Victoria falls to Cape Town: Eighteen days of pure African adventure, touring 4 countries through approximately 5000 kilometres
Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho: Starting at the iconic Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe, riding south through Botswana, South Africa and into the mountain kingdom of Lesotho before experiencing South Africa’s garden route back to Cape Town.
Riding with Charley Boorman is a once in a lifetime experience and offers participants a unique insight to a world far removed from most of us. This epic tide from Victoria Falls to Cape Town, via Lesotho includes Victoria Falls “The Smoke that Thunders” and the Victoria Falls Hotel, Botswana’s Wildlife, The Kingdom in the mountains – Lesotho, The Sani Pass, Spectacular Drakensberg Mountains, Exceptional riding through the Baviaanskloof National Park, Exciting Game drives and Whale watching, the southernmost tip of the continent – Agulhas Point, Chapman’s Peak drive, Cape Town & the Cape Peninsula – finishing as we started, in luxury at the famous Waterfront – The Victoria & Alfred Hotel.
Add the exceptional accommodation including staying at the legendary Victoria Falls hotel, evenings hearing the inside "Long Way" stories with mate Ewan McGregor then it adds up for and incredible unique ride experience through Africa
Yes its seems every man and his dog is offering the Vic Falls to Vic Falls ride these days but the following points should be considered when choosing who to ride with;
* An FGASA trained field guide to enhance your experience, (after all your in Africa, might as well know about what you looking at)
* Recent model, low km, BMW GS model bikes.
* A qualified paramedic along with a comprehensive, professional medical kit (just in case).
* 2 support vehicles with mechanical support, luggage and passenger carrying capacity.
* Outstanding 5 star accommodation and fine dining, EVERY night of the tour.
* Long list of inclusions such as game safaris, sundown cruises and wildlife encounters.
* Experiencing a stay at the wonderful Victoria Falls Hotel.
Join us for what will be an amazing ride!
Dates & Prices
At a Glance
Tour Highlights
- Riding with world-renowned motorcycle adventurer, Charley Boorman.
- FGASA Field Guide – Billy Ward.
- Victoria Falls “The Smoke that Thunders” and the Victoria Falls Hotel
- Botswana’s Wildlife
- The Kingdom in the mountains – Lesotho
- The Sani Pass
- The Spectacular Drakensberg Mountains
- Exceptional riding through the Baviaanskloof National Park
- Exciting Game drives
- Whale watching (weather permitting)
- Agulhas Point – The southern most tip of Africa
- Chapman’s Peak drive
- Cape Town & the Cape Peninsula
Included
- Airport Transfers
- Motorcycle rental – Late model, low mileage, BMWF800 GS, F800 GSA R1200 GS or R1200 GSA.
- Two support vehicles with passenger carrying ability, trailer, a spare bike, spare parts and Mechanic.
- Breakfast every day
- Dinner every evening
- 17 nights of luxury accommodation in excellent small hotels, remote African wildlife lodges & the 5-star Victoria Falls Hotel.
- Services of ride leaders (Charley Boorman and Billy Ward) and support vehicle driver (mechanic).
- Qualified FGASA Field Guide.
- Services of a qualified paramedic equipped with a comprehensive, professional medical kit.
- Pre-departure material and route maps
- Garmin GPS with pre-loaded waypoints for the tour
- Access to a satellite phone, pay per minute
- Charley Boorman / Compass Expeditions tour shirt
- Game Drive – Gondwana Reserve
- Whale and Shark spotting – Gansbaai
- Entrances to all National Parks mentioned as included in the itinerary
- Game Drive – Zuurberg Mountain Village (Addo Elephant Reserve)
Not Included
- International flights
- Visas (if required)
- Pre Tour Accommodation (We recommend that you arrive in Victoria Falls no later than the 24th of September)
- Post Tour Accommodation
- Fuel
- Tolls
- Lunches
- Personal items
- Personal travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
Upgrades
All accommodation is twin or double share, if you would like a single room there will be a single supplement: EUR 1230.00
Our motorcycles are insured and have a damage excess of US$ 1500, this amount will be held via way of a bond on your credit card for the duration of the tour.
Itinerary
Day 1: Your Victoria Falls airport transfer will take you directly to our joining hotel. Our hotel is the just a few minutes 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 starting you tour – you won't regret it.
Day 2: The day will start with an overview of your bike, we then leave Zimbabwe and head into Botswana. The border crossing is small, but can still be tedious and slow – such is the way of Africa – it’s African Time or TIA as they say! Borders are never easy, but certainly an experience!
Day 3: Long straight roads are the order of the day today. We're heading south towards the South African border post at Martins Drift.
Day 4 & 5: We continue our ride south and cross the border at Martins Drift into South Africa. Once in South Africa we'll be riding through the Waterberg Mountain Range, through Limpopo Provence. Two nights will be spent at the Irene Country Lodge allowing us to to visit the nearby Dinokeng Reserve legendary for its Big 5 game.
Day 6: Today we will cross the border into "The Kingdom in the Mountains", Lesotho, which is essentially an alpine country with an alpine climate!
Day 7: Himeville is today's destination via the renown Sani Pass and reputedly the highest pub in Africa. The route is full of adventure and although short in distance, it can take a long time to ride.
Day 8: Today we’re now heading to the only ski resort in South Africa – Tiffindell. The off road route up to the lodge can be challenging, but we have a few options on it. We’re still very close to Lesotho – just meters away from the sheep fence that separates the two countries, as our route skirts right along the southernmost border of the Kingdom.
Day 9: Leaving Tiffendell we exit via an easier gravel route to the lovely village of Rhodes. We're now heading southwest towards the coast riding through predominantly farmland tracks. Our overnight stay is Hogsback.
Day 10: We'll visit a private motorcycle collection before continuing on our journey, starting on pavement to Fort Beaufort and then gravel to Alicedale. We overnight at the Zuurburg Mountain Village and visit Addo Elephant Park where a safari has been organized.
Day 11: Leaving Addo we enjoy a breathtaking, and at times challenging, ride through the stunning Baviaanskloof National Park
Day 12 & 13: This is a spectacular day of off-roading south, via the wonderful Prince Albert Pass, to the famous seaside resort of Knysna situated on the renowned Garden Route via the . We spend 2 nights here in our boutique 5 star hotel allowing time to relax or explore the surrounds, including a wonderful motorcycle museum
Day 14: Travelling along some of South Africa's famous garden route and riding through the Western Cape, our destination is the relaxing 11,000 ha Gondwana Game Reserve where another game drive is awaiting.
Day 15: We leave Gondwana the same way we entered, but this time turning to the west at the Herbertsdale / Mossel Bay junction. Our overnight stay is in the picturesque seaside village of Arniston perched above the roaring Indian Ocean.
Day 16: Leaving Arniston we ride to the southernmost tip of the African continent, Cape Agulhas. From the Cape we continue onto Gaansbai keeping an eye out for whales and possible sharks, and the road of course, before reaching the Marine Hotel, our spectacular hotel perched high on a cliff that overlooks Walkers Bay in Hermanus. A whale watching excursion is included, weather permitting.
Day 17: Today we have a fantastic ride along the coast to Cape Town. Before we arrive at our destination we'll get the chance to get up close and personal with the cheetahs at Cornellskop. As we close in on Cape Town we'll ride the famous Chapman's Peak Drive, awesome tar and even better views. Enjoy a celebratory meal & drinks with your new mates and Charley after an amazing & unique ride experience.
Day 18: Spend some time exploring Cape Town or depart for home.
Ride Details
Ride Profile
On the more difficult sections pillions can travel in the support vehicle, space permitting.
Tour Start/End
Climate
Starting off in Zimbabwe the days will be HOT mid 30’s Celsius / mid 90’s Fahrenheit, but with little to no rain. Riding further south into South Africa the temperatures will drop to the mid 20’s Celsius / mid 70’s Fahrenheit, but with an increased chance of rain and stormy conditions as we near the coast. It will be cold in the evening and as low as 6 Celsius / 43 Fahrenheit overnight especially in Tiffendell, South Africa.Accommodation
- 17 nights of superior accommodation in luxury hotels and lodges.
- Our accommodations range from small family run hotels through to 5 star hotels.
- A flexible attitude is needed as standards are not always what we are accustomed to.
- All accommodation is on a twin share basis. If you are traveling alone we will pair you up with another solo traveler. However, if you prefer single accommodation a single supplement is available: EUR 1,230.00
Meals
- On every day of the tour we include breakfast: 17 Breakfasts
- We include mentioned dinners in reliable restaurants we have used many times before: 17 Dinners
Important Information
- All riders must have a valid motorcycle license and at least two years riding experience.
- It is a requirement that all clients have appropriate insurance for this type of expedition.
- An experienced and qualified medic will be joining us and we always carry an extensive medical kit in case of injury’s, large or small.
- 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 traveling light without the weight of any luggage to be worried about.
- Billy “Biketruck” Ward, Charley’s Manager and good friend, who has recently qualified as 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.
Bikes
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Our late model BMW GS bikes are well maintained and with low mileage. On tour with us will be a mechanic and our support vehicles have the capacity to carry a bike if required.
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BMW R1200GS
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BMW F800GS
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BMW F750GS
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BMW F850GS
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