Motorcycle Expedition From Kenya through Ethiopia, Sudan to Egypt

You land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, from where you will be taken directly to your accommodation and meet the rest of the group. We will spend the evening enjoying a Kenyan "Tusker" beer and consuming "Nyama Choma" (grilled meat). What we cannot finish, we will take as a "Doggy Bag" for later. In the evening, we will chain ourselves to the bar; we have enough time to sleep... when we are back home. For now, let's start our vacation!

On the Pharaoh Expedition: From the equator to the Mediterranean, Ethiopia lies ahead of us. As every morning, we check the bikes, refuel, and pack supplies for the day. 1001 kilometers of pure enduro, 1001 kilometers across Kenya until the sun goes down again and we set up camp. The next morning, we start with our morning ritual: motorcycle check, a glass of water, and a dry bread for breakfast, and off we go. Our companions are elephants, giraffes, and the other crazies on their journey – enduro. We cover the last kilometers back to the border with Ethiopia. We are headed to what is (relative to the population) the largest landlocked country in the world, which ranks 173rd on the Human Development Index (out of 187 countries).

The barrier to Ethiopia goes up, we refuel once more and ride a few hundred kilometers on asphalt towards Addis Ababa. A short stop to refuel, eat, and replenish water supplies leads us further on our motorcycle tour into the "cold" north towards a merciless desert. A short but special shower stop in the African urban jungle of Addis Ababa. The nighttime conferences of city dogs echo through the courtyards and streets of the city until sunrise. Those who have ever slept on a rooftop on an African night or spent it in a cheap hourly hotel among cockroaches, fleas, and the sounds of barking dogs know why we treat ourselves to a four-star hotel for tonight.

Passing by Merkato, one of the largest markets in Africa at about 100 hectares, which is visited daily by a quarter of a million people. Freshly supplied with water and bread, we tackle the Ethiopian tracks. Our stopping points are the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Lalibela with the famous rock churches and Gondar, the first capital of antiquity, where we will end the evening at the Fasilides Fortress. The Epiphany celebration ("Three Kings" according to the Gregorian calendar) with procession and festivities marking the baptism of Jesus Christ is certainly a highlight we will experience on the way.

The next two or three days of riding will be quite long, arduous, and monotonous, from the Sudanese border to Khartoum. We travel through the south mainly on asphalt until we reach the capital of Sudan, where we will arrive just before sunset. Along the "Sudan Express" we will cross the Nubian desert, which was also referred to by the Copts as Taseti (sandy archland). In the desert land of the tall Hamitic Nubians, we encounter cultural-historical relics of ancient pyramids, necropolises, and temple ruins that originated from the cultural bloom of the Kingdom of Kush before our era.

In schā'allāh, the ferry will be waiting for us in the morning hours. After the "customs clearance" of the motorcycles in Wadi Halfa, we can carry the machines on board and enjoy an (old school) crossing on the pontoon or barge. We leave Lake Nubia and, with the border crossing into Egypt, come to Lake Nassar. Before us lies the port city of Abu Simbel and a bureaucratic marathon to register and insure the motorcycles in Egypt. With our new Egyptian license plates, we will then proceed to Abu Simbel for the long-awaited shower.

We leave Abu Simbel on asphalt heading north along the Sahara. The desert world with its scattered volcanic craters alternates with the monotonous heat haze of the Sahara and the boredom of the asphalt road that stretches beyond the horizon. After 250 kilometers, we reach the Assuan checkpoint. On the Khazan Assuan road, we cross the Nile and follow it north to the Valley of the Kings, the lifeblood of Egypt. Luxor, the largest city in Upper Egypt, will be our last supply stop, as it is only a "cat's jump" through the land of the Pharaohs from Luxor.

The last kilometers through Egypt can be approached relaxed. The route from Cairo to Alexandria consists of well-paved asphalt roads. Time to relax and reflect on the journey one more time: We will be welcomed in Alexandria and will go for dinner before we take the motorcycles to the nerve-wracking Egyptian customs the next day, where the container is already waiting for us.