生命張力的見證:非洲冒險之旅

From kayaking the Nile and mountain biking in the shadow of Kilimanjaro to exploring Africa's amazing national parks
從漂流尼羅河、勇攀乞力馬紮羅到探索非洲令人驚歎的國家公園

Kayak the Nile co-owner Sam Ward 'enjoying' the river's world class rapids
“漂流尼羅河”共同所有人山姆·沃德正在享受世界級的尼羅河急流

Kayaking, Uganda

尼羅河漂流，烏干達
Jinja, Uganda, is a town on the banks of the Nile that is gaining a reputation as the extreme sports capital of east Africa. This is, in part, thanks to the range of whitewater rapids on the nearby stretch of the river Nile. It is where Sam Ward (Team GB freestyle kayaking coach) and Emily Wall (two-time British champion) decided to set up their school, Kayak the Nile. "I have kayaked across five continents," says Emily, "yet I've chosen to call the Nile home. The whitewater we have here is unique: not only are the rapids warm and deep (with no rocks or crocodiles), but the sun shines and the water flows all year round."
烏干達城市津加坐落於尼羅河兩岸，因它“東非極限運動之都”的身份而聲名鵲起，這多少得歸功於尼羅河湍急的水流。津加是山姆·沃德（GB小組自由式漂流教練）和艾米麗·沃爾建立“漂流尼羅河”學校的地方。“我曾在五大洲漂流，”艾米麗說，“而卻我決定在尼羅河安家，這裏的急流是獨一無二的：不只因爲水流急、水溫適宜（無暗礁和鱷魚），也因爲太陽總是萬縷金光，尼羅河水四季長流。”

Expedition days start on tranquil Bujagali Lake, a large expanse of picturesque flat water, with practice runs breaking in and out of fast-moving water before finally, with much trepidation, you kayak the churning grade-three rapid that is aptly named Jaws. This stretch of the river, with its selection of grade-five and grade-six rapids (not for learners) attracts adrenaline seekers from around the world. There are a number of reasons why Uganda is an amazing place to learn to whitewater kayak: average air temperatures of around 22C (which means shorts and T-shirts, not wetsuits), dam-controlled water (meaning you get a consistent run over the rapids) and plenty of routes to try. There really is something for everyone, regardless of ability or confidence level.
旅程的起點是寧靜的布加哥利湖，寬廣平靜的水面被進出的水流打亂，然後你終於顫動地攪動的急流中開始漂流。這時的急流等級爲三，被極爲恰當地稱作“隘口”。這段河流因它部分五等級和六等級（初學者勿嘗試）的河段而吸引着大量尋求刺激的探險者。烏干達確實是一個入門漂流的好地方，原因不勝枚舉：平均氣溫22攝氏度（意味着短褲T恤就夠了，用不着保暖服）；大壩控制的水流（意味着水流全年不斷）；還有許許多多不同的路線以供探險。這裏真的是一個適合大衆漂流的地方，不論你在這方面有多少能力和自信。

乞力馬紮羅騎行，坦桑尼亞和肯尼亞

Walking up Kilimanjaro is a well-known adventure but what about cycling around it? Starting in the Chyulu hills on the Kenyan side, the route keeps the great mountain in sight while traversing the Maasai plains – red-dirt roads, termite mounds, grazing savannah animals – towards the market village of Loitokitok. It then then crosses into Tanzania and skirts the south side of the mountain, going through rainforest and banana plantations plus villages of the Chagga people.
徒步攀登乞力馬扎羅山是一種已爲衆人熟知的旅行方式，可是山地騎行呢？從凱烏魯山位於肯尼亞境內的一側開始，行程經過馬賽平原後到達集市盧圖基圖克村，一路將雄偉的山地景觀盡收眼底--紅土路，白蟻丘，還有低頭吃草的草原動物。然後你將進入坦桑尼亞，環繞山南側騎行，穿過雨林和香蕉林，途中會遇到東非村落的查加人。

Island safari, Madagascar

孤島狩獵，馬達加斯加
Based on Nosy Be, a small but busy island off the north-west coast of Madagascar, this adventure takes you by dhow or houseboat along the coast to a backwater of coral reefs, ylang-ylang plantations, lemurs, mangroves and rustic campsites. The coast is exquisite, with great snorkelling, including sightings of turtles if you're lucky. But this is not a luxury tour: nights are in simple A-frame huts. The joy is in getting off the tourist track into a timeless and a laid-back Madagascar few get to see.
諾西貝島，一個位於馬達加斯加西北海岸小而繁華的島嶼。這次探險會用帆船或遊艇帶你沿着海岸線環遊，經過珊瑚礁附近死水，依蘭依蘭植被，狐猴聚集區，紅樹林，最後到鄉野的露營地。這段海岸線很特別，適合浮潛，幸運的話還能看到海龜。但這並不是一個太過奢華的旅程，因爲晚上會被安排在簡易的非洲A型小屋。這次旅行的歡樂在於進入一個超越時間、閒散自在的馬達加斯加，這樣的旅程可是少有人有機會經歷的。

Great white shark dive, South Africa

大白鯊潛水，南非

A great white shark off Gansbaai, South Africa. Photograph: Franck Robichon/EPA
南非杭斯貝附近海域的大白鯊。攝影:弗蘭克 羅比臣/環境保護局
Cage diving with sharks has attracted bad publicity because of "chumming": filling the sea with blood and guts to attract the animals. Apex does not do that, instead using local knowledge to find the sharks. Gaansbai is the best spot to see great whites between October and January as they come looking for snacks from the 40,000-strong fur seal colony. If you've never done it, this is an adrenaline-pumping experience. You slide into the water protected by the cage, and the sharks, ever curious, mosey past. At other times of year it is better to take a boat to Seal Island – with August the peak time for spectacular breaching behaviour.
在鯊魚密集的海域“籠中潛水”吸引了不少人的眼球，這是因爲“誘餌”：在附近的海域灑滿鮮血和動物內臟來吸引海洋生物。艾佩克斯卻不這樣做，他用當地辦法來尋找鯊魚。十月和一月間，杭斯貝40000多隻皮毛海豹吸引了大量鯊魚來覓食，使這裏成了觀賞鯊魚的好去處。如果你從沒試過“籠屋潛水”，這將是一個無比刺激的經歷。你在鐵籠的保護下慢慢深入水裏，而鯊魚們懷着好奇心在你身旁慢慢遊過。而一年裏的其它時候則適合乘船到海豹島，尤其是八月繁殖季高峯來臨時候。

Walk the Rim of Africa, South Africa

行走在非洲邊緣，南非
A 372-mile trail that curls around the base of the continent, the Rim of Africa is a charitable venture that is working to connects a host of nature reserves, wildernesses and private ranches into a single world-class trail. The full hike would take 52 days, some of them quite gruelling, but there are shorter options along a route that starts in the Cederberg mountains in the west and finishes in the Eastern Cape at the Outeniqua mountains. This is proper mountain backpacking; facilities are few and far between but the rewards are immense with fabulous views, flora and fauna, and remote caves where you might come across ancient rock paintings.
372英里的小徑在非洲的底部蜿蜒，“非洲邊緣”是一個內容豐富的旅程，一條世界級別的旅遊小徑連接了自然保護區、荒野和私人牧場。整個行程將花費52天，其中的幾部分非常累人，不過也有一些較短的行程供人選擇--從西邊的錫德伯格山出發，在位於奧特尼克山的東開普終止。這段山路特別適合徒步旅行，需要攜帶的設備少，而奇趣的景觀、動植物羣和內藏遠古壁畫的 山洞一定能讓你不虛此行。

Camels in Timimoun, Algeria 提米蒙的駱駝，阿爾及利亞

Sand and shore, Algeria

沙與海岸，阿爾及利亞

Algeria is opening up as a fascinating destination for the intrepid traveller. This exploratory tour is a good introduction for the first-time visitor, covering some of the highlights of the country in a nine-day trip: the spectacular M'zab Valley with the old Roman port of Tipaza, the fascinating Berber town of Tlemcen, and Algeria's second city, Oran. There's also the capital, Algiers, which offers an engaging mix of modernity, Ottoman grandeur and colonial chic.
阿爾及利亞是勇敢的旅行者令人神往的目的地。這次探索之旅對於初遊者來說是一個很好的入門，9天的行程中包含了該國最主要的經典：壯觀的姆扎卜綠洲，提帕薩的老羅曼碼頭，特萊姆森迷人的柏柏爾鎮，還有阿爾及利亞第二大城市：奧蘭。當然，不可錯過的還有首都阿爾及爾，現代都市、土耳其風情建築和殖民地遺風在那裏交融，使得阿爾及爾更加引人入勝。

Biking the High Atlas, Morocco

阿特拉斯騎行，摩洛哥
Starting in Ouirgane, 40 miles south of Marrakech, this epic bike ride goes through a mountain landscape of stark limestone peaks and verdant valleys. The going is not easy: roads are never more than rough tracks and frequently just mule paths – in fact some stretches are unrideable and mules will carry the bikes up. But the rewards are enormous, with beautiful stone-and-adobe villages unchanged in centuries plus amazing views across the Atlas mountains.
從馬拉喀什南部40英里的烏爾幹開始，這次傳奇的騎行將經過荒涼的石灰岩山峯和翠綠的山谷。這次旅程並非輕鬆，因爲一路上幾乎都是崎嶇的野徑和羊腸小道--事實上有的路段根本不適合騎行，必須由騾子馱着自行車經過。但是本次形成也會帶來巨大的收穫：經年不變的磚坯村莊和穿越阿特拉斯山時壯麗的景觀。

On the wild side, Zimbabwe

蠻荒之地，津巴布韋
Gonarezhou national park is one of Africa's true wilderness areas, a 5,000sq km slice of rugged forests and rivers in south-east Zimbabwe. Along with neighbouring Kruger national park in South Africa and Mozambique's Limpopo national park, it forms part of the vast Greater Limpopo ecosystem. Wildlife here can be wary: the park reopened in 1994 after years of being off-limits due to war – and there's a real sense of remoteness. In the heart of the park is the Chilo Gorge Safari lodge, run by Clive Stockil, a renowned conservationist who has spent 40 years working with rhinos in the Save Valley. Walks from the lodge include a 3km trail to the Chivilila Falls, and you can spend three nights in a bush camp deep in this magical part of Africa.
戈納雷若國家公園是非洲最狂野的地區之一，位於津巴布韋東南方向5000平方公里的土地上，園內有着地勢起伏森林和湍急的河流。它與鄰近的南非克魯格國家公園和莫桑比克林波波國家公園共同形成了巨大的林波波生態系統。這裏的動物可能會很危險: 在多年因戰禍關閉後，公園於1994年重新開放，而那裏依然瀰漫着一種偏僻荒涼的氣氛。公園的中心是奇洛戈赫遊獵木屋，由知名的環境保護者克萊夫·斯托克爾運營。四十餘年的時間裏，他一直在“營救谷”自然保護中心致力保護犀牛。從住宿的地方行奇韋里拉大瀑布，又可以花上三天的時間在這塊非洲的魔幻之地來一次灌叢露營。

Meeting children in Khayelitsha township 探訪卡耶里沙的孩子們

Township Tour, Cape Town, South Africa

城鎮之旅，開普敦，南非

Founded by local men Loyiso Mfuku and Mvuyisi Mbono, this Cape Town trip will take you to a part of the city not usually seen by outsiders: the toughest of townships, Khayelitsha. Home to 400,000 people, it is a world in itself with shacks sitting right by smart new homes. It is a place filled with energy (positive and negative), and a great spot for street food, markets and restaurants. The tour also teaches you basic Xhosa language skills, takes you to a school, introduces local music as well as food and drink, and finishes with storytelling at the recycling yard.
由當地人羅伊索·穆福庫和維伊斯·穆博諾開創的“開普敦之旅”可以將你帶到這座城不爲外人知的一部分：生活最艱難的城鎮--卡耶里沙。約有400000人居住的卡耶里沙本身就是整個世界的縮影，棚戶區和智能別墅毗鄰而建。這是一個充滿能量的地方（正負能量皆有），也是地攤小吃、市場和餐廳的天堂。這次旅程也將包括教你基礎的科薩語言，帶你參觀當地學校，向你介紹當地音樂、食物和飲品，最後以在回收場地講述的故事收尾。