Namibia Special - Motorbike tour

Upon arrival at Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport in the early morning, you will be met by your tour guide. A one-hour transfer takes you to the comfortable Windhoek Mountain Lodge in the southern foothills of the Auas Mountains, our base for all Gravel Travel tours in Namibia. After a good breakfast, there is an opportunity to acclimatize and relax by the pool with a restful view of the surrounding mountain ranges and the vast bush land. If you like, you can enjoy the first "sundowner" on the viewing platform above the lodge, before the legendary "Bushman fondue" calls for dinner in the evening ...

After breakfast we meet "saddled and spurred" for the morning briefing. We'll introduce on the day's stage with its route-specific features - then off we go: today's destination is "Mount Etjo Safari Lodge" - we pass Windhoek on the outskirts and soon leave the tar road to descend into the hilly Khomas highlands. The gravel road leads us through farmed, typical bushland, far past Okahandja via the old missionary town of Otjimbingwe and the small town of Omaruru, until we finally reach the striking table mountain – Mount Etjo – in the vastness of the bushveld landscape. The dignified safari lodge leaves hardly a wish unfulfilled...

We leave the Waterberg on a wide, smooth track, surrounded by lush green landscape and deep red termite mounds. Some wildlife is absolutely diurnal and the broad roadside vegetation can be home to giraffes as well as all sorts of pygmy antelope, guinea fowl and warthog, which are less easy to spot in the tall grass. Today's stage takes us out of the "Omaheke" to the north. Behind the town of Otjiwarongo we soon descend on lonely gravel roads to the west and meander through the mopane bush savannah that is typical here. In the area of the Ugab Terraces, the landscape suddenly changes - grandiose and picturesque table mountains protrude from the flat bush savannah. We have reached our destination at the extremely cozy Vingerklip Lodge - it is not far from a unique rock formation, the huge "rock finger" in the middle of a wonderful panorama.

With wonderful impressions of this unique place, we continue north today, the stage takes us up into the southern "Kaokoveld", where the Himba people live in particular. Already the pass, which we leave in the direction of Palmwag, could give us a sight of elephants, then follows one of the most beautiful, game-rich stretches through northern Damaraland to Sesfontein. Springboks, giraffes, zebras and gemsboks can cross our paths, the reddish, rugged rocky landscape is open and clear. The further north we advance, the more frequently we pass settlements, cattle with their shepherds cross the roads. Incredibly thick giant trees suddenly appear along the way - the legendary baobabs - we then have almost reached Opuwo and its Black Africa feeling: our accommodation is on the outskirts of town on the city's hill, a great hotel - the Opuwo Country Lodge.

Today's stage takes us further back south. Via the scenically beautiful Grootberg Pass we return from Kaokoveld region to Damaraland with its unique table mountains. Today's destination is the Twyfelfontein Country Lodge, a unique, quite luxurious place in an extreme landscape near the famous rock engravings. Immediately in front of the lodge you can marvel at a small taste of this art on the large rock slabs... and dinner on the rustic terrace is a pleasure.

Today we have to start early so that we have enough time for the stage ahead of us further south. We leave the Erongo mountains through rustic rocks to the west and with a bit of luck we are able to the Brandberg Mountain, 90 km away, over the wide desert of open Damaraland on the horizon. Along the steeply rising walls of this old volcanic ruin we follow the rough gravel road to Usakos and a piece of tar passage to Karibib, then dive into the so called moon landscape, which finally leads down to the large river bed of the Swakop and then to the Bosua Pass, which leads our way down from 1800m to 1100m sea level.  A view point offers great panaroma of the Namib Desert. Another special and idiosyncratic accommodation in the lonely expanse of the Namib Desert awaits us near the Rotstock Mountains... the high pool lounge invites you to relax - with a fantastic view  over wide valleys of this extremely picturesque landscape...

This day is at leisure at our lodge or for a stroll in Windhoek, depending on when your return flight departs – mostly in the evening. So some sightseeings can be done in the capital and numerous street cafes as well as bazaars and shops with local handicrafts invite to observe the hustle and bustle all around. We'll ensure your timely transfer to the airport from the lodge.