Adventurists Peru Monkey Run

What could be more challenging than taking a bunch of brave/slightly unhinged men and women, blindfolding them, leading them into the Sahara desert in Morocco and telling them they have to get to a destination on the Atlantic Coast, 1000km away, six days later on tiny motorbikes more suitable for children than adults? How about taking them and their bikes to Peru?

Having discovered that Monkey Bikes are ‘the new dawn of adventure’, through running The Monkey Run in Morocco, The Adventurists have decided to set motorbike and adventure enthusiasts a new challenge and see how the bikes and riders perform in the Andes and Amazon rainforest.

It’s fair to say that The Adventurists, as their name suggests, know a thing or two about adventure. They are organisers of, amongst others, The Mongol Rally, quite possibly the world’s largest motorised event, The Icarus Trophy, the first long distance paramotor race, and the Rickshaw Run, a tuk-tuk journey across India. They feel that, whilst they may look comical, Monkey Bikes offer the ideal mode of transport for modern day adventure, especially in Peru.



The bikes small stature - they’re not much taller than knee height - means their wheels can fit onto the Andean mountain passes and squeeze between Amazonian tree roots, much better than anything from a BMW forecourt. There isn’t far to fall when you come off and they’re light enough to carry when they inevitably break down.

Being low to the ground means the bikes feel fast, but in reality give you enough time to appreciate stunning Andean mountainscapes and marvel at incredible jungle plants and animals, whilst having just enough horsepower to get the ‘hell out of there’ when you realise that the photogenic tree roots you’re looking at are actually home to a family of pit vipers.

Most importantly though the bikes are a whole lot of fun, something which The Adventurists hope will be at the heart of the Peruvian Monkey Run. “There’s a lot of machoism in the world of adventure, with people feeling if they’re enjoying something it can’t be real adventure. Of course this is nonsense. It’s true that adventure should push boundaries and this generally means some discomfort, but who said you can’t have fun at the same time? And Monkey Bikes certainly offer that. What’s more, the bikes are always a talking point and put a smile on people’s faces wherever they go, helping break down language barriers and facilitating engagement with different cultures; and the culture and people of Peru are what any trip there should really be about.” – Mr Joolz, The Adventurists.

The first Peruvian Monkey Run takes place from the 7th – 15th September, starting ‘somewhere near Ayacucho’ and finishing ‘more or less in Atalyaya’, the route you take in between is up to you. You don’t need a licence to take part, but it probably helps if you’ve sat on a bike of some sort before; not least because there’s a big party either end of the event and it’s probably not the best idea to find out you can’t ride a motorbike whilst setting off into the Amazon jungle with a stinking hangover. TheAdventurists.com

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This June saw fifteen teams from twelve different countries take on the challenge of the Rickshaw Run Himalaya, a thrilling week-long adventure through the Indian Himalayas.

Following a route which included the ‘highest motorable road’ in the world; the Run saw teams having to battle with snow drifts and melting glaciers, potholes that were more like craters and the effects of high altitude.



Whilst the usual mode of transport for tourists in the Himalayas is by foot, The Adventurists, the organisers of the Run, chose a less conventional means for teams to get over over 5000-metre mountain passes, rickshaws.

The teams started in Leh, a high-desert city in northern India, and followed the famous Leh-Manali Highway and Spiti Valley, one of the last haunts of the snow leopard, and thousand-year-old Buddhist monasteries, to finish 650 miles later in the foothills of Shimla. ‘Highway’ is a very loose term for the route they followed, it’s only open for four months of the year and winds its way up and over three huge passes including the Tanglang La pass, at a dizzying height of 5328 meters.



All the teams finished, but not without overcoming some serious challenges along the way. Late June snowmelt meant the Leh - Manali highway was opened only 9 days before the event began, leaving the road in a treacherous condition. Single lane roads, walled by meters of solid ice caused a few headaches. At one point five Rickshaws were stuck at the Baralachala pass, with the teams banding together to push one another over the rocky, muddy, ice-encrusted pass; all the while enduring the impatient beeps of local bus drivers.

It was not only the Rickshaws that were struggling in these trying conditions. The teams recounted a story of pulling a car back onto the road that had slid into a ditch.

“There were about 20 of us pulling on this rope tied to the front of the car, about 10 Runners and 10 locals. It was crazy, we were slipping all over the place, the car was sliding everywhere, it was mayhem. But eventually we got him out and we could all keep going”.

First over the finish line were Team Hazmat who conquered the Rickshaw Run Himalaya in seven days.

Matt Whyatt, from the team, recounts some of the journey to success:

“I keep remembering moments, like wading through ice to push the rickshaw through and having nothing left due to the altitude. Turning corners to breathtaking view after breathtaking view. Turning up streets in towns so crowded we hit more than half a dozen people and all of them smiled because that’s what all the locals did. We got almost run off the road so we would stop for a photo. Having to slam on the brakes, locking all 3 wheels up, and coming so close to a bus I could not see the driver. Stopping on the side of the road to marvel at the various religious monuments. Getting a bit misty-eyed.”

If you fancy taking on the Himalayas ‘by less conventional means’ in 2020, or to find out more, visit https://www.theadventurists.com/brochures/rickshaw-run-himalaya/

What you get for your money

• The Rickshaw
A 3-wheeled, 4-stroke air-cooled rickshaw, pimped to your own design with insurance and all the other necessary paperwork

• Pre and Post-Launch Shenanigans
Test driving, mechanical briefing, launch party and finish party

• Some Kit
A jerry can and a few key spare parts plus the tools to change them

• The Adventure
A week of some of the most amazing adventuring possible in a rickshaw, or any three-wheeled vehicle for that matter

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Love him or loath him, it’s hard to argue with Jeremy Clackson’s verdict of Romania’s Transfaragasan Highway as “the best road in the world.”

The Adventurists believe they’ve found a way to make “the best even better” by throwing miniature motorbikes into the mix in the latest edition of the Monkey Run series.



The Adventurists are, as their name suggests, responsible for some of the world’s most exciting adventures, ranging from The Mongol Derby (the world’s longest and most dangerous horse race) to Icarus X (a paramotor race across southern Africa). Two years ago, they launched the Monkey Run, which saw participants dropped in the Sahara and tasked with crossing the Atlas Mountains and reaching the Moroccan coast on 50cc Monkey Bikes. After just the right mix of thrills, spills and camels, the success of the Moroccan Monkey Run led to the creation of the Peru Monkey Run and now, fresh for September 2018, the Romanian Monkey Run.

The Adventurists are keen to show off the miniature bikes’ prowess on some of Europe’s most exciting roads and trails, surrounded by epic vistas, before Brexit means anyone with a British accent isn’t allowed near the Transfaragasan Highway.

While there’s no defined route set for the Monkey Run, riders will saddle up in the city of Sighetu Marmatiei, close to the border with Ukraine, before travelling around 900 km, in the space of a week, to the coastal town of Vama Veche. In true Adventurist style, they’ll be parties thrown at either end so riders can meet fellow participants and then share heroic tales of adventure and compare bruises.



The fact there is no set route isn’t a result of The Adventurists lacking a good road map, it’s at the heart of what they’re all about as they actively promote getting lost and heading off the beaten track.

“There’s a few spots we’d recommend everyone tries to hit, such as the Transfaragasan Highway, Dracula’s Castle and Berca Mud Volcano, but beyond that we encourage riders to look at their maps as little as possible. The idea of the Monkey Runs is to give people a true adventure that allows them to get under the skin of the country they’re in in a way that a normal holiday wouldn’t. You could just rock up, enjoy the launch party, team up with another rider and ride in tandem the length of the country to the finish line and I’m sure you’d have an amazing time. There’s nothing like a little mishap in the back end of nowhere, however, if you want to experience something truly memorable and force you to embrace your surroundings and the people in it.



These are the moments that modern life is missing. We believe the world is far too safe and organized; that we’ve come to live in ever decreasing circles of freedom. Fear of litigation, greed and a spineless refusal to take responsibility for ourselves have robbed us of one of the most interesting things in life: the unexpected. The Monkey Run rails against this. It forces you to be lost, to not know what’s around the next corner, to embrace the unknown.”

This drive for genuine adventure is why The Adventurists specifically chose Monkey Bikes, rather than more comfortable or powerful rides.

“Monkey Bikes are a whole lot of fun and it’s hard to take a serious fall. Because they’re low to the ground they also feel much faster than they are. But in reality, they’re slow enough for you to truly appreciate the landscape you’re travelling through. They’re perfect for this trip and they’re bound to breakdown at some point, which means you’ll be forced to engage with the locals and find out what the country and culture is all about.”

Get involved: The Monkey Run Romania runs from September 22–29.

TheAdventurists.com/monkey-run-romania

Catch the Promo Video Here!

After a year away, the world’s “coolest” motorcycling event is back and promising more crashes, splashes and Russian vodka than ever....

If you’re looking for a new and unique motorcycling adventure next year, how about riding 2,000 km over and around Planet Earth’s deepest lake?

Russia’s Lake Baikal is the oldest and deepest lake (by just over a mile!) in the world. With temperatures in the region dipping to a balmy -20oC, the lake spends most of the year frozen, the folks at The Adventurists naturally decided it was high time to gather a group to ride across it on old sidecar motorbikes.



Our 6th Ice Run, taking place in March 2018, has just opened its doors for entrants؅. Two-person teams will comprise of a driver and a “navigator” in a sidecar (although you can swap positions as often as you desire). There’s no route set in stone, but you’ll be given a selection of GPS co-ordinates for fuel drops and some particularly hazardous areas to avoid (best not to get those two mixed up!). The Adventurists provide some expert advice on where the best riding will be found, including help at getting across Lake Baikal as well as the forest trails and rural ice roads around the lake.

There will be Russian vodka-fuelled parties under the stars, Banyas (a Russian sauna, a kind of steam bath), fires and feasts of local fish, thrown into the mix during the 12-day event. But the most fun comes in the form of dealing with the lake’s 12,000 square miles of ice. Whilst the wind can polish the ice smooth and flat like a mirror, in more sheltered areas it can resemble a freshly ploughed field, with great tombstones of ice to navigate around. If the winter is mild there will be surface water and cracks to pick a path through and sometimes jump over. One thing you can count on, the route across the lake certainly won’t be in a straight line!



“We made some rash decisions. I remember going across one particular crack and not really thinking about stopping. The back wheel went through the ice. We had enough momentum to pull through, but it was a bit of an eye-opener.”—Richard Fleming, 2015 competitor

“When you put the brakes on, not much happens except the bike pulls really hard to the right. Then the steering goes funny, the brakes lock up and you skid at a strange angle, usually straight into whatever it is you’re trying to avoid.”—Katy Willings, Ice Run Chief

“I’ve been all over the place on crappy vehicles that breakdown all the time, but it’s never really been a problem because whenever you stop you don’t feel like you’re going to fall through the road.”—Matt Prior, 2015 participant

If this sounds like your cup of tea, but you’re a little concerned about the fact you’ve not ridden a bike across a giant frozen lake before, you can be partly reassured by the fact there’s three days of rolling training and mechanical briefing, so you’ll get to know the basics of how to ride and fix a Ural motorcycle in -20oC, how to camp in the cold and how to pull someone out of the ice. If something does go drastically wrong, The Adventurists invisible backup crew are only a call away with a team of bike and adventure experts on hand.

No more excuses? Visit TheAdventurists.com/ice-run for more details.



A Note from The Adventurists on Saving the World

“Adventurists teams have raised millions for charity and by supporting Cool Earth (CoolEarth.org), you’ll be saving the world one rainforest at a time. Not because we’re tree hugging sandal weavers, but because the world would be shit without them.”

The Bikes

“What can I say about the Ural? They are shit, but magnificent at the same time.”

These days Ural makes excellent bikes. Thankfully that was not always the case and scattered across the corners of the ex-Soviet empire lie scores of old school Urals. They’re built like a tank, slightly rusty and often unreliable. Obviously, the all-round perfect Siberian adventuring machine for facing over 2,000 km of frozen rivers, lakes and roads at -20oC.

In 1939 the Russian army thought it was high time they had some motorbikes. Ever the masters of efficiency they nicked one from the Germans—the BMW R71—pulled it apart, copied it (badly) and slapped a Ural badge on it. Thus, was born one of the world’s coolest motorised bicycle machines.

Right up until the 2000s the design remained pretty much unchanged. It is these old engineering marvels that The Adventurists have carefully selected to make sure completing the Ice Run is much more difficult than necessary. TheAdventurists.com

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