Trans Africa East Guided Motorcycle Expedition

We flew through the night and land in the morning at Cape Town International Airport (CPT). We are picked up by an overland truck that takes us out to the Cape of Good Hope, where we take the 'starting picture.' Then we drive to our first night on African soil at the Overlander Camp, where the customs papers and motorcycles already await us. Unpacking and preparing the motorcycles for the ride is next on the agenda. After making the motorcycles ready to ride, we enjoy a cold South African beer, have an authentic South African braai, and sleep in our tents outside Cape Town.

Breakfast and dinner will be the only meals we have for the next days and weeks. This is an advantage for those who have a few extra pounds and will leave them behind day by day on the road. Now we head inland directly east through unique landscapes. In the late afternoon, just before sunset, we will pitch our tents again near Knysna and enjoy the view over the Indian Ocean. The next day we continue towards Cradock, a small town in the middle of nowhere. Today, South Africa shows us its dustier face after the first days in beautiful Mediterranean-like landscapes as we ride through the Karoo.

Today's leg of the journey with about 600 kilometers will be one of the toughest stages of the first week. We will reach the border to the Kingdom of Lesotho at sunset over federal roads through the provinces of Eastern Cape & KwaZulu Natal, where we will drive up and down the legendary Sani Pass the next morning, before moving through green, hilly landscapes in the land of the Zulu.

As every morning, we start the engines of the enduros and the support vehicle, which will be our constant companion on the enduro expedition. A new day, a new adventure – today we will conquer the most exciting of all South African passes, the Sani Pass, the most photographed and frequented mountain pass in Lesotho. Many enduro riders from previous African tours said that this pass alone is worth the trip. At the foot of the Drakensberg, we stand on the 'Battlefields' in the former Kingdom of the Zulu. The Zulu War of 1879 was an inexplicable war between the Zulu and the wild tribe of tea drinkers. After the British Empire defeated the Zulu at the Battle of Ulundi with its superiority in weaponry, the Kingdom of the Zulu ceased to exist as a sovereign state. Amidst these battlefields ends our fifth travel day through Africa.

Morning ceremony: A quick look at the map, start the motorcycles, and then off to the next coffee. On the road again: We disappear over South Africa's rural roads with our enduro motorcycles into the Highveld. On almost entirely asphalt, we cover kilometers through vast plains that begin in the Highveld, gently decline to the north, transition into the Middleveld, and ultimately end in the Lowveld.

The new year in Africa begins with a hangover breakfast: coffee, aspirin, and a recovery beer. On the enduros, start the engine and depart for the sobriety stage along Kruger Park. After over 3000 kilometers, we have crossed the provinces of Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo and are now heading for the final kilometers to the border with Zimbabwe.

Welcome to Zimbabwe! After we have cleared the enduros and the off-road vehicle through the customs formalities, we can continue. The next destination is Masvingo, which we will reach via the main route. About 40 kilometers away, we stop at Great Zimbabwe and immerse ourselves in a piece of African history and culture. 2000 years ago, the Shona ethnic group lived on the sacred hills and left behind a rich heritage of rock paintings, which we will visit on foot, as we also want to leave footprints instead of just tire tracks on the Trans Africa motorcycle journey.

With the sunrise over Africa, a new leg of our guided motorcycle journey across the black continent begins. Packing up the tents, a sip of coffee, a cookie, and getting on the motorcycle. On- and off-road towards the north-northwest. Stopover at Hwange National Park, and depending on the tour's progress, group dynamics, and interests, we will go on safari in Hwange National Park. Motorcycle and enduro trips are quite unusual in Zimbabwe, enduro trails are, in fact, not known, and this will remain the case for the upcoming countries! Make sure BEFORE your booking that you are going on an enduro expedition that will provide many surprises both on and off-road!

With the sunrise, our morning ritual begins: a cup of coffee, motorcycle check, discussing the day's leg, and off we go: at 128 meters high, we cross on English steel and wooden beams the Victoria Falls Bridge built in 1903 in England. After clearing customs in Zambia, it’s time to rest on an unremarkable asphalt road before we dedicate ourselves to an off-road shortcut towards the northeast, traveling through the warm rainy season which, by the end of the day, will hopefully not be too rainy.

Zambia: Traveling north towards Lusaka over the Copperbelt plain. The fertile land (at least for women with an average of 5 children) ranks 141 out of 187 in the Human Development Index. The young Zambia (independence in 1964) is one of the countries with the highest HIV infection rates in the world and has around 740,000 AIDS orphans among the orphanages in Africa. English is spoken as an official language, which helps us navigate through the various ethnicities and languages like Nsenga, Tumbuka, Ngoni, or Bisa.