Absolutely Gutted (Kudu Expeditions Cancels Paris-Dakar Challenge)

[dakarDude]

Here we are for the *second* time - Kudu have cancelled their Paris-Dakar Challenge

Just had an email and it basically states that 2 thirds of the riders have not paid the balance of the costs and they are stating the security situation in Mauritania is also the reason its off.

Not exactly great news as I have been having jabs, buying kit and generally getting ready for a trip for months now that would have been a once in a lifetime opportunity. Getting the extended time in annual leave from where I work was also tricky, but I managed it.

Not happy. The costs and prep. have all been for nothing - thank God I didnt get my flight home from Gambia booked on Monday - that would have been almost £550 on top

Is anyone else out there that was scheduled to go on this same trip?

 

[Timolgra]

Is anyone else out there that was scheduled to go on this same trip?

Bad luck and you must be gutted but if there are others in the same situation, how about sorting something yourselves, there's still time

 

[dakarDude]

Bad luck and you must be gutted but if there are others in the same situation, how about sorting something yourselves, there's still time

Cheers Timolgra. Its grim mate - you know when you have something to look forward to that is keeping you going and then its gone? Yup, its that feeling!

The thing is, I have no idea who the others are - other than there was 1 or 2 coming from New Zealand, one from Dubai, 2 from Ireland, some Brits and thats all I know.

Would love to speak to them and find out what they reckon to it all.

Its a right old mess to be honest and its winding me up the more I total up how much I have spent in time and money getting ready

 

[Timolgra]

Cheers Timolgra. Its grim mate - you know when you have something to look forward to that is keeping you going and then its gone? Yup, its that feeling!

The thing is, I have no idea who the others are - other than there was 1 or 2 coming from New Zealand, one from Dubai, 2 from Ireland, some Brits and thats all I know.

Would love to speak to them and find out what they reckon to it all.

Its a right old mess to be honest and its winding me up the more I total up how much I have spent in time and money getting ready

It's unlikely, but Kudos may supply you with contact details of the others.

It may also be worth posting something on ADVrider since the others are so widespead, but it's a vast site so wouldn't know which section to post it.

I really can appreciate your frustration but you now have an opportunity to change all your future motorcycling trips whilst saving a fortune....glass half full and all that

 

[Racey]

DakarDude

Sorry to hear that mate... Know the feeling well... Compass Expeditions did the same to me with my London Vlad ride in 2009. 3 months before the off...

But that turned out to be a blessing in disguise... I used the time I had booked off to pull a plan together and rode an alternative ride that I pulled together myself...

Sensational - one of the best things that could have happened in hindsight...

While it may not be exactly the same trip - try and pull something together and use the time, bike prep etc

I bet Tim will endorse this - but I realised there is so much more to living out a plan you have pulled together yourself...

Whatever you do - good luck... But from what i have heard from several riders who have been on such organised trips - you may be thankful in the months that come - blaze your own trail... Go where you want, stop where you want and see what you want...

 

[Timolgra]

Whatever you do - good luck... But from what i have heard from several riders who have been on such organised trips - you may be thankful in the months that come - blaze your own trail... Go where you want, stop where you want and see what you want...

Spot on

If you should go this route,the biggest obstacle to overcome now is yourself.
Make the decision you're going to do it, then you're on your way

 

[Ogmios]

Hmmmm......
i have similar feelings about a slightly* different postponed (i refuse to think of it as cancelled! ) trip to Gambia.

*the slight difference - i will be going on a Honda 90.

i'm watching this thread with great interest now.

 

[Racey]

If you should go this route,the biggest obstacle to overcome now is yourself.
Make the decision you're going to do it, then you're on your way

100% endorse this...

It is daunting - but therein lies so much of the upside...

Mine wasn't the most adventurous trip - but it certainly took me outside my comfort zone - and that's what gave me such a fantastic experience...

Not only did I have a great trip - but it taught me things about myself... It was a brilliant, liberating, but daunting, first step... But once taken i wondered what I had "been fretting about"...

But I'm hooked and won't ever consider a "group trip" again...

With all your prep - just go for it - even if it isn't as "daring" as the planned route it will be so much more rewarding and, who knows, you'll be doing the "whole thing" yourself in a year or so as I am with my London to Mongolia and Siberia ride next year...

Believe in yourself, your bike and your prep and go...

 

[Richeyroo]

Bikershome is your friend (see advert about 6 inches up)

Fly in for 50 quid, rent a bike for a few hundred quid, base yourself there for a few hundred quid, explore a bit more of an amazing country every day, build up your confidence about going it alone, have a completely brilliant time, fly home, spend the remaining cash on Guinness

Probably about 1/4 the cost of an organised trip and more than double the fun

 

[dakarDude]

Cheers for all the comments guys.

Still a bit shell-shocked to be honest.

Bit annoyed as I've had no replies to emails I sent to Kudu regarding all this (yet) - and tried phoning them earlier but got a bit of a fob-off and can't get to talk to the person that emailed out the cancellation message. Will try again later. I want to know what the score is from the horse's mouth.

They cite Mauritania as a reason why its off - and yet the situation AFAIK is no different to what it was when they did a recent recce there not long ago and said they were happy with the way things went - even adding 250 miles to the trip! Doesn't seem right - I know Africa is Africa and things change quickly, but blimey!

I almost got my flight home booked Monday night as part of this - good job - that was just short of 550 quid.

 

[Tim Cullis]

I'm not aware that the situation in Mauri has become worse. David and Hana from Motoadventours did a trip to Dakar a couple of months ago and have another in planning stage.

Peter at Bikershome is planning a Dogon/Timbuctu trip in November.

 

[Crapaud]

My advice is go for it. I did Calum's Road trip in Jan/Feb.

Ride down was with 6 other riders but trip back up was solo and all the better for it. You interact so much more with the locals when you travel alone.

I think the other guys would agree that the Mauri people were the most friendly and helpful we met. I spoke at length with Foreign Office people who wrote the Country Advice and none of them had ever set foot in Mauri.

Do your own thing. Happy to help you with any advice you want.

Sid

 

[oblertone]

Therin lies the rub ...

... or some such nonsense ! Solo trips (like Sids) are so far off the radar that they go unnoticed; notwithstanding Calums Road organised jaunts and especially slow moving ones are that much more 'at risk'. My personal view having done the trip twice is that the area is being deliberately destabalised to deter travellers and so protect more nefarious activities; realistically I can't see me making the third trip in the foreseeable future, which is a damn shame particularly as I've got two C90's in the garage

 

[dakarDude]

Once again thanks all - had a good chat with several GSers tonight - up-shot is I will be damned if some organised tour bunch will feck up my plans to do this in some form or another - as yet, God knows what I will do, but for now, the suggestions are all being stored up for consideration and I thank you all for them.

I know this, I'm seriously cheesed off with how its all been handled I have to say. Especially worrying how easily you are left to the prep. work and how much you can spend preparing (the shots alone and malaria tabs are enough thanks), whilst all the time, it might just not happen - especially if like me you know you don't want to just wing it too much and get things organised.

My God, this kind of thing can break you if you let it

"Caveat Emptor" all, forget the Package Holiday Bunch and suss it yourself is my new motto, or you may just never even make the start line and have a lighter wallet to boot

"Nice brochure, shame re. the delivery" pfffffffffffffffffff!

Anyone else out there that was due on this departing Aug 28 that wants to make some plans and salvage this thing?

 

[MotoAdvenTours]

Dakar?

Hi guys,
what a pain with this "last minute" cancellations. Well, the bussines is not at it´s best moment to say so, we have almoust ruined our company by running tours even if only 2 people booked, to avoid desapointment,also got to take our banner from the web as couldn´t afford to advertize any more, but can say proudly that we managed to run all tours so far.David is going to Mali and I will join him later and we will spent the bigger part of the rest of the year around Mali,Senegal Gambia etc...,so if somebody is interested in going,let me know.We only planned our next Dakar trip from Malaga to Pink Lake, Senegal, but could adapt the route,ad more like Timbouctou,Gambia etc,if we get couple people together.
I agree that Mauritanian people are very friendly etc.... but I still would only do Africa "solo" in case of emergency.I recomend at least 2 bikes. Also don´t compare Morocco with the rest of AFRICA.Morocco could be considered part of Europe.WARNING -africa makes addicitive,as more you get,more you want, or you never go again ;-)

 

[AberdeenAngus]

I did Dakar in January.
To tell you the truth Senegal is a huge disappointing rip-off.
Morocco - brill.
Western Sahara - awesome
Mauri - wonderful
Senegal - tiresome
Dakar - a dump

If I was doing the trip again I would turn around at the Senegal border.

In fact, if it's the desert experience you are after, I would head straight down to Western Sahara and spend a week down there and then come back.
Western Sahara feels very different from Morocco.
Feels more Deserty.....if you know what I mean.
That way you don't need worry about Visa's.

You don't need a guide. Tim of this parish will tell you all you need to know, and then some. You've only one border of any note as you enter Morocco - and even that is pretty civilised.

Minimal hassle - good craic - good riding - and you can get a beer - which you can't in Mauri (officially ).

Don't ditch the trip just because the operator has pulled out. You don't need them. Do it yourself and save a fortune.

 

[dakarDude]

I'm overwhelmed with info guys - thanks all for pitching in with view and news - very good reading - makes me realise what a newbie I am to all this overland stuff - many thanks to all who spoke to me by mobiles / phones / PMs etc.

I contacted GlobeBusters today - fantastic reply from Julia there, what a great bunch they are - sadly they are not doing Mauri either at the mo' due to the risks - I guess they have to be extra careful when they are looking out for folk joining their tours, which is totally fair play.

The old "getting to Dakar roller coaster" is never easy it seems - if I could just make it to Lac Rose and scoop up some sand and bring it back in a jar in a "Saving Private Ryan stylie"

Still researching, but all existing pointers and future info. most welcome.

Thank-you all.

 

[Fanum]

The old "getting to Dakar roller coaster" is never easy it seems - if I could just make it to Lac Rose and scoop up some sand and bring it back in a jar in a "Saving Private Ryan stylie"

Still researching, but all existing pointers and future info. most welcome.

Dakardude, quite seriously, don't even bother with Dakar as a destination

It was chosen by the rally organisers purely because it has an international shipping port to move stuff out......but because of the event, it seems to have built up its own mystique, which is (IMO) totally undeserved....Dakar is a soulless, industrial port, and any port in North or West Africa comes with hassle, people trying to get out and all the crap that the pond life/desperate/thieves who sink towards ports bring with them

Dakar is a bit like Casablanca, trading on its name, but it's a lot smaller and a bit more desperate.


There are far more interesting/adventurous/beautiful/challenging/less disappointing destinations to visit in West Africa......try 'the eye of the world' as an ultimate target, or somewhere more worthy than Harwich relocated to a seedy African coast

 

[Tim Cullis]

Yeah, it might involve a name change, though, to get rid of the dakardude moniker.

Senegal was far more expensive than I had imagined--about the same prices as Spain, so maybe twice/three times that of Moroccco. The cuisine is great, and the locals are friendly and mostly handsome/beautiful, but the countryside is one big bore and the corruption of officials is depressing.

Dakar and Lac Rose from my blog.

Western Sahara and Mauri are interesting but why bother when there's enough in Morocco to keep you going for months on end?

 

[dakarDude]

Cheers all.

Tim - the moniker began life when I used to run round on a BMW 650 Dakar and joined UKGSER - I really miss that bike - why I sold it I will NEVER know and it depresses the hell out of me now its gone

I'm getting a serious hankering to have a crack at UK->France->Spain->Morocco->and finally touching on Western Sahara then riding back home to the UK again.

I've got 28th August until 20th September off work, which was going to be used for the Kudu Dakar run.

I would be looking to go on the 1200GSA, likely alone - but if anyone fancies meeting up along the way or coming along for the craic I'm up for that.

So I am now at the stage where I have 8 weeks to plan everything - I've had all my injections bar 1 and that is due 14th July (more leftovers from the Dakar prep.).

My passport is good for it, just need to look into costings, paperwork etc. and what I might need to take as spare parts for the 1200 just in case.

Will start looking through this section of the site and start gathering info.

Its gonna be good!