The Nedbank Tour de Tuli is a four day, five night mountain bike ride through the Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana, the Tuli Safari Area in Zimbabwe and the Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa. This route is facilitated exclusively for this tour by the three respective Governments and this will be the only time that cyclists will be allowed to ride here. It is intended to offer approximately 60-80 kilometres of technical cycling per day incorporating as much single track, game trails and ancient elephant paths as possible.
The event is a challenging multi-stage mountain bike tour that covers harsh terrain in remote areas. In this remote eastern corner of Botswana, at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, is an area known historically as the Tuli enclave. This is a diverse wilderness of savannah, riverine forests, marshland, open plains and sandstone outcrops. It is home to several African giants - elephant, lion, giraffe, baobab trees, eland, ostrich and the kori bustard.
Day one takes you through the beautiful Northern Tuli Game Reserve on ancient elephant paths, now single track. The terrain varies from undulating savannah to rocky outcrops and wooded floodplains with a few technical stages and some good wildlife habitat. This area provides a view of the great African landscape and many wildlife sightings. Part of the ride takes you back to ancient times as you go through the Mmamagwa Ruins on Mashatu Game Reserve, a culturally significant site that predated the Mapungubwe Dynasty and Great Zimbabwe.
Day two takes you west of the reserve into the Tuli Wilderness area across the Motloutse River. On day three you will cycle in the Eastern part of the reserve where you will cross the Shashe River into Zimbabwe. This is an unofficial border post facilitated by both countries specifically for this event. This day ends at the Maramani community Camp on the banks of the Limpopo River.
Day three is a big day in the saddle and your arrival at Maramani Community Camp will be a great relief.
Day four is your last day in the saddle. Today you ride through the Maramani Community areas in south-eastern Zimbabwe. These remote communities relish the opportunity to share their paradise with you. Crossing into South Africa at the second informal border crossing of the event, you cycle through the Mapungubwe National Park, one of Africa’s best kept secrets with its moonscape rock formations and its natural diversity.
Over a thousand years ago Mapungubwe was the centre of the largest kingdom in the subcontinent where a highly sophisticated people traded gold and ivory with China, India and Egypt. It has now been declared a World Heritage Site. This camp signals the completion of the Nedbank Tour de Tuli Mountain Bike Event. Day five consists only of breakfast and the pack-up before you travel home.
PRIZES AND GIVE-AWAYS
Prizes go to the person who raises the most money from sponsorship which will go directly to Children in the Wilderness.