A Tale Of Two Rainy Seasons

Nick Coe is the Content Creator on the 2024 Cape to Kili Cycling Expedition. He looks back at the tour’s time in South Africa and Namibia.

As we journeyed through our first two countries—starting in the southern tip of Africa and traveling across the Tropic of  Capricorn toward the continent’s centre—the TDA Cape to Kili group experienced some drastic changes in landscape. This section, aptly named “Mountains & Dunes,” took us from Cape Town to Windhoek.

Cederberg Mountains (L), Sossusvlei Dunes (R)

In just three weeks, we traversed the lush Cederberg Mountains of South Africa and the striking red dunes of Namibia. However, we also witnessed the remarkable differences between the spring seasons in these two countries. South Africa was emerging from its wettest winter in 60 years. It even snowed on our first day in Cape Town—on Table Mountain, no less! Many locals shared that they had never seen snow there before. Thanks to this abundant rainfall, the environment has flourished.

When I say flourished, I mean the wildflowers absolutely thrived. Northern South Africa, particularly around Namaqualand, is renowned for its stunning wildflower displays. “Sometimes the flowers bloom early, sometimes late, and we’re fortunate to see them right now. On the Tour d’Afrique, you wouldn’t find this. We come through the same towns, but during the dry season, everything is grey,” noted Tour Leader and South African native Yanez. This year, the blooms were reportedly the best the locals have seen in a long time. It was truly magical to cycle through such a unique event. “You expect to see the mountains, but the flowers—what a surprise! We were incredibly lucky to witness this bloom. The flowers simply astonished me,” marvelled one rider.

Conversely, Namibia’s rainy season has painted a starkly different picture. Immediately after crossing the border, we encountered the devastating effects of an 18-month drought. While some regions of the world  can receive 200mm of rain in a single day, like where TDA staffer Mic Pye lives in Terrace, British Columbia, Namibia is fortunate to get 100mm in an entire year. One farmer we met described the ongoing drought – “The drought from 2019-2021 was severe, and now we’re facing it again. We’ve had to downsize our cattle due to a lack of greenery and water.” The difference in the rainy seasons between these neighbouring countries has been uncanny. Cape Town got 317mm of rain in July 2024, compared to an average of 128mm  while Namibia is currently in the midst of the worst drought in 100 years.

Despite these harsh conditions, our TDA group felt incredibly fortunate to cycle through Namibia. This leg of the tour was the most challenging but the local communities were incredibly supportive, providing us with water, showers, toilets and a warm welcome on their properties.

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