Mashatu Reserve:

Cycling in the land of giants

by Sandra Mallinson, 1 June 2007

My previous lack of enthusiasm for cycling could probably be traced back to that time when, as a kid, I'd somersaulted over my handlebars, knocking myself unconscious.

Still, mountain biking in the Mashatu Game Reserve was an opportunity I couldn't possibly turn down.

It was still dark outside when I stumbled from my bedroom. My stomach was a jumble of nerves and excitement, and I clung to the proverb "It's like riding a bike”. Not that that was a huge comfort.

We gathered around cups of coffee in Mashatu Main Camp's dining area. Paul, the leader of our morning's expedition, looked extremely fit and every bit the cyclist.

My fitness level, on the other hand, was questionable at best. Paul dismissed all my hesitation and reservations with the confident smile of a man who knew something the rest of us had yet to discover.

Big cat country

The sight of a large rifle strapped to his back was both comforting and a tad concerning. On our first game drive the previous day we'd been fortunate enough to spot a leopard, three cheetah and a lioness with her cubs. All incredible sightings, none of which I particularly wanted to repeat from the shaky vantage point of a mountain bike.

Two of our party had opted for a game drive. We loaded our bags into their vehicle and, as they drove off, I had that 'last chance to change your mind' feeling.

Back in the saddle

After a wobbly warm-up lap and a few jerky gear changes, we set off out the stone gateways into Mashatu Game Reserve. Any apprehension quickly faded as we left the jeep track and pedalled along ancient elephant-trodden pathways.

At first it took a fair bit of concentration not to veer off the path when swerving to avoid sharp puncture-causing stones and devil's thorns, but I soon settled into the ride.

We moved through the bush without the disturbing noise of a car engine. My senses seemed intensified; the colours in the soft dawn light, the morning songs of birds, the slight breeze generated by our leisurely pace - it was exhilarating.

Feeling like a kid

I was thankful that Botswana is such a flat country. We had a few slightly tricky downhill stretches into dry riverbeds, and these we attacked with the enthusiasm of a gang of kids on BMXs.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed so much. It must have been the combination of the adrenaline pumping through my veins and all that fresh, bushveld air.

Crystals and giants

Every now and then we'd stop for a bit and Paul would tell us about the reserve, or his previous adventures. Being on a bike gives you a different perspective; you notice things you wouldn't normally see, like the bewildering array of agates and quartz crystals scattered across the ground.

Mashatu, the largest of the Rattray Reserves, forms part of the Tuli Block Region. The area is known as the 'Land of Giants' because of its elephant, giraffe, eland, lion, giant baobab, and the Mashatu trees after which the reserve is named.

In fact, this remote eastern corner of Botswana is a refuge for the largest, single population of elephant on privately owned land in Africa Known as the relic herds of Shashe, these elephants are the last living testament to the great herds that once populated the Limpopo valley.

From 2 wheels to 4

We saw a number of animals from afar, including a herd of buck running as if their lives depended on it. I scanned the horizon, wandering what had spooked them. A predator on the prowl? If so, I hoped we didn't look like a tasty breakfast treat. No prizes for guessing which of us would outpace the other; a sprinting cheetah or me on a mountain bike.

After a few hours Paul radioed the rest of the party in the 4x4, who met us with coffee and rusks. We propped our bikes against a huge Mashatu tree and excitedly swapped tails of our morning's adventures.

The day was heating up. Roddy and Ingo chose to cycle to camp, while Fiona and I swapped peddle power for engine power. I settled back in my seat as our vehicle bumped along to brunch and bed.

But wait, there's more

I'd initially gone along for the ride more from fear of missing out than excitment in the cycle safari itself. It had turned out to be a fantastic morning, and the kind of bush experience that can't be measured by the usual safri yardsticks of quantity and quality of wildlife sightings.

We'd just begun the drive when our guide got a radio call; "There's been a lion kill. Do you want to go have a look?”

My adrenaline started pumping again as we drove into a riverbed, and pulled up next to a lioness and her two cubs tucking into a recently dead wildebeest. I'd never been so close to lion before. They seemed completely oblivious to our presence as they crunched, chomped and ripped their way through the meal.

Never a dull moment

We'd been so absorbed by the lions, we hadn't noticed the herd of elephants had begun to gather at the waterhole behind our vehicle. One elephant broke away from the herd and, trunk twitching, stood facing the feasting lions.

The lioness stopped eating, and began moving towards the shelter of the riverbank. The elephant followed at a safe distance, escorting the lioness and her cubs from the 'premises', before returning to the heard.

We stayed for a while, watching the elephants drink and, after they'd left, the lions return to their meal. I felt like I'd been caught in a wildlife documentary. The bush is a busy place.

Looking back

In two action-packed days in Mashatu I managed to squeeze in game viewing in a 4x4, on foot, on a mountain bike and on horseback. That morning really was an unexpected highlight of my trip.

I still have no desire to rush out and buy a mountain bike or train up for the Argus Cycle Tour. After all, negotiating the street of Cape Town, dodging minibus taxis and breathing in exhaust fumes is a far cry from cycling with a group of friends along elephant tracks under the big, Botswana sky.

Print this page | Send to a friend