All in Routes

An Epic Bike Ride Across the Blue Nile Gorge, Ethiopia

An Epic Bike Ride Across the Blue Nile Gorge, Ethiopia

Pedals and Puffins
Cycling, Mountains, Nile River, Wildlife, Coronavirus, Blue Nile Gorge, Routes, Bike Touring, Bike Travel, Debre Markos

Some stretches of road have become legends in the cycling community. The crossing of the Blue Nile Gorge in Ethiopia is one of those rides. It’s deep. It’s steep. And the high-altitude sun will sap your strength. Cycling across the Blue Nile Gorge with a fully-loaded touring bike will test your mettle. It’s not for sissies. So of course, we had to give it a go. We wanted to see the spectacular scenery, but also to test ourselves, and prove we could do it. Our legs and our lungs were pushed to the limit, but it was totally worth it to conquer the second-biggest canyon ride in the world.

Cycling Northern Egypt: Selfies, a Ferry and Fields of Green

Cycling Northern Egypt: Selfies, a Ferry and Fields of Green

Pedals and Puffins
Routes, Nile River, Wildlife, Ferries, Cycling, Bike Touring, Bike Travel

We’re on our way! After considering several alternatives, we settled on the route that follows the Nile River on its western bank. It’s densely populated, so we rode through a steady chorus of friendly shouts of, “Hello, welcome to Egypt!” An early adventure involved a ferry ride from which our bikes narrowly escaped sliding into the Nile River. And between towns, the agricultural landscape of the river valley provided a lush, green backdrop to our journey.

The Road Less Traveled: Cycling 9,300+ miles (15,000+ km) Across Africa

The Road Less Traveled: Cycling 9,300+ miles (15,000+ km) Across Africa

Pedals and Puffins
Planning, Maps, Routes, Cycling, Bike Touring, Bike Travel

In Africa, there are lots of choices to make about which roads to take. Our proposed route has been influenced by where we can get visas, countries that are considered to passable on bikes, and the advice of experienced travelers in Africa. In the end we may choose to take some different roads, but the overall route will take us from Cairo to Cape Town.