Expedition Africa
Expedition Africa Ends on a High Note
Swaziland Tourism / 15.06.2015
This year’s edition of Expedition Africa which, for the first time, was held in the Kingdom of Swaziland, has ended on a high note, amid pomp and fanfare.
Expedition Africa has been around for the past eight years, and is part of the prestigious Adventure Race World Series.
Countries that have already hosted similar events this year are Spain and Chile, while Australia is set to host a similar event this August. The ultimate championships will be held in Brazil this coming November. Prior to Swaziland hosting the African edition this year, all previous ones were held in South Africa.
Teams, volunteers, and international media who were part of Expedition Africa 2015 over the past seven days, were bade farewell by tourism and environmental affairs minister, Jabulani Mabuza, during a prize presentation ceremony held at the Royal Swazi Spa Valley last night.
The minister described yesterday’s occasion as momentous, as Swaziland was celebrating its successful hosting of Africa’s biggest adventure outing.
Mabuza went on to extend his gratitude to the organisers of the event, Stephen and Heidi Muller of Kinetic Gear, for their unwavering zeal and commitment which, he said, contributed to the success of the event. Mabuza said before and during the event, the Mullers gave attention to even the minutest logistical detail, resulting in the event’s seamless flow.
Mabuza went on to appreciate the Swaziland Tourism Authority (STA) whom he said played a central and facilitative role in ensuring that the country was ready to host the event. Not only did the country show its readiness, but also demonstrated its undisputable capability and capacity in hosting events of such magnitude.
The minister said Expedition Africa 2013 could not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of what he referred to as ‘esteemed sponsors’. He said the sponsors pooled their resources together and worked tirelessly in making Expedition Africa 2015 a resounding success.
Some of the sponsors included the Swaziland Tourism Authority, Swaziland National Trust Commission, The Kingdom of Swaziland’s Big Game Parks, Swazi Trails Adventure, Royal Swazi Spa Valley, Tum’s Group, In the Woods, Ngwenya Glass, Maguga Lodge, Petzl, First Ascent, Mitchum, PowerTraveller, Ford/Action Motor Group, View Point Info Centre, and Sibebe Premium Lager.
Turning to the teams which competed in the 450km adventure race, the minister said he was certain that they discovered that Swaziland was an adventurer’s paradise, endowed with numerous daring and enthralling exploits, in spite of its small size geographically.
He commended the teams for sampling the county’s trails, rivers, mountains, roads, and caves. Having granted the teams an unrestricted access to the country’s amazing and extraordinary places along their route, Mabuza said he hoped they enjoyed going through some of the country’s heritage sites. Mabuza revealed to the visitors that Swaziland remained among few African countries that maintained their culture. He described the Swazi culture and traditions as pure and unadulterated. He went on to say Swazi’s hospitality is unrivalled.
Meanwhile, tourism minister went on to challenge all the teams to be ambassadors of Swaziland tourism back in their respective home countries. He implored them to tell their people about the country’s amazing scenery, breath-taking and undulating terrain, its friendly people, rich cuisine, and Swazis’ authentic culture and cultural practices.
Of the 25 teams that competed, Merrell Adventure Addicts, a team that came from neighbouring South Africa won the race. Merrell Adventure Addicts team was made up of Graham Bird, Robyn Kime, Grant Ross, and Donovan Sims. Minister Mabuza congratulate the winners, and contended that not only had they conquered Expedition Africa 2015, but they inspired more people to pursue love for the outdoors, adventure, and become soul searchers through connecting to the nature.
Countries that participated in Expedition Africa 2015 were South Africa, United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Canada, Israel, Estonia, United States of America, and New Caledonia.
The event was live-tracked on the website www.kineticgear.org.
The minister invited the visitors to consider coming back to the country for personal or organised tours, and assured them that Swaziland was a land of endless adventure, leisure, entertainment, and great cuisine. He said the country was generally safe and secure.
Mabuza concluded by proposing that the Kingdom of Swaziland be considered for hosting the ultimate Adventure Racing World Series championships in the future. He said government was prepared to meet all the bidding requirements for hosting such a grand adventure showpiece. As stated, this year’s world championships are scheduled for Brazil, in South America.
Expedition Africa 2015 will surely go into the history books as yet another success story for Swaziland.
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