The idea of the
Lubombo Transfrontier mountain bike route started at the Rural Health
conference in
2013 at St Lucia, KZN when Steve, myself, Maryke ( a physio at Manguzi
hospital) and Jono started talking. The proposed MTB route was to cycle from
Swaziland all along the Lubombo mountain range across the border into northern
KZN in SA. Jono and Helen Pons lives in Siteki on Mabuda farm on the Lubombo
mountain range in the Swaziland. Steve and Janet Reid worked for ten years at
Bethesda Hospital in Ubombo in KwaZuluNatal also on the Lubombos. Jono is part
of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservancy initiative. The Lubombo Mountains are
shared by Swaziland, Mozambique and South Africa along a narrow range about
800km in length with an average elevation of 600 meters. The region is a
recognized global biodiversity hotspot.
Steve, Janet and I left
Cape Town by plane Saturday morning with our bikes to Durban where we rented a
4x4 double cab. We planned to spend the night at Edwaleni, the Reid's house on
the Lubombo near Ubombo. On the way we stopped to stock up on food for the trip
at Ballito. At Mkuze we turned off the N2 on the mountain pass that takes us
onto the Lubombo mountains to Ubombo and then another 4kms to Edwaleni ( on the
rock) just in time to enjoy the beautiful view from the mountain over the
Makhatini flats with the Mkuze river snaking through the Lubombo mountain.
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| Steve on the stoep of Edwaleni |
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| The Mkuze River from the stoep |
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