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

Our research trip has been so action-packed time got away from us, add this to the fact that we are travelling in a VERY remote part of Africa with limited WIFI and we suddenly found ourselves two weeks since our last post, so here is two weeks roiled into one.  Our last days in Zimbabwe were spent flying above Victoria Falls in a helicopter and cruising the mighty Zambesi at sunset watching elephants drink from the rivers edge while hippos gazed curiously at us as we glided by, and crocs sunned themselves in the last rays of the day Crossing into Zambia we got to experience our first “c ..read more

As I sit here, writing the next blog, overlooking the Okavongo River in Namibia where children are playing on the bank on the other side of the river, in Angola, I can’t help but be in awe at the immensity of Africa, the adventure and ever-changing experiences this epic continent provides. What feels like a month ago, but just a week ago, we left the surreal landscapes of the Namib – Naukluft National Park and reached the shores of the Atlantic late afternoon, via a series of saltwater lakes teeming with pink flamingos, the contrast of pink flamingos taking flight against a backdrop of yellow ..read more

Winding our way south we reached the southernmost tip of the African continent and the meeting point of the Indian & Atlantic oceans at Cape L’argulhas. The seas were pounding with a huge swell, you could see a shelf, a remnant, of the Africa continent disappearing under that mighty swell, the remainder of the day was spent hugging the stunning coastline as we made our way into the renowned Cape Town.  Our hotel was perfectly located on the V&A waterfront and gave us plenty of opportunity to explore this vibrant part of Cape Town, but it wasn’t long before we were back on the road ..read more