Probably the world’s most recognisable adventure-riding celebrity, Charley Boorman is a popular character. That’s no doubt due in no small part to his friendly and approachable nature. Billy Ward sat down with the man in Africa and had a chat. Motorcycle adventurer, bestselling author and documentary maker – the one and only Charley Boorman. How’s life in the fast lane? “I’m not sure about the ‘fast lane’, but life is good. “I’ve been all over the place this past couple of years, including Australia, southern Africa, Morocco, and of course mainland Europe, which is just on my doorstep. I’ve al ..read more

The Yamaha Ténéré 700 has achieved legendary status for a reason, and now there’s two variants. Words: Pete Vorst / Photography: Motohead You may feel inclined to equip your adventure bike with all the latest features, but, especially when you’re in the middle of nowhere, knee-deep in mud, and armed with just a few basic tools, perhaps simplicity is the key. The Ténéré 700 and Ténéré 700 World Raid embody this ethos perfectly, offering rugged durability and versatility without unnecessary frills. Both models share a robust steel cradle frame and the refined and peppy 689cc engine plucked strai ..read more

Royal Enfield smashes the Himalayan’s shortcomings with the release of the new 450 – and at a great price. Words: Pete Vorst / Photography: Royal Enfield Royal Enfield’s Himalayan has earned a reputation for being a low-frills but rugged and reliable adventure companion since its debut back in 2016. Despite its budget-friendly specs-sheet, it surprised riders with its on and off-road capabilities. It wasn’t perfect—far from it—but it offered a comfortable ride, handled road shenanigans adeptly (even with its 21-inch front rim), and could be taken into off-road terrain of particularly ugly natu ..read more

November 11th & 12th saw the 2023 Compass Expeditions Reunion converge on Albury, New South Wales. And what a great catch-up we had with customers from all over the country that have travelled with us in all corners of the world! We were treated to a very warm Saturday ride, out of town and along the country roads surrounding the border region. Crossing Lake Hume via the picturesque, steel truss, Bethanga Bridge. Just after entering Victoria we made a quick pit stop for a minute of silence to honour those who lost their lives while serving Australia then saddled up and made our way east a ..read more

I knew we were in for a treat when we landed at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo watching as a smartly dressed baggage handler caught each bag, as it came off the baggage carousel chute, then either spun them around or flipped them over to make removing your bag from the carousel easy, it’s the first time I had ever seen this and was the start of a long list of firsts while in Japan. On what will most likely be my last research trip, extraordinary Japan seemed to be a fitting end to researching new itineraries and this all new 15-day motorbike tour of Japan threatens to be the best one y ..read more

It’s been a long wait and the world has changed irrevocably since we first floated the idea of offering 4WD tours to exciting destinations back in 2019 how our lives have changed in the ensuing four years. Landing in Ulan Bataar bought an immense sense of familiarity, the sense of space, the clarity of the skies, the green of the Mongolian steppe and the reigniting of wonderful friendships, it all left me feeling some sense of normalcy had finally returned. Veronica and I had arrived at UB to collect our 76 series Landcruiser to run the very first research trip for our 4WD offerings and we wer ..read more

Ultimate South America 2023, from the riders perspective… live vicariously through our guests Rex & Sally from Beyond Tassie on the Ultimate South America tour… Hello Santiago! On The Road! (Finally) Corruption and the Black Market in Argentina Butch Cassidy and the Bureaucratic Bungle Gravel Roads, Argentinian Barbeque and Pumas. Cerro Fitzroy Glaciers and a Good Telling Off from the Argentinian Navy The End of the World A Yank, A Pom and an Aussie Walk Into a Bar. The post  Ultimate South America 2023, a riders perspective… appeared first on Compass Exped ..read more

We can’t quite believe it’s here, the final week, after 4 months researching the Balkans & Africa, it’s simply too immense to put into words so a lousy blog will have to do!!!! Crossing into Zimbabwe we overnighted on the shores of the immense Lake Kariba, one of the largest man-made lakes on earth, and witnessed a stunning sunset over the lake as another day in Africa drew to a close.  Our aim today was the renown Antelope Park that has around 60 lions onsite, many of which are being prepared to be released back into some of the 11 national parks in Zimbabwe. We nearly made it to the ..read more

Crossing the equator, we eventually made it into downtown Kampala, with possibly the worst traffic, outside of the Western Ring Road, in Melbourne, that I have ever seen, the joint was utter chaos. We scrambled up a dirt track, wondering where we would end up, until we reached the gates of the superb Latitude 0 Degrees Hotel, an absolute oasis from the swirling chaos all around. We rubbed shoulders with diplomats, businesspeople and UN officials and I can’t wait to see their reactions next year when 17 scruffy bikers arrive. We ate fine food, sipped whisky in the whisky room and watched Austra ..read more

Leaving Mbala we drove north through the Tongwe Forest Reserve, this was the Central Africa from my distant memories of 30 years ago, a thin red dirt track that wound its way through a verdant green forest, we eventually reached the spectacularly located Hilltop Resort in Kigoma. Before retiring to the Hilltop, we couldn’t miss the Livingstone Memorial built on the very spot where a reporter from the New Yok Times, Stanley, uttered those immortal words, “Doctor Livingstone I presume”, the museum itself was terrible but strangely enticing given the remarkable history that was all around. The fo ..read more