The Orbis Cycle Challenge
2024 Dates Coming Soon…
The Orbis Cycle Challenge
Sport: A 7 day Cycle Challenge with Mark Beaumont
Purpose: Youth Cycling in Malawi
“I would like a team of cyclists who have a mixed ability - I don’t just want racers! This will be a tough, but hopefully hugely enjoyable ride - so we need people who are resilient, who have a bit of life experience and who are going to look out for each other.”
Summary
7 Days. £2,500. +500km (Dirt/Tarmac).
Join adventurer, and British Cycling inspiration, Mark Beaumont (BEM) as he takes on the inaugural Orbis Cycling Challenge. A 7 day Cycling Adventure through Malawi, raising awareness for youth sport and education in Malawi. Mark has teamed up with The Orbis Expeditions team to put together an incredible route through Southern Malawi, taking in some of the country’s most stunning, and diverse, landscapes, including the tea estates, trails of Mulanje Mountain, Zomba Plateau and finishing on the shores of Lake Malawi. As with every Sport with a Purpose challenge we have weaved time to visit local communities, take in some of Malawi’s best highlights and spend time with local youth groups passionate about sport.
Highlights
Your first night in Malawi meeting your team and host.
Cycling through the stunning tea estates, the red earth tracks cutting through the rolling tea estates…
Your first glimpse of Mulanje Mountain- Malawi’s Island in the Sky.
The buzz of cycling through the village tracks and the hundreds of children coming out to say hello!
Your challenge leg on Zomba Plateau- be prepared!
Watching the herds of elephant on a riverboat safari.
The trails on the shores of Lake Malawi.
Purpose
The Orbis Trail Challenge is a Sport with a Purpose expedition. Our Purpose for this years expedition is Forest Conservation and we will be raising funds and awareness for an organisation promoting education and community action to combat doferestaion and degradation of Zomba Forest Reserve (home to our event 2 Trail Run). We hope to raise £10,000 but more importantly we hope to show you the incredible work of this organisation. By running the trails at Zomba you will understand all the more how vital it is to protect this stunning region of Africa. Read more about the impact of this year’s purpose.
Meet Your Host: Mark Beaumont
Having smashed the circumnavigation cycling World Record twice in his career, Mark now holds this 18,000 mile title in a time of 78 days and 14 hours, averaging 240 miles a day. His epic documentaries have taken viewers to over 100 countries, into the Arctic, the length of Africa, the high mountains and around the Commonwealth, also surviving capsize in the mid-Atlantic. Mark lives in Edinburgh with his wife Nicci and two daughters, having grown up in Perthshire and studied at Glasgow University. Mark is also Honorary President of Scottish Student Sport, Patron for Entrepreneurial Scotland and Orkidstudio, as well a Director for the EOS Investment Fund which supports Scottish start-ups.
Mark and Orbis Expeditions are organising this inaugural Orbis Cycling Challenge and can’t wait to put an amazing team together.
‘I’ve often said that if I could explore one continent more at the speed of a bicycle, it would be Africa - such is the lasting impression from my Cairo to Cape Town ride. Malawi is right at the top of my bucket list, having received such a wonderful welcome when I filmed athletes ahead of the Commonwealth Games. I am so excited to join the Orbis team in April 2020 for a cycle through southern Malawi and to create the legacy of a BMX track, which will help transform how the humble bicycle is seen - from a mode of transport, to a sport and a skillset. The track will also become a meeting point for families, friends and clubs.’
Our team in 2018 chat about their experience taking on the inaugural Sport with a Purpose Orbis Challenge in Malawi.
Dame Kelly Holmes talks about her experience on The 2018 Orbis Challenge- Sport with a Purpose event.
Expedition Outline
Day 1: Arrive & Acclimatise.
Day 2: 60km (tarmac/dirt) - Tea Estates
Day 3: 120km (tarmac/dirt) - Mulanje Mountain Foothills
Day 4: 110 km - Zomba Community & Challenge (tarmac/dirt)
Day 5: 70 km - Liwonde (dirt/tarmac) & Wildlife Safari
Day 6: 84 km - Lake Malawi Sprint (tarmac/dirt)
Day 7: 51km - Cape Maclear, Lake Malawi (tarmac/dirt)
Day 8: Depart / onward travel
“Great to hear that Mark and the Orbis Expeditions team are putting together a cycle trip to explore Malawi, and that the legacy will be a BMX track-which is how I started cycling, and is such a brilliant way to build bike handling, not to mention friendships.”
Stay a little longer.
We want to show you every bit of this region of Africa because it is simply amazing! Let us know how many days you can add on and we can help you plan- take a local guide or pick up car and head off on a self drive adventure.
Wildlife Safari
We would recommend two add on nights at the beautiful Majete Wildlife Reserve. The reserve now has The Big Five and offers a combination of 4 x 4 game drives and river boat safaris. The lions are a highlight!
Lake Malawi
The Lake of Stars. Eco-Lodges for luxury retreat, back packers for some local action, kayaking adventures or scuba diving courses with the Cyclid Fish, the lake is an essential part of your Malawi to-do list. Our favourite place is Mumbo Island!
Purpose
Use your time in Malawi to Travel with a Purpose. Get involved with one of our linked communities, share your business skills with a Malawian entrepreneur or visit a local family on our village homestay air b n b scheme.
Adventure
We want you to see the whole country! And if you have the time then do head North. Northern Malawi is beautiful, wild, an adventurers paradise. National Parks, Plateaus, Lake shore and stunning rural communities. Explore by 4 x 4 self drive, guided or motorbike!
Further Information
Your Team
Joining you on your Orbis Cycle Challenge team will be a group of 20-30 people all who have applied and been selected for their past sporting experience, sense of adventure, humility and team spirit. It is not a race! We try and keep our group sizes relatively small so you all really get to know each other but also can have your own time too. Rooming will be done in twins but at some lodges you can request a single room which we can organise at an additional cost. Integral to your team will be your local support team comprising of local runners, drivers, a Head Guide, medic and assistant support team.
Costs, Inclusions and Payment
Travelling to hidden gems of the world can be pricey. Your tourism dollars go miles in Africa and provide employment for our Malawian staff. suppliers and support for our community links. Our prices are competitive whilst also reflecting the incredible Orbis service you get pre/post travel and the back up support we offer during your time in Malawi. So dig deep…it will be worth it, and stay as long as you can!
The cost of The Orbis Cycle Challenge is £2,500 (excluding flights). Flights are around £600-£900- we can help you source these if needed. This price covers everything in country - all accommodation, activities, guides, porters and food. Your tips, visas and drinks (alcohol) are additional.
You need a 20% deposit to secure your place. From there we will try and be as flexible as we can with a payment plan that suits you.
