Father and son’s Africa adventure

A FATHER and son from Henley have completed a 100km cycle across Tanzania and attempted to climb Africa’s fifth-highest mountain.

Marco Barcella was joined by his son Raffi, 10, from Badgemore Primary School, in attempting to summit Mount Meru in north Tanzania which stands at 4,562m last Thursday.

They started the challenge on Sunday, August 3, by cycling through the remote Maasai plains which took them two days before they travelled to the base of Mount Meru with temperatures reaching 32C.

The duo were raising money for Badgemore Primary School to contribute towards the construction of a new outdoor bespoke play space which has been designed by Kaley Hayes, of Early Years Pro Solutions and Matt McKinnon, of Playball Henley.

They were accompanied by a guide on both the cycle ride and mountain climb and porters carried their food and equipment and first aid supplies.

During the cycle, the pair stayed at a Masaai village in Osiligilai in basic accommodation.

After reaching the base of Mount Meru, they walked about 10km, before completing a further 25km and 10km on days four and five of the challenge.

They stopped at two camps, firstly Miriakamba huts camp, on the north-eastern side of the mountain just a few hours from the Momela gate.

They then hiked to Saddle huts camp, which is located along the Morella route which serves climbers before they make the final leg to the summit. On the final day, they woke up at 11pm to make their final ascent at midnight. However, due to Raffi experiencing altitude sickness, they were forced to turn back just 200m before reaching the top.

Temperatures on their final ascent got to as low as -10C and they were required to wear five layers, hats and gloves to keep warm.

During the cycle challenge, they encountered zebra, baboons and other monkey species while they were shown Maasai traditions including hunting techniques by villagers.

Raffi, who is going into year 6, said: “I was happy to get to where we did but also I would have liked to get to the top.

“I felt really dizzy and I couldn’t really walk [because I felt unwell].

“I hadn’t had much sleep and we were walking for four or five hours but I was proud to get that far.”

Raffi said he enjoyed spotting wildlife along the way and watching villagers take part in a spear competition. He said: “They were chucking five kilo spears from 20 metres and hitting a target.

“On the cycle, it was quite bumpy and there were uphills and downhills, plus there were bits which were really sandy so we couldn’t cycle through it and they had to be pushed.

“At one point, we were cycling down a road and around the corner, we saw a giraffe standing in the middle of the road. I was quite surprised at how close to the road they were.”

Raffi and Mr Barcella had to drink about three litres of water to stay hydrated while they enjoyed traditional meals including curry and soups.

Mr Barcella, who is founder of media company the Creative, said: “We walked through the dark in the freezing cold until 5am on the final day.

“Within 200m of reaching the summit, I decided to turn back because Raffi was exhausted and was starting to develop symptoms of altitude sickness. It was very tough. We were probably just 90 minutes from reaching the top.”

Raffi, who plays for AFC Henley U11s, decided on the challenge with Mr Barcella for his 10th birthday.

Mr Barcella added that the cycle was particularly tough because of the difficult terrain. He said: “There were lots of sections which were 10km to 15km long of very rocky, rough terrain so it was quite technical and then it was hot, African sun and strong headwinds which added to the challenge of it.

“The overwhelming feeling for me, to complete this together was pride.

“I think he’d achieved something that very few kids will ever, ever do and I watched how hard he had pushed himself on every single stage of that trip which is testament to his character.”

They celebrated their achievement by going on a safari at the Ngorongoro Crater.