Walking the South African coastline for a cause
Ian and Leanne Louw are walking to identify and document the effects Covid-19 has had on the tourism and hospitality industry.
Ian and Leanne Louw from Munster are walking to the border of Namibia in protest against the destruction seismic blasting can have on coastal ecology.
The couple, who have been married for 31 years, are also walking to identify and document the effects Covid-19 has had on the tourism and hospitality industry.
The husband and wife team in their fifties set out on foot on February 23, from Ponto da Ouro in Mozambique, with the goal of reaching Alexander Bay on the west coast, on the Namibian border by the end of the year.
They walk an average of 20km a day.
They have rest a day after walking which involves getting footage of where they have stayed to promote the tourism industry.
“We are having fun, some days are tough, however we find the good in it,” added Leanne.
The Louws were inspired by Damian Honneysett and Damien Laird, who walked along the South African coastline from Mozambique to Namibia, just under 3000km, in 90 days, to set an unofficial world record.
They had an opportunity to walk a small stretch with them last year when they did a tiny four-day practice run, along Transkei beaches from the Wild Coast Sun to Port St Johns, walking a total of 153,000 steps.
Some of their favourite stand-out experiences along the way so far, include seeing loggerhead and leatherback turtles hatching and working their way down to the ocean at Bhanga Nek in Khosi Bay, and snorkelling with the yellow/blue snappers at Sodwana Bay in the deep blue ocean.
Leanne said they met the most amazing couple, Roberto and Bernie in Kosi Bay at their start base.
“They offered us a home stay in Richards Bay and then we arrived in Blythedale, they surprised us by writing Africanna Walks ZA Coast in the sand and hid away in the sand dunes and jumped out shouting,” said Leanne.
Their most daunting experience so far, was when a taxi driver dropped them some 10km in the wrong direction.
However within minutes a local flagged down a taxi and made sure they were on the right taxi to St Lucia.
In a nutshell, Leanne said they ‘walk for nature in nature with nature’.
Follow their journey on Facebook @africannawalkszacoast and on channel: Africanna Walks.
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