admin
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
A TOTAL of 350 tourists will take part in the 12th annual Tour de Tuli annual tourism expedition which will be held in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) between July 28 and August 2, the event organisers have said.
The event, which seeks to market the mega-park as the destination of choice in Sadc, is being organised by the governments of Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa with a South African company Children in the Wilderness (CITW) as the main coordinator.
The expedition involves mountain bike tours and will see the cyclists pass through three countries during the course of the event.
The participants are drawn from countries like the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany, Angola, South Africa, Dubai, Botswana, Portugal and Greece.
The event, which is in its 12th year with Zimbabwe having joined seven years ago, is being held under the theme ‘Uniting Africa’.
Children in the Wilderness publicist, Miss Nirvani Pillay, said preparations were at an advanced stage and that they were excepting a total of 350 cycling tourists to participate in this year’s event.“We’ve since launched the route which will see 350 riders cycle across 275km of challenging and remote terrain in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa between 28 July and 2 August. The Nedbank Tour de Tuli attracts cyclists from across the globe and provides them with an unforgettable opportunity to follow wildlife trails in pristine, wilderness areas,” she said.
“Mountain bikers not only have the opportunity of encountering a variety of wildlife, but the route includes magnificent scenery and cultural interactions with the local communities living on the boundaries of these protected areas.”
Miss Pillay said on the first day, the tourists will enter Botswana from South Africa and spend a night at Limpopo Valley Airfield and enter Zimbabwe through a temporary border post the following day.They will spend two nights at Maramani and Fly Camps in Beitbridge district respectively and exit the country via South Africa through another temporary border post near Mapungubwe national park in that country.
It is understood that every participating tourist will pay R23,500 and bring their own bicycles while others are sponsored.
Online Reporter