A Journey from Libreville to Cape Town in Just 46 Days

I have 4600 km to go, which though far, when I started I had 17,000 km to cover. So somehow it feels like my destination is around the corner.

I am in Gabon, my visa for the Republic of Congo in hand, I am making my way to Cabinda, an enclave of Angola between Congo and DRC. As many cyclists do, to avoid the DRC from both a safety perspective and many additional kilometers, there is an option to go to Luanda from Cabinda by boat. I will be using this option and hope to be in Cabinda in 8-10 days' time.

My wheels on my bicycle are giving me some gray hairs. My second-hand bicycle has done really well, the current tires are cheap African tires which cost me about £5 per tire, so my expectations were never high and hence punctures are a regular occurrence. The rear wheel is breaking spokes often now, I will check and tighten daily now to try and lengthen the period between breaks. In an ideal world, I would have replaced the wheels with 36-spoke tires, bought Schwalbe tires with Kevlar lining, and filled them with slime. When you are traveling on a shoestring that is just not an option, so we struggle along. Making headway and meeting wonderful mechanics and helpful people along the way.

I am still loving my journey, I do feel that I need to get to Cape Town, the stops are costing me more than my daily budget and it is definitely cheaper to keep moving. I hope to make it to Cape Town by the 6th of March 2026.

Gabon for me has been wonderful, the French-speaking countries are always difficult as when you come across individuals that cannot speak English, it almost feels as if they are not interested and don't want to help. Even Google Translate is often received with blank stares. It is a pity because when you do break the barrier they are wonderful people. The dead animals for sale on the side of the road take some getting used to.

Monkeys freak me out, from far they look like a human body hanging there. Other animals include:

Pangolin, Tawny Owl, Gazelle, Wild boar, Crocodile, Porcupine seems a favorite along with hedgehog.

As I ride and think, I cannot help but compare the inhabitants of these jungles to fishermen living along the coast. Just as fishermen all over the world live out of the sea, so too do these people live out of the jungle. Yes, for you and I it is strange and uncomfortable, but this is all they know. It is what they are taught from young and the animals in the jungle like the fish in the sea are there to survive off.

Gabon in general is very clean. Homes are neat and tidy with mowed lawns. If I compare the various countries and think of past colonization, I would say that the French must have integrated more with the local people. The French ways, mannerisms, pride in how you look and the space you live in are certainly obvious in most of the French-speaking African countries I have traveled through. Gabon does seem to stand out from the others so far.