Iride Expeditions
We understand the adventure rider and the reasons why we ride
Adventure riders like to travel the world, visit new places, and experience other cultures. For some it is simply to leave the daily routine and enjoy the trip as much as the destination itself. For others it is about the thrill of the open road, the adrenaline and excitement to explore new worlds, overcoming a fear, practice new skills, challenge the competitive nature inside yourself or simply just to enjoy riding as an artistic activity or a spiritual experience. Adventure riders enjoy new journeys and we always maintain that the journey is also a destination on the move.
At iRide Expeditions we put the “spoke” back into bespoke travel experiences. Let’s spend time together to get to know your “why” and how we can tailor make your experience through our unique offerings.
Our Offering
iRide Expeditions offer each rider the unique offering of expert refresher training by certified and experience instructors before departure on your adventure travels. This offers each rider and travel guide some insight into the confidence and skill-level of each rider to ensure that expectation levels and safety standards are maintained.
We pride ourselves on delivering unique, bespoke adventure travels across Southern Africa. We have experience and knowledge of traveling in various areas of natural beauty across the foot of the African continent and our travel experience include (but is not limited to) the following areas:
Lesotho – is a small, mountainous, and landlocked country, surrounded by its much larger neighbour, South Africa. It has a population of about two million people. It is an enclave, surrounded by South Africa and the total length of the country’s borders is 909 kilometres (565 mi). Lesotho covers an area of around 30,355 square kilometres (11,720 sq mi). Lesotho is one of only three countries in the world that are enclaved within another country; the other two are San Marino and Vatican City, both located within Italy. Apart from its status as an enclave, it is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) in elevation. Its lowest point is at 1,400 metres (4,593 ft), the “highest lowest point” of any country. Because of its elevation, the country’s climate is cooler than in most other regions at the same latitude. Lesotho offers unique adventure riding experiences and most of the roads are un-paved which is very appealing to the adventure motorcycle connoisseur.
The word Baviaanskloof, although derived from the Dutch “valley of baboons”, is associated with pristine nature, narrow gorges with flowing streams, steep mountain passes, vast plains with waving grasslands and views of unspoilt wilderness. Nature has taken its course over thousands of years to create what is today universally recognised as the Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site. Few other places in the world hold evidence of the footprint of human history spanning over a million years. The narrow valley of the Baviaanskloof is just under 200 kilometers (124 mi) in length and bounded by two mountain ranges: the Baviaanskloof Mountains on the north and the Kouga mountains on the south side. The valley lies at a lower altitude than the Karoo in the north. The rainfall of the Karoo thus filters through the mountains to the Baviaanskloof river. For this reason, the valley is surprisingly lush and supports a wider variety of plant species than would have been otherwise expected.
The Swartberg Nature Reserve is teeming with a rich history and is perhaps best known as Gamkaskloof – a small settlement established there in 1830 by farmers of European origin. Entirely self-sufficient, the community of Gamkaskloof lived in isolation for over a century. The first road into Die Hel, as it is known, was only built in 1962. The village is now a cultural heritage site that forms part of the Swartberg Nature Reserve, a World Heritage Site. Swartberg Nature Reserve lies in the district of Oudtshoorn, between the Great and Little Karoo. It’s an area of climatic extremes where winters are characterised by vast snow-capped mountains while summer days reach high temperatures. The Swartberg Pass is a wildly popular setting for both photographers and filmmakers.
Swaziland is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its north, west, and south. At no more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) north to south and 130 kilometres (81 mi) east to west, Eswatini is one of the smallest countries in Africa; despite this, its climate and topography are diverse, ranging from a cool and mountainous highveld to a hot and dry lowveld. Eswatini lies across a fault which runs from the Drakensberg Mountains of Lesotho, north through the Eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, and forms the Great Rift Valley of Kenya. The country has four separate geographical regions. These run from North to South and are determined by altitude. It has a wide variety of landscapes, from the mountains along the Mozambican border to savannas in the east and rain forest in the northwest. Several rivers flow through the country, such as the Great Usutu River.
Cape Town is also called ‘the Fairest Cape’, and there’s a reason for this. It really is a magical city, with flat-topped Table Mountain looming over it. It stretches around the mountain, and wherever you are, there are often glimpses of sea and golden beaches, not to mention that iconic mountain as its beautiful backdrop. About 40 km (25 mi) to the east of Cape Town, lying in the shadow of a continuous belt of Cape fold mountains, lies a series of generous valleys known as the Cape Winelands – a collection of historic towns, little hamlets and Cape Dutch farmsteads that provide well-regarded South African wines to the world.
Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point of the African continent, located 176 km (109 mi) southeast of Cape Town. Its name, Portuguese for “needles,” may refer to the jagged rocks and reefs there that have wrecked many ships; another explanation attributes the name to observations by early Portuguese navigators that their compass needles showed no magnetic deviation there. A lighthouse was established there in 1849. The meridian (20° E) is the official boundary between the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Come and stand at the southern most point of the African continent and watch how two big oceans meet.
Lying between the Cederberg Mountains and the Great Karoo escarpment, it incorporates three distinct ecosystems – pure desert in the west, open grasslands in the centre and the Roggeveld Mountains in the east. The true meaning of the word “Tankwa” is unknown, but it is said to be “Turbid water”, “Place of the San” or “Thirst land”, all of which fits this arid yet picturesque area so well. Humans have lived in the region for at least 10 000 years – first the Bushmen and then the Khoi, who moved their livestock with the migration of the wild animals. Then, in the 1700’s, the trekboer farmers started using the Tankwa to graze their sheep while moving from the summer heat of the Cederberg to the cooler temperatures on the Karoo escarpment.
Straddling the beautiful stretches of coastlines of the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, the 200 km (124 mi) long stretch of Garden Route derives its name from the stunning natural beauty and unique, ecologically diverse vegetation that typify the region, including grasslands, wetlands, forests and mountainous regions, and the numerous lagoons, lakes and rivers that dot the coastline. The Cape Floral Region, recognised by UNESCO for its staggering biodiversity only spans 0.5% of the African continent, but it contains 20% of the continent’s plant species.
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Let us design and plan your once in a life-time adventure trip
to any of these unique destinations. We can accommodate small to medium size groups and promise to give you a bespoke adventure tour to any of our exciting destinations. Get in touch with us and let’s start planning your next trip to experience Africa like never before.