On the 7th of July, one year and a half after starting our journey, we landed in Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport, near to Paris. Our parents were there to welcome us. Such a wonderful surprise ! We were supposed to meet them two days later in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, our village and final destination.
The bike which traveled into a carton box was fine. We took it and went to Paris where we stayed two days at friend’s. It was a bit strange to ride in the capital city in the middle of the traffic.

After more than 17 months travelling and about 20 000 km, we reached our final destination, Cape Town, in South Africa. During this journey, we crossed 18 countries and met hundreds of people. We come back home on the 6th of July, by plane. But before going to Paris, we enjoy Cape Town. Thanks to our friends Joanne and Joris, we discovered many interesting places in the area. We climbed the famous Table Mountain, went for shopping in the Waterfront, took a ship to Robben Island where Nelson’s Mandela was jailed during 18 years, visited Simon’s town and the Boulder’s beach famous for its African penguins colony. We also saw the whales in Hermanus and went for a last ride to Cape Point the most southern point of the Cape peninsula.

Let’s have a break ! We met Pierre and Günther in Windhoek. They were looking for others travellers to rent a car. Here we are. Let’s go to central and southern Namibia by Toyota Corolla. We first stopped in Spitzkoppe, an amazing orange granite mountain stand in the middle of flat desert area.

The 16th of April.
We’ve a little bit changed our plans. After visiting the Chobe national park, in Botswana, we proceeded to Namibia, through the Caprivi Strip. We crossed the West Caprivi Game Reserve by riding and met two elephants, a kudu and a jackal. The landscapes are really beautiful and we don’t regret our decision. At night, we camp near a house in the bush. The area is almost desert and it’s sometime difficult to find a place. We did 550 km the last four days and are really exhausted. It’s really hot in the early afternoon and we need to drink a lot. We have a day off in Rundu. Next step Grootfontein. We have travelled 17307 km so far

Our photos about Botswana

The 7th of April, Vic Falls, Zimbabwe
We are back in Vic Falls after 10 days in Dete, close to Hwange National Park. Thanks to Wendy a very nice and interesting American woman, we discovered the natural wonders and met the very fascinating painted dog. Wendy is involved in an organisation called PDC which try to protect this threatened animal. Less than 800 painted dogs still remained in Zimbabwe and probably less than 5000 in all Africa. The reasons are clearly identified: habitat loss as bush is converted to cities and farmland, poaching and snares, road accidents.
PDC has created the world’s only painted dog hospital. Any time a sick or injured painted dog’s condition is too deteriorated for a field treatment he is brought to the rehabilitation facility until is its condition is stable enough to be release in the wild. PDC plays also a role in children’s education. Every year a thousand pupils of the area attend a special bush camp program. The objective is to teach them conservation concepts, the value of biodiversity, an appreciation of painted dogs and the role they play in ecosystems, and to inspire an emotional attachment to the beauty and complexity of nature.
PDC helps also the local communities through the Inganyana arts centre. Managed by Wendy, this program encourages and trained local artists to create art and crafts for national and international market.
In a couple of days, we’ll proceed to Botswana and maybe Chobe National Park and Okavango delta. We have travelled 16573 km so far.

Further information about painted dogs www.painteddogs.org and www.ecosysaction.org
Wendy’s organisation www.africamatters.org


Our photos about Zimbabwe

The 19th of March, Livingstone, Zambia
After riding more than 500 km from Lusaka, capital city of Zambia, we reached Livingstone and the famous Victoria Falls. At 108 meters high, they are twice as elevated as Niagara Falls.
Despite the rain, the road from Lusaka was OK. We did it in three days and a half at an average speed of 18 Kph.
Livingstone is the most visited city in Zambia. Plenty of attractions are offered : rafting, kayaking, sunset cruises on the Zambezi, helicopter tours, bungee jumping, sky diving, elephant riding, lions encounters, safaris on foot…
We just have to take a decision because everything is expensive. Around 100$ for one activity.
Next step is Zimbabwe and a project dealing with painted dogs close to Hwange national park.
Since the beginning, we have travelled as long a distance as 16,300 km.

Our pictures about Zambia