Has anyone here done any of their tours. My son is considering doing one next year. They look to be a reputable and experienced outfit (they also advertise here), but sometimes looks can be deceiving.

I rode the last ~4000km on the Silk Route 2007 ride. My trip report is: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/mevchina2007

My suggestion is to find and read some of the other trip journals out there. You'll find different expectations about the trip and different perspectives of the trip. There will also be differences between Africa, Silk Route and Orient Express. It is even amusing to read different accounts of the same trip.

Personally, I was fairly impressed with TDA as an organization in being able to adapt to changes and run an overall expedition type trip. At the same time, having the right expectations is also extremely important of what type of trip you might have - since there are some folks who wouldn't necessarily mesh with a TDA trip and also some folks in Silk Route 2007 that didn't necessarily anticipate the type of trip that they were on (e.g. some folks were surprised to spend ~85% of the time cycling through desert regions in the Silk Route though arguably they could have figured this out before departure).

For me personally, I'll choose to ride across South America on my own rather than go with TDA... but I've also put down a deposit for a future TDA trip through Africa. That says even for one person, I think enough of TDA to do another trip with them through Africa, but I also realize that a self-supported trip will be better for me in South America.

An acquaintence of mine did the Tour d'afrique at least once and possibly twice. He owned a bicycle shop in Winnipeg.

Hi shmulb,

My name is Boris and I work for Tour d'Afrique. Thank you for your interest in our tours - your son is definitely on the right track!

Although my opinion may not be the most "unbiased" one, TDA has been around since '03 and is definitely an experienced and professional organization. As mev has mentioned, if you search for "Tour d'Afrique" on Google, you'll come across a number of journals and blogs written by various riders that could help you better understand the experience.

Alternatively, if you contact us, we could put you in touch with some of our past riders, so you can get a first-hand account.

If you have any further questions or comments, we're here to help!

Best,
Boris

Hi Boris,

totally Off-Topic:
is there a price for being the first in a race?

Thomas

Thomas - I cycled the 2nd half of the 2008 Tour d'Afrique.
Here is a summary of the prizes that were awarded in Cape Town:
- medals to everyone who did the entire tour: Cairo to Cape Town
- medals to the about 15 cyclists who biked "EFI" (every freaking inch)
- Large African masks/carvings. mounted on bases, to the top 3 male and female racers
- Smaller African paintings to the male and female winner of each section, 8 sections = 16 awards
- In 2009 the top senior racers (age 50+) will also be recognized as a separate category

Regards

Brian