You’ve heard of dancing in the moonlight, but now Sadac Adventure Travel – the southern Africa adventure bike travel specialists – have partnered with Muddy Face Tours to give you a unique opportunity to ride your adventure bike by moonlight.
The Moonlight on the Move Adventure – proudly sponsored by Motul – will see riders head from Johannesburg to Botswana’s iconic Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, a lunar landscape in northern Botswana that’s so flat and so empty, you can see the curvature of the Earth.
“We’re excited to have this opportunity to show riders the beauty of Botswana and combine one of our signature adventure rides with a festival that we know people will absolutely love,” commented Treffon Smith of Sadac Travel. “Muddy Face on the Pans is an unmissable event, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with my fellow riders,” he added.
After departing Motul SA’s Kyalami headquarters on Wednesday 28 June 2023, riders will cover approximately 1 980km of tar and dirt roads, with all the dirt road stages on either orange or red graded tracks. The journey to the Pans is not a guided ride, but an organised and facilitated/supported ride. Participants can choose to break up into smaller groups and navigate their way to the rendezvous point indicated on each day’s track.
The supplied GPS tracks will lead riders to a yet-to-be-revealed location in the Pans for the 3-night Muddy Face on the Pans Festival – the ultimate music and riding lifestyle event. With a night at a safari lodge to break the journey in each direction, the Motul Moonlight on the Move Adventure promises 6 days and 5 nights of awesome riding action and entertainment.
The route to the Pans will consist of a combination of tar, gravel, twin tracks and cattle paths, with adventure bikes of all brands (as well as 4×4 support vehicles for partners) welcome. Routes will be available as GPS downloads to all confirmed participants.
On arrival at the Pans, the true adventure begins. Riders will be sleeping under canvas – if they sleep at all. The clue is in the name – this is a moonlight adventure. Timed to coincide with the full moon, Muddy Face on the Pans will see the Makgadikgadi Pans (which were once the bed of a vast inland sea) transformed into a silvery-blue wonderland.
Riding at night across an endless landscape, with your lunar shadow in hot pursuit, is an experience not to be missed. There is something magical and mysterious about the Pans at night making this a ride to remember.
“No other riding experience compares to stirring up dust on the Makgadikgadi Pans by moonlight,” commented Ross Branch, organiser of Muddy Face on the Pans. “As a Dakar Rally competitor, I know the sense of freedom that riding in the desert can bring. This festival will let adventure riders and spectators feel that same thrill,” he added.
Of course, riding isn’t the only nocturnal activity on offer. With local bands including Sunset Sweatshop and Flying Bantu, plus tunes from DJ Bad Brad, festivalgoers can dance until dawn. The entertainment will also feature interactive drumming sessions, fire dancing and multiple competitions for spectators.
The freestyle motocross display riders will provide plenty of thrilling action, with optional extra quad bike hire and scenic helicopter flips completing the line-up of awesome opportunities.
“As Motul’s distributor in Botswana, the Pans are our backyard and we can’t wait to welcome riders from South Africa to this stunning landscape and to the Muddy Face event,” commented Anthony Lambrechts, GM of Team Agencies. “The Pans are beautiful, but also harsh – fortunately, Motul products have got what it takes to help riders conquer the terrain and temperatures,” he added.
“Motul is proud to sponsor the Moonlight on the Move Adventure – it’s an experience that’s completely in tune with our commitment to helping people to get the most out of owning offroad vehicles,” commented Mercia Jansen, Motul Area Manager for Southern and Eastern Africa.
To secure your place on the Motul Moonlight on the Move Adventure, email bookings@sadac-travel.co.za
To connect with Team Agencies, official Motul Distributors in Botswana, visit https://www.facebook.com/MotulBotswana
To learn more about Motul’s product range and how they can help you get optimum performance from your vehicle in even the most challenging conditions, visit https://www.motul.com/za/en
ABOUT MOTUL
Motul is a world-class French company with 170 years of experience in the specialised formulation, production and distribution of high-tech engine lubricants (for two-wheelers, cars and other vehicles) as well as lubricants for industry via its Motul Tech division.
Since its inception in 1853, Motul has been recognised for the quality of its products, commitment to innovation and involvement in competition, and is also acknowledged as a specialist in synthetic lubricants. In 1971, Motul was the first lubricant manufacturer to pioneer the formulation of a 100% synthetic lubricant, derived from the aeronautical industry and making use of esters technology: 300V lubricant.
Motul partners with many manufacturers and racing teams in order to further their technological product development through experience gained in motorsports. It has served as an official supplier for teams competing in iconic Road racing, Trials, Enduro, Endurance, Superbike, Supercross, Rallycross and World GT1 events, including 24 Hours of Le Mans (cars and motorcycles), 24 Hours of Spa, Le Mans Series, Andros Trophy, the Dakar Rally and the Roof of Africa.
Published by: Adilia Joubert – Listen Up