McKenzie Barney is a Florida-based writer, adventurer, and filmmaker. In this blog, we are translating and sharing a report from McKenzie about an epic bicycle tour across the African continent with her partner, Jim. You can learn more about this journey on McKenzie's website, “Yatri Project,” and follow her on Instagram to see her incredible adventures.
African wildlife emerged with a roar, and with massive tusks and a loud trumpeting call, a bull elephant charged toward us.
My brain fired off fragmented information:
"Elephant, ambush, bicycle, Africa."
Densely populated with wild African elephants, the aptly named "Elephant Highway" is one of the most famous sections of the cycling route from Cairo to Cape Town.
Encountering a herd of elephants on the "Elephant Highway."
I am convinced that curiosity lies at the heart of all exploration. While many of our generation are investing in mortgages, my partner Jim and I have been wandering through distant lands on this planet. Every time I looked at a map, a certain mysterious land seemed to call our names: Africa.
Inspired by the story of Riaan Manser, who cycled around Africa, I felt that I had to explore this massive continent under my own power. A little research revealed it right there: the cycling route from Cairo to Cape Town that would ignite my sense of adventure.
I wasn't a bike packer from the beginning. First, I fell in love with thru-hiking. The first long-distance hiking trail I ever walked was New Zealand's Te Araroa, commonly known as the “TA,” which was the newest trail in the world at the time. Spending five months living and walking in the great outdoors rewired my brain and led me to reconsider the direction of my life. Throughout the trail, I scattered the contents of my backpack and scrutinized my minimalist gear. When it came to footwear, I carried minimalist sandals for camp and off-trail use. Although much has changed since that TA hike, the simple desire remains, leading me to even more footpaths around the world.
It was during such travels that I met my partner, Jim. A person who shares the spirit of exploring the world together.
After completing some of the most famous trails on this planet, I began to harbor a romantic interest in the next stage of human-powered exploration: bikepacking.
Having a premonition of this next step, a few years ago I went to Vietnam alone, bought a cheap bike, and rode from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. I enjoyed every second of it (though I certainly needed to make adjustments to my gear selection). And I immediately planned my next adventure by bike. Most of my gear was adaptable from hiking to cycling, but I hadn't yet found a pair of sandals that could withstand long-term riding. For my journey in Africa, I needed sandals with a zero-drop sole that were comfortable and could handle the stresses of bikepacking.
That is how I ended up wearing Bedrock Sandals.
Taking credit for this epiphany isn't entirely mine. Ultimately, it was Jim's idea. The sandals he loves are the ones that stir his sense of adventure. Over the past decade, Jim has traveled the world backpacking, climbing, hitchhiking, surfing, and trekking. He is a gear junkie who prefers well-made, long-lasting outdoor equipment. Gear with an expiration date simply doesn't match his aesthetic.
After researching minimalist sandals, Bedrock topped his podium of sandals, and I was relieved to find a pair that could handle voyages into uncharted and remote territory.
Jim's Bedrock Sandals have traveled to over 50 countries across 5 continents. They have trekked the Andes in Peru, the Himalayas in Nepal and India, the Atacama Desert in Chile, remote coffee farms in Panama, and volcanoes in Costa Rica. These are just a few of Jim and Bedrock's favorite stories.
These sandals bear the footprints of the long-distance thru-hikes Jim has completed—the 1,800-mile Te Araroa in New Zealand, the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, and most recently, the 500-mile Colorado Trail.
When he noticed that the Vibram footbed was worn and tattered just like his passport, Jim discovered Bedrock's innovative “Re-Soul” program. You can send in your worn-out sandals and have them repaired to be worn again. New soles while keeping the same straps. This changed everything.
Extending the lifecycle of the sandals means adding minimalism and reductionism—two concepts deeply tied to our manifesto. We both strive to keep our gear in use permanently, both for environmental conservation and for the stories hidden in every component. That is why we bought used bicycles for our Africa trip, and why Jim patches his clothes or sews and repairs most of his outdoor bags while traveling. It is also the main reason I chose Bedrock Sandals as my adventure footwear. Every piece of gear we collect is something that can endure trails, travel, and bike tours.
For those of us who love the places we stand (Mother Earth) and value the story over leaving a footprint, the “Re-Soul” program is in line with our ethos. Not to mention the proud patch Bedrock stitches on every time they “Re-Soul” a pair.
His revitalized sandals have traveled through the wilds of the Caucasus Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kurdistan.
When we set foot in Egypt, Jim and I decided to head south to our sixth continent of exploration: Africa.
A 11,000-kilometer, five-month bicycle journey across the African continent, from the Pyramids of Cairo, Egypt, to Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. We flew to Egypt, assembled our bikes, attached hybrid bikepacking/touring bags, and packed only what we needed.
The harmony of traveling by bicycle felt almost extrasensory. Touching unknown lands, rolling our bikes at will, and welcoming this as the next step after thru-hiking.
Once we entered Sudan, we realized how naive our route had been. In Africa, situations change in an instant. We experienced political instability for the first time when the military occupied the capital in a coup. Cut off from the outside world with no phone or internet access, we had to get information from locals about the safety of the road to Khartoum. We were relieved, but the situation remained unstable. We focused our energy on cycling through the vast and harsh nature of the Sahara Desert, pedaling toward the capital and heading south.
Dotted across the empty desert were the occasional “cafeterias”—Sudanese-style truck stops/roadhouses that provide shade, drinks, food, and sometimes even simple cots to sleep on. These cafeterias were our daily destinations and oases amidst the intense heat.
Due to the border closure caused by the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia, we were forced to fly from Khartoum, Sudan, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Upon arriving in Addis, we received information about increased activity from anti-government forces in the south, so we decided to take a bus toward the Kenyan border.
Entering northern Kenya, we were greeted by the swirling winds of the Chalbi Desert. It seemed there was no escaping the heat. However, the sight of semi-nomadic tribes and wild camping under the famous acacia trees left us in awe and wonder. Eventually, we reached the equator and were able to embark on our journey in the Southern Hemisphere. Kenya was exactly the Africa of our dreams, just like a picture.
The energy, character, and national pride of Tanzania gave us as much vitality as the drink stalls we encountered on the hot and steep hills. As we raced across the Maasai steppe, our bikes seemed tilted on endless gradients, and our bodies had no choice but to adapt. It was here in Tanzania that we finally got used to the rhythm of Africa, and our days of vast and grueling cycling became our reality.
In Zambia, temperatures rose and our daily cycling distances increased. In the thatched-roof villages dotted throughout the deep forests, thousands of greetings and the laughter of curious children echoed. The remote areas in the north eventually turned into roads leading toward the densely populated capital. After taking a break in Lusaka, we pushed hard on the pedals to welcome the new year and reach one of the world's greatest natural wonders: Victoria Falls.
With the fresh feeling of a new year, we entered Botswana, and I felt relieved to see the route transition from rolling hills to flat, open roads. I remember riding some of our longest days through the wild, untouched wilderness of Botswana, amidst elephant road blocks and heavy rain, feeling as if we were flying through the air. Perhaps the threat of lions made us pedal even harder.
Namibia was, without a doubt, the most unique landscape I have witnessed on this planet. As one of the least populated countries on Earth, Namibia is a wonderland of biodiversity, home to massive sand dunes, majestic creatures like oryx, and the Skeleton Coast, famous for its shipwrecks. It truly felt like the unexplored corners of Africa.
As we neared the Orange River, the border between Namibia and South Africa—the final country of our journey—temperatures climbed to 48 degrees Celsius, and we were hit by intense headwinds. To cover the remaining distance, we decided to wake up at 4:00 AM every day to avoid the heat and the wind.
If Jim and his sandals could talk, I imagine they would spin incredible tales of adventure.
Worn by thousands of kilometers of global trails and pedaling, the sandals have exhaled deeply, taken reckless risks, and sweated through the desert dust of the Sahara. "On to the next adventure!" they would surely declare. Ultimately, it is discovery that allows us to move forward on this planet. And choosing bicycles instead of cars, planes, or trains was a significant takeaway.
On the final stretch toward Cape Town, it became clear that cycling through Africa is less about the sport of cycling and more about getting lost in an entirely unknown world. The bicycle was our chosen vehicle, a means to witness a foreign continent and explore the mysteries of distant lands.
It was a long and distant adventure. An adventure is something you plan for years and commit to for months. It is something where you seek your heart, soul, and absolute existence, and in return, you unravel a mystery, little by little, every day.
All words © McKenzie Barney. Photos courtesy of McKenzie Barney and James Beatty.
Translated by Circles.