Ride Africa!

OUR TEAM

Rene and Colette Cormier

Canadian Rene Cormier has spent much of the last 7 years travelling around the world on his BMW F650 and has authored "The University of Gravel Roads", a memoir about his adventures. That 154,000 kilometre trip provides many of the topics for fireside conversations about global travelling by motorcycle.

Rene met Colette while travelling in South Africa and they were married in 2010. Born in Namibia and raised in South Africa, Colette is fluent in both Afrikaans and English and during the tours she rolls up her sleeves and joins in the fun on the road.

 

In 2012 Rene joined the Ted Simon Foundation's Committee of Advisors to encourage and assist travellers in making an extra effort to develop their observations and insights into something of value for the rest of the world to share.

 

 

Henk van Niekerk

Henk is an Afrikaans and English speaking guide and tour operator registered in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. His company Zulu Overland runs a fleet of Isuzu FTR 800 Turbo trucks that are specially modified for overland driving adventures as well as offering river trips, hunting and fishing expeditions, and full catering functions. Being born in a small town in the Kalahari has put the desert in Henk's blood and his guiding currently takes him to Namibia eight times a year. He estimates that he has been to Namibia well over 200 times since his first trip there in 1980. As busy as the overland tourist side of the business is, Henk's passion is exploring Africa's back roads by motorcycle and is also the reason he will personally outfit all of our African adventures. His recent personal motorcycle lineup has included the Honda Africa Twin, KTM 950 Adventure and currently the BMW F800 GS. He lives with his wife Maryke and three children on their apple farm near Cape Town but heads out to the other family property in the Tanqua Karoo Desert to host Africa's Burning Man festival (AfrikaBurn), held annually in April.