Cycling The Globe

A Cycle Touring Expedition Around The World

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Day 2019 – 2023: Jakobsen Beach, Kigoma

Posted by Thomas Andersen Posted on May - 27 - 2016

Jakobsen is a common Scandinavian name, so when I heard there was a place called Jakobsen Beach outside of Kigoma I obviously had to visit. I’m glad I did, not so much because of the name, but because the place is absolutely stunning.

Run by a retired Norwegian couple, Jakobsen Beach is indeed a little peace of Paradise. After the hard ride through the remote western Tanzania, it felt pretty good to sit down in that chair and relax a little 🙂

I’m passing the big African lakes, starting with Lake Malawi and now Lake Tanganyika. The final one will be the famous Lake Victoria in a couple of weeks.

One day I was walking towards the beach when some kind of insect got caught in my left shoe and bit. I’m normally not too fussy with these things, but when the swelling was still getting worse after 24 hours I thought I should perhaps see a doctor. I had talked a bit with the owner of the local bakery (the only place in town that sells ice cream!). When I asked Feisal for directions to a hospital, he immediately said he would drive me to their family doctor right away.

After a consultation and a couple of antibiotic shots, I wasn’t even allowed to pay anything even though I tried pretty hard! Isn’t that quite amazing from a guy I had only bought a couple of ice creams from? I might miss a few highlights in Tanzania like Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro, but I have seen the true beauty of the country 🙂 Oh, and the swelling is already coming down.

With 10000 km to go, I feel I have entered the final stage of this little bike ride, and in some ways I’m looking forward to return to a more stable life style. At the same time I’m also very well aware that once I return I will miss the freedom and the simplicity of life on the road for the rest of my life…

After asking around for most of a day it turned out that it’s no longer possible to obtain a visa for Burundi in Kigoma. I learned that things have taken a turn for the worse during the last months and that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to go there at the moment. There is a road that goes for Kigoma directly to Rwanda, but it’s supposed to be rough and remote.

Oh well, looks like I will be back on dirt tomorrow!

Categories: Tanzania
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2 Responses so far.

  1. What a fantastic looking place! What a reward after several days of hard riding!

  2. Wenzel Srb says:

    Man, I really love your posts. I read most of your stuff on fb, but don’t visit your website everytime – a huge mistake I gotta say.

    Keep up the post…loved this one with the beach shots. If possible, post a bit more about the local food you’re eating there – well as long as it’s interesting/exotic! 🙂

    Greetings from Germany