Kruger Park News Archive
The Tour de Kruger and the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park will offer 200 cyclists the chance to ride their mountain bikes through the dirt roads of the Limpopo National Park and the Kruger National Park.
"It is not a race, but a ride through two wonderful national parks." The cycle tour will take place from August 11-16, 2005 and will cover a total of 350km.
The race starts in Mopani Rest Camp, and goes from the Giriyondo Border Post in a south-east direction towards the Massingir Dam.
After the first day, when 82km is covered, the cyclists will begin to head north towards the Limpopo River. The second day travels 94km in the Limpopo National Park (LNP). On the third day, 64km are travelled, taking the cyclists out of the LNP to the Limpopo River, with the evening's camp on the banks of the river. The next day the cyclists re-enter South Africa through the Pafuri Border Post, travelling 63km to arrive at the Pafuri Camp on the banks of the Luvuvhu River.
The last day covers 40km, with the finish expected to occur at about 11 am at the northwestern entry point of Kruger Park. The organisers say, "It is a great route, with not too many hills. Great scenery can be viewed along the way and in parts, we travel through some wonderful rural villages." The Land Rover Owners Club of South Africa will provide support vehicles for the cyclists.
The cycle tour is expected to become an annual event, and is a fund raiser for the Peace Parks Foundation and Children in the Wilderness. Children in the Wilderness is a programme that teaches rural children about the importance of conservation.To enter the race, the organisers asked for a minimum donation of R8,000. Entries closed on July 1, to allow time for the border post logistics to be worked out.
