The expedition is designed to cater for riders of all levels of skill and culminates in an amazing 3 day off-road Sahara crossing in Mauritania, where you will camp out under the stars a hundred miles from civilisation. Training is given en-route for off-road novices, and an alternative tarmac route is available for those wanting to take the less strenuous option! The expedition then visits Dakar before ending a short distance over the border in Banjul, Gambia. An amazing achievement on a motorcycle and a journey that we guarantee you will never forget.
Trip Highlights:
- Having your photograph taken next to the Eiffel tower, before starting your marathon 3500 mile adventure across Europe and North Africa, en route to Dakar.
- Exploring the colourful markets and meeting the locals in Marrakech, Morocco.
- Practicing your sand riding techniques in the beautiful coastal region around the town of Dakhla, deep in the Sahara.
- Blasting across vast Saharan plains without a road in sight during the 3 day desert crossing.
- Chatting around the fire about the day’s adventures when camping out in the African bush.
- Getting the sand out of your hair with a much needed cold beer in the cultured colonial town of St Louis, Senegal.
- Riding into Dakar on the last stage of your unforgettable adventure – amazed at what it is you have just achieved.
Tour Itinerary
Week 1: The expedition members and staff, with bikes and support vehicles, will assemble in the UK on the day of departure. Our first day’s riding will take us to Dover and the channel ferry on our way to Paris. In Paris (the spiritual start point of the expedition) we’ll take the opportunity to get some great photos at the Eiffel Tower, before finally riding out of the city on our way to Dakar.
The remainder of the week sees us heading further and further south, though France and into Spain, before finally ending up in Algeciras. It is from here that we take the short ferry ride across the straights of Gibraltar to Morocco and ride onto African soil for the first time. The end of your first week will already see you wandering around the hectic and fascinating markets of Marrakech at the foot of the spectacular Atlas Mountains.
Week 2: The next week sees the expedition head down into the depths of the Sahara – the largest and most spectacular desert on the planet. From Marrakech to Agadir and then down into Western Sahara we follow a stunning desert coastline south. Towns and villages become more and more remote – sometimes with more than a hundred miles between them – and traffic is all but non-existent.
It is during this stage of the expedition that we stop for a day to practice sand riding for those planning on undertaking the three day off-road desert crossing. Under the tutorship of the Kudu guide you can, in your own time, come to terms with how to handle a motorcycle in the sand. It is a particular knack which takes some getting used to, but once you have mastered it then the fun really begins. Riders are under no obligation to participate in the off-road training or desert crossing as a recently constructed road now means you need never leave tarmac. The expedition crosses the Tropic of Cancer near the stunning coastline at the town of Dakhla, before negotiating the border crossing into Mauritania.
Week 3: Our final week will be an amazing climax to this classic motorcycle journey. After final equipment checks carried out in the isolated Mauritanian town of Nouadhibou, the expedition splits into two groups – those undertaking the off-road desert crossing, and those taking the tarmac. For those going off-road we will leave the asphalt north of Nouadhibou for the 300 mile desert crossing to the capital city of Nouakchott. The desert crossing is now part of overlanding folklore and all those who chose to undertake it will remember the experience for the rest of their lives.
The terrain you can expect to encounter will vary from slower rocky sections, to fast and flat desert plains before finally riding the last hundred miles or so along the serene beach piste to Nouakchott. Here the expedition re-joins those who have taken the tarmac route for the final leg of the journey. Crossing into Senegal the colours and sounds around you will be distinctly African. You’ll get the chance to recover from the Sahara crossing in the beautiful colonial town of St Louis, before continuing south to that haven for bikers and our ultimate goal – Dakar.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Prices vary depending on motorcycle hire option taken (BMW F650GS Dakar). All options include full mechanic and guide support, training, accommodation and visas.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
France
Morocco
Senegal
Motorcycle Tours
Desert Expeditions
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