Uganda cycling trail. Interview with Alexander Bongers
Cycling and mountain biking have taken off in Uganda over the last few years – indeed the Uganda Cycling Trail gets a mention in CNN Travel’s Where to travel in 2023: The best destinations to visit! During lockdown, there was a worldwide surge in bike riding too. There is no doubt about it, Uganda is a superb place to cycle! The great weather and endless, marvellous scenery make for a stunning combination.
Alexander ‘Lex’ Bongers is one of Uganda’s passionate Dutch expat cyclists. I was amazed when he told me he was planning to cycle from one corner of the country to another with his colleague Lawrence Kakande. It’s pretty nuts to hear they did this on a local bicycle without gears! Read their story below and keep following Diary of a Muzungu for more brilliant cycling stories.
Diary of a Muzungu: Lex, cycling from Kisoro to Kidepo sure sounds like a big adventure! But it must also have been physically challenging. How is your body feeling now?
Not that bad actually, which surprises me as well! Lawrence hurt his knee on one of the last days, but personally I feel fitter than ever!
Diary of a Muzungu: You are and your friend Lawrence are probably the first people to ever ride this journey, certainly on a village bicycle. How did you ever come up with this crazy plan?
I am the coordinator of Adventure Tourism Uganda, wherein we aim to further develop the adventure tourism sector in Uganda. If there is one kind of tourism that has a lot of untapped potential throughout the country (and has a lot of social, economic and environmental benefits) it’s adventure tourism.
Thies Timmermans of Red Dirt Uganda has developed the Uganda Cycling Trail, a cycling route that links the extreme southwest of the country to Uganda’s extreme northeast. The idea is that these routes can be used by any cyclist. Testing this route on a village bicycle started off as a joke to be honest: we wondered whether it was actually possible to complete it on a village bicycle, so that you don’t need a fancy bicycle with a hundred gears. To prepare for our trip, we simply bought two steel roadmaster bicycles (the ones you see throughout the countryside). These bicycles have no gears, no suspension and are pretty heavy. They even have a sticker on them that reads “extra heavy.” Despite all that, they ride quite nicely.
Diary of a Muzungu: The fact that I am now able to talk to you, with you having a bright smile on your face, shows that it was possible… You guys made it!
Exactly! I am quite proud that we were able to finish the journey of about 1,600 km in 24 days (with an additional 5 days of rest mid-way). The only motorized vehicle we used between Kisoro and Kidepo was the ferry to the Ssese Islands as well as a stretch between Moroto and Kotido where cycling was currently not advised. But we entered Kenya to compensate for that!
Diary of a Muzungu: What about Uganda’s mountains? Were you able to cycle up Mt Elgon or the Kigezi hills without gears?
Not in the slightest. I don’t think anybody would. But the thing is, you become very humble: you know your limits and just walk. On a previous occasion, I cycled up to Sipi on Mt. Elgon on a mountain bike, and it was quite tough. But on this trip, Lawrence and I just walked and it wasn’t too difficult. Sometimes however, I felt like a Nepalese sherpa, with my bicycle a yak carrying my bags. There was something oddly satisfying about it.
Diary of a Muzungu: So are you saying your marathon trip wasn’t difficult at all?
Oh no, don’t get me wrong, sometimes it was challenging, but generally it was doable!
The last six days were part of the Tour of Karamoja, organized by Kara-Tunga Tours. It was exactly the type of epic final we hoped for.
The longest day comprised a 133 km journey from Lake Turkwel in Kenya to Moroto in Uganda. At only halfway through that day, my bum was causing me so much pain that I felt we would have to amputate the whole of my lower body. To add further misery, we cycled through a whole day of thunderstorms and pouring rain between Kaabong and Kidepo. I even fell into a big pool of muddy water. In an attempt to keep my phone dry, I had wrapped it in a plastic cavera bag. Sadly, my “phone-in-cavera” died in that muddy pool. But when we finally reached Nakaba gate in Kidepo Valley National Park, the sky cleared and we had a incredible ride through Kidepo; everyone who visits Kidepo says it’s Uganda’s most beautiful park.
Diary of a Muzungu: Any other highlights of your trip?
Lake Mutanda and Lake Bunyonyi in southwestern Uganda are of course very beautiful, and their shores are great for cycling and so is the far side of Murchison Bay, just opposite Gaba in Kampala.
Mt Elgon was fantastic as well, particularly a tricky downhill section just beyond Kapchorwa.
A personal highlight was to cycle to Malaba, at the Kenyan border. I lived there for half a year in 2014 and I hadn’t told anyone I would pass by on a village bike. The fact that I could tell my friends that no, I wasn’t cycling from nearby Tororo but from Kisoro, several hundred kilometres away, was something I spent weeks looking forward to! My old friends absolutely loved my story (but also had difficulties believing it!) But still, none of these highlights could compete with the sheer adventure and beauty of Karamoja.
Diary of a Muzungu: Did you have a lot of punctures along the way?
No, not at all! The only real modification we made to the bicycle was to make it tubeless. To do this, we removed the tube and replaced it with sealant. This reduced the chances of punctures. Actually, I don’t know how to explain it well, as I do not know anything at all about bike mechanics: I just know how to ride them. I really, really owe everything to Lawrence as without him I would probably still be in Kisoro, trying to figure out how to secure my bag to the bicycle!
Diary of a Muzungu: What are you going to do now? Are you planning to do something similar again soon?
I am not sure yet. I am thinking of cycling to West Nile next year, or participating in the Kyaninga Ride the Rift Race on this very bike, outcompeting all the gravel bikes. (I might also just grow fat and start living on past glories, like those retired football players). Time will tell. But I will definitely keep on spreading the gospel of the Uganda Cycling Trail and promoting cycling in Uganda generally, as it is simply fantastic!
Diary of a Muzungu: And what about your bike?
For now, the bike will get a break. He deserves it…
Wow! That is an inspiring feat! I have been to Kisoro (in 2011) and was in Kidepo last year in December. That was no mean feat!
Yes the duo’s tour is incredibly inspiring!
If you enjoy African biking adventures, you’ll love this story too “A rolex-fuelled bike tour of Uganda and Africa.”
Thanks again for this interview Charlotte! It has become my go-to article for when people want to know more about our nice “little” adventure. We had so much fun on our trip and I think this article shows it. I also hope it shows that you don’t need a big budget or a fancy bicycle to go on a great adventure. I hope it encourages more domestic and international tourists to explore the stunning beauty of Uganda by bicycle.
Yours is a fantastic story. Thanks for sharing it with us. I really enjoyed having a “front row seat!”
The legend that is Lawrence is helping me buy a bike. Somehow, some day, I shall meet you on the Tour of Karamoja… (you’ll recognise me, I’ll be the one at the BACK!) LOL.
By the way, I love the photo you took when the three of us went hiking:
St. Lawrence with Lawrence!
Happy days 🙂
https://www.muzungubloguganda.com/large-post/new-to-diary-of-a-muzungu-start-here/
It’s fantastic to see the Uganda Cycling Trail get international recognition from CNN travel no less!
“Last year saw the launch of the Uganda Cycling Trail, a 1,600-kilometer mainly unpaved 22-stage route designed to appeal to all levels of cyclist from hardcore solo bikepackers to fully-guided easy riders.”
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/amp/where-to-travel-best-destinations-2023/index.html