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Africa – The Final Week
We can’t quite believe it’s here, the final week, after 4 months researching the Balkans & Africa, it’s simply too immense to put into words so a lousy blog will have to do!!!! Crossing into Zimbabwe we overnighted on the shores of the immense Lake Kariba, one of the largest man-made lakes on earth, and …
Africa – Week 8
Crossing the equator, we eventually made it into downtown Kampala, with possibly the worst traffic, outside of the Western Ring Road, in Melbourne, that I have ever seen, the joint was utter chaos. We scrambled up a dirt track, wondering where we would end up, until we reached the gates of the superb Latitude 0 …
Africa – Week 7
Leaving Mbala we drove north through the Tongwe Forest Reserve, this was the Central Africa from my distant memories of 30 years ago, a thin red dirt track that wound its way through a verdant green forest, we eventually reached the spectacularly located Hilltop Resort in Kigoma. Before retiring to the Hilltop, we couldn’t miss …
Africa – Week 5 & 6
Our research trip has been so action-packed time got away from us, add this to the fact that we are travelling in a VERY remote part of Africa with limited WIFI and we suddenly found ourselves two weeks since our last post, so here is two weeks roiled into one. Our last days in Zimbabwe …
Africa – Week 4
As I sit here, writing the next blog, overlooking the Okavongo River in Namibia where children are playing on the bank on the other side of the river, in Angola, I can’t help but be in awe at the immensity of Africa, the adventure and ever-changing experiences this epic continent provides. What feels like a …
Africa – Week 3
Winding our way south we reached the southernmost tip of the African continent and the meeting point of the Indian & Atlantic oceans at Cape L’argulhas. The seas were pounding with a huge swell, you could see a shelf, a remnant, of the Africa continent disappearing under that mighty swell, the remainder of the day …
Africa – Week 2
Whales in the morning – Elephants in the afternoon St Lucia is renowned for having hippos wander its streets, something I thought to be a bit like the myth that kangaroos bounce down the main streets in any city in Australia, but it is indeed true with the locals being surprised at my cynicism. We …
Africa – Week 1
We hit the tarmac with a thud that awoke me from my partial slumber, after an overnight flight from London to Johannesburg. It was off the plane into a taxi and over to collect the Compass Expeditions owned Toyota Landcruiser support vehicle that will be our home for the next 3 months. We are currently …
Under African skies – Cape Town to Victoria Falls Part 2
Words and Images by Mick McDonald We dragged ourselves away from the stunning Dead Valley Resort, scoffed home-made apple pies at Solitaire, crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, and reached the wild Atlantic coast by mid-afternoon, allowing us time to explore the “big smoke” again after so many nights of utter isolation. Riding further north, we …
Under African skies – Cape Town to Victoria Falls
Words and Images by Mick McDonald Finally, after too many hours on a plane we touched down in Cape Town, South Africa; those first steps down the ramp onto African soil are always ones filled with anticipation and excitement, more so as I knew exactly what we were in for, being my 3rdCharley Boorman ride …
Compass Expeditions and GS Africa – a new partnership for African Adventures
Compass Expeditions are pleased to announce our new partnership with South Africa’s premier BMW Motorcycle rental agencies – GS Africa.
Charley Boorman – Cape Town To Victoria Falls – African Adventure 2017
Charley Boorman, Billy Ward and a great group of adventurous riders and pillions departed Cape Town in overcast conditions on the 29th of August. They were headed for warmer weather and an amazing and challenging African experience. Providing logistical and mechanical support was the founder of Compass Expeditions, Mick McDonald, and our regular tour medic, …
CAIRO TO CAPE TOWN 2017 – Zimbabwe to Chobe, Botswana – CREW REPORT
The most amazing hotel we were to stay at in Zimbabwe was the lodge at the ancient ruins. This hotel is a series of lodges built into the mountain side integrating the massive granite boulders into the construction of the rooms and buildings. From here we visited the great Zimbabwe ruins. An city which was …
Cairo to Cape Town 2017 – Malawi and Mozambique – Crew Report
Relaxed and ready to roll, once again we made our way out of the traffic of Arusha and headed south. Unfortunately Mount Kilimanjaro would not show its snowy peak through the high cloud cover this time around. We passed the days on easy roads winding our way beyond Dodoma, stopping at sights like the Ismalia …
Cairo to Cape Town 2017 – Kenya – Crew Report
Our border crossing day today out of Ethiopia and into Kenya went pretty smoothly once the chaos of the Ethiopian side was behind us. The new roads in the harsh inhospitable north of Kenya made travelling a breeze and we completed our 450 km plus a border crossing in good time to set up our …
Cairo to Cape Town Expeditions 2017 – Sudan to Ethiopia – Crew Report
After our first camp night over the border into Sudan we started heading south through an ever changing desert landscape, along busy and rough roads to Karima. Here we visited the less famous pyramids of Jebel Barkal. These were walking distance from our hotel and just by the side of the road. It was refreshing …
Cairo To Cape Town 2017 – Ethiopia to Kenya – Crew Report
Ethiopia – Crossing the border from Sudan to Ethiopia took quite some time, but was relatively painless which was surprising given the ramshackle conditions of the border facilities in both countries. I think we were all a little bit sad to be leaving the hospitality of the Sudanese, but excited to be in a new country …
Rocky Creek’s Pocket Pump does the job on the road from Cairo To Cape Town!
Compass Expeditions is testing out some of the great products from the Rocky Creek Designs range on our 80-Day, 16,500km, Cairo to Cape Town Expedition. One inevitable thing when you are riding the length of Africa is sand! Many motorcyclists dread riding in sand, but with a bit of planning it can be made a …
Cairo To Cape Town – Images
Back hear at Compass Expeditions HQ……..We await news from the C2C road with anticipation. When it comes it is even better when there are pictures! Here are a selection of the shots that have come in so far.
Cairo To Cape Town 2017 – Crew Report #2
Our C2C riders are now all on the road and heading South towards their ultimate goal – Cape Town, South Africa! It took longer than expected to extract all of the bikes from the customs authorities but once that was achieved it was off to see the sights. Ride Leader Andrew takes up the tale: …
Cairo To Cape Town 2017 – Pre Departure
The Compass Expeditions Crew have been in Cairo and Alexandria for the past couple of weeks dealing with the local authorities, customs and shipping agents to have all off the red tape sorted out to be able to unload the bikes and “Truckantular”, our custom built support vehicle, released from the port and on the …
Ethiopia – Cairo to Cape Town Expedition 2015
21st October 2015 – Ethiopia has exceeded our expectations. The country is stunning, the people are very friendly and the riding is the best so far. Everyday seems to just get better with magnificent mountain passes, great twisties and terrific views. If it weren’t the endless stream of people walking along the road, it would …
2015 Cairo to Cape Town – Ethiopia
Our last day in Khartoum was spent sightseeing through some of the ancient wonders of the city. It was fascinating to learn about the rich history of Sudan. But the absolute highlight was the whirling dervishes performed during a tribal, almost trance like gathering by thousands of chanting people at sunset. This ancient ritual is …
2015 Cairo to Cape Town Part 2 – Egypt and Sudan
6 October 2015 We now are in Khartoum in Sudan after leaving Aswan in Egypt, about a week ago; it’s good to be out of Egypt and while the country has some of the most significant monuments and artifacts mankind has ever produced; such as Tutankhamen’s Tomb, Karnak Temple and of course the Pyramids, the current …