Real Expeditions.

The Paris Dakar Challenge is built on something increasingly rare in adventure travel — genuine overland expedition experience.

My name is Lee Mears, and in 2005 I founded one of the UK’s original overland motorcycle expedition companies, running fully supported journeys across Africa, Asia and beyond. Over the years we led riders across the Sahara, through West Africa, into Mongolia, and even around the world from London to New York.

But of all the expeditions we ever ran, one always stood out above the rest. The Paris Dakar Challenge.

It had everything — long road days, desert pistes, border crossings, Atlantic coastlines, mechanical dramas, incredible camaraderie and the unforgettable feeling of riding into Dakar after crossing an entire continent under your own steam. For many riders, it became one of the defining experiences of their lives.

Built on Experience

Before running expeditions, I served as an officer in the British Army. That background shaped the way I approach these journeys today — with calm leadership, detailed planning, professionalism, and a strong focus on safety and logistics without losing the spirit of adventure.

These trips are not improvised tours. They are carefully designed expeditions built from many years of real-world experience operating in remote and challenging environments.

Over the years we have successfully organised and led:

• Trans-Africa Expeditions (London to Cape Town)
• Round-The-World Expeditions (London to New York)
• Mongolia Challenge (London to Ulaanbaatar)
• Timbuktu Expeditions
• Multiple Paris Dakar Challenges

Between them, these journeys covered hundreds of thousands of miles across some of the world’s toughest and most rewarding terrain.

 

Why Bring It Back?

After stepping away from expeditions in 2010 to pursue other ventures, I always knew there would come a point when I wanted to return to this world. Because these trips were never just about motorcycles.

They were about challenge, camaraderie, uncertainty, resilience, and the kind of adventure that genuinely changes people. The sort of experience that pulls riders out of normal life and reminds them they are capable of far more than they thought.

That is why the Paris Dakar Challenge is back.

• Not as a luxury tour.
• Not as a race.
• And not as a polished social-media experience.

But as a proper overland motorcycle adventure across Europe and Africa — demanding at times, unforgettable throughout, and designed for people who want something real. Same spirit. Same route. Better than ever.