Motorcycle Tour

Namibia: New Year's Eve Special

Our new New Year's Eve Special tour moves through the central and western north of the country: many Namibian highlights combined with great routing on a completely new route!

Description

It leads across the central Khomas Highlands to Mount Etjo and the Waterberg Plateau, then into Damaraland and southern Kaokoveld. Via famous rock carving sites such as Twyfelfontein and the Erongo Mountains, the tour then runs to the edge of the central Namib Desert and back to the base, Windhoek Mountain Lodge.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival Germany - Namibia

Individually booked departure flight to Windhoek/Namibia (usually overnight flight)

Day 2: Windhoek Mountain Lodge

Upon arrival at Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport in the early morning, your guide will meet you. A one-hour transfer will take you to the comfortable Windhoek Mountain Lodge in the southern foothills of the Auas Mountains, our base station. After a good breakfast, there will be an opportunity to acclimatize, relax by the pool with a relaxing wide view of the surrounding mountain ranges and vast bushveld. In the afternoon there will be a detailed trip briefing. Who likes, enjoys the first "Sundowner" on the observation deck above the lodge, before the legendary "Bushman-Fondue" calls for dinner in the evening ...

Day 3: Windhoek Mountain Lodge + introductory tour

Well rested and relaxed, today we deal with a detailed travel briefing as well as a thorough introduction to the motorcycles and the GPS devices. Afterwards we will go on a half-day familiarization tour, where you can get to know the road conditions and the technology in peace, so that we can start the next morning well equipped and well prepared.

Day 4: Windhoek - Mount Etjo

After breakfast we will meet "saddled and spurred" for the daily morning "briefing" and briefly discuss the day's stage with its route-specific peculiarities - then we will start: today our destination is "Mount Etjo Safari Lodge" - we will pass Windhoek on the outskirts and soon leave the tarred road to descend into the hilly Khomashochland. The gravel road leads us through typical bush country, far past Okahandja, the old mission town of Otjimbingwe and the small town of Omaruru, until we finally reach the striking table mountain, Mount Etjo. The dignified safari lodge leaves hardly any wish unfulfilled...

Day 5: Mount Etjo - Waterberg

Actually too good to sleep in: when the hippos wake up early or the lions roar in the distance: today safari is the order of the day: we go into the bush by off-road vehicle - on the hunt for giraffes, zebras, antelopes, rhinos and elephants. Afterwards we start our next stage towards the east, it leads us on remote farm roads past the Omatako Mountains and on soft, red tracks through the traditional tribal area of the cattle breeding Hereros via Okakara to the Waterberg. This large table mountain is unusually rich in water, green, lush vegetation and thus great biodiversity for Namibian standards, the plateau itself is now a valuable nature reserve. A fabulous view into the infinite distance is offered from every chalet, and if you feel like it, you can explore one of the exciting hiking trails.

Day 6: Waterberg - Vingerklip

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 wide verges can be home to giraffe as well as all manner of pygmy antelope, guinea fowl and warthog, which are less easy to spot in the tall grass. Today's stage leads us out of the "Omaheke" to the north, behind the small town of Otjiwarongo we soon descend on lonely gravel roads to the west and meander through the typical mopane bush savannah. In the area of the Ugab Terraces the landscape suddenly changes - grandiose and picturesque table mountains rise out of the flat savannah. We have reached our destination for today at the extremely cozy Vingerklip Lodge - it stands not far from a unique rock formation, a huge "rock finger" in the middle of a wonderful panorama.

Day 7: Vingerklip - Grootberg

After a leisurely breakfast we start north through the Ugab terraces, along settlements of the local Damara, passing for a fuel stop the village of Khorixas, which provides the central Damaraland with the most necessary facilities such as schools, hospital, post office and supermarket. Through the huge Huab river valley we finally reach the Etendeka plateau on lonely gravel roads, the always great views just don't let it get boring. And a great feeling accompanies the impressions that lions, elephants and rhinos are (still) part of the repertoire of a free natural landscape here. At the end of the Grootberg Pass we find ourselves today at our destination, the Grootberg Lodge, enchantingly nestled on the plateau edge above the canyon of the Klip Rivier...

Day 8: Grootberg - Opuwo

With wonderful impressions of this unique place we continue our journey northwards, the stage leads us up into the southern Kaokoveld, where mainly the Himba people live. Already the pass, which we leave in the direction of Palmwag, could bring us elephant sightings, then follows one of the most beautiful, game-rich sections through northern Damaraland to Sesfontein. Springbok, giraffe, zebra and gemsbok may cross our paths, the reddish, rugged rocky landscape is open and clear. The further north we go, the more often we pass settlements, cattle with their herders cross the roads. When suddenly huge, incredibly thick tree giants appear at the roadside - the legendary baobabs (baobab trees) - then we have almost reached Opuwo and its black Africa feeling: our accommodation is at the edge of town on the mountain, a great hotel - the Opuwo Country Lodge.

Day 9: Opuwo - Khowarib

Although we already had today's stage under our wheels yesterday, hardly anyone will get bored on this probably most beautiful and most African road of the whole tour... After breakfast we make a short detour to a traditional Himba village and then we head back south on the winding road. Shortly before our destination we stop again in Ongongo (warm spring). It is hard to believe how in the middle of the desert water can bubble out of the rocks ... but in the crystal clear "pool" of this spring you can refresh yourself wonderfully. Our accommodation for today - the Khowarib Lodge, fantastically situated in the deeply notched river valley of the Hoanib, we reach soon after. The elephants often pass by the homely placed tent chalets during the night...

Day 10: Khowarib - Twyfelfontein

Today's stage takes us further back south. Via the scenic Grootberg Pass we will enter Damaraland again with its unique table mountains. Destination today is Twyfelfontein Country Lodge, a unique, quite luxurious place in extreme landscape near the famous rock engravings. Just outside the lodge you can marvel at a small sample of this art on the large rock slabs... and dinner on the rustic terrace is a delight.

Day 11: Twyfelfontein - Erongo

From Twyfelfontein we head south along the Aba-Huab, Goantagab and Ugab Riviers, along these larger tree-lined river courses the desert elephants prefer to stay and it is therefore always good to keep your eyes peeled for the grey giants as well, although in this area they tend to be as powdered red as these rocky landscapes we are now crossing. We pass some Damara settlements along the gravel roads and the Brandberg massif comes closer and closer, east of it we have reached Uis, after a short refueling stop we take course through wide open gravel areas towards the Spitzkoppe, which rises steeply from the open area as an unreal inselberg. The closer we get, the more fascinating the huge granite rock formation appears. Here we ride once in the middle and enjoy the impressions. Our today's goal lies now east of us - the Erongo mountains, also a so-called inselberg complex with enormous outer walls of this volcanic ruin, with over 2300m metres above sea level it ranks among the highest elevations in the country. The Ai-Aiba Rockpainting Lodge is beautifully nestled in a picturesque landscape of round, smooth rocks, as we have seen at the Spitzkoppe. The fact that bushmen already liked to stay here 2000 years ago can only be understood in the best way.

Day 12: Erongo - Redstock Mountains

Today we have to leave early so that we have enough time for the stage further south. We leave the Erongo Mountains through rugged cliffs to the west and with a bit of luck we can make out the Brandberg, 90 km away, on the horizon across the vast expanses of open Damaraland. Along the steep walls of this old volcanic ruin we follow the rough gravel road to Usakos and a piece of tarred passage to Karibib, then we dive into the wild mountain landscape, which finally leads us down to the big riverbed of the Swakops and then to the Bosua pass, which leads our way down from 1800m to 1100m - a viewpoint lets us already look far in the direction of the Namib desert. Another special and idiosyncratically designed 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...

Day 13: Rotstock Mountains - Windhoek Mountain Lodge

After everyone has slept in and had a leisurely breakfast, we reluctantly set off for our last stage. Today there is gravel road and pure riding fun again, over the Us Pass we climb the big rim step back up into the Khomas Highlands - it goes up and down, the road is very winding. Towards afternoon we reach Windhoek Mountain Lodge, where we are expected by our team: a cool sundowner drink lets the tour come to an end and later we enjoy once again best dinner from "Bushman Fondue" - and have the whole night time to review the past days and pictures.

Day 14: Departure to Germany

This day is at your free disposal at the lodge or for a stroll in Windhoek, depending on when your return flight departs, often in the evening. So you can visit some of the sights in the capital and numerous street cafes as well as bazaars and stores with typical handicrafts invite you at least to observe the colorful hustle and bustle around. We organize the transfer to the airport from the lodge.

Day 15: Arrival Germany

Arrival in Frankfurt/Main in the early morning and, if necessary, continuation of your journey by train or flight to your home town.