Namibia Classic - Motorbike tour

Arrival at Windhoek International Airport and pick-up by us. A one-hour transfer takes you to our comfortable Windhoek Mountain Lodge in the Auasberg Mountains south of the capital Windhoek - our base station for all Gravel Travel tours in Namibia. After a good breakfast, you will have the opportunity to acclimatize and relax by the pool with relaxing views of the surrounding mountain ranges and the vast bushveld. And if you like, you can enjoy your first Namibian sundowner on the viewing platform above the lodge before the legendary "Bushman fondue" calls for dinner ...

After the first "day-briefing" at morning with the tour guide, your round trip through Namibia begins with a drive on relatively flat gravel roads to the south-eastern part of the country. Thorn bush savannah and barren pastureland, where Karakul sheep graze, is typical for the region, determining the image of the peripheral area to the Kalahari. Via Uhlenhorst we drive through the charming Auob valley and finally arrive at our accommodation close to village of Mariental.

An eventful day awaits you once we have left the southern administrative and economic center of Keetmanshoop behind us after the first hour of driving. An interesting route with views of lonely mountains and seemingly endless plains leads us to our southernmost accommodation near Aussenkehr on the South African border. We also reach the mighty Fish River Canyon with its unforgettable panoramic views, a very special attraction in Namibia. With its length of over 100 km and its deep winding gorges, it is considered the second largest canyon in the world. We follow the gravel road on the eastern edge of the canyon, which is lined with fascinating landscapes, in a southerly direction. We then continue along the Orange to our destination for today, the Norotshama River Resort. We sleep here in chalets located directly on the Orange River.

After a refreshing shower under rustic camel thorn trees and a breakfast in the wilderness, we set off again and let ourselves be accompanied by a wonderful play of colors in the seemingly endless, hostile expanses and the mountain ranges on the outskirts of the Namib Desert, as well as past the incredibly high sand dunes of the desert Sesriem, where our next accommodation near Sossusvlei is located.

After a good breakfast, we set off towards "civilization" again today, passing the famous Tropic of Capricorn and continuing on a pass over the wild and rugged landscape of the Gaub River to the Kuiseb Canyon, another deeply furrowed river valley, where two German geologists hid for years during the Second World War and fought to survive. The impressive book "Wenn es Krieg gibt, gehen wir in die Wüste" is well worth reading. The Kuiseb Pass leads us over the rough gravel road into the huge Namib-Naukluft National Park and across to the cool Atlantic Ocean. The lonely expanse, which seems so lifeless,  surprises us again and again with oryx antelopes, springboks, ostriches and mountain zebras, which can cross our "pad" at speed. Only just before the coast do high dune belts reappear and the air becomes noticeably fresher. In Swakopmund, we stop off at a good hotel and have the opportunity to explore the historic coastal town and dip our feet in the cold sea.

From Swakopmund, the route leads us about 200 km northwards along the Atlantic Ocean through the Dorob National Park on a smooth, hard salt road and gives us a lasting impression of Namibia's beach landscapes of the "Skeleton Coast" - whose obvious hostility to life from a human perspective belies the unique, sensitive habitat for many rare plants, small animals and breeding birds. A detour to the seal colony in Cape Cross is possible before the route leads into the much hotter interior towards Uis. Passing the Messum Crater, we then pass the huge Brandberg massif with its rugged, black and red rocky landscape. A special companion on our route here is the Welwitschia, another rare, bizarre giant plant that can live to be well over 1000 years old. After the small mining town of Uis, we immerse ourselves in the wild, vast landscape of Damaraland for the last few kilometers - on the edge of the massive Brandberg massif, the lodge is located on the gallery forest of the Ugab River, which is known for its desert elephants, which occasionally pass by here to eat the nutritious tree pods ...

You should stop when it's at its best - so they say - we leave the Grootberg Lodge early in the morning, just for another beautiful destination: the Mount Etjo Safari Lodge. Over the Grootberg Pass, we take the winding roads down the table mountain steps of the Etendeka Plateau, pass the huge dry riverbed of the Huab and refuel in the small village of Khorixas. We drive through eastern Damaraland past settlements to the unique landscape of the Ugab Terraces, where the famous "Vingerklip", a gigantic rocky outcrop, adorns the landscape. Here we travel on smaller farm roads and reach the village of Kalkfeld through typical Mopane shrub savannah and very soon Mount Etjo, a striking table mountain, at the foot of which is the large game reserve and safari lodge of the same name. All kinds of game can be spotted at the lodge itself, including hippos if you're lucky! The barbecue dinner is a real treat and the second dessert is a close-up lion feeding.

This day is at your leisure at the lodge or for a stroll in Windhoek. Depending on your individual departure time, you can plan your day freely today, as the flight often only leaves in the evening. Some of the sights can be visited in the capital and numerous street cafés as well as bazaars and shops with local handicrafts invite you to at least observe the hustle and bustle all around. Whatever the case, we'll make sure you get to the airport on time...