The 2015 instalment of the five-day Nedbank Tour De Tuli, an initiative by the Children in the Wilderness, slated for this weekend is expected to attract hundreds of cyclists from across the continent.
The route traverses through three countries namely Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana, where patrons will get to experience the Tuli Game Reserve. The cyclists will be in Botswana from August 13 to 14.
They will cycle through three National Parks; the Tuli Game Reserve, the Tuli Safari Area in Zimbabwe and the Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa.
Although the main attraction is the cycling, Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) maintains that the event is not all about racing.
“The event is not a race, but a tour allowing cyclists to enjoy every moment of Africa’s allure,” BTO public relations and communications manager, Keitumetse Setlang explained.
The tour gives cyclists the opportunity to pass through Africa’s remote and beautiful areas, such as Botswana’s Tuli.
The event will feature many festivities such as game viewing as well as cultural exchange opportunities. Dignitaries expected to grace the event are the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa, Edna Molewa, BTO CEO Brian Dithebe, and Wilderness Safari’s Grant Woodrow amongst others.
Children in the Wilderness is a non-profit organisation, which is a sister to Wilderness Safaris. According to the directors of the organisation the initiative grew out of discussions around a campfire when actor Paul Newman, visited Southern Africa in 2001.
The programme bridges the divide between communities that live alongside some of Africa’s most exhilarating wild places.
The children that the officials of the programme select for camps come from communities that neighbour protected wilderness areas. Many of them have had no positive exposure to wildlife or the wilderness.
