About Us
Ride Down South offers adventure motorcycle tours in South Africa that will leave you with stories you'll tell for the rest of your days. We've been riding our favourite routes since 2007 and love showing our guests the wonders of our big backyard. Our groups are small: from 4-8 riders and we like to keep things simple. We stay in comfortable 3- and sometimes 4-star lodges, with an occasional tented camp under the stars. Our Honda Africa Twin motorcycles are all owned and maintained by our team of mechanics. We're also happy being flexible and will create custom rides for individuals and small groups.
Meet Our Guides
Michael Durham
lead guide
Michael Durham is a motorcycle adventurer who loves being out on the open road, showing fellow adventurers the wonders of South Africa, and other parts of Africa. He is an all-round nature lover and discoverer and outdoors junkie. Michael lives in Cape Town, but travels often. He has spent most of his life riding bikes, from MX and Enduro bikes, street bikes and then on to adventure bikes. He loves spending time exploring back roads, mountain roads and 'roads' nobody was supposed to travel! He is a hiker, swimmer, dad, doggy dad, and "gotta be outdoors" person. He has been on a number of Ride Down South adventures this past year, and will be hosting riders from around the world on many more in 2024. "My experience of riding in Southern Africa has led me on this path of doing what I love and what motivates me every day - the pleasure of sharing our beautiful region with our guests in the best way possible - on two wheels."
Andrew Vaughan
owner and guide
Andrew Vaughan is the owner, lead guide, chief mechanic, email answerer and new route explorer at Ride Down South. Andrew formed Ride Down South in 2016 after returning from a two-wheeled adventure with a friend to Kigali, Rwanda. Having seen how awestruck his Canadian friend had been by the experience of riding a motorcycle through some of Africa's most scenic spots, it seemed natural to see if there was a way to share that with other fellow motorcyclists. Andrew is a qualified mechanical engineer with work experience in the aviation industry. He spent a few years at UK-based Rolls Royce Plc where he worked on the design of turbofan engines. Andrew is also a qualified career coach and runs an education non-profit called This Better Work. His biggest motorcycling adventure was a 30 000km ride from Vancouver, Canada to Cape Town via Russia, Eastern Europe and Africa on a Kawasaki KLR 650 in 2007.
Peter Seiler, Vancouver
Andrew was absolutely great, from the knowledge of his country and history of each place we visited, giving us the little travel tips we needed, making sure he never lost us. And when we ran into some unexpected surprises, he just calmly solved it. I was very impressed.”
David Moore, Manchester
Andrew from ride down south is the most perfect guide will bespoke tours for you nothing is too much trouble from booking to riding the organisation was first class his bikes are well maintained and nice to ride
David Loynes, UK
Where do I start. What an amazing day we had with Andrew absolutely amazing tour guide. Having been on other tours with different companies across the globe who don’t really know the history ect it was great that Andrew knew what he was talking about. He knows all the history behind each stop and is happy to answer any questions you may have.
Didn’t feel rushed at all throughout the day and he even stopped to point out things I didn’t notice.
At the end of the day he even recommended different routes we could take on our own bike and was happy to share his experiences with different areas of South Africa.
10 out of 10 would recommend him to anyone that is looking to explore on a motorbike
Amazing day thank Andrew
Aiman, Oman
We just came back from the trip of our lifetime! A 5 day motorbike tour around garden route and route 62 with Ride Down South. Andrew was very experienced and easy going guide. We are more like beginner with the riding motorbikes but Andrew made it feel easy and safe. I highly recommend him, nothing is too much for him and we had excellent info about our route, the nice spots and the country in general.
Will Elliot, California
I just rode from Victoria Falls to Cape Town with Ride Down South and couldn't be happier. Andrew and Greg aren't just great guides, they're also just really great people -- a joy to ride with and also a joy to hang out with. They ran my 22 day tour without a hitch and made sure we stopped at all the best secret spots.
Our Story
Whilst Ride Down South has been in operation since 2016, Andrew Vaughan (founder, owner, chief mechanic, and guide) has been riding motorbikes throughout Africa for much longer. He has set off on many an adventure on two wheels – sometimes with others, sometimes alone. Andrew rode 30 000 kilometres from Vancouver, Canada to Cape Town, South Africa in 2007, enjoyed a 14 000km ride through Southern Africa including Angola and Zambia in 2014, and has done many shorter rides in between.
In 2015 Andrew was on a motorcycle trip with a friend from Canada, riding from Cape Town, South Africa to Kigali, Rwanda, and raising funds for two youth-focused non-profits along the way. Sitting around the campfire after a rather average day in Namibia, his friend commented that he was having the time of his life riding a motorcycle through the African landscape, and it was an experience that many of his friends would envy. That conversation under the stars opened up a smorgasbord of ideas and possibilities. Andrew realised that this could be made accessible to keen adventurers who were unlikely to do this kind of trip on their own.
The Ride Down South team love the outdoors and the wildlife that goes with it, and have vast personal experience of rides through Africa. These epic African motorcycle adventures for individuals and small groups have drawn people from around the world. Their knowledge and expertise removes the stress of travel in sometimes tough places. Knowing what to do at border posts, which routes are safest to go on, where to stay and who to ask for guidance, where to fill up with fuel, and more, make trips all about the fun and adventure, and less about logistics and stress. The team also offer local rides around the Western Cape. And the Ride Down South motorbikes that adventurers ride on have become something of an attraction on their own!
Our Friends and Affiliations
Our guides have been trained by the team at Adventure Qualifications Network and are members of the Adventure Pro group.
Ride Down South is bonded with the SATSA (South African Tourism Services Association) and insured with SATIB (Safari and Tourism Insurance Brokers) in South Africa.
What People Are Saying
We had considered navigating the trip ourselves...
LAURA IDENSOHN // Saudi Arabia
I can't imagine going with anyone else on a trip like we did...
Thank you Andrew for an amazing experience. You listened to our needs and crafted a tour to suit our group of 4 west coast Canadians and 1 American. You gave great leadership and service all the way. Ending the tour in Victoria Falls was a perfect finale to an amazing trip, on which, we saw and experienced so much. Read more ...
BRIAN HENRY // Victoria, British Columbia
“
When I booked this motorcycle trip I wanted the trip of a lifetime...
I got it and then some. Wow. What an experience! Andrew and Greg aren't just great guides, they're also just really great people -- a joy to ride with and also a joy to hang out with. They ran my 22 day tour without a hitch and made sure we stopped at all the best secret spots. And the bikes we rode for absolutely perfect for the trip. Africa Twin! I'm a fan for life.
WILL ELLIOT // San Francisco
“
If you're after adventure, mateship and a real sense of achievement ...
... I'd highly recommend a trip with Ride Down South. As a long time tour organiser and operator, this was actually the first time I’ve ever gone on a tour as a customer and you far exceeded my expectations. It wasn’t just the riding or the bikes, it was the whole package, the choices of accommodation, the great meals but above all the enthusiasm and willingness to go that extra mile (or 100 km) that shone through in you and your team.
OWEN HOLCOMBE // Cambodia
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- Michael Andrews
Contact Andrew
You can reach Andrew by phone, Whatsapp, or email
Email: andrew@ridedownsouth.com
Or click on the images to chat via Whatsapp
or fill out this contact form.