Kaokoland (mixed)

After breakfast we have a short morning briefing with some specific hints for this day stage – and off we go: right from the first stage on this tour you gain diverse impressions over Namibia’s contrastful landscapes when travelling across the central Khomas-Hochland towards past mining town of Uis in the south western area of Damaraland  – already close to the Namib desert region. The curvy gravel roads through the lovely hilly highlands and mountain ranges first lead along commercial farmlands till Wilhelmstal after which the scenery opens up into flat bushveld savannah marked only by larger and smaller inselbergs along our way to small town of Omaruru. After a little lunch break we head further west to Uis passing communal farming region and its settlements. Our destination there is a cosy guesthouse in rustic style serving us a refreshing pool and a great „braai“ for dinner and is our real starting point on this adventurous tour.

Our today’s stage leads to the north but taking the southerly route close around the Brandberg before crossing the huge riverbed of Ugab River on the western side only a few more 65km away from the atlantic coast. Our route is not marked on official maps, we follow old tracks of prospectors through a typical Damaraland landscape towards north, an almost uninhabitated area. Your concentration on mindful driving is certainly requested to stay in the track, but the GPS routing assists greatly. A spectacular and virtually untouched nature provides everything: sandy soils, gravel, rough and smooth rocks, dry riverbeds in lonely landscape full of amazing views on mountains and rock formations, perfectly adapted plant world and game species. We reach the sandy region of the Huab River valley and immerge into this own world of wildlife habitat in the riverbed of famous Huab River. Frome there we eventually turn out to the north and take the final lap on smoother gravel road to Palmwag Lodge.

This morning we get up very early, have breakfast and grab our lunch packs, as a challenging but very exciting route lies ahead of us. Your attention, high concentration and fitness is demanded. There are not many who dare to reach the Kunene River north of Marienfluss on this overland route. The first part of stage leads on inconspicuous, barly maintained tracks through the bush and far-flung himba kraals. The ovaherero speaking native people live nomadic and are still deeply attached to their cultural habits and customs. Very typical is their traditional clothing with calf skins, bodys covered with a fat and pigment mixture past and dressed with significant hairstyles and iron jewelery indicating their age and social status in the community. Meeting them is an interesting cultural hiighlight and experience on this tour, although a real conversation is mostly impossible. Our driving highlight however is the second part of this day route, the (in-)famous ‚Van-Zyl’s Pass‘ is probably the biggest challenge to our riders and drivers and certainly an outstanding adventure on itself. From top of the pass we can already enjoy a first view over the dreamlike Marienfluss Valley that we are going to cross towards the Kunene river once we mastered the pass. This almost untouched nature so far away from any civilisation makes one feeling to be out of this world. Our route now leads through the wide spaces of romantic sceneries along mountain ranges and its game roaming freely and undisturbed. we reach the river of Kunene, the borderline of north Namibia with Angola in the late afternoon. The Okahirongo River Camp is a most unexpected place and of luxury and pleasure to stay.

An early start allows to head south in amazing morning lights. And there are still some days left that we travel through such remote wilderness areas of Kaokoland and Damaraland before getting back into ‚civilisation’. Our route today passes the brink of Skeleton Coast National Park, one of the most particular ecological systems in Southern Africa. The broader coastline is almost unaccessible for any visitors, but the inland of this desert landscapes and its existing wildlife on our way to Orupembe is admirable. Many dry river bed crossings await us, mountain valleys, some sandy and rocky tracks, oxid red tinted plains change with burnt black stones covering the vast scenery and serves awesome colour flashes against the pure deep blue skies. We take a distance in the river bed of Khumeb passing several mostly abandonded himba kraals until we reach our next destination in Purros – unimaginably only a mere of 50 km ayaw from the Atlantic sea shore. The Okahirongo Elephant Lodge lies close to another lifeline in the Namib Desert, the Hoarusib River.

Our today’s stage takes us now across the Damaraland to the westernmost Namibia, the Atlantic Coast. The first section is smooth and easy driving on larger gravel roads towards the south but we then jump off the beaten track and immerse again into the wild tracks of a wonderful area through the back country of southern part of Skeleton Coast NP. All driving/riding skills you gained on this tour will be needed on the next section although still quite far away from our destination – but the journey is the reward. Breathtaking sceneries of open plains and tabel mountains, stunning rock formations, bizarre plants, antelopes and even elephants may come across up until the Ugab River, that we pass again between Brandberg and the coastal borderline of the NP. From there on the landscape becomes significantly more barren to almost no vegetation with only pure gravel plains and desert remaining. The air is suddenly much cooler and typical to the seaside of Namibia. We catch up with the coastal road made of salt and finally arrive at Cape Cross Lodge…

After everyone has slept off and had a nice breakfast, we only unwillingly go for our last stage. But the many gravel passes provide pure riding fun. We drive over the Us Pass to the big escarpment up into the Khomas-Hochland – lot’s of up and downhill, the route is very curvy. In the afternoon we are back at Gravel Travel homebase, the Windhoek Mountain Lodge. We are already expected by our team to sit together with a refreshing sundowner drink. Later we enjoy a great BBQ under stars - and have all the night to pass the days and impressions in review.