Compass Expeditions newsletter
By admin
Updated: December 5, 2017
Christmas Is Coming!
If you’re anything like me, a certain feeling of ‘Bah! Humbug’ comes over you around this time of the year…until I contemplate the warm holidays of the Christmas/New Year break that are almost upon us and the riding opportunities that this will offer.
Okay, so presents are good, lots of tasty food and celebration is good and, yes, friends and family are good too.
But most importantly, riding time is on the way and that is very good!
Well, that is for us who live in the southern hemisphere anyway. Those who are in Winter right now must be contented with planning their riding for later in the year.
Fear not, we have motorcycling tours that run all year around. Below are just a sample. Check out our website for further options.
This month we’re talking about Kyrgyzstan, our new expedition, a great five-day ride in Australia, Thailand, South America, riding with Charley Boorman and more, so read on…
Kyrgyz where??
Kyrgyzstan is at the very forefront of the ‘last frontier’ when it comes to motorcycle touring. It’s a place so new to tourism that Lonely Planet doesn’t have a guide book on it, yet!
Deep within central Asia this incredible country offers bikers an unparalleled diversity of towering, snow-capped peaks, stunning alpine valleys, fast-flowing glacial rivers, disappearing traditions from Genghis Khan’s time and this just scratches the surface.
Mountains? Forget the Himalayas. Ninety per cent of Kyrgyzstan lies somewhere between 1500 metres and 7000 metres.
Beachside resorts: don’t follow the crowds to Bali. Kyrgyzstan has a happening beach scene, which is amazing when you think it’s a landlocked country. But it’s home to the second-largest alpine lake in the world.
High mountain passes? Forget struggling behind broken-down Tatas that limp up lofty mountain passes in the Himalayas spewing out smoke. The Kyrgyz passes we ride are utterly devoid of traffic, let alone trucks!
Unique accommodations? Forget flea-bitten ‘hostels’ or lodges. We stay in homestays – traditional ger camps located in awe-inspiring locations and wonderful Soviet-era hotels.
Here’s what those lucky and adventurous riders had to say after this year’s Kyrgyzstan Explorer:
* “Having been on the inaugural 2017 trip this is a must-do adventure. Compass and the team took me on a trip of a lifetime to a special part of the world unknown to most.” Bob
“Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic!” Lucille
“The Kyrgyzstan trip is absolutely amazing! Simply awesome.” Rosemary
It’s seven months away and is over 60 per cent booked out. Act quickly to secure your spot on this amazing new bikers’ destination away from the maddening crowds and away from where everyone else rides.
Kyrgyzstan Explorer – Adventure Rider Magazine
Our friends at Adventure Rider Magazine have an article about our Kyrgyzstan Explorer tour in the December edition. Grab a copy to read about the tour from the driver’s seat of our support vehicle.
The secret is out – our new major motorcycle expedition – The Asian Overland by Compass Expeditions is open for bookings!
Darwin, Australia to Beijing, China – 103 days encompassing Australia, Timor Leste, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and China.
This is definitely a bucket-list ride.
If you’ve ever wanted to island hop through Indonesia, explore the jungles of south-east Asia, ride to Everest Base Camp and across the expanses of China then you should secure your place fast as places will definitely book out on this, the newest of our major expeditions.
We are yet to advertise the dates and prices for this expedition on our website so as to give you, our newsletter subscribers, a head start on the general public to get in on this amazing adventure before the rush.
Dates: Arrival in Darwin – Friday the 20th of March 2020. Concluding in Beijing on the Thursday the 2nd of July.
Prices: ‘Bring your own Bike’ rider – US$32,000. Pillion or support vehicle passenger – US$21,000
Webpage: The Asian Overland
Booking Link; Asian Overland: Darwin to Beijing – Booking Form
For further information: Download the information kit
Compass Expeditions Reunion and five-day ride.
A reminder that if you haven’t booked your place already for the Compass Expeditions Reunion and/or the five-day ride planned for April 2018, this exciting new reunion event still has very limited places available.
The Weekend Reunion for anyone who has travelled with Compass in the past is being held over the weekend of the 14th and 15th of April in Merimbula on the stunning Sapphire Coast of NSW.
Lunch will be at 1pm on the Saturday and afterwards we will take in some of the great motorcycling roads in the area for an afternoon ride.
What’s included:
• Catered lunch and drinks
• Pre-dinner drinks
• Dinner
• One-night accommodation based on twin share
• Breakfast
• Evening entertainment
• Ride leader and support crew for Saturday ride out
• Catered lunch and drinks
• Pre-dinner drinks
• Dinner
• One-night accommodation based on twin share
• Breakfast
• Evening entertainment
• Ride leader and support crew for Saturday ride out
Cost: $150 per person, twin share.
Our guest of honour and Saturday-night speaker this year will be Amy Harburg.
Amy will be talking to us about her riding career so far, her experiences with the first all-female GS Trophy team and other projects she’s involved with.
Compass Expeditions long-haul rider Ray Butterfield, who’s completed the big three of our major expeditions as well as riding a large portion of the globe independently, will also be speaking at some stage over the weekend.
I am sure Ray will be riding his trusty Suzuki DR650 that has been his companion on all of his adventures so far.
The 5 Day ride, open to all riders, partners and friends , will be run from the 16th to the 21st of April, is also based in Merimbula with both dirt- and road-route options on each day, as well as all of the attractions of this holiday wonderland to entertain while not on the bike.
We will base ourselves at Merimbula for all six nights, eliminating the need to pack/unpack every day and allow for partners who choose not to ride, or those who want a day off the bike, to enjoy the beaches, have a massage, play golf, go fishing or simply relax in the hotel pool. Each day’s ride will offer a new route with a differing terrain and challenges.
This ride is open to past Compass Expeditions clients, family, friends and bikers in general.
What’s included:
• Six nights’ accommodation
• Six breakfasts and dinners
• GPS tracklog and track indicators
• Services of support vehicle
• Ride leader and sweep rider
This ride is open to past Compass Expeditions clients, family, friends and bikers in general.
What’s included:
• Six nights’ accommodation
• Six breakfasts and dinners
• GPS tracklog and track indicators
• Services of support vehicle
• Ride leader and sweep rider
Cost: We have kept this ride to $990 per person to remain consistent with our great value rides around the world.
Total for the weekend reunion and five day ride out, if booked together, is a discounted $1100
Total for the weekend reunion and five day ride out, if booked together, is a discounted $1100
Charley Boorman Tasmania or Africa – Why not both?
In 2018 adventure-riding legend Charley Boorman will be leading three tours with Compass Expeditions.
In March he’ll be Downunder once again for the road-riding bliss of our Tasmania and the High Country tour, while for those more inclined towards off-roading we have two African tours to whet your appetite.
The Cape Town to Victoria Falls tour includes South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. Great company, great riding, wildlife and wilderness are the features of this ride that certainly will not disappoint.
The Southbound ride Victoria Falls to Cape Town will take another route south via the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho and will take in all of the aforementioned attractions, along with the stunning scenery of Lesotho.
Both tours include a stay at the stunningly luxurious Victoria Falls Hotel.
For more information check out the tour webpages.
Limited Places still available for:
If you’re keen to ride with us on any of the following get in quick so you don’t miss out:
Patagonia Explorer – February 2018 departure
Atacama to Machu Picchu – March and September 2018 departures
Los Andes – April and June 2018 departures
Iconic South America – May 2018 departure
Kyrgyzstan Explorer – July 2018 departure
And, incredibly, I still have two places on the Cape Town to Cairo expedition for 2019.
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