How It Works: The event is an individual, self-guided safari. Instead of a race to the finish line, it focuses on exploration and documenting your journey.
The Route: There are no set tracks to follow. You decide your pace, your distance, and whether you want to ride on tar or gravel.
The Task: You photograph your bike and your official rider number at specific checkpoints, geographic spots, or as you complete thematic challenges.
The Competition: You submit your completed photos into upload slots, which then place you on the leaderboards to compete for epic gear prizes.
Key Details & DatesEvent Duration: August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027.
Registration: Open to anyone in Southern Africa on any type of bike. You register directly through the Cape Adventure Bike Challenge portal.
Prizes: The challenges are sponsored by major brands like Dunlop Tyres, Cardo, and Motul.
Turkana Challenge 3 exceeded every expectation and grew into one of South Africa’s biggest year-long adventure riding communities.
Over the course of the challenge the event saw between 470 and 480 official entries, with hundreds of riders actively contributing rides, destinations, stories, photographs and local knowledge throughout the year.
What started as a riding challenge quickly became a community. Riders shared hidden gems in their hometowns, discovered places they would otherwise never have visited, and inspired others to explore their own backyards.
The challenge generated thousands of interactions across the community with riders helping riders, swapping route ideas, sharing accommodation recommendations and uncovering fascinating local history along the way.
The support from prize sponsors played a massive role in making this possible. Their backing didn’t simply provide some seriously desirable prizes. It helped maintain excitement throughout the year, encouraged participation and showed what can happen when the motorcycle industry gets behind a community-driven adventure initiative.
NOW FOR THIS YEAR:
Turkana Challenge 4 – Be a Pioneer – 2026/27
This year’s Turkana Challenge is all about the stories.
Things to see, places to go and the stories around them. Find routes, destinations, and stories.
Locals know the lesser-known spots. Be the local that shows us those hidden gems in your area, and learn from locals elsewhere what there is to go and see.
There will still be standing challenges and a whole year to finish them, but there will also be 3-
Month rolling challenges. Prizes for the best contributions as well as lucky draw between all who
contributed.
Aug / Sept / Oct
- Historic Challenge. Find something less known that happened a 100+ years ago. A place, a
monument, a grave, anything interesting. Take a ride there; it can be a short trip or an extended ride.
Take photos and come tell the story.
- Where to lay your head. Interesting and quirky places to stay. Something to see, a story to tell.
- Micro Adventures. Need a quick breakaway? Show us your micro-adventure or one-
night trip.
Nov / Dec / Jan
Holiday Vibes
Pass! Let’s ride the passes. Viewpoints, bridges, ghosts – every Pass has a story to tell!
Roadside Legends. Find an old roadhouse, “padstalletjie”, pub, café, filling station or traveller
stop with history and character. Where are those traveller gems?
Hier sit die manne. Those old town Hotels, The Grand, Queens, Royal Hotel. Old traditional
hotels where you can still have steak, eggs & chips. Are they still around?
Feb / Mar / Apr
Steeple Chase. Show us those beautiful churches. Especially those off the beaten track.
“Java Jive”. Scenic spots with a view to go and have a coffee (or a sundowner if you prefer).
Show us where to go and unwind.
Characters. A station master, a lighthouse keeper, a hotel owner, a pontoon operator, a local
historian. The best travel stories are often about people rather than places.
May / Jun / Jul
Bridges are most probably the most photographed civil engineering structure of all. Bridges form frames, bridges provide sweeping vistas; bridges connect people. We want bridges with stories.
War Stories. Battlefields, monuments, birthplaces or graves and lesser-known spots and stories.
This way! Oxwagon routes, owl routes, scenic routes, and old postal routes. Tell us where to go next!
Individual Challenges.
And a whole year to do them!
- Road Trip! Tour the Most Beautiful Small Towns in South Africa. North or South (List Below).
- I’ll be dammed! Tour our countries’ biggest dams. West, South or East (List Below).
- Follow the Light – Be a son of a beach and do one of three Lighthouse Tours. West, South or east (List Below).
Ride the 4 corners and centre of SA
Corporate Challenges
- Test Ride any Honda Motorcycle at any Honda dealer and stand a chance to win a R10 000
voucher.
- Test ride any CFMOTO motorcycle at any CFMOTO dealer and stand a chance to win a prize.
- Take a photo with any Motul product at a stocking motorcycle dealer and stand a chance to win a Motul prize.
(There will be more corporate challenges added in due course.)
Enter. It’s free. It’s fun. It’s all about Adventure community.
Some numbers from Challenge 3:
* 470-480 official challenge entries.
* Hundreds of riders actively contributing content throughout the year.
* More than 600 rider shirts printed across the last two challenges carrying sponsor branding into garages, coffee shops, dealerships, rallies and adventure destinations around the country.
* Thousands of community interactions, comments, ride reports and photographs shared.
* Riders discovering and promoting local businesses, attractions and destinations that many people never knew existed.
