Although you ride hard by day, Tour de Kruger is a charity ride to raise funds for Children in the Wilderness, not a race. Groups are arranged according to rider ability and fitness with the speed freaks and the odd professional cyclist breaking the trail and social riders like myself bring up the rear. The emphasis is on enjoying the bush, game sightings and the bush cuisine ? a legendary feature of the tour.

You can easily gain weight over the five days, despite cycling around 75 kilometres a day in the hot sun. After the first 25 to 35 kilometres of each day there?s a morning tea stop where encouraging Wilderness Safaris staff hand out copious quantities of fruitcake, muffins, hot-cross buns, biltong and sweets, as well as wetwipes, sunscreen, lube and tender loving care.

Lunch is a proper cooked meal, and then there?s another tea stop before you reach camp, where, if you?re still hungry, another cooked lunch awaits. And the spoiling continues once you?ve finished for the day, with abundant quantities of energy drinks, massage and bike repair services, hot showers, a bar and a slap-up dinner.

Mapungubwe

Day two took us through the impressive koppies of the Mapungubwe National Park. The archaeological site of Mapungubwe was discovered in 1932, unearthing a long history of human habitation in the region including the earliest recorded archaeological gold in southern Africa.

Among the human remains were golden ornaments, gold beads and wire jewellery. The most famous find was that of a single-horned golden rhinoceros. All southern African rhinos have two horns, so this find has intrigued archaeologists ? some of whom suggest that it?s a representation of a rhino from Asia, where one-horned species exist. As you ride through the park you can?t help being somewhat overawed by this incredible place.

For the second half of the day we cruised the sandy tracks of a privately owned section of the park, the Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, a De Beers property which is well stocked with big game and an integral component of the World Heritage Site.

Our camp that night was on the Limpopo River, a truly glorious setting right on the sandy cliff. We sat listening to the soothing sound of running water as we sipped our sundowners then ate out under the stars. The handful of foreign riders couldn?t believe the beauty of the African bush ? the tour had exceeded all their expectations.

The next day started with a rollercoaster ride along the river cliff ? some of the most demanding riding of the event with steep down- and uphills. The rising sun created a dappled effect in the trees and we flew along, happy, if a trifle saddle-sore. That afternoon we rode into Kruger National Park, through a back gate and into an area that visitors to the park do not see.

We were now in serious big five country. The briefing had been fierce ? stick together at all costs and keep moving. The final day through the Pafuri Concession was magnificent. We left our bikes at the tea-stop and climbed up to Lanner Gorge for a view out over the gorge cut in the Luvuvu River. The sight of the great chasm was worth every ounce of energy expended on the 6.4-kilometre sandy trail.

We rode through great forests of glowing fever trees, enjoyed the antics of baboons and saw kudu, impala, warthog as well as some great sightings of tuskers in Elephant Alley.

Our final detour was to Crooks Corner ? the point where South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique meet. We watched a breeding herd of elephant come down to the water to drink then, once they?d left, scrambled down onto the sand bank for a team photo keeping a wary eye open for crocs.

Early in the afternoon we arrived at Pafuri Camp where, in the usual slick manner to which we?d been accustomed, our bikes were taken off to be loaded onto the appropriate transfer vehicles ? back to the start in Tuli, the Wilderness offices in Joburg or, for those with flights the following evening, onto the coaches that were taking us back the next day.

Taking leave

Clean and refreshed, we lounged around the camp watching buck graze next to the raised platforms of the tented rooms and elephant drinking in the river. The event ended with a slide show and presentation and we relived the thrills and spills.

It had been a magnificent ride that had brought together people from all walks of life, united in their wish to intimately experience the African bush, to rise to the challenge of the ride and to support Children in the Wilderness. It was hard to leave ? after five days together the members of each cycling group and the support staff had become a close-knit family.

So was I mad to sign up? Well, it certainly wasn?t a walk in the park, but anyone who?s reasonably fit and with a bit of mountain-biking experience would enjoy the ride. The distances are manageable for recreational bikers, and the presence of guides and technicians means that you can seek assistance in the event of bike problems, or hop in a back-up vehicle if you?ve had enough for the day.

The organisers go out of their way to make your life as easy and as much fun as possible. But for all that it?s a challenging ride, largely along fairly straightforward single track or dirt road with a few more tricky sections to amuse the downhill addicts ? most of which I walked, and felt no shame.

What makes the ride really special is the opportunity to journey through bits of the reserves that most visitors never see. You can help but feel privileged that these areas have been opened up for the tour to come through. Makes me want to get on my bike again.

Tour de Tuli 2009

Next year Children in the Wilderness are launching The Tour de Tuli -Mapungubwe Route. This, their fifth mountain bike event, will be roughly 300 kilometres of largely single-track riding through Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa taking riders through three national parks.

There are two dates, 3-8 and 4-9 August 2009, with entry fees again benefiting the Children in the Wilderness Programme. To register visit www.tourdetuli.com.

Useful links

• Tour de Tuli
• Children in the Wilderness
• Wilderness Safaris
• Kruger National Park