Mountain biking through Big Five country, SHAEN ADEY and FIONA MCINTOSH discovered the iSimangaliso MTB 4 Day is a true African adventure.
THE rhino clearly sensed us, but with the wind in our favour they couldn’t work out what, or where, we were. We kept still, hoping that they’d move off.
No such luck. They were right in our path so we took a big detour downwind through untracked savannah, our hearts in our mouths. Riding through big game country is not for sissies.
We were taking part in a test run for the iSimangaliso MTB 4 Day, a multi-stage race through South Africa’s first World Heritage Site, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Following ancient migration paths, many of them through areas that are not normally open to the public, the 260km ride took us from St Lucia, on the shores of the Indian Ocean, through sections of the Eastern and Western Shores section of the Wetland Park that are not accessible to other visitors, before traversing Phinda Private Game Reserve to the finish in the uMkhuze section of iSimangaliso.
When he visited the park in 2001 to witness the first footsteps of elephants in the Park for 100 years, President Mandela acknowledged the uniqueness of this incredibly diverse environment when he said, “iSimangaliso must be the only place on the globe where the world’s oldest land mammal (the rhinoceros) and the world’s biggest terrestrial mammal (the elephant) share an ecosystem with the world’s oldest fish (the coelacanth) and the world’s biggest marine mammal (the whale).” We knew we were in for a treat.
Now in its fourth year, the iSimangaliso MTB 4 Day is one of the most exciting MTB races in the world; an incredible event run by a slick team. Shane Webster, the organiser, has worked tirelessly to develop new routes, so every year the track has got better and better. About 60% of the route is now on single track, much of it on animal paths.
As we wove through the bush on the flowing track of the Western Shores, our fellow riders debated how the paths were formed. “Rhino” said Fred Mittermeyer, a former guide at Phinda Private Game Reserve. “Hippo” asserted Shane. “Elephant tracks” insisted Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. “If it were hippo there’d be a middle mannetjie!” Our experienced companions bantered playfully but no one really cared. Curious giraffe looked bewildered at the intrusion of so many two-wheelers; wildebeest cantered away as we approached; zebra eyed us from a distance and families of warthog strutted away indignantly with their tails in the air. It was game viewing par excellence.
Next up was a glorious ride through the mature sand forest of the False Bay section of iSimangaliso. With its magnificent old trees draped with lichens it had a Tolkeinesque feel about it. Popping out of the forest we rode along the shore of Lake St Lucia revelling in the wildness of the place and the contrasts in the terrain. Then it was up through Amorello Game Lodge to Phinda Private Game Reserve.
Exploring this exclusive reserve on two wheels was the cherry on the cake – an experience that is only offered to participants on the annual ride. We stopped briefly to admire some vast fossils before sweeping round to the uMvubu dam, where, in addition to numerous hippo, crocodile and Saddle-billed Stork we spotted two rhino and a calf. Watching the youngster’s antics was mesmerising: it was hard to get back on the bike. But that’s one of the beauties of this ride. Although you can race it if you want, most people are content to enjoy the privilege of riding through one of the most biodiverse landscapes on the planet.
Phinda’s hard red soil and low scrubland made for fantastic riding. The route was well worn by the constant movement of game – so manicured in places that it looked as if it had been swept with a broom. We rode fast, dodging trees and bushes and watching out for thorns, which threatened to rip our arms to shreds. Phinda was living up to its reputation as a prime safari destination: the animals were visible and plentiful, with big herds of buck, wildebeest and zebra on the plains and numerous birds in the trees. As we rode up towards the hilltop refreshment stop, three startled buffalo bounded across the track just 10m away from us. It was a wake-up call that we needed to keep our wits about us in this dangerous game area.
In contrast to other rides through big game country, on the iSimangaliso MTB 4 Day you don’t need to ride in a group. After a thorough pre-race briefing on what to do in the event of an encounter with dangerous game, you and your partner can go at the pace you want, though rangers check the route to make sure that there are no lion in the vicinity! And riders wear trackers so that the organisers know exactly where they are. “Our systems mean that you can ride freely, knowing that someone else is looking after your safety,” Shane assured me.
From Phinda we climbed up onto the uMkhumbi Plateau from where we could see all the way back to the start at St Lucia. Then it was into uMkhuze, the Big Five section of the Park. One of the highlights of the tour was the opportunity to explore the Park once the riding was over for the day, so after settling into the lovely safari tents of Mantuma Camp and a shower it was off to the kuMasinga Hide for a spot of birding and game watching. And Lady Luck was smiling: not only were there plenty of hippo and birds, but as we enjoyed sundowners, three rhino came down to the water hole for theirs! A dramatic sunset at the iNsumo Pan rounded off an exhilarating day.
The final loop took us out of the Park and into the Lebombo mountains, a long uphill through community land followed by an exhilarating downhill back into uMkhuze and the finish at Mantuma.
For four days we’d seen no other people in this magnificent wilderness. The ride had been an enthralling adventure and we felt good in the knowledge that every participant in the event gives something back. iSimangaliso Wetland Park, like most South African protected areas, is involved in a constant war against poaching and proceeds from the event, sponsored by Nashua, go back into conservation, in particular to the fight against the poaching of rhino.
As we enjoyed celebratory beers we all agreed that we’d be back. It is the ride of a lifetime. One for your bucket list.
l The next iSimangaliso MTB 4 Day is on August 18 to 21. To enter: www.isimangaliso-mtb.co.za