Riders: Gareth Morgan, Jo Morgan, Dave Wallace,Brendan Keogh, Tony Armstrong, Paul Swift
Motorcycles: BMW F650 GS Dakar, BMW F650 GS
Distance: 20,756km
Countries: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, France, UK
Trip description: This trip is one of the most challenging we have undertaken and the big hurdle is having to be flexible enough to change motorcycle routes because of the uncertainties at any time over safe passage being possible through Central Africa. We have to be sufficiently flexible to be able to switch from one route to another even within a week, the volatility of the region is that high..
After travelling for two days with Noor Mangia of Mangia Enterprises from Marsabit I am certain I have met the “Last King of Kenya”. There is nothing that he can not arrange for you. After the failure of my bike on the first section of the road from hell (Isiolo to Moyale via Marsabit) I […]
The last 3 days has been tough – a 600km journey across the Kaisut desert in Northern Kenya to the border with Ethiopia at Moyale. It’s not just the road conditions – sand, scoria rocks, ruts as deep as canyons and corrugations that shake your fillings loose – but the heat of a desert making […]
Yesterday we set out early from the Kenyan wilderness town of Isiolo to try to get half way to Ethiopia a rough road of 220 km. We did 70 km with Gareth (and Floyd, a brave pillion) and me out front as we are the slowest on the rough stuff. Waiting for the others in […]
We were to head to Eldoret, Kenya today but arrived there early and had a mob situation on the main street while waiting for Gareth to get some local money and Tony getting his gloves stolen as the huge crowd surrounded us, so we decided to move on a hundred and fifty km to Nakuru. […]
Getting into this place was a bit slow as the processing of the carnets seemed to stress the revenue collector who we had to pay 32,000 Shillings to ($20 us) this had to be in local money only and the Visa of $50 US had to be paid in US $ only, but we got […]
After blowing the main suspension seal. WE did a day of 450 km and the border into Rwanda ($50 US ) so some of the group could do a visit to their relatives (AKA gorillas). We ended the day in Kigali and had a beer in the famous hotel Rwanda. Also had a visit to […]
This wasn’t on my list of “must do” in Africa but I’ve done it now. The rough roads of North Tanzania took their toll on the main suspension unit and I was left riding a pogo stick. Now how it happened, we had left Mwanza (where we had done a lot of village time with […]
Having trucked our bikes across the Serengeti to the western gates we were relieved to both find the bikes still intact after 4 days of bone jarring transit, and exhilarated to be out of safari wagons and on to familiar steeds again. But for sure the next 5o miles was a bit of a shock. […]
For long the imagery of Africa’s wildlife has been synonymous with the landscapes of the Serengeti – it’s vast savannahs, pockets of close bush and rocky outcrops. The real thing is no disappointment in that regard, either on the wildlife or the scenic count. It really is a global treasure and something that must forever […]
Saturday morning in Dar (Dar Es Salaam), time to get out of bed and complete the first service day on the bikes. The lights go out and ceiling fan stops, next the sound of a generator bursts into life. I think to myself this is obviously well rehearsed, the lights come back on but the […]
