Home / Ride to Mountain Gorillas | 2026

Ride to Mountain Gorillas | 2026
Chapter 1: Arrival in Cape Town
Chapter 2: Heading North

Ride to Mountain Gorillas | 2026

In 2007/2008 Audrey and I rode from Munich to Cape Town. On the way south we were delayed in Ethiopia as election rioting rocked Kenya. After it was safe for tourists to go through Kenya, we rode through fairly quickly and avoided the west of the country where the violence was the worst. This meant that we were not able to go to Uganda to visit the mountain gorillas. Further south, in Tanzania, we met travellers who had made the trip to see the gorillas and raved about it. We tried to figure out a way to go to see them but couldn’t make it work. We vowed to see them “someday.” Fast forward 18 years and that someday is today.

I am shipping my motorcycle from London to Cape Town and then riding north through South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda to get to Uganda where I have a gorilla trek organised for 15 February. After the trek I’ll ride through Kenya back to Tanzania to do a safari out of Arusha before returning south through Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to South Africa. From Johannesburg, I hope to catch a flight to Madagascar and then return to Cape Town at the beginning of April. It should be an amazing journey!

Planned route (blue and red) and 2008 tracks (black)

Chapter 1: Arrival in Cape Town

January 9 - 12: Calgary to Cape Town!

I had always known that it was going to be a long journey to Cape Town with an 11-hour layover in Frankfurt followed by a 12-hour flight to Cape Town. The flight to Frankfurt was unexpectedly pleasant. Discover Airlines changed their aircraft the night before my departure. Unfortunately, they changed my chosen (and paid for) seat in Premium Economy to one I didn’t like as much. I mentioned this at check in and was able to change to an aisle seat even though they weren’t allowing people to change seats (it would be chaos if everyone changed their seat). Then just as I was going to the gate, I got a message on my phone that my seat had been changed. Again. I went to the counter and was given a new boarding pass. For business class! Nice! It makes such a difference on an overnight flight to be able to get some sleep, it almost eliminates jet lag.

As soon as I deboarded in Frankfurt (all refreshed from my nap) I went through Immigration and jumped on the S-bahn to downtown Frankfurt. At the Hauptbahnhof I went outside into an icy cold snowy taste of winter to find a currywurst. Obviously. Then a coffee shop to read up on Africa before catching another train back to the airport. A very nice layover indeed. Just as boarding was completed for the 10:00 PM flight to Cape Town the captain came on and announced our flight had to be cancelled. The software that flies the plane was broken. Of course, passengers near me had helpful tips, have you tried rebooting it? How about unplugging it and plugging it back in? But alas we weren't going anywhere. Lufthansa put us up for the night with an expected departure of 1:00 PM the next day. After a good night’s sleep that changed to 5:15 PM so had another day, this time not venturing to downtown. We really did get going at quarter after five, finally arriving in Cape Town at 5:40 AM local time on Monday morning. I had called the hotel and told them I would have a late check in. Very late!

The Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof on a snowy, cold day

I came all this way for "Canadian Streetfood"?

I have never, ever seen currywurst at any Canadian streetfood

In addition to currywurst, Frankfurt is also a financial capital

Downtown Frankfurt

Back at the airport I share a moment with Albert Einstein

After a 7:00 AM check in at the Harbour Bridge Hotel I had a lovely day in Cape Town where I had a chance to meet Michnus and Elsebie at a coffee shop inside a BMW Motorrad shop. It was great to meet them in person. They run a few Facebook forums and make motorcycle soft luggage at Turkana Gear. And to top the day off, I got a message that I can pick up my bike at Econo Trans at 9:30 AM Tuesday! Let the adventure begin.

Good morning Cape Town! As a Standup Paddle Boarder commutes to work on the canal

Walked to the V&A Waterfront

The clock tower at the waterfront

I'll have to pick up this little souvenir when I return from Uganda

The coffee shop inside Donford BMW Motorrad

Hello Elsebie and Michnus!

Sunset over Table Mountain

The Tablecoth on Table Mountain

Good night Cape Town!

January 13

Wow, what an easy pick up of the motorcycle. I took an Uber over to Econo Trans at 9:30 where Wayne had me sign some paperwork and pay for processing the bike through Customs (about $750) and then took me out back to the warehouse. My bike was in a nice crate (built by Moto Freight in London) and just needed to be freed. Lennox and a couple of other staff did that and then Lennox helped me put the windshield and mirrors back on. I put my Lefthand Drive sticker in the tankbag and then I was set to ride in South Africa. And what a beautiful ride it was, heading towards Cape Town with Table Mountain as a backdrop. What a great first ride of the season!
Just before riding to Moto Freight back in London I noticed an oil leak from the rear shock. I tightened up the damper adjustment where it was leaking and that seemed to fix it. When picking the bike up in Cape Town it still wasn’t leaking but I wasn’t especially confident in riding all the way to Uganda and back. I rode out to MP Suspension that afternoon for them to have a look at it. Martin was out, so I left the bike at the shop and took an Uber back to the hotel. That evening Jilly and Keith dropped by and we went for a lovely dinner at Miller's Thumb. I can see why Cape Town is a “foodie” destination! Audrey and I had met Jilly and Keith in Namibia in 2008 where they invited us to their place in Cape Town, so it was quite special to reconnect with them. The chapter where we first met: Chapter 19: South Africa - We Did It! and then again at my birthday lunch: Chapter 21: South Africa - To the end of an amazing continent.