Damaraland

Well rested and relaxed, today we will deal with a detailed travel briefing and a thorough briefing on the motorcycles and GPS devices. Then we go for an approx. 100 km inroduction tour, where you can familiarise yourself with the traffic, road conditions and technology so that we can start the tour well prepared the next morning.

After a good breakfast, we set off towards ‘civilisation’ 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. The rough gravel track of the Kuiseb Pass leads into the northern part of the huge Namib-Naukluft National Park, and the route points westwards to the cool Atlantic Ocean. The lonely expanse, which seems so lifeless,  surprises 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.

The scenery of AiAiba Lodge gave a good first impression of the Damaraland ahead of us. Leaving the Erongo Mountains towards the west we’re already able to spot Namibia’s highest mountain at the horizon – the legendary Brandberg. On smallest farm tracks we ride through the bushveld and pass settlements of the Damara people with their livestock „kraals“ until the Spitzkoppe mountain eventually appears in the flat surrounding gravel plains of the Namib Desert. Following the attractiveness of this over 1.800m high and amazingly tapered granite rock formation, also called the „Matterhorn of Namibia“ – and enjoy the atmosphere on sandy, small tracks around those scenic hilltops. We then turn northwards over open plains heading for Uis, an old mining village where we have our next lodging, a cosy, warm place in rustic style with a great „braai“ for dinner.

Twyfelfontein is a World Heritage Site as it hosts thousands of rockpaintings and engravings. Visitng them would break our time frame but one should have at least have a look and get some impressions of those displayed on huge sandstone slabs close by the lodge entrance. After breakfast we start further northeast on various tracks through remote areas. Off the public roads the route first leads along wonderful Aba-Huab River until it joins the huge Huab River bed, an important habitat to desert dwelling elephants and rhinos. Via Palmwag we take the bigger gravel road passing the beautiful table mountain landscapes up until Grootberg pass on the Etendeka Plateau. Our lodging is close by when reaching small village of Kamanjab, where we stay in a guesthouse.

Rather unwillingly leaving this location but still having many stunning tracks and adventures ahead of us, so let’s kick off for Vingerklip. We stay off the main gravel roads used by the tourists while visiting this area as we are lucky to easily join the small farm tracks having much mor riding fun. We pass various settlements of Damara people, come across town of Khorixas and head towards the Ugab river terraces. The landscape had been eroded widely and left tablelike levels forming the rim along Ugab River and particularly its one high upright standing rockfinger called „Vingerklip“ and seemingly rests only on a small tip base. From our next destination „Vingerklip Lodge“ we have an awesome sight of it, especially in the glowing light of sunset and sunrise.

Now that we have the last stage ahead of us, the morning emphasises to get all the enjoyment out of this last riding day back to the Windhoek Mountain Lodge. After breakfast we start to southern direction crossing nice mountain landscapes and farmlands up to Omaruru joining larger gravel roads to get to Otjimbingwe, an abonded mission village from 1849. We cross the broad dry river bed of the Swakop River to get back to the central highlands on curvy and easy gravel roads from where we reach our Gravel Travel home base lodge. We are welcomed by our lodge team with a good chilled drink and once again enjoy the gentle afternoon lights after another great riding day. A dinner „braai“ or bushman fondue is served and we may pass in review all those pictures of different places and impressions collected on this tour in a very comfortable atmosphere…