Anniversary for Wiebke Lühmann: "The reason to keep driving is the same reason I set off"

Wiebke Lühmann is currently in Porto Amboim on the Atlantic coast of Angola, around 300 kilometres south of the capital Luanda.

In the The last update on Wiebke's "Road to Cape Town" was about a farewellbecause her travelling companion Julien Soleil, with whom she had been travelling for weeks, has left. A lot has changed in the meantime. But from the beginning. Today, Wiebke Lühmann has been travelling for exactly one year. She doesn't want to set a record, she set off to feel free and alive and to learn more about the world.

Wiebke Lühmann's journey so far to read up on

>> Here we go

>> Wiebke reaches Africa

>> Cycling through the Sahara

>> An interview with Wiebke Lühmann

>> Farewell to travelling companion Julien

On the road for a year

Wiebke Lühmann left Freiburg on 3 October 2023. "When I look back now, the start was really tough," she says. In the meantime, she has found her rhythm on the road. She has also experienced many highs and lows during the year and is looking forward to the end of the journey, which seems very close on the one hand, but almost surreal on the other.

From the outside, it may sound like a holiday: a year of cycling. But the reality is different. The words Wiebke herself chose probably describe it best:

Travelling again and again and being in new places takes a lot of strength and patience. The continent is so much bigger than I had imagined and the journey is damn far. It also means saying goodbye to people I meet along the way and missing out on a lot of things - especially events at home. - Wiebke Lühmann

Then there are all kinds of organisational tasks and work. Unsurprisingly, at one point, all of the memories were empty, the second major low point.

The biggest low point of the trip

"I had reached the second major low point of the journey in the Republic of Congo. It was deeper and stronger than the first one in Liberia. All the countries with complicated visa applications had been overcome, but I was overwhelmed by the many impressions of the last few months and the distance to Cape Town still seemed unreachable. I couldn't enjoy it any more and was longing for a break." This longing for a break, the many impressions that had to be processed and the homesickness were three reasons that made Wiebke Lühmann consider interrupting the trip at this point, flying home, taking a holiday from the trip and continuing later.

Let's continue

But Wiebke stayed put. She took a much-needed break. At the same time, her travelling companion Julien, who had been back on the trip for some time, had food poisoning or something similar and also needed a few days in the same place to recover. Wiebke found a monastery with a cosy guest house for the break. There she caught up on a lot of sleep, ate a balanced diet and took it easy. A few days without Instagram, without cycling, without packing every day. After that, she found it easier to sort out her thoughts, categorise her feelings, plan the next few weeks and regain her courage. Nevertheless, the decision was anything but easy.

The reason to keep travelling is the same reason I set off: to feel alive and free. I had this dream of crossing Africa and now I'm so close to completing it. Nobody can take that away from me later. - Wiebke Lühmann

Return of a travelling companion

Wiebke Lühmann and Julien Soleil initially met by chance, somewhere in the Sahara. Then they travelled together. In May, Julien decided to fly back to Paris from Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, to continue his journey elsewhere. He was done with West Africa and wanted to see something else. He was particularly disappointed that there were very few wild animals to be found in the west, which he is usually passionate about. In addition, the almost unbearably hot climate and the relatively broad monotony along the equator also influenced his decision.

But after two weeks back home, when everyday life at home had returned, the desire for adventure tingled again. Wiebke's reports from Ghana and Togo also contributed to this, as did the fact that we were travelling to Central Africa. In terms of scenery, the monotony should be over and the landscapes should offer plenty of variety again.

And so it came as it had to. Four weeks after his departure, Julien flew back to Africa. To Togo to be precise, where Wiebke was waiting for him for a week with a lovely host family. And he will stay until the end. He made this decision at some point in Nigeria or Cameroon.

Time pressure

"I didn't realise that it would be so difficult and stressful to cycle through countries like Nigeria, Cameroon and Congo in the time allowed by the visas (30 days). That was additional time stress that I didn't really need."

Three bikepacking tips from Wiebke Lühmann

1. Be open, start small and put the fun in the foreground
2. Don't compare yourself with anyone or any numbers
3. Try different things and trust the process. There is no perfect setup or "one way".

Announced visit

Finally, I asked Wiebke Lühmann what else should be mentioned. She emphasises her excitement about the next stages and also about the visitors she is expecting. Fabienne Engel will be joining us in Namibia with her camera equipment and will be travelling with us in the car. I myself will be travelling to South Africa to accompany Wiebke on the last few kilometres. "All's well that ends well," writes Wiebke Lühmann.