“The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” ― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild
I know when I pull out the Into The Wild quotes there is trouble in the air, good trouble, a stirring that makes me question everything and then nothing – because I realise, every time, that the answer is clear. It is time to hit the road. And while I plan to do just that, a man named Christian Ghammachi is doing one better.
Christian set off on an epic motorbike trip, called Two Wheels Across Africa, last year, with Rhino Africa providing logistical support. The plan? To document his adventure from Cape Town to Dubai and raise awareness for various community and wildlife conservation projects, like the Wildlife ACT Fund and SOS Children’s Village in Swaziland, en route. To discover what makes each country he traversed tick. To capture the beauty of the people and landscapes of Africa…
While we usually focus on more highly-personalised luxury travel to Africa, we’ve partnered with Christian because 1. we love a good adventure, and 2. we fully support passionate people creating awareness about the great places and people of Africa. We’ve helped organise itineraries and accommodation for him and Umfufu at some incredible safari lodges, including Bushmanskloof, The Residence, Peech and Chitwa Chitwa.
The trip was postponed last year when a demon dirt road got in his way, ending in a crashed bike and dislocated shoulder. It happens. Even on a BMW R1200 GS adventure motorbike named Umfufu. Even when wrapped up in a knight’s full plate of armour. But our adventurer is no quitter. After some TLC for both bike and man, he sent us the green light. “I am on my way across Africa, and to Dubai!”
Christian has already made it to Mozambique, having covered South Africa and Swaziland. After Mozambique it’s on to Zimbabwe – Botswana – Zambia – Malawi – Tanzania – Burundi – Rwanda – Uganda – Kenya – Ethiopia – Dijbouti – Yemen and Oman, ending in Dubai.
He will be airing a series of episodes from the trip as he goes along – because simply braving the African terrain on two wheels alone isn’t enough. We’ll be featuring the not-to-be-missed footage on our blog – watch this space for more and follow the journey on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Take a look at our adventurer’s photos from Chitwa Chitwa in the Sabi Sand below:
And now for the videos…
Episode 1
Episode 2: CAPE TOWN
“Cape Town should really be considered a place of pilgrimage, the Mecca or Jerusalem of life, love and the pursuit of happiness; a place everybody should visit at least once.”
About Christian Ghammachi
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, and currently living in Cape Town, Christian is a photographer, a traveller and a citizen of the world passionate about “finding beauty in hidden elements and emotions”, about making photographs that show strength and enduring passion despite adversity. His passion for people, landscapes and wildlife has taken him and his lens from South Africa and Kenya to Nepal, Cuba, India, the Middle East and Europe.
Keen to start planning your own tailor-made African adventure to the great destinations mentioned here? Chat to our travel experts today.
What an amazing adventure 🙂