Sri Lanka: A Tapestry of History and Mythology
Sri Lanka’s story begins thousands of years ago with early settlements dating back to the prehistoric era. By around 500 BCE, the island was home to sophisticated civilisations, notably the Sinhalese kingdoms.
Riding through tea plantations
Riding through the tea plantations is an amazing experience. Sometimes the roads can be bumpy with very close hairpins, but the scenery that you take in is unparalleled.
The emerging phoenix & the land of the brave
Conde Nast Traveler, one the most read travel magazines all around the globe, published an article back in November – The Best Places to Go in Asia in 2024
Our fleet of Classic, Bullet, and Himalayan
After relying on our Classics & Bullets for years, we introduced Himalayans to our fleet in India last year.
What’s happening with EBT?
Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and a new adventure in the Hearth of India
2023 Calendar + Special Promotion [valid until 31/08/2022]
It has been a while since Extreme Bike Tours really hit the road. Riding on the Edge of the World has been on hold for many and you have seen what can happen to your freedom to travel. So let’s get moving and tick some of those boxes. NOW is the time to set yourself and your mates up for the trip that you have always dreamt of. What’s new! First, we have a new improved website and lots of riding planned for 2023! We have tailored new tours in some must-see destinations. Steppe into the Gobi goes deep into Mongolia one of our favourite destinations wild nature and the back of beyond true adventure. Our budget-conscious ride through Rajasthan ‘On a Shoestring’ and the beating heart of India. Unfortunately Tibet remains on hold. The borders are still closed and there are no certainties of when the chinese authorities will allow tourism there and especially entry via land. To remediate, we have added a couple of new destinations that we will be announcing in the upcoming months. Special Early Birds Promo & Calendar Get 10% off on any tour if you book before the 31st of August 2022. Here are the scheduled tours for 2023: Hidden Sri Lanka Feb 25th- March 9th July 1st -13th Rajasthan – The Land of Kings March 14th – 27th November 9th – 22nd Rajasthan – On a Shoestring November 25th – December 8th High Himalayas – Through the Clouds July 15th – 30th August 4th – 19th Bhutan – The Land of the Dragon People April 7th -21st Oct 6th -20th Mongolia – On the Trail of Chinggis Khan August 20th – 30th Mongolia – Steppe into the Gobi September 3rd – 13th Securing your deposit One last thing… Booking assurance has become an issue over the last few years as we adapt to an ever-changing world. To provide you with the security you need we recommend including the option of CFAR (Cancel for any Reason) when getting your travel insurance. This is usually a small extra premium but well worth some of the extra bucks you saved from your 10% Early Bird discount. An extra layer of body armor so to speak. For any questions, get in touch! Ps. Let us know what you think of the new website. We’d love to hear your feedback.
Sri Lanka, Mongolia & Win a Tour for 2: here’s what’s happening.
Important updates about what’s happening in Sri Lanka, the upcoming tour “Steppe into the Gobi” and the REVnTRAVEL Contest (Win a tour of Sri Lanka for 2). Sri Lanka’s current status. As you have probably heard in the news, Sri Lanka is going through an economic crisis. Covid-19 and before that the “Eastern Attacks” halted tourism for a couple of years. This resulted in a very low foreign currency inflow and combined with government mismanagement, the country has depleted its foreign currency reserves. Sri Lanka is basically unable to afford to import essential goods such as fuel, food or medicines. Inflation is rising as it is everywhere in the world and the population has been peacefully protesting for over a month now. The international media is depicting the situation in a very different way to what has been happening. There have been episodes of violence, yes, but it wasn’t provoked by the protesters, it was a retaliation by the previous ruling party and their henchmen, who tried to bring chaos to the protests, eventually the PM resigned. Al Jazeera has published an article to shed the light about the international media coverage: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/6/2/sri-lankas-picturesque-protests Now the situation has calmed down. A new PM has been appointed and with the help of other countries, there is work in progress to improve Sri Lanka’s economy. It’s a long process and certainly unpredictable. While a few countries have issued travel advice and recommendations for avoiding non-essential travel to Sri Lanka, there are still visitors traveling around the country and the tourist authorities have more than once declared that every measure necessary to ensure a good experience to visitors has been taken. We have a tour scheduled from the 23rd of July to the 4th of August and in agreement with the riders that have booked, the tour is still on. There are more places available so if you are up for an adventure, get in touch! (Ben@extremebiketours.com) Mongolia – Steppe into the Gobi From 20th to 30th August we are exploring the Gobi Desert and vast steppe of Mongolia. Due to a last-minute cancellation, we have 5 slots available and if you are keen to join with two mates or more, there is a 10% discount for each of you. Here are a few highlights: ✅ Dates: 20th – 30th August✅ Days/Nights: 11/10✅ Accommodation: Traditional Gher camps & Wild camping✅ Motorcycle: Royal Enfield 500cc Bullet✅ Rider Price: US $4,850✅ Pillion Price: US $3,250 Mongolia is a vast wilderness almost untouched and scattered with Nomadic people and an abundance of animals. Out here nomads are a living tradition. “Steppe into the Gobi ” is a Motorcycle Tour almost exclusively off the beaten track, once out of Ulaan Bataar there are very few roads and no traffic as 40% of the population live in the capital. The terrain is vast and varied from the rolling steppe to the mighty Gobi desert. You can almost touch the vast emptiness of this wild and beautiful country. We move through this wilderness with our support crew in the true spirit of adventure. Accommodation is a mixture of wild camping and traditional gher camps. We follow nomadic tracks contending with whatever obstacles nature puts in our way. This is an epic adventure and not for the faint-hearted. It will give you an unforgettable experience that will remain in your mind for years to come. Are you up for the challenge? Get in touch for more info (ben@extremebiketours.com) RnT Story Contest – Win a motorcycle tour of Sri Lanka for 2 If you haven’t heard, last February I (Simone) launched an online magazine dedicated to motorcycles and travel. The magazine also organizes an yearly contest and this year the grand prize is sponsored by Extreme Bike Tours and it’s a tour of Sri Lanka for 2 worth US $9,900. To participate you need to send stories of your motorcycle adventures. For more details check out this page: https://contest.revntravel.com But hurry up. The latest date to submit your entry will be the 15th of July 2022. The winner will be announced at the beginning of August and the prize has a validity of 5 years. Don’t miss out!
Traveling status: Australia, New Zealand, UK, US, Canada, South Africa & more.
A few days ago we asked our clients and followers: “What is the situation in your particular region/country? Have you been able to travel at all in the past 12 months?” We have received a lot of replies and we know how time is valuable, so thank you all for dedicating a bit of yours for us! It was nice to read that despite these hard times, for most of you things are going well. Many of you have been riding in your own country, other have started personal projects to keep busy and others again have moved to a different city or changed country. So, let’s get to the point. You wrote to us from various places with a lot of information and today we are going to go through the most significant responses. Australia & New Zealand Australia has launched its vaccination campaign but the government will not allow international traveling until it’s complete. For many this will not happen until the end of the year. Many are enjoying riding within the country although interstate traveling can be tricky as rules change suddenly and without any advance notice. Nevertheless, Australia is a beautiful country with plenty to see, so if you are also living there, look at the bright side and take the chance to explore more your country. Speaking of Australians, Peter, one of our long time clients and friend, has been asking us regarding a tour in the ‘Stans to explore the ancient Silk Roads. We were already on this before the Covid outbreak and we will continue working to make it for 2022/2023. Traveling out of New Zealand is possible – as Clair and David mentioned – but the re-entry quarantine and high costs don’t make the idea of traveling abroad appealing (who could disagree?). UK & Ireland The UK is one of the world countries that have pushed for the vaccine and according to official sources, as of last week, 50% of the over 70 aged population has been covered. A very important milestone in the fight against Covid. Ken, David and a few others from the UK replied saying that they are confident that things will start to get better soon. Perhaps in the third quarter of the year. In fact, unless last minute changes from the 29th of March, it will be possible again to ride in groups with max 5 friends. For others the situation is a bit different. Vincenzo for example is based in the UK and is able to travel for business to the Middle East but not without going under quarantines and PCR tests (we feel for you Vince…). Steve has decided to put on hold traveling for a bit and instead started to work in renovation project after investing in a cottage. All the best! Anyway, the UK government is following a precise road map. For more info check here. Ireland is in a completely different situation and under a very strict lockdown as Murth and Graham pointed out. Both of them don’t think that anything will happen before the end of the year. We certainly hope that this won’t be the case and keep our fingers crossed for you. Canada & United States A lot of replies from the American continent as well and the situation it’s pretty much the same as everywhere else. It’s difficult to get out of the country and get back, yet again, such big countries offer a lot of riding opportunities. Frank is suggesting visiting Florida. Restrictions are almost zero over there and this time of the year is perfect to ride. Elliot pointed out that Mexico is open. Might be the perfect occasion for an adventure or simply relax on a Mexican beach while enjoying a chilled tequila sunrise. George & Penelope have instead suggested to avoid New Orleans area due to the high level of restrictions currently in force. Darcy have been riding in the Ontario province (Canada) and haven’t tried to do interstate traveling since it appears to be restricted. Annette and her partner did a great coast-to-coast bike trip in Canada last year, covering 17.000km in 51 days. That really sounds like a great trip! South Africa We are glad to hear that in South Africa things are not going that bad (compared to other places). Alan and a few others mentioned that the country is open also to international travelers and it’s possible to rent a BMW or a Harley (Royal Enfields are difficult to find). Very important for Ladies living in South Africa: don’t miss Bikers Emporium! Linlee and Beau Solms (mother and daughter) started this platform in mid January 2021 with the purpose of bringing interesting reads to the 1000’s of ladies in S.A. who ride motorbikes, who pillion and who are interested in biking. Head over to Facebook and give a big thumb up to their fan page. Conclusions The situation seem to be very similar pretty much everywhere but it does look like things are starting to improve. Again, the most important thing coming out of this, is that most of those who replied are well and still able to enjoy riding, while waiting for this global chaos to calm down. Any questions? Scroll down to leave a comment or get in touch.
2021: We were waiting to see if it was going to get more weird
Wow! 2020, what a year! The world has really gone nuts, but luckily we made it to 2021 and as you may have noticed from the title, at EBT we like to be positive… Jokes aside, we ARE positive. While the world fights the major battle against Corona – the virus and not the beer – we are keeping alive the dream of traveling and riding once again. With the introduction of the vaccine we are confident that it’s just a matter of time before things will finally start to settle down and we are ready to pack our bags and turn our Enfields’ keys. In fact, we have recently been on a couple of trips out here in Sri Lanka. We explored the highland where the weather is generally colder than in the South where we are based, and enjoyed every bit of it but we are looking forward to flying again too. There is still a lot of confusion of what’s going on in every side of the world, especially since the scenario changes rapidly but we managed to put together another quick update for each of the upcoming tours. Sri Lanka sets in place new pilot program First the good news… or half-good news. As of today, Sri Lanka reopened the borders for tourists by implementing special measures as part of a Tourism pilot project. However this first step towards the return to normality does not not offer the best conditions for our motorcycle tours just yet, since there are several limitations concerning the choice of accommodation, routes and places of interest. The next scheduled tour (Hidden Sri Lanka) was supposed to be in February and it will be rescheduled (Date TBD). Beside this, all the newly added motorcycle tours in Sri Lanka are organized upon request and since we are based here, you can contact us any time to start organising your trip while waiting for a full relaunch of tourism in the island. Myanmar´s government suspended all the flights and issuance of visas All international flights to Myanmar airports are still suspended until at least 31st January 2021. The government of Myanmar also announced a temporary suspension of issuance of visas on arrival and e-visa to all visitors from all countries. The previously scheduled tour “The Road to Mandalay” has been postponed as well. Date TBD, possibly in the 2nd half of the Year around September/October. Travels to Bhutan not yet possible Bhutan is still applying very strict travel restrictions and since our tour was scheduled for April we are sadly forced to postpone the tour. The closest next window is the 2nd half of the year, around October and we will aim to travel by then. As of now we still have 4 places and you if you are interested, you may place your name on the list, if you wish to be updated when we confirm this tour. Simply write to simone@extremebiketours.com. India, Mongolia, Tibet. All tours in India, Mongolia and Tibet are scheduled from July onward. Currently traveling to these countries is not yet possible. There is still time and therefore we keep the existing schedule until further notice. That’s it for today. Be safe and hold fast!
Riding through monsoons… and getting out alive
How to survive the infamous monsoon No need to panic. A monsoon is not as scary as the title make it sound. However, whether you are going to ride in Sri Lanka or at early planning stage, you definitely want to know about the weather on the island and especially about the monsoons. In fact, this is a very small piece of information yet useful even if you are not riding at all, but simply on a conventional tour of Sri Lanka. What are monsoons? A monsoon is a seasonal change of the wind direction which can bring either heavy-rain or warm and humid air. We are not going to go through a boring lesson about monsoons but they do influence the weather and are one of the keys to making a tour in Sri Lanka more enjoyable. A short explanation is required… If you are interested in learning more about monsoons, check this National Geographic’s encyclopedia page. Maybe you want to meet a friend or see a certain landmark, in some cases you might want or “be forced” to visit a specific place regardless of the weather conditions, so it’s good to be prepared. This will also help you to prepare your clothes appropriately before getting on the flight. Sri Lanka Quick Facts In general during the day the temperature can get down to 17 °C in the central highlands and up to 33 °C in at lower altitudes. Depending on the season, specific areas may be less enjoyable for a ride. That’s because there are monsoons affecting diverse areas and during different times of the year. The Yala monsoon hits the west and south-west coast, from around May and ends in September, bringing heavy rainfalls. Inconveniences such as landslides may be present during this period of the year, especially towards the highlands, so the best would be to ride on the east and north areas of the country. The Hidden Sri Lanka tour starts in Galle, on the south-coast. Although it is possible to do this tour during the rain season, we usually schedule it on February and July which are the best months of the year for that itinerary. The Maha monsoon visits the east coast from around December to February although it brings less rainfall than the Yala monsoon and the main rainy days are during the first couple of months. In between the two main monsoons, there are also two inter-monsoons seasons (March – April / October – November). During these seasons rain is more likely to fall in the afternoon and evening time Bottom line, it’s possible to ride in Sri Lanka all year round, just need to plan ahead to choose the right itinerary and avoid getting caught by the rain. Keen to learn more about our Sri Lanka Motorcycle Tours? Let’s have a chat over Whatsapp!
