Riding from Cape Town in South Africa, across Namibia and Botswana to finish at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe on the border of Zambia….
Wildlife – we'll stay in some beautiful safari lodges and go in search of the elusive desert elephant and rhino!
Excellent & varied accommodation - from start to finish, you'll be blown away by the standard and variety of the lodges, luxury tented camps and private houses.
Visit an incredible 4 countries in just one holiday. Each as stunning as they are different from one another. Passports at the ready!
Visit the mighty Victoria Falls also known as the Smoke that Thunders! Surely this is on everyone’s ‘to-do’ list?
Riding from Cape Town in South Africa, across Namibia and Botswana to finish at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe on the border of Zambia. This is a truly special motorcycle adventure that will cause you to completely fall in love with Southern Africa, it’s people, it’s wildlife, it’s scenery, it’s food and of course, it’s riding!
This motorcycle tour ticks all of the boxes. You’ll ride coastal roads out of Cape Town. You’ll ride over mountain passes. You’ll ride alongside (big) wild animals. You’ll stay in some seriously cool & unique accommodation and stay in safari tents under the most epic star filled skies. You’ll sip cold G&Ts while watching the sun set over the Fish River Canyon. You’ll go on boat safaris, 4×4 game drives and even fly over the Okavango Delta. Finally, you’ll witness the ‘Smoke That Thunders’ as you reach the finish line at Victoria Falls.
As motorcycle adventures go, this is surely one of the World’s greatest!
Touching down in South Africa, you’ll be met at Cape Town International Airport and transferred directly to your waterfront hotel. Once you’ve checked in you’ll have a chance to kick back and relax by the pool overlooking the ocean. In the afternoon we’ll gather all the riders to meet the team, hand out the goody bags and give you a full briefing of the ride ahead.
We’ll collect the motorcycles before venturing over to the V&A Waterfront for a welcome dinner & drinks overlooking the harbour.
Please note that the contract for the motorcycle rental is between you and the motorcycle rental company, not Ride Expeditions. The motorcycles have an insurance excess of approx £1000 – £1800 (depending on the model) and the rental company will require this amount to either be paid as a deposit or held on your card as a security against damage/loss. Please contact us if you require any further information.
Today the adventure really begins! Throw your leg over, thumb the starter and twist the throttle as we begin the epic two week journey from Cape Town to Victoria Falls.
Starting with a bang, we quickly reach the world famous Chapman’s Peak Drive – surely one of the most stunning coastal roads you’ll ever ride – and cruise down to the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula.
After the obligatory group photo, we turn north and head for Simon’s Town where we’ll stop at Boulder’s Beach for lunch and to visit the local penguin colony.
From here we ride through the ridiculously beautiful Rooi Els, stop for a quick drink at Peregrine Farmstall and finally over Franschhoek Pass to arrive at our accommodation in Franschhoek.
As first riding days go, this one knocks it out of the park!
Departing early, we’ll head off on a beautiful little road between Franschhoek & Paarl through to Wellington. Just outside of Wellington there’s a really cool little ‘coffee shop’ in a Canola field where we’ll stop off to gather the troops and have a mid-morning coffee break.
From there, we’ve got a few little back roads and the stunning Middleberg Pass before heading through to Clanwilliam where we’ll stop off at the dam at a beautiful little viewpoint. Then we’ve got a good stretch of easy riding to get to lunch at the little oasis that is Letsatsi Lodge in Vanrhynsdorp.
After lunch we’ll be leaving civilisation behind as we head towards our guest farm for the evening. We’ve got some proper open & fast riding and we’ll arrive at our destination in the late afternoon. We’ll finish the day with sundowners on the stoop, before dinner & our last night in South Africa!
Today we venture into Namibia!
Leaving the guest farm early, we’ll head for the border – about an hour’s ride away – passing through a nice little canyon en route. Once stamped out of South Africa, we pass over the Orange River and into Namibia. Hurrah!
We’ll stop at a viewpoint at Grunau and take it all in. This area is home to some date farms, the best of the crop being exported to the UAE… But what happens to the misshapen, ugly dates I hear you ask? Well they get sent to a local distillery which uses them to make gins and brandys! It would be rude not to stop and sample their wares, however go easy as we still have 65kms of riding to go… Maybe grab a bottle for later!
The route from the distillery to reach the Canyon Road house is easy riding along some stunning, open straight gravel roads… Ok ok, this trip is supposed to be ‘road-only’, right? Never fear, if you do not want to ride the gravel road we’ll arrange for a 4×4 to collect you from the tarmac and we’ll load your bike onto our trailer.
Cold beers & bar snacks await us as we reach our accommodation and after we are all checked in we will take a short drive up to the Fish River Canyon viewpoint (the drive to the viewpoint goes through the Gondwana Nature Park and we may see some wild game en route). Here we will enjoy some sundowners (where’s that bottle of gin?!) at the look out point before heading home to enjoy the accommodation… It’s a quirky place full of old cars and a characterful bar. We’ll spend an enjoyable evening having dinner and relaxing around the fireplace.
Departing the accommodation, we’ll hit the highway and head straight on up to Keetmanshoop for a drink’s break and then make our way up to Mariental. Sit back, relax & just keep the throttle open. We’ve got an al fresco lunch planned for today so don’t forget your suncream.
Today has less of a wow factor when it comes to the riding & scenery but this gives you the chance to relax on the bike as we make sure to arrive at our accommodation in good time – the lodge and it’s surroundings is the most definitely the highlight of the day! There is about 3km of gravelly, sandy stuff so we’ll park the bikes at the gate and grab a lift to reception.
After so many miles in the past four days, you’ll certainly enjoy having some time to relax and just take in our surroundings. It’s a stunning lodge to kick back, have a dip in the pool or grab a drink at the bar. There are a number of different trails if you fancy taking a walk and there is some wild game about so you may be able to spot some big animals en route.
As always we’ve got a stunning dinner lined up for you followed by a campfire – the perfect way to while away the evening.
With a decent amount of KMs under our belts, we can enjoy a slower start today. Sleep in or grab a morning swim before we enjoy a relaxed breakfast at around 9am. Today we have about 3 hours of riding on open, fast tar roads. We will enjoy another picnic lunch today at a pretty viewpoint en route to the capital of Namibia, Windhoek.
We have another incredible lodge today and this one is certainly all about the big game. Relax at the stunning safari accommodation and take in the view. Later in the afternoon we will all head out for a game drive, before returning to the lodge for dinner and a roaring fire.
It’s a wonderfully relaxed day before things click up a gear tomorrow!
This is a seriously cool day – from both a riding and scenery point of view, things really step up a notch! Every day from here just gets better and better.
We shan’t hang around in the morning as it’s a longish day and we’ll want some spare time to jump off the bike in the smaller towns and experience the African craft markets, gemstone markets and gorgeous little coffee shops.
We’ll hop on the highway to begin and after about 100km we’ll reach Okahandja. There is a cool little coffee shop and biltong stand, so we’ll stop here for our first drink stop of the day. Right across the road is an African market which is well worth a visit.
The vegetation changes quite a bit from Windhoek onwards so as we head to Otjiwarongo keep your eyes peeled for game while you ride! We will start to see more wildlife from now on, such as kudu and eland, zebra & giraffes.
From there we will continue riding until we reach Outjo, where we’ll stop for lunch at the German bakery and you can explore the local craft market as well as a gemstone traders.
The next little stretch of road will take us to Etosha Safari Camp. It’s nice riding, the road narrows and again there is a lot more game to be spotted grazing along the side of the road.
Once we have checked in we will get transferred from the camp where we are staying, to the main lodge. They’ve got a ridiculously beautiful deck with amazing views and it’s the perfect spot for some sundowners.
Dinner will be at the camp restaurant. Here they have an African ‘shebeen’ style bar with live music every night. It’ll certainly be a really fun evening with a cool vibe.
A day off the bikes today as we swap motorcycles for 4x4s (we’re not allowed to ride through the park, so these will be magically transported for you). We have planned a game drive for you through the park, ending at simply the most stunning lodge – it’s truly phenomenal!
The drive through the park is around 200km almost all on gravel and you will get the chance to spot elephants, rhino, lion and loads of other game!
On arrival at the lodge, you will have time to relax at the bar or in your own private splash pools outside your room. This lodge is beautiful and just made for relaxation. If you’ve not had enough nature for one day you can also go for a 15:00 – 18:00 private watering hole game viewing.
After a delicious dinner we can sit around the fire in the beautiful boma inside the restaurant… We love this place!
Today is a cracker! We have 530km to cover on beautiful tar roads… Although before we reach the tar we have 20km of gravel. This section is just brilliant and passes through open salt flats where we’ll stop off at the ‘salt fountain’ en route. (Again, if you’re not comfortable riding on anything other than tarmac, we’ll make arrangements – it’s no problem!).
Onto the tarmac, it’s time to chew through some miles with some proper riding. We’ll ride down to a little town called Tsumeb and from there it’s along a beautiful new, pothole free road to the Angola/Namibia border road.
The roads from here are mostly good but there aren’t any fences so, as well as potholes, you need to keep an eye out for loose farm/game animals and of course wild elephants. There are lots of elephant warning signs everywhere so you can’t forget! You will really get a sense of remoteness today – some beautiful stretches of forest, thorn bushes & dense vegetation.
We’ll slow down for the last 100km stretch along the border of Angola as there are more locals and farm animals milling about by the roads. The small village along the way has some beautiful African homesteads, mud huts and kraals. There are some wild lions that migrate through the area too, as well as the elephants, so the kraals are built to try and keep them at bay!
Another stunning deck at tonight’s accommodation overlooking the Cubango river – you guessed it – perfect for sundowners (we’re not alcoholics, honest – but some views are just better with a cold beer or G&T in hand… And there just happens to be lots of those views on this trip!). There is also a cultural living museum within walking distance for those that are interested.
Once we’re all suitably relaxed we’ll hop on a river boat for a sunset cruise before dinner… The African sunset on the Angola border is certainly something to experience!
FULL THROTTLE THROUGH THE CAPRIVI!
Ok, so maybe not full throttle but open roads are the theme for today! We’ll grab breakfast around 8am and then make our way back to the tar road. The roads are pretty good (with just a couple of pothole sections) and about as straight as you can possibly get.
Keep an eye out for elephants and some smaller game as we ride through an area called ‘Buffalo Core’ and the Caprivi Game Park. There will also be more farm animals in the road (for those of you who have already ridden with us in the Himalayas and experienced the cows there, this will feel quite familiar) – these guys simply do not move out of the way, so you’ll have to weave your way through!
There is a short gravel stretch and a small village we will ride though to get to lunch, but it is well worth the effort. We’ve got a relaxing lunch planned at the newly built Popa Falls White Sands Lodge. The falls themselves aren’t anything to write home about but there are hippos and crocs and the view from the bar deck and restaurant is the perfect spot to chill out and have lunch. The place is also steeped in history and there is a bushman information centre here that you can experience before lunch.
After lunch we will head to the accommodation for the evening where we have approx 15km of gravel road (with a nasty small section of sand we have to get through, but if you’re not a fan of this the team will give help to anyone that needs it).
With the riding done for another day we can relax and enjoy the jaw-dropping view (yep, another one of those views!) from the lodge bar overlooking the Kwando River where we will hopefully see some more wildlife!
This is our last day in Namibia as we head towards the border of Botswana! It’s not a big riding today, but it’s certainly an interesting one…
As we make our way to Katima Mulilo we’ll ride through the Waparo Conservancy and the National Nkasa Rupara Park (ok, these strange names might mean absolutely nothing to you now, but trust us – it’s all good stuff!). It’s all beautiful tar roads and we will most certainly see some wild game and possibly elephants!
Katima Mulilo is an interesting border town, steeped in history. We will see more of those beautiful little village mud huts and homesteads that the locals have built next to the roads and some old school ‘butcheries’. These consist of slaughtered cows hanging in the shade of the trees. Fresh meat is quite a treat in this area and next to the road is where you get it!
Later in the afternoon we’ll take a boat trip along the Chobe River for what will surely be the best game drive of the trip. It seems the Chobe Flood Plains is the place to be if you’re a wild animal in Namibia – it is BUSY with animals and this is an experience like no other!
We think it’s about time we visit our 3rd country of the trip, don’t you? We’ll depart early so that we can get to the border crossing in good time. As border crossings go, this one is pretty painless. Welcome to Botswana!
There may not be a lot of ground to cover on the bikes today but we shan’t be riding fast either… As we’re riding through Chobe Nature Reserve we’ll need to be on high alert as it’s home to many wild animals including the Big 5. The road itself is a big beautiful tar road without lots of potholes – which is good thing as it means you can instead concentrate on looking out for hungry lions.
There’s an amazing Zambia/Zimbabwe/Botswana border crossing bridge which we will visit as it’s quite special and the view of the river is stunning!
Our last riding day and one more border hop into the 4th and final country : Zimbabwe!
After another passport stamping, we’ve got about 70kms to get to the little town that is home to Victoria Falls. It’s a really nice road to be on and again – watch out for more game. The usual suspects: elephants, giraffes, zebra etc.
Once we arrive at the Vic. Falls village we’ll head straight to our accommodation. A lovely quiet little place that borders Victoria Falls National Park. After ditching the bike boots we’ll head for the finish line of this incredible journey: the mighty Victoria Falls!
It’s a short distance to the falls from our accommodation, approx 3km. If you have one of those sexy plastic poncho numbers now is the time to whip it on and the mist from the falls is insane.
We shan’t go into detail here about the incredible sights that the falls have to offer – that’s for you to witness first hand. Let’s just say, it’s rather special.
If time (& money) permits you have the option to do a chopper flight over the falls on this day as well.
We need to be back at the lodge and ready to be scooped up by our driver at 4pm to take us for the Zambezi Sundowner boat cruise for some well deserved celebratory drinks (there are nice views after all)!
Returning from the cruise we will be transported directly to the Shearwater Helipad for our final group dinner, overlooking the Victoria Falls Bridge through the mist of the falls. Not a bad way to end such an incredible journey is it?
As with all good things, sadly this epic motorcycle journey from Cape Town to Victoria Falls must come to an end.
For those staying on an extra night at the accommodation there are plenty of activities including: Canoe Safaris, white water rafting, bungee jumping, jet boating, game drives and an elephant experience to name but a few. You certainly won’t run short of things to do in this neck of the woods!
The team will be preparing the bikes for the return journey to Cape Town, so we shall say our farewells here.
For those who have to head home we will organise your transfers to the airport.
Twin-share accommodation is included as standard – see ‘Optional Extras’ below for single room pricing.
On this trip we stay in a mix of 4-5*hotels, luxurious safari tents, game lodges, guesthouses & a cave!
Please see the daily itinerary info for more details on each nights accommodation.
You’ll be collected from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) on the morning of the first day (you are of course welcome to arrive a day or two earlier, but there will be an extra cost for airport pickup).
All entrance fees during the tour are included in the tour price.
Your tour will be led and managed by a highly experienced member of the Ride Expeditions team (trained as a wilderness first response medic).
Ride Expeditions Ltd is committed to customer satisfaction and consumer financial protection. At no extra cost to you, and in accordance with ‘The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018’, all passengers booking with Ride Expeditions Ltd are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form.
The policy also includes repatriation if required, arising from the cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Ride Expeditions Ltd. This insurance has been arranged by Towergate Travel through Evolution Insurance.
During the COVID-19 crisis, every rider that requested a refund was issued a cash refund.
All fuel for your motorcycle is provided by us and we carry spare fuel in our support vehicle for the sections of the route where fuel stations are scarce.
This motorcycle tour is accompanied by a GPS tracker that displays our live location and track history on an online map. We will provide you with the link and login details which you can then share with your family at home so they can track your progress throughout the trip.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner is provided on most days.
Please see the daily itinerary to see what meals are included on each day.
At least one member of the support team will have been trained as a Wilderness First Response medic.
An extensive medical kit including a defibrillator (AED) & stretcher is carried in the support vehicle.
We also have consulting doctors on call, 24/7, who are always ready to assist in the case of an emergency. Our doctors are fully briefed on all riders medical info prior to the tour, they know what we do, where we are riding, exactly what we have in our medical kit and what training our medics have.
Tours are accompanied by GPS trackers and a satellite messenger device so our doctor and office can see exactly where we are and can maintain communication.
If you have you your own suitable & reliable motorcycle at the start point, you are quite welcome to use that for this trip. If not, we will provide a rental motorcycle for you… Please see the Dates & Prices section for available bikes.
INCLUDED:
We organise your motorcycle rental with our preferred rental provider in South Africa. Your contract for the motorcycle rental is direct with the provider and you’ll be required to sign their contract when receiving your motorcycle. You must comply with the terms & conditions of the rental provider. Upon request, we can provide you with a copy of these terms & conditions in advance.
Since the day Ride Expeditions started running tours in Cambodia back in 2012, we have been dedicated to supporting the local community.
Part profits from every motorcycle tour are donated to M’Lop Tapang – a local Cambodian charity dedicated to bettering the lives of young children & their families.
A Ride Expeditions riding jersey with your name printed on the back.
Playing our part in rainforest & wildlife conservation and in an effort to off-set our carbon emissions, we donate part profits to World Land Trust.
Our South African motorcycle tours are accompanied by a Toyota Hilux 4×4. This will be towing a twin-axle off-road trailer capable of carrying 7 bikes.
The backup vehicle & trailer will carry all of your luggage, essential spare parts, a spare motorcycle, tools, extensive medical kit (in addition to the kit carried by the tour medic), defibrillator (AED), stretcher, cold drinks and lunch. There is always a spare seat in case any of the riders want to sit in the truck for a rest.
Our support truck will follow behind the riders throughout the ride. When we are eating lunch ‘on the road’ the driver will prepare a picnic with fresh local produce, cheeses & meats, fruit & snacks etc.
Once we reach the accommodation at the end of the day the driver will hand out cold beers from the coolbox and have your bags sent ahead to your rooms.
We’ll welcome you with a bag of Ride Expeditions goodies which will include:
You’ll need to book flights to arrive in Cape Town (CPT) on or before the morning of Day 1 of this trip. You can then fly out of Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) on the last day of the trip.
It is important you either:
Comprehensive motorcycle insurance is included with the motorcycle rental, however the insurance excess is approximately £1000 - £1500 (depending on the model). Please note that this amount will either be 'held' on your card or paid as a deposit.
It is a condition of booking that you obtain appropriate travel insurance that covers you for riding the same capacity motorcycle that you’ll be riding on this motorcycle tour.
The insurance must cover emergency evacuation, medical bills, repatriation etc.
Adventure style kit with decent ventilation is the way to go on this motorcycle tour, rather than enduro or road leathers. So that means a good helmet, protective riding jacket and trousers, ideally with CE or equivalent approved armour on the pointy bits – elbows, knees and shoulders.
You are also going to need good riding gloves, a neck tube and a sturdy pair of motorcycle boots.
Please bring waterproofs if your kit doesn’t keep out the wet stuff.
Single room accommodation is available for every night of the trip.
Most of the places we stay at will cater for a meat-free meal, but vegan and other allergy / gluten intolerant options may not be available.
We’ll do our best to work around any specific requirements, but if you are going to go into anaphylactic shock if a peanut looks at you, please let us know and have a fully loaded epi-pen somewhere readily accessible…
Drop us an email and we can discuss any concerns you may have.
This depends where you are from originally, but visitors from the UK, USA and Australia can enter the country for up to 90 days without any visa or additional costs (you will need a proof of return flight and 2 blank pages in your passport. Please double check this before travelling just in case they’ve recently changed their minds!)
Follow this link for South African entry requirements. This link to the UK foreign office website – if you are not a UK resident, please search for the equivalent info from your home country’s foreign office.
Visa costs, if applicable, are not included in the tour price.
To secure your place we simply need a £500 non-refundable deposit. The remainder does not need to be paid until 60 days prior to the tour start date.
As this is a largely inclusive tour, you won’t need too much spending money, however it’s quite a long ride so you will want a bit. You will only need money for the items not listed as inclusions, which is mainly just alcohol and any other personal spending. Unless you go mad in the bars, around £150-200 should be adequate.
Yes. Here at Ride Expeditions, we take the necessary precautions to ensure that we protect both ourselves and you as the customer, with insurances covering financial failure, public liability, professional indemnity and employers liability (you will need your own travel insurance).
To obtain this insurance we must meet strict safety standards and local regulations. We must also carry out thorough risk assessments about all aspects of a tour before tyres can hit tarmac (…or dirt!).
Yes. All passengers booking with Ride Expeditions Ltd are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form. The policy also includes repatriation if required, arising from the cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Ride Expeditions Ltd. This insurance has been arranged by Towergate Travel through Evolution Insurance.
Not riding the motorcycle, no (although this will of course depend on the extent of your limited mobility). However, we may be able to accommodate you in our support vehicle. We advise you to give us a call and we can discuss.
For the most accurate and up to date info, we advise you visit the ‘Travel Health Pro’ website.
Please also consult with your own doctor at home at least 8 weeks before your trip.
You are required to carry your local driving licence, which must cover the size of bike you will be riding. This will also be a stipulation of any travel insurance company too.
You will also need an International Driving Permit (IDP). An IDP is basically an official, multi-language translation of your driving licence.
Average group sizes are 8-9 riders and we limit the groups to 12 riders.
If you cancel your booking before departure, cancellation charges will be applied as follows:
Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for further info regarding cancellations, changes and transferring your trip to a friend.
For the most accurate and up to date info on travel advice, we advise you to visit the foreign office website.
Follow this link for the current travel advice from the UK foreign office. As we are a UK company, this is the official government advice we follow. If you are not a UK resident, we advise you search for the equivalent info from your own country’s foreign office, as travel advice may differ.
We’d like all of our riders to have at least two years of active riding experience before booking up. Should you have any doubts, please give us a call and we can talk you through it in more detail.
We will send a pre-booking form to gauge the level of your riding experience and help us determine whether or not this motorcycle tour is suitable for you.
Hopefully warm and sunny for the whole tour, so be sure to pack the sunscreen and Ray Bans. Average temperatures during our preferred tour months will be 20-30°c. Occasionally we may experience cooler weather & the desert nights can also become quite chilly, so bring warm layers in case. Rain is unlikely, but it’s always a good idea to prepare for the worst!
The minimum required number for this trip to run is 6 riders. We reserve the right to cancel the tour if this number is not met and we will provide you with a minimum of 56 days notice. Please know that this is an absolute last resort for us and we will always do everything in our power to avoid this happening.
We accept GBP payments by Visa, Mastercard & American Express and direct bank transfers. Please get in touch if you would rather pay in another currency – we’ll do our best to accommodate!
