Its official the 2010 Tour De Tuli Mapungubwe is on and the excitement is even bigger and better than last year. This is evidenced by the number of participants who number not less than 600 as compared to last year's 300 cyclists. The figure 600 excludes support staff so picture what the venue will be like if the support staff is added to the figure. Local and international media who graced last year's occasion are also expected to take part in this year's event. The event has already generated a lot of interest from the local media who missed out on last year's edition but are vowing not to miss out this year.

The Tour De Tuli Mapungubwe 2010 which Zimbabwe is hosting in one of its six Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs)-THE GREATER MAPUNGUBWE TFCAs, formerly known as the Limpopo-Shashe TFCA.This TFCA is a trilateral collaborative initiative involving Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In his speech during the launch of the second edition of the Tour De Tuli Mapungubwe 2010, Enviroment and Natural Resources Management Minister cde Francis Nhema said the doubling of the number of participants means there has been an overwhelming public response to the noble event which seeks to promote tourism whilst promoting conservation ethics in children through programmes run by CIT.

He added that the event is not a race but a ride allowing cyclists and journalists an incredible and rare opportunity of really appreciating the country's wilderness areas by riding through wonderful wild areas and scenic countryside that they normally can't access. Hon Nhema stressed that the chosen route will guarantee excellent opportunities for game viewing, a rich ancestral and colonial history as well as a vibrant cultural heritage.

Like the previous episode, the Tour De Tuli Mapungubwe cycle/mountain bike expedition, will traverse three different countries Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa and three National Parks namely Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Tuli Circle Safari Area and Mapungubwe National Park. In addition, the route in Zimbabwe will traverse an area west of Beitbridge, through the Maramani Communal Lands and Sentinel Ranch (which is home to fossilized remains and footprints of a dinosaur that lived over 200 million years ago, as well as grain bin shelters from the Late Iron Age people of the Limpopo Valley from over 150 years back.
Both groups will spend their first night at a campsite near Tuli before proceeding the following morning through Maramani Communal Lands to Sentinel Ranch for their second night stopover. On their final days, the 7th and 8th of August 2010,each group will cycle in Sentinel Ranch before crossing the Limpopo River over to Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa.

Click here for a route map for the event.

Honorable Nhema invited stakeholders, particularly from the private sector, to come and partner with the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority so that they can have their won promotional events in the country's TFCAs where the benefits will be felt beyond the country's borders.

Tour De Tuli Mapungubwe 2010 will be running under the theme "USING ADVENTURE TO BUILD A BETTER TOMMORROW".