) they often make good gifts and trade-items. If you have questions about anything let us know and we will do our best to find answers.
As the airline reduce their baggage allowance and increase their excess baggage surcharges you have at least three options: 1) Use an airline that still carries bicycles for free. 2) Invest in a folding bike, like a Bike Friday, if you expect to fly at least several times with your bike. Or 3) Procure a free or cheep bike for the tour and plan to donate it at the end so that you only have to pay the baggage fee one-way.
Folding, "suitcase" bikes have become a serious consideration for many. There are pros and cons: The program director has ridden a Bike Friday “World Tourist” on all of the programs; through the sands of Mali, rutted roads of Ethiopia and mud of Cameroon without failure. The small wheel can drop further into holes and alter the inertia of the bike, and the shorter wheel base changes the center of gravity to be much more over the front wheel, so they handle a little differently than a full-size bike. This is likely to catch up with you most going downhill on a rutted gravel road. If there is much of this on your tour, unless you are skilled at it, you will be better off with a full size bike. If you are considering taking a folding bike and have questions, please contact us.
Two special features of our program is the opportunities for people-to-people exchanges and the serendipitous learning opportunities they generate. To make the most of these, we encourage you to do as much "homework" as you can manage. You can find a bibliography is online at www.ibike.org/bibliography/africa to get you started. The titles foretell of the diversity you will find. Specific titles on Africa are sometimes hard to find. Even if your local bookstore or library don't have the specific titles listed, pickup what is available.
So to recap, the core of the pre-departure information is:
Notes for your tour, with links to the itinerary, maps and other tour specific information
Annotated Packing List (PDF)
Other strongly recommended pre-departure readings are:
Bicycle Tour Hazards Evaluation and Control (PDF format)
Female Anatomy and Saddle Discomfort A discussion of very women specific issues.
Moving Beyond "Ecotourism" and "Responsible Tourism" to E3 Travel Programs
If you have prepared your mind, have your documents in order, have checked your equipment and have been exercising, you will soon be well on your way to the experience of a lifetime.
I hope that you find your Bicycle Africa program to be a truly unique experience that will enrich your life well beyond your dreams. I hope that you too experience the same excitement and awe that I have enjoyed during my years in Africa. If I can do anything to better insure this or be of any assistance please don't hesitate to ask. On to Africa!
Unique Programs To Special Places For Memories Of A Lifetime!
Please
write if you have questions, suggestions and comments about our program or want to be
added to Bicycle Africa's mailing list. (Also let us know how you found this site.)
Bicycle
Africa Homepage
Ibike Programs
IBF Homepage
To
Search