TOURS
Africa
5000k
Cape Town to Victoria Falls - 18 Days of pure adventure, riding through 4 countries - 5000 kilometres:
Riding with Charley Boorman and his good friend and qualified African Field Guide, Billy Ward, across Africa is a once in a lifetime experience and offers riders a unique insight to a world far removed from most of us. Our Cape Town to Victoria Falls epic ride includes the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa's Winelands, Cederberg Mountains, Wildflowers of Namaqualand, Fish River Canyon, Ai-Ais Hot Springs, Dunes of Namibia, Namibia's Skeleton Coast, Etosha National Park, the Himba & Herero Tribes, Chobe River Cruise, Okavango and Kwando Rivers, Game Drives, the mighty Zambezi at Victoria Falls, and that's just the start. Add the exceptional accommodation including staying at the legendary Victoria Falls Hotel, and evenings hearing the inside "Long Way Round" stories direct from Charley then it adds up for an incredibly unique ride experience through Africa.
What Differentiates our Adventure?
This is a stand out tour that is head and shoulders above similar offerings. We go out of our way to give you the adventure of a lifetime yet we are experienced enough to know that we also need to look after things and expect the unexpected - after all this is Africa - TIA. Consider the following aspects that will differentiate this tour from others:
1. You'll be riding with Charley Boorman - an international adventure presenter who arguably influenced many thousands of individuals to just get on a bike and ride. Charley is great fun and full of stories and anecdotes from his adventures with Ewan McGregor. He knows Africa well and is an awesome gravel rider. Not only will you learn about Africa, but you'll probably get a few good riding tips too.
2. Billy Ward - our lead guide is a qualified African Field Guide (FGASA) and really knows his stuff about the environment and the African wildlife. On top of that Billy (known as Biketruck) is a worldwide adventurer in his own right. Riding the Americas, North Africa and most of Southern Africa solo. Billy did the Heroes Dakar in 2007 with Hubert Auriol a Dakar director and winner of the Dakar on both motorcycle and car.
3. We have a fully qualified paramedic with a comprehensive medical kit. Our paramedic is there for the day to day ailments - not just for more serious incidents. We know we're miles from anywhere and we want you to know that we've got you covered on the safety front.
4. Two 4x4 Support Trucks fully kitted out for our adventure with mechanical support and passenger / pillion carrying capability. All your luggage is on the trucks, which means the bikes are not overloaded. Indeed, you don't have to be a motorcycle rider to join us. In fact, we can even rent you a 4x4 instead of a bike. Many other tours don't use a support truck at all - we have two!
5. Some outstanding 4 and 5-star accommodation the likes of which you'll rarely find elsewhere - The Victoria Falls Hotel, The Marine Hotel and others. We do stay in some more 'normal' lodges too - just to keep your feet on the ground!
6. A long list of inclusions such as Game Drives, River Cruises, Sundowners and Wildlife Encounters
7. Each motorcycle is generally low mileage and often no older than three years old. Each one is equipped with new tyres for your trip and a Garmin Zumo with each day's ride programmed into the device. Gone are the days when you have to race to keep up with the lunatic in front of you. Ride at YOUR pace and within YOUR capabilities. Maps are fun - we love them, but the Garmin is a clear winner together with the map on a trip such as this. You're safe in the knowledge that we're there to support you - but it's still a true adventure and you can be guaranteed that things will go wrong - This is Africa! We will work as a team when we're challenged, and you'll learn that it's the challenges you'll remember the most!
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Ride with renowned Adventurer, Charley Boorman.
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FGASA Field Guide / Adventurer – Billy Ward
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Cape Town & Cape Peninsula
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Cape of Good Hope
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The Winelands
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Cederberg Mountains
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Wildflowers of Namaqualand
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Fish River Canyon and Ai-Ais Hot Springs
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Dunes of Namibia
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Namibia’s Skeleton Coast
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Vingerklip
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Etosha National Park
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The incomparable wildlife
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The Himba & Herero Tribes Women
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Victoria Falls Hotel
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Sunset cruise on the Chobe River
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Kavango and Kwando Rivers
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The mighty Zambezi River, and Victoria Falls “The Smoke That Thunders” at the iconic Victoria Falls
Overview - Tour Highlights
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Included in Tour Price
Not included in Tour Price
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Airport Transfers
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Motorcycle rental – Late model, low mileage, BMW
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Two support vehicles with passenger-carrying ability, trailer, spare bike, spare parts and basic Mechanic
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Breakfast every day - Dinner every evening
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17 nights accommodation in excellent small hotels, African lodges & the Victoria Falls Hotel.
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Services of ride leaders (Charley Boorman and Billy Ward) and support vehicle driver (mechanic).
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Qualified FGASA Field Guide - Billy Ward
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Services of a qualified paramedic equipped with a comprehensive, professional medical kit.
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Pre-departure material and route maps
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Garmin Zumo GPS with day by day tour routes
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Charley Boorman tour shirt
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Okavango River Cruise
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Popa Falls Cruise
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Wildlife Safari Cruise – Chobe River
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Game Drive – Etosha
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Surprise - secret wildlife visit
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International flights
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Visas (if required - check your country entry requirements for each African country visited - South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe)
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Pre Tour Accommodation (We recommend that you arrive in Cape Town at least a day before the tour start date. Cape Town is an excellent place to spend a day or two exploring)
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Post Tour Accommodation (We recommend you spend at least another day or two in Victoria Falls as it's an incredible place to relax or explore after the tour)
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Fuel - We fill up once or twice per day which on average is about $20 USD per fill
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Tolls - Minimal cost
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Lunches - Usually just snacks - occasional proper meals
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Personal items
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Motorcycle helmet, boots, gloves and clothing
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Personal travel insurance - including medical and repatriation to home country
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Tips and gratuities - customs dictate about 10% tip where appropriate
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Some optional extra activities maybe offered/available
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Alcohol and other drinks - beers, wines etc.
Upgrades and Motorcycle Deposits
All accommodation is a twin or double share, if you would like a single room there will be a single room supplement to pay. There are limited Single Supplement places available due to the small number of rooms at some of the exclusive lodges. Maybe surprisingly riders report back that twinning with a room buddy really added to the trip - and lifelong friends were made.
The motorcycles are insured but have a damage excess of USD$3,000, this amount will be held as a deposit via way of a bond on your credit card or another method for the duration of the tour. At the end of the tour, any costs re damages to the bike will be taken from your deposit pro-rata. This includes the cost of having to store or ship a damaged bike back to the rental company in South Africa. This is the maximum amount you would lose in terms of bike damage and related costs. The bikes are like new and the rental company has to present them that way to the next rider - and please remember, parts are more expensive in South Africa than they are in your home country.
We advise you to pay particular attention to the condition of your motorcycle at the start of the tour during your handover inspection. A short video will be made of the handover and any damages - marks - scratches etc. recorded. If there are 'more' damages, marks or scratches at the end of the tour - these costs to repair will come out of your deposit. This is normal practice for bike and car rental companies around the world - but we make a point of emphasising this NOW! So as you're not disappointed at the end of the tour - if your bike is returned in a wheelbarrow!
Tour Itinerary
Day 1:
Your Cape Town airport transfer will take you directly to your hotel - but we hope you arrived the day before. We will get straight down to our “meet and greet” and tour briefing. Also Billy Ward will conduct a GPS familiarisation session and later it is off to collect the motorcycles. A ride back to the hotel just to get to know the bikes and then a welcome dinner - it's a busy day in Africa!
Day 2:
Leaving Cape Town’s famous Waterfront we ride along the coast to take in some of the key attractions, like Chapman’s Peak Drive and the Cape of Good Hope. We’ll then head north into the renowned wine region visiting Franschhoek. Watch out for baboons - they're watching out for you!
Day 3:
Today we will ride the superb gravel tracks through the Cederberg Mountains and then a hard/soft option for the Wuppertal loop. Both options are stunning - this is leopard country. We finish the day in Clanwilliam, a little rural African town with a bit of wild west character about it - it's certainly not Cape Town and you're not in Kansas anymore!
Day 4:
We start this morning with a long winding paved road, simply stunning - to the Englishman's grave. We will have some route options before meeting up again at remote Papkuilsfontein, we reach our destination of Springbok after a day of stunning backcountry gravel riding.
Day 5:
Today we cross the border into Namibia. Everything changes in Namibia as the temperatures increase and landscapes change dramatically. After the border, we visit wonderful Ais Ais then check-in at the superb Canyon Lodge before riding out to see Fish River Canyon.
Day 6:
Be prepared for some sandy sections today. We ride the stark beauty of the Namib Desert before stopping at the remote and welcoming germanic village of Helmeringhausen and on to a secret location. Charley and Billy are on hand for some riding instruction and tips n tricks to ride the sandy gravel. Some years it's easy and others hard - just depends on the weather through the year. It's an amazing environment.
Day 7 & 8:
It's a short ride to one of the jewels in Namibia's crown, Sossusvlei. Our lodge is set in the middle of the desert. We have a free day to rest up or enjoy the activities available; organized desert tours or visit one of the highlights of Namibia the gigantic desert dunes of Sossusvlei.
Day 9:
Although the distance doesn't appear too great, it's a full day to get to the infamous Skeleton Coast. We will ride close to the dunes of the Namib Naukluft National Park and the iconic Tropic of Capricorn sign is a must stop! A famous Charley, Ewan and Claudio iconic picture stop.
Day 10:
Today we follow the wild skeleton coast with the fresh cool mist hanging in the morning air. Our destination is one of the most dramatic rock formations in Namibia, a 35 m high pillar of rock, the Vingerklip or Finger Stone in a valley called Ugab Terraces.
Day 11 & 12:
Two nights will be spent at Etosha National Park - Etosha is teeming with wildlife and is one of the best places to spot the highly endangered black rhino. We will try to arrive early for a late afternoon game drive. The next day there's an optional dawn game drive or relax by the pool.
Day 13: Traveling north-east, the scenery becomes more and more 'African'. Tonight we’ll stay near to Rundu, a pretty crazy rural African town - it's hectic and will be out of your comfort zone but Billy and Charley are regulars here - all is well.
Day 14: A late start today as we only have a very short ride to Divundu. Riding parallel to the Okavango River we can see Angola just metres away. There will be two ride options today - along the gravel next to the busy life that surrounds the river or just parallel on the asphalt.
Day 15:
We travel through Bwabwata National Park today, so keep a lookout for wildlife, especially elephants - they're big so go around them! We'll be staying in a bush camp - it's wild and we have had lions and leopards in the camp before. You'll be escorted to your rooms - it's serious!
Day 16:
Today we cross into Botswana and stay in the famous Chobe National Park where it’s literally alive with wildlife. Seriously, they have one of the biggest groupings of elephants we've ever seen. Sometimes in the high street - which is not good for the locals. We'll enjoy a river cruise tonight.
Day 17:
Heading north now we enter into Zimbabwe through a quiet rural border post. We've been held up here before due to lions on the track. This route takes us into Victoria Falls – a magical part of Zimbabwe – where we finish our trip at ‘The Smoke that Thunders’ – the falls themselves! Our hotel, the legendary Victoria Falls Hotel, is just a few minute's walk away from the actual falls and the famous Bungee Jump over the great Zambezi river. The town of Victoria Falls sits on the border with Livingstone in Zambia and is a fabulous place to hang out for a couple of days. There are so many activities you could do, we’d recommend you plan a day or two here before flying home – you won't regret it.
Day 18: Our final breakfast. Spend some time in Victoria Falls or fly home, the choice is yours. Charley and Billy will be here for a week, preparing the bikes for the down trip - and some riders will actually sign up for both trips and help out - that's Cape Town to Cape Town! Fancy it?
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This is your day by day itinerary - it's a tried and tested way to go and we're pretty sure you'll just have an incredible experience. One thing to remember though - Africa has this saying TIA - this means "This is Africa", meaning that who knows what could happen! After all, it's an adventure and we're often in the hands of the gods or the weather. A river that we crossed for years, maybe uncrossable, a bridge that we've ridden over many times, may have disappeared, a border crossing that's normally pretty straightforward, could be a nightmare.
We need you to be on board with the fact that we're not on a fully inclusive holiday in a Mexican resort, Florida Disney complex or a trip to London to see the Queen. We're in Africa, with lions, elephants and crocodiles. We're on a continent that oozes adventure while at the same time having broken economies, challenging bureaucracies and things that eat you - and we just love it and we know you will too!
Ride Details
20% of this ride is on tar roads; some sections of the road can be potholed, twisty and narrow.
80% of this ride will be on dirt. Most dirt is hard-packed, although there are sections that can have loose gravel, be rutted and be somewhat challenging if you are an off-road novice. Some sections can be very sandy, especially in Namibia.
Some off-road experience is essential for this tour, we highly recommend that if you do not ride off-road regularly that an Off-Road Skills course would be required to develop or polish your bike handling skills before this tour. On the more difficult sections, pillions can travel in the support vehicle, space permitting. However, this is not a rally or an enduro and is well within the capabilities of any average rider. Our oldest rider was 72 yrs old - he came back three times!
Tour Start/End
Tour Start - 1st September 2022: Cape Town, South Africa
Tour End - 18th September 2022: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Climate
We ride in the cooler / drier months with daytime temperatures ranging from mid 20’s Celsius / Mid 70’s Fahrenheit in South Africa to low 30’s Celsius / high 80’s Fahrenheit further north. It can be cold in the evening, especially in the deserts of Namibia dropping to as low as 5 Celsius / 40 Fahrenheit. Very little rain should be expected although some rain should be experienced in South Africa at the beginning of the tour and where it will be chilly in the mornings. But as we ride north, we'll ride away from the rain. So the potential for rain is just the first couple of days.
Accommodation
17 nights of superior accommodation in luxury hotels and lodges - plus some more simple local hotels.
Our accommodations range from small family-run hotels to 5-star lodges.
However, a flexible attitude is needed as standards are not always what we are accustomed to - we are in Africa - TIA.
All accommodation is on a twin share basis. If you are travelling alone we will pair you up with another solo traveller. However, if you prefer single accommodation a single supplement is available but sometimes challenging due to the number of rooms available.
Accommodation
On every day of the tour, we include breakfast: 17 Breakfasts except day 18 which is departure day. On each day of the tour, we include evening dinner with the group. Usually at the hotel or lodge but occasionally at reputable restaurants that Charley and Billy have used many times.
Important Information
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All riders must have a valid motorcycle license and at least two years of riding experience.
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It is a requirement that all clients have appropriate travel insurance for this type of expedition - including repatriation.
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An experienced and qualified medic will be joining us and we carry an extensive medical kit.
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We will be utilizing two support vehicles to carry all of our luggage, equipment and other gear as well as to accommodate pillion passengers who may wish to have some time off the bike. This means that the bikes will be travelling light without luggage - YOUR LUGGAGE IS IN THE TRUCK - NO NEED FOR LUGGAGE ON THE BIKE!
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Billy “Biketruck” Ward, Charley’s Manager and friend, who is an accredited FGASA Field / Bush guide will be on hand with all sorts of information and knowledge of the region and the wildlife that we will encounter along the way. Both Charley and Billy will support you throughout the trip.
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We expect all our riders to respect local customs and the local people. We'll brief you each day and remind you to ride slowly in built-up areas and to avoid covering locals in dust and gravel. This sounds silly writing this down - but it needs to be said - we are in other cultures' back garden and we expect everyone to respect that.
