Cycle of life

This is not Peter Gostelow's first time in Zanzibar. The cyclist, who is crossing Africa to raise money to fight malaria on the continent, was here ten years ago, and denies that the place has changed much.

"Zanzibar is still beautiful. Even ten years ago there were lots of tourists. There is still lots of spirit, diversity and culture, and people are still spirited and friendly. On the surface Stone Town has changed a lot, but really it has stayed the same."

We meet in front of Mr Nutella's Zanzibar pizza stall in Stone Town's seafront Forodani Gardens. Gostelow has his trusty steed (an expertly kitted out bike) with him, and takes a Mambo t-shirt to wear during the second half of his travels.

Gostelow has had an epic journey. He started his journey in England, cycled down through France, Spain, Morocco, across the Sahara ("a long stretch of nothing"), Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, DRC Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya before hitting Tanzania - a journey of some 25,000km.

He then crossed to Zanzibar by dhow from just south of Pangani on the coast. The journey started at 4am, and some 60 or 70 people were packed onto the boat, which landed 6 hours later at Mkokotoni on the north of Zanzibar. The day Mambo meets with Gostelow, he is about to take the ferry to Pemba, despite the recent boat disaster.

It's hard to know whether to think he is being a bit gung ho, or to respect him for travelling in the same way that Zanzibaris are obliged to.

If anything, you would think Gostelow would be risk averse - his trip was put on hold for two months after he was attacked with a machete in Senegal, severing a tendon and leaving him hospitalised. He winces as he shows his scar, but he got back on his bike and holds no grudges for West Africa.

In fact, the beaches and people of Sierra Leone, once a hotspot for unrest and violence, were a highlight of his trip. Although they have sometimes scary reputations, he also identified Congo, Central African Republic and Nigeria as places that were interesting to visit as people are so inquisitive because of a scarcity of travellers visiting.

Apart from the incident in Senegal, Gostelow stresses that he has felt safe for most of his trip. He has made a point of staying off the roads at night-time, and says it has always been easy to find a place to sleep, whether camping or in someone's home. He does say that villages en route always felt safer than the towns or cities, with a sense of people watching out for you and being genuinely welcoming.

The best music, he says was in the Congo, and the best food in Morocco. His journey continues on via Pemba, mainland Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa, where his trip will end in Cape Town.

Gostelow reckons he will finish his voyage early in 2012, and is then planning to write a book about his experiences on the road.