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This enduro trip with OVERCROSS takes you to the Tunisian Sahara. Over gravel roads, through mountain landscapes and the Sahara - we spend the nights outdoors in the oases of the desert and far away from civilisation in exciting wild camps in "no man's land". On the OVERCROSS motorbike tours we are on the road as a team and therefore teamwork is also very important on this tour, be it to get through the strenuous sand passages or to cook and wash up together in the evenings. One for all, all for one is the motto of this tour. This interactive motorbike tour is to be seen as a suggestion and rough tour itinerary with the tour description below, who wants standard on an adventure tour?
One of the best motorbike tours in the Sahara - planned for a small circle of endurists who have always wanted to experience the adventure of the Sahara.
For those participants who want to use our Fly and Drive offer and therefore do not want to travel to the ferry port in Genoa themselves, we will meet one week before at the OVERCROSS workshop in Tübingen to load the motorbikes onto the motorbike trailer. We have two seats available in our support vehicle if you don't want to fly but travel with us by road. You are also welcome to travel yourself on your motorbike to our second meeting point at the ferry port of Genoa, where we will load your motorbike onto our trailer for the Mediterranean crossing to Tunisia.
Probably the most relaxed option would be to simply fly to Tunis and leave the travel and entry formalities to us.
Those participants who have decided to accompany us in the supply vehicle will meet us in the morning on the day of departure to load the bikes. For those arriving by plane, we ask that you deliver your mopeds one week before departure.
On Friday (one day before the official start of the motorbike tour) we will drive to Lago Di Como (alternatively Milan), where we will spend the night and get in the mood for the tour with delicious pizza by the lake.
On Saturday morning we will drive the last leg to the ferry port of Genoa, where we will meet at 13:03h with the participants who have travelled on their own.
All participants will receive from us the pre-prepared entry and customs forms including the ferry tickets and first class 4 berth cabin tickets. We have enough time at the quay to lash the remaining motorbikes on the transporter for the crossing and to stow your luggage in the escort vehicle.
At around 15:00 hrs the vehicles will be loaded onto the ferry according to Tunisian time. Tunisian time means that we have not experienced this in 20 years! More realistic is 17:00 hrs and departure between 19:00 and 21:00 hrs.
After checking into the cabin, we meet for dinner and discuss the next day as we will do every evening.
After breakfast we meet for the tour briefing and for a little surprise your tour guide has up his sleeve! During the tour briefing, riding techniques and the tour itinerary are discussed, as well as the skills and inabilities of the riders. Often participants are concerned that they might hold up the group with poor riding skills. As a rule, they are the ones who then drive ahead ;-) You as well as everyone else will learn a lot about Enduro and travelling on this trip. The theory already starts when we cross the Mediterranean!
We dock in Tunis around noon. After we have left the ferry and customs by "express handling", we will drive to our accommodation. There we will meet the participants who arrived by plane on Saturday or Sunday and were brought to our hotel by the airport shuttle.
After a hearty dinner, we will discuss the tour briefing and equipment coordination and give the participants the remaining information for tomorrow's tour day.
Today we say goodbye to luxury. The motorbike group rides the connecting stage on asphalt and gravel roads over the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, where we set up camp after the first relaxed day of riding.
We spend the night in a historic battlefield from the Second World War. In the picture below on the left, the famous Count von Staufenberg was hit in the head by a bullet during a low-flying attack on 7 April 1934, after which his left eye was removed in the field hospital in Sfax. Depending on tomorrow's start, we will visit another phosphorus area, where blasting takes place again and again at 13:00 and the earth is removed on kilometre-long belts - but more about that later - maybe?
We set off early in the morning and travel over phosphorus mining tracks to reach the Rommel track and a 5-million-year-old find in a cave. Over fascinating and scenic routes we reach Chott Er Rahim, 17 metres below sea level. A crossing at this point is rather unthinkable but worth a try ;-) Alternatively, we can drive around Chott Er Rahim on-road to the campsite. There we spend the night and load provisions in Touzeur for the next days in the desert.
The Sahara inspired Geoge Lukas in 1977 for the whimsical filming location of the spaceship station Mose Espa. This Star Wars setting and the 2003 trip also inspired Joe to name his son Luke. Here we will do some sand training for the coming days and prepare you for the toughest dune stages in the Sahara. Couch potato was yesterday, the adventure starts now!
A holiday made to measure, showers, camping under palm trees and an extended dinner around the campfire between dust track and sleeping bag. We stock up on supplies and fill the enduros and reserve canisters with fuel before diving into the desert the next day.
Over the next few days we ride past the impressive Tembaine table mountain to the southernmost point of this trip, the Lost Lake. These will be days in the desert that will weld us together: shovel, drive and tip over, pick up, GAS and experience the vastness of the Sahara. These days are guaranteed to be the most impressive experiences, which we will review in the evening in the 1000 star hotel under the open sky. This is pure freedom and an adventure for every endurist. Riding in the sand will be a challenge especially for the "big ship" riders - BMW 1200 GS as well as 690 KTM riders had the challenge of a lifetime on this tour. No offense - former participants still talk about this tour after 15 years! The consolation for those who still have reservations: We haven't left anyone behind in two decades ;-)
After the days "off", we will treat ourselves to some time out in the oasis of Ksar Ghilane and enjoy the hot springs with cold beer.
With your Enduro to the Fort in Ksar Ghilane
Today we can take a relaxed approach, go on a dune hike, bathe in the hot spring or do a few laps with our enduros over the dunes to the old Roman fort not far from the oasis. The stories about the Oasis and the French Legion are told (in addition to the daily tour briefing) at the evening campfire.
A last bath in the spring, a last coffee and off we go, either via the other filming locations of Star Was or for an overnight stay in a storage castle. This depends on the mood and energy of the group. The relaxed route takes us along the pipeline track to Matmata and in the last decades we have visited Fatima in her living cave for a cup of tea. On asphalt we head north to Sfax. From Sfax we take the ferry to the largest island in the Kerkennah archipelago. At the landing site of the fugitive president Habib Burguiba, we will set up camp on the stormy corner and light the campfire.
Jump through the desert with your Enduro
After a small breakfast, we circle the island and then take the ferry again, which brings us back to Sfax.
Coffee stop at the largest and oldest amphitheatre in El Diem, which was built in 238 by Proconsul Coradius for 35,000 visitors. An incredible building project at the time and fascinatingly sophisticated architecture. Feet up and gas on for the last few kilometres to a delicious hotel by the sea with an infinity pool. So far, we have not treated ourselves to anything except sweat and dust, which we will duly wash down on our last evening in Africa.
Our way back to Tunis leads us over Cape Bon (Ras ad ar) which is known from the naval battle of 255 BC and has its significance from the Vandal campaign. In 1943, about 230,000 German and Italian soldiers surrendered here. At Tunisgrad (German name after the defeat of Stalingard) we will enjoy the last sensational view over the coast of Africa at the military station before we have to go to the ferry port of La Goulette to catch the ferry. Good bye Africa, until the next adventure!
Today your tour guide has one last surprise in store before we say goodbye and arrive back in Genoa at around 15:00 on Saturday.
The return journey via Switzerland will be a long one! Around 24:00 we will reach Tübingen and have a drink before going to bed? ;-)
Der Reiseveranstalter OVERCROSS® ist seit über zwei Jahrzehnten mit der Insolvenzabsicherung nach §651r und §651w für den Reisenden abgesichert!
Der Reiseveranstalter OVERCROSS® ist seit über zwei Jahrzehnten mit der Insolvenzabsicherung nach §651r und §651w für den Reisenden abgesichert!