On a bicycle across the Sahara and beyond

A report from a journey through Africa in 1980.

I travelled for over 28 months –

From 20th of June 1979 until the end of October 1981.

I started with a three month visit to North America.

I hitchhiked from New York, across Canada, all the way past the Arctic Circle, to Taktoyaktuk by the Beaufort Sea, and then to Alaska. I took a flight from Anchorage to Seattle and hitchhiked again from there, across Canada, back to New York.

I returned to Europe but didn’t board the flight destined for Warsaw in Frankfurt. Instead, I hitchhiked to the Netherlands via West Germany, East Germany and Denmark. I spent three months in Rotterdam, preparing for a bicycle journey around Africa.

During the eleven-month long return journey from Africa to Poland, I worked in Greece, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

In Africa, I cycled 10,500 km.

I set off from Algiers and reached Kenya via Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Uganda.

Additionally, I covered over 4,300 km using public transport and cars while following this route.

On my way back to Cairo from the Kenyan-Ugandan border, I covered about 7,200 km, travelling by truck, train, boat and bus.

Cumulatively, between 9th of January and 2nd of December 1980, I covered over 22,000 km in Africa, using various means of transport.

Jacek Herman-Iżycki