Spanafrican

LATEST ARTICLES ( 90 )

• Manali-Leh Highway 2013: Rhotang Pass (4000m) to Baralacha-la (4980)

  Pedaling has been natural to me since the tender age of three. Cycling is practical, fun, it gets you to the corner café, across countries, continents, keeps yo... Read more

  Posted on 04 October 2013 CHARITY, DESTINATIONS, OTHER SPORTS, OUTDOORS, TREK

• Spain and the ‘supermarket’ Bike

  

  There is just about no way I can go on holiday and not fit in some riding, to me cycling = holiday. Although in this case I had resigned to the fact that it... Read more

  Posted on 20 June 2013 CHARITY, DESTINATIONS, OTHER SPORTS, OUTDOORS, TREK

• Day 4: The Descent to Chamba

  

  The next morning, we headed down a seemingly never-ending 113km to the more tropical climes of Chamba. Despite a rainy start we enjoyed having gravity on our... Read more

  Posted on 25 November 2012 CHARITY, DESTINATIONS, OTHER SPORTS, OUTDOORS, TREK

• Day 3: Finally, Crossing Sach Pass (4400m)

  

  This is the toughest and most epic pass I have ever cycled. Although not as high as many of the other himalayan passes, Sach is steep! So steep that in many... Read more

  Posted on 31 October 2012 CHARITY, DESTINATIONS, OTHER SPORTS, OUTDOORS, TREK

• Day 2 – to the Sach Pass (Udaipur to Kilar)

  

  For sure this must be one of the most beautiful routes that I have ever cycled. It took us almost 8hrs to ride the 80km to Kilar for a number of reasons:... Read more

  Posted on 10 October 2012 CHARITY, DESTINATIONS, OUTDOORS, TREK

• On the Way to the Sach (Saach) Pass

  

  The Sach (Saach) pass, one of the lesser known passes in Himachal Pradesh has always had a certain allure since friends Cass and Cara had cycled it 6 years... Read more

  Posted on 07 October 2012 DESTINATIONS, TREK

• Meeting Old and New Friends on the Manali Leh Highway

  

  There is always something to look forward to when returning. It may be small changes, like roadside flowers that you had never noticed before. Read more

  Posted on 24 September 2012 CHARITY, DESTINATIONS, OTHER SPORTS, OUTDOORS, TREK

• Roaming Rumi: A Himalayan Dogumentary

  

  ‘Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond’ ~ Rumi Rumi our special boy This is our 4th year of running bike tours in... Read more

  Posted on 08 September 2012 CHARITY, DESTINATIONS, OTHER SPORTS, OUTDOORS, TREK

• Some Reasons Why I Like the Himalayas

  

  Its back to Ladakh and these are some of my reasons… the landscapesthe prayer flagsthe people: Ladakhis, Lahualis, Spitians, Tibetansthe sublime cycling... Read more

  Posted on 26 July 2012 CHARITY, DESTINATIONS, OUTDOORS, TREK

• Cycling with Himalayan Hounds – Fundraiser for Funda Nenja, Township Dog-trainin...

  

  Funda Nenja roughly translates from isiZulu to “learning with the dog” and that about sums up what an enthusiastic group of people are doing in Mpophomeni just... Read more

  Posted on 08 July 2012 CHARITY, DESTINATIONS, OTHER SPORTS, OUTDOORS

• The Baltistan Village of Turtuk, Ladakh

  

  Turtuk is about as close as you can get to Pakistan in India, physically and literally. This delightful village is crunched into the narrowing Shyok River valle... Read more

  Posted on 30 April 2012 DESTINATIONS, TRAVEL

• Those Curious Camels

  

  While down in the Nubra valley, we spied a herd of those curious bactrian (double humped camels) munching on seabuckthorn berries close to another curiosity, a... Read more

  Posted on 09 April 2012 ANIMALS & WILDLIFE, DESTINATIONS, ENVIRONMENT, OTHER SPORTS

• The Nubra Valley

  

  The large, desert valley of Nubra is formed by the meeting of the Shyok and Siachen rivers. This wide, high altitude valley separates the Ladakh and the... Read more

  Posted on 01 April 2012 OTHER SPORTS, OUTDOORS, TREK

• A 3-day Hike in the Little Berg - Amira, Sook Leen and Hermina

  

  A typical scene in the Little Berg with the ever-present layer of Clarens SandstoneOne of the perks of working as a mountain guide is that you meet lots of... Read more

  Posted on 14 March 2012 DESTINATIONS, OUTDOORS, TRAVEL, TREK, VACATION

• Pondo-Pedal – A Wild Coast Ride from Port Edward to Mtentu

  

  A piece of paradiseA few weeks ago we joined our friends from Active Escapes for a ride along the Wild Coast. The Wild Coast is an incredible 300km stretch of... Read more

  Posted on 05 March 2012 DESTINATIONS, OUTDOORS, TRAVEL, TREK, VACATION

• Amphitheatre Heritage Hike - Bernhard and Christine - February 2012

  

  Bernhard and Christine with the iconic AmphitheatreBernhard and Christine from Cologne in Germany had hiked to Zulu Cave with me in February last year. Read more

  Posted on 05 March 2012 DESTINATIONS, OUTDOORS, TRAVEL, TREK, VACATION

• Climbing Stok Kangri (6130m)

  

  Stok Kangri (6130m), literally translates as ‘snow-peak of Stok village’. The peak is a perfect A-line shape that seems to ‘watch over’ Stok some 3000m below. Read more

  Posted on 28 February 2012 DESTINATIONS, OTHER SPORTS, OUTDOORS

• Giant’s Castle with Markus and Christiana – 8-10 February 2012

  

  Markus and Christiana from Munich with Giant's CastleGiant’s Castle, the easternmost point on the Natal escarpment, is a prominent peak in the Drakensberg. Read more

  Posted on 15 February 2012 OUTDOORS, TREK, VACATION

• Mafadi with Bradley, Ruan, Peter and Donovan - January 2012

  

  The escarpment illuminated by the first beams of sunlightThe first hike in 2012 was Mafadi, our most popular hike in the Berg. Bradley, Ruan, Peter and... Read more

  Posted on 06 February 2012 DESTINATIONS, OUTDOORS, TRAVEL, TREK, VACATION

• Not Forgetting the Other Passes

  

  Sometimes I do get a little carried away with all the wonderful details, like the villages or the flowers along the sides of the roads, forgetting that I... Read more

  Posted on 31 January 2012 CHARITY, DESTINATIONS, OTHER SPORTS, OUTDOORS, TREK