Escape Adventures NZ

Your kids will experience the real Africa as you can only do on a bike. Encounter wildlife from your saddle, immerse yourself in to the culture and colour of the people and landscapes, and camp in the wilderness under a cloudless African sky.

East Africa is colourful, lively and a wonderful place to travel as a family. Our family cycle tour has been designed for adventurous families with challenging, but achievable riding distances, riding on remote back roads.

Our 16 day biking adventure takes you from Nairobi in Kenya to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Fully immerse yourself into East Africa and experience the people, culture, wildlife and landscapes of this amazing continent.We leave the fancy hotels to the less intrepid, ride on remote back roads and camp with local families and villages along the way. Ride from the chaos of Nairobi city to the sudden sparseness of open savannah with wildlife grazing the plains. We spend time in the classroom and sports field of a Tanzanian school, visit National Parks, the cool rain forested Usambara Mountains and ultimately the tropical Indian Ocean coast.

Kenya and Tanzania is where we began in 1999 and it is still our most popular cycle tour!

We have planned daily riding distances to be achievable for kids aged 10-16. Some teens/parents may enjoy more riding challenge - and on some days it will be possible to offer more riding for those who wish.

This the real Africa, where you will encounter free roaming wildlife from your saddle, you will immerse yourself in to the culture and colour of the people, ride through vast landscapes, and camp in the wilderness under a cloudless African sky.

Africa is vast and varied with every point of the compass unique in its own way. East Africa is no exception and is famous for its traditional tribes people, exceptional wildlife and majestic vistas.

Kenya and Tanzania is where Escape Adventures first began back in 1999 and today remains our most popular cycle tour.

Break free from the bonds of ‘normal’ on our 16 day biking and camping adventure as we travel from Nairobi in Kenya to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. You will leave the fancy hotels to the less intrepid as you bike on remote back roads away from the chaos of Nairobi city to the sudden sparseness of open savannah. We bike alongside wildlife grazing the plains and camp with local families and villages along the way. We pass beneath the highest free-standing mountain in the world, Mt Kilimanjaro. Spend time game viewing in Amboseli National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater, with the highest concentration of plains game in the world, then cycle through the cool rain forested Usambara Mountains before ultimately dropping down the tropical Indian Ocean coast.

Join us and fully immerse yourself into East Africa and experience the people, culture, wildlife and landscapes of this amazing continent.

The Kyrgyz Republic was one of the first of the ‘Stans to become independent from Russia and travel the sometimes turbulent road to find its own identity. Kyrgyzstan, often referred to as the Switzerland of Central Asia is a land of rolling high altitude grass-lands, endless snow capped peaks, huge lakes, and raging rivers.  Add to this an intriguing history, a friendly and unique culture of people who have learned to thrive in hot summers and freezing winters; great (and not so great) vodka and you have the perfect recipe for a fantastic and adventurous cycle tour.

You will gain a real insight into the 'Land of the Kyrgyz' while challenging your legs over high alpine mountain passes, across endless rolling grasslands, alongside raging rivers and tranquil lakes. Spend the night in traditional yurt camps, local home stays and camp in wildflower filled valleys. Sample sensational regional food, locally brewed kumys (fermented mare’s milk) and Russian beer and join us on our newest ‘favourite’ cycle tour.

Sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodia is a melting pot of South East Asian culture, scenery and cuisine. The local people are friendly, happy and gentle. Having struggled through years of bloodshed, poverty and political instability they have a seemingly unbreakable spirit, infectious optimism and they have prevailed with their smiles intact. Cambodia is one of those places that you come away from full of admiration and affection for the people.

In Cambodia we set out to create a ‘laid-back’ cycle tour with predominantly flat riding, laced with loads of interesting things to see and do and finishing each day with tasty food and great accommodation. Our tour begins in Siem Reap in the north and as we wind our way south we get all that and more. We explore the famous Angkor Wat temples by bike, check out floating villages, ride a bamboo train on abandoned train tracks and bike through a time-less landscape of dazzling rice paddies and swaying palms.

It will make you feel like you’re on another planet. With fascinating desert-adapted plants and animals and jaw-dropping natural wonders that you’ll never forget.

Ever since I first travelled through Namibia over 20 years ago I have been keen to set up a cycle tour there; and as Mandy and I have begun the research process... we have been getting more and more excited and now we just can't wait to ride our bikes there!

So in April, 2023 we are heading to Namibia to do the final 'nutting out' of our biking route and the final details of our newest cycling tour in Namibia! And then we will lead our first Namibia Cycle Tours in October 2023!

Namibia's scenery and sights are as astonishing as they are varied, ranging from the world’s oldest desert – a vast and beautiful wilderness that covers much of the country to rugged granite mountains adorned with ancient rock art. We can't wait to show you the north of Namibia - home to the country's greatest wildlife, including free roaming desert rhino and elephant and the fabulous Etosha National Park. We'll put together a cycle tour full of wild landscapes, forbidding sand dunes, desolate coastline, world heritage sites, traditional tribespeople and the largest night skies you have ever seen.

If you think Madagascar is just another part of Africa - think again!  Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, broke away from Africa millions of years ago and was uninhabited for millennia.  With a coastline lined with coral beaches and lagoons the land rises sharply to a great central plateau that covers most of the island. From temperate highlands to tropical coasts the landscape and scenery is as rich and unique as it's wildlife.  Madagascar's isolation has allowed many remarkable species to evolve, and there is not a single Madagascan mammal species which can be found in any other place in the world.

To explore it all would take months, so we have created our cycle tour to bring you up close to the essence of what makes Madagascar tick. Starting from the capital of Antananarivo we leave the busy city behind. We ride on remote back roads, visit small towns and rural villages, and discover lemurs, chameleons and more wildlife not found anywhere else on earth. We cross the central highlands, through endemic dry forests, past ancient towering baobab trees and out to the tropical coast overlooking the Mozambique Channel in Morondava. You’ll take a two day riverboat trip through sparsely populated gorges, remote villages and sleeping crocodiles, hike through the incredible Tsingy limestone formations and dine on a mouthwatering mix of Malagasy and French cuisine.

Some people choose to extend their adventure with some extra days on the beach or a trip to Andasibe National Park - either of which we can help you organise.

Our Madagascar Cycle tour is similar in terrain and riding challenge to our Kenya & Tanzania cycle tour… but totally different in every other way!

It is a ride that will take you into the thick of the north island’s most remote, rugged and off the beaten track towns; while making sure we experience every detail of the undulating topography.

The Cape to Cape route created by the Kennett Brothers is known as the Kopiko Aotearoa.  This wonderful ride makes use of as many of New Zealand's off road cycle trails and quiet back roads as possible. 

We are offering a fully supported version of the Cape to Cape so that you can enjoy the ride - without the hassle of carrying your gear or finding food and accommodation.  Our tour loosely follows this classic route and also includes plenty of quirky extras, stop-overs and special places in the true Escape Adventures' style.

This is a fully supported cycle tour.  We will organise the logistics, book accommodation and organise all included meals. Two of our awesome Escape Adventures tour leaders will ride with you, and provide daily briefings, first aid and mechanical support. Our trusty ’Sag Wagon’ support vehicle will carry your luggage, has lunch, snacks and water, and is there if you need a break from the saddle. There are times when the vehicle will need to take a different route and will meet up with you where it can. We will supply you with daily route notes and maps so that you can ride at your own pace throughout the day.

The Tour Aotearoa is a 3000km cycle route created by the Kennett Brothers exploring the length of New Zealand from Cape Reinga to Bluff and riding on as many of New Zealand's off road cycle trails and quiet back roads as possible.

We have created a fully supported version of the Tour Aotearoa so that you you can ride the full length of New Zealand knowing that we have got your back! Our tour loosely follows this classic route and also include plenty of quirky extras, stop-overs and special places in the true Escape Adventures' style.

Whether you choose to ride one section, the full length of the north or south island, or indeed all at once - We will organise all the logistics, book accommodation and organise all included meals. Our awesome Escape Adventures tour leaders will ride with you, and provide daily briefings, first aid and mechanical support. Our trusty ’Sag Wagon’ support vehicle will carry your luggage, have lunch, snacks and water, and is there if you need a break from the saddle. There are times when the vehicle will need to take a different route and will meet up with you where it can. We will supply you with daily route notes and maps so that you can ride at your own pace throughout the day.

Yes, Colombians are bike mad! They love road cycling; they love extreme mountain biking; they love urban downhill…. they love bikes, any bikes and most Colombians ride a bike… just any old bike will do and Sundays is cyclovia where the main roads in the the towns and cities close to motorised traffic and are filled with people riding bikes, skates, skate boards and scooters!

We make the most of the cycling culture and epic cycling terrain as we ride through thriving cities and friendly cowboy towns; vast coffee growing regions, tropics, jungle, semi-desert and Andean alpine environments.

Colombia is so diverse that it boasts every growing climate imaginable: hot steamy tropical valleys full of pineapples and papayas, higher up coffee, cacao and banana plantations thrive and in the highlands almost they grow every fruit and vegetable you can imagine!

If ever there was a land of diversity - Colombia is it! With a turbulent history of European colonialism, political struggles and drug wars, Colombia has now moved on and as a cycle touring destination - it is pretty much perfect!

We can't wait to share with you this land of divine cycling and warm welcomes from everyone we meet!

Fiji is defined by the vast South Pacific Ocean which for a long time has provided both isolation and protection.  Made up of 332 volcanic islands, Fiji is most famous as a tropical resort holiday destination.  But beyond the upmarket resorts is a land of big hearted, laid back and genuinely welcoming people. 
Picture rain-forested mountains, subsistence villages and quiet roads winding around a coastline of swaying coconut palms and clear blue ocean.  This is the Fiji we are heading for!  Starting in Vanua Levu we cycle across the island and on to the ‘garden island’ of Taveuni’. Add in an overnight village stay, reef snorkelling, plunging into crystal clear waterfall pools and pina coladas and you have the perfect mix for for a real tropical adventure.

The coastal walk (Day 8) is an easy four hour coastal walk on a flat and rolling well made trail.
 
Some people choose to extend their adventure by adding on the 2 day, overnight night Batilamu Trek (see below), or stay on and relax into Fiji island time...