Expedition Africa organisers, Heidi and Stephan Muller, are proud to announce that the 2014 edition of Expedition Africa will be held on South Africa’s Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape province. The host venue is the holiday-resort town of Port Edward and the event runs from 23 May to 1 June 2014.
Although mining companies threaten the Wild Coast, for now it is a relatively isolated area known for its rugged coastline, where waterfalls drop straight into the Indian Ocean.
Teams will pass through traditional Xhosa villages and rolling green hills, seeing the rocky headlands, sandy bays, waterfalls and freestanding rock stacks along their journey. The skeletal remains of numerous shipwrecks along the shore bear testimony to this high-energy coastline. From the beach, schools of dolphin and whales are a familiar sight. In this under-developed part of South Africa, many locals still depend on horses and other non-motorised forms of transport.
Teams will appreciate cycling and trekking in this area. With no fences and an extensive network of footpaths and cattle tracks, there are many options to travel between checkpoints.
This region is the traditional home of the Xhosa people and it is the birthplace of many prominent South Africans, including former Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.
The average daily temperatures in May along the coast varies from 13°C to 25°C.
Expedition Africa organisers encourage teams to travel earlier to the venue to get a feeling of the area and for the international teams to have enough time to acclimatise. The host venue is offering a special accommodation rate to make it economically viable for teams to arrive early to get into the right frame of mind for the race.
The closest airport is King Shaka airport in Durban and a transfer will be arranged for international teams to Port Edward. See full details on the Expedition Africa website.
Entries are now open. Complete the online entry form to secure a place. The first 25 teams will be booked into luxury chalets; the rest into the smaller chalets. Closing date for entries is 1 April 2014.
For any more race information contact Heidi Muller (Kinetic Gear) – heidi@kineticgear.co.za.