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South Africa - Namibia October 3-16, 2010

I have been fortunate enough to talk to many people about my travels and the one thing that continues to interest me is the depth of experience, money, time, and frankly, guts that many riders think is necessary to ride in a foreign country. Among overseas destinations, Africa consistently raises an eyebrow as a tricky place to be, doubly so on a motorcycle. At the risk of losing some cool points in the pub, I can tell you that the benefits of riding in Africa - the endless empty roads, massive skies, crossing elephant footprints with your tire tracks, hearing lions at night, talking with new friends around campfires, spotting giraffes and zebra and buck from the road, the lack of fences - all of this FAR outweighs the cost and worries of getting there and it is easier to get there than you may think. As with any destination, there are concerns with routing and safety, but with professional and experienced people making the arrangements, the actual risk is mitigated greatly.

I am not claiming to be to be one of these professionals, but Henk is!

I met Henk van Niekerk on a beach in Namibia when he insisted that I join his group campsite instead of setting my small tent on my own. I learned that he ran an overland travel company and we passed the evening exchanging stories about Namibia's dirt roads, and so began the longest friendship of anybody that I met in my 17 months in Africa. He made sure my solo travels went on his favorite motorcycle roads, and as a lifelong rider himself, his advice was entirely applicable to me and appreciated. I visited South Africa again in the spring of 2009, and Henk filled me in on the success of a recent guided motorcycle tour to Namibia, and we realized we could offer the same to winter-weary riders in the north as well.

Spending time out of doors in Africa rekindles something in us that can only be described as correct and appropriate. Henk and I invite you to experience it for yourself. It's easier than you think!