Adventure Stories with Turkana

Two riders, two KTM 890 Rallys, fourteen days, and one legendary destination. Join Callie and Ezelda Steyn as they tackle a bucket-list Namibia motorcycle adventure through Kaokoland, conquering Van Zyl’s Pass, crossing the remote Marienfluss, and navigating some of Southern Africa’s toughest terrain. From scorching desert heat and river crossings to remote campsites and unforgettable landscapes, this is a story of adventure riding, perseverance, and the gear that carried them through it all. Discover why Kaokoland remains one of Africa’s ultimate overland and motorcycle travel destinations.

In May 2008, I quickly got sucked into the world of adventure biking. Remembering watching a movie of guys doing a trip to Van Zyl’s Pass in Namibia. I yearned to also experience an adventure like that, the challenges, hardships and all. But life happened and dreams fade….

In May 2008, I quickly got sucked into the world of adventure biking. Remembering watching a movie of guys doing a trip to Van Zyl’s Pass in Namibia. I yearned to also experience an adventure like that, the challenges, hardships and all. But life happened and dreams fade….

So here’s the deal. Three amigos on a mission to prove you don’t need big adventure motorcycles — or good decisions — to have a great day. We grabbed a Triumph Scrambler 400X, a Royal Enfield Himalayan, and a CFMoto 450MT Ibex. Then we slapped on some Turkana MadMule™ rackless soft saddlebags, fitted a Bullfrog™…

In May 2008, I quickly got sucked into the world of adventure biking. Remembering watching a movie of guys doing a trip to Van Zyl’s Pass in Namibia. I yearned to also experience an adventure like that, the challenges, hardships and all. But life happened and dreams fade….

The idea was simple – three friends, three bikes kitted with the new MadMules rackless soft luggage and five days to go do epic shit. Riding from sunrise to sunset carrying only what we needed.

We had piled enough food, water and other necessities on board to keep us going for the next five-six days, and it was a great way to truly give our prototype Turkana pannier bags a run for their money! It’s amazing how much you can get in them.

We keep testing and aiming to keep improving on the Turkana motorcycle soft luggage bag pannier range. When you live in Europe, as I do, the top adventure destination is Morocco. From Amsterdam, it is about 2,000 km as the crow flies to Tanger.

We knew this stretch of our planned journey through Turkana could potentially end our trip.

Angola – You only have to know these two words to have locals crack a broad smile and even hard-ass police officials won’t be able to keep a straight face. ‘Beer’ and ‘Thank You’ are what these Portuguese words mean, very important stuff!