Wild Cycling through 85 countries, Sani Pass was the scariest experience

Wild Cycling through 85 countries, Sani Pass was the scariest experience

When you have a sense of adventure like Nicolás Marino, there’s only one form of transport that will get him to the most remote regions on earth.

The bicycle has allowed the Argentinian to travel to 85 countries, across terrain that includes deserts, rainforests, savannahs and high mountain passes. Along the way he’s been charting his experiences through photography.

He’s currently touring around Africa, which is where we caught up with him to ask him more about his two-wheeled adventures.

 What are the scariest experiences you’ve had?
I camped in a massive storm on Lesotho’s Sani Pass. The sky was a web of lightning and the hail was like machine gun fire. The tent flipped over and flooded, and I just laid face down clenching my teeth and screaming in fear for about an hour until it passed.

In Kaokoland, Namibia, one of the most inhospitable environments in the world, the tracks were so bad I got lost. The place is full of active lions, and the locals said if I ended up alone that I should keep a fire going all night. One night that happened, and as I finished dinner I heard a loud growl around me, then another and another and another. There were five lions around me, calling each other. It was terrifying. The sounds were so powerful.

What’s in your kit bag?
I have everything to be self-sufficient. My essentials are an impregnated mosquito net, duct tape, a Leatherman and my camera. My luxuries are a hard drive of movies, e-books and music to match every mood.

 

Follow me on twitter at @marinonicolas

http://nicolonelytraveler.blogspot.co.za/


Adapted from http://www.redbull.com/en/bike/stories/1331787690551/interview-with-round-the-world-adventure-cyclist-nicolas-marino