MBABANE – After an extraordinary three-year journey from France to South Africa, e-biker Yves de Preux – known on YouTube as Kino Yves has reached Cape Town, which was his final destination but will also extend his journey to more parts of Southern Africa.
Yves is no stranger to exploration. At 26, he toured the world before spending seven years working at sea. By the age of 35, de Preux decided to leave his job and resume his travels, writing a book about his journey and starting a YouTube channel to document the adventures to come. Yves is currently in Lesotho, with his journey from the mountainous country leading him into Eswatini and Mozambique.
In 2022, he set off on his most ambitious challenge yet – travelling from Europe to Africa on an electric recumbent trike (e-trike). Set on sharing his adventure with the world, De Preux documented his travels through 16 countries – from France to South Africa – on his YouTube channel, which has amassed over 280 000 subscribers.
His route took him from Reims, France, through the Balkans and into Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and finally, South Africa. From cycling through lion territory to navigating war-torn regions, Yves’ three-year journey has entailed a number of hair-raising moments.
One particularly tense encounter occurred while he was travelling from Gweta to Maun in Botswana, where he had a run-in with some elephants.
‘‘After a very quiet morning, I started seeing a lot of elephants drinking water close to the road.
“After successfully passing the first one, I tried to pass a second, but things went completely wrong – the elephant tried to charge me,’’ wrote Yves on his social media platforms.
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