Motorcycle Tour

Victoria Falls - Motorcycle Tour

Namibia's tropical northeast - through exciting landscapes and along the mighty rivers of the Caprivi to the legendary Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Description

This new trip will also have for many Namibia connoisseurs probably the most "African" flavor in our program: On about 4700 km, spread over 16 riding days, Namibia shows itself from countless facets, but in the Kavango and Zambezi region probably from its most "atypical" side: the further north and later into the deep east you get, the more tropical it becomes... The introductory round takes place, as on all tours, first in the mountainous Khomas highlands, in which our Windhoek Mountain Lodge is also embedded. Then we start towards Mt. Etjo and Waterberg, further along the northern Kalahari foothills to Tsumeb. From there we head determinedly north to the Kavango River at the Angolan border. Along the Kavango the way leads us to Katima Mulilo at the huge Zambesi River. From here we cross the Chobe to Kasane (BWA) in the four-country corner in Zimbabwe and reach the main destination of the tour: Victoria Falls. The tour back to Windhoek includes lonely stretches along the Etosha Pan into western Damaraland to the Erongo Mountains. This trip is an impressive cross-section, which could hardly be more contrasting: from fantastic natural landscapes and almost mystical atmosphere between "Big Five", lots of water, African culture with its traditional settlement worlds, the World Heritage Site Victoria Falls rounded off with the bizarre central west of the country. A felt very long journey to the central-southern heart of Africa ...

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Daily stages

Day 1: Departure Germany to Namibia (overnight)

Day 2: Arrival Windhoek Mountain Lodge

Day 3: Auasberge/ Windhoek Mountain Lodge

Day 4: Auasberge - Mt. Etjo

Day 5: Mt. Etjo - Waterberg

Day 6 Waterberg - Tsumeb

Day 7 Tsumeb - Rundu

Day 8 Rundu - Divundu (Mahango)

Day 9 Divundu - Katima Mulilo (NAM)

Day 10 Katima Mulilo - Victoria Falls (ZIM)

Day 11 Victoria Falls

Day 12 Victoria Falls - Kalimbeza (NAM)

Day 13 Kalimbeza- Kwando River

Day 14 Kwando River - Rundu

Day 15 Rundu - Otavi Mountains

Day 16 Otavi - Etosha

Day 17 Etosha - Omaruru

Day 18 Omaruru - Windhoek

Day 19: Windhoek Mountain Lodge - return flight

Day 20: Arrival/Return Germany

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Itinerary:

Day 1: Departure Germany to Namibia (overnight)

With your individually booked departure flight you travel with an (usually) overnight flight to Windhoek/Namibia

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Day 2: Arrival (Windhoek Mountain Lodge)

Arrive at Windhoek International Airport and be met by us. A one hour transfer will take you to our own Windhoek Mountain Lodge in the southern foothills of the Auas Mountains - our base station for all Gravel Travel tours in Namibia. After a good breakfast, there is an opportunity to acclimatize, relax by the pool with a relaxing wide view of the surrounding mountain ranges and vast bushveld. There is also the possibility of a small riding training on the lodge area, in order to take up first contact with the "Gravel". And who likes, enjoys a "Sundowner" on the observation deck above the lodge, before the legendary "Bushman-Fondue" calls in the evening for dinner ...

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Day 3: Auasberge/ Windhoek Mountain Lodge

Well rested and relaxed, today we deal with a detailed travel briefing as well as a thorough introduction to the vehicles and GPS devices. Afterwards we will go on an approx. 280 km long familiarization tour, where you can familiarize yourself with the traffic, road conditions and technology, so that we can start the next morning well equipped and well prepared.

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Day 4: Auasberge - Mt. Etjo (Mount Etjo Safari Lodge)

We start for our first stage towards Mount Etjo. We bypass Windhoek through the eastern Khomashochland and take the gravel roads that lead us far off the tarred roads to Okahandja. From there we pass through the typical thorn bush savannah of the central farmland and reach Mount Etjo, already visible from afar, through the Erindi Game Reserve. Here a beautiful safari lodge with a variety of wildlife awaits us. On a game drive at the latest we will encounter giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and maybe rhinos and elephants. Enjoy a wonderful barbecue in the balmy evening air and listen to the lions that can be heard roaring in the distance. In the morning, wake up to the calling hippos ...

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Day 5: Mt. Etjo - Waterberg (Waterberg Wilderness)

Actually too nice to sleep in: we go into the bush by jeep - stalking 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 the dam of the same name. On soft, red dirt roads we ride through the traditional tribal area of the cattle breeding Hereros via Okakara to the Waterberg, whose 50km long profile we have been eyeing for quite a while. This large table mountain is for Namibian conditions unusually richly blessed with water, green, lush vegetation and thus great biodiversity, the plateau itself represents today a valuable nature reserve. A fabulous view into the infinite distance is offered from every chalet and whoever feels like it, explores one of the exciting hiking trails...

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Day 6: Waterberg - Tsumeb (Tsumeb Mines Hotel)

We leave the Waterberg with its comparatively lush landscape vegetation to the east. The smooth sandveld track, dotted with the so typical deep red termite mounds and magnificent acacia trees, holds quite some "wildlife" in its wide verge - besides giraffes, kudus, dwarf antelopes, guinea fowls and warthogs appear, which are less easy to spot in the high grass. Today's stage leads along the Plateau Mountains through the Omaheke region towards the northeast, the pad leads via Grootfontein and the lovely green hilly landscapes of the Otavi Mountains to the mining town of Tsumeb...

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Day 7: Tsumeb - Rundu (Hakusembe Lodge)

In Tsumeb we are in a mining "garden city" with abundant relics of past mining times, it was called the place of the Green Hill by the San far before, because of its oxidized copper ores that came to the surface here. The dolomitic predominant rock characterizes the landscape here. We leave our "mining hotel" early today, as a long leg of almost 400km awaits us for the big jump into the Kavango region towards Rundu. Today's route shows a clear transformation from what had been perceived as typical Namibian landscapes to the now more tropical taste of the far north. On lonely tracks Makalani palms, lime pans and traditional settlement cranes appear more and more often. We meet the Okavango River, which forms the border to Angola. Our accommodation today somehow gives us the feeling to have arrived in another country...

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Day 8: Rundu - Divundu /Mahango (Ndhovu Safari Lodge)

We take a deep breath of the unique atmosphere of waking up in the early dawn at a big African river and after a sumptuous breakfast at the riverside we climb the track further east. The course of the Okavango River sets the route for us today, we meander along the countless villages that live from fishing and irrigated agriculture. The route leads into the historically important "Caprivi Strip", a rather narrow corridor connecting the Namibian territory with its easternmost part, the Zambezi region. The stage ends today at the edge of the Mahango National Park.

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Day 9: Divundu - Katima Mulilo, NAM (Protea Zambezi Lodge)

Our today's stage leads through the BwaBwata National Park. It encompasses the aforementioned narrow corridor between Angola and Botswana. The paved Trans-Caprivi Highway leads us straight east towards Katima Mulilo, Namibia's easternmost town. This region is dominated by high dry forest, and is home to a very high biodiversity, actually everything can be found here -from prominent "Africans" like lion, buffalo & elephant, but also the extremely rare sable antelope and the last wild dog population ever. After more than 300 kilometers we reach our next accommodation, located directly on the Zambezi River. Warning signs on the river banks are always to be taken seriously: Crocodiles and hippos also like to visit the river banks...

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Day 10: Katima Mulilo - Victoria Falls, ZIM (Sprayview Hotel)

Now about 1400 kilometers away from the Namibian capital, we head for our main destination today: the World Heritage Site, Victoria Falls. Here the wide Zambezi River plunges impressively over rough basalt formations into the depths of narrow gorges. Since Namibia has no direct access to the falls, we have to ride a short distance through Botswana and Zimbabwe to get to the city of the same name, "Victoria Falls". This in turn is also a border town to the opposite "Livingstone" in Zambia. It will be a long and certainly exciting day, because African border points are always a special kind of experience, they provide many impressions of the colorful, lively hustle and bustle of Africans at these junctions, while the bureaucracy also demands their attention. A place where Europeans can practice African serenity.

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Day 11: Victoria Falls (Sprayview Hotel)

Well housed and entertained, we use our hotel in the middle of town as a springboard to the nearby falls and have the whole day to admire the falls from all its many perspectives and facets. Bridges and paths lead through tropical jungle forest and along the impressive narrow basalt gorges, where the spray of the falls, nourished by the massive force of the water, rises in clouds visible from afar, providing a unique canvas for the rainbows in a resounding backdrop. Only from Zimababwe's national territory can the falls be experienced so comprehensively... A relaxing boat trip rounds off the afternoon. Several activities are also tempting, such as rafting or bunjee jumping...

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Day 12: Victoria Falls - Kalimbeza,NAM (Zambezi Mubala Lodge)

For the unique experience of the Victoria Falls we accept to return to Namibia today on the identical route towards Katima Mulilo. At the border crossings we are no longer "greenhorns". We cross the Chobe River at Ngoma and with a little luck we encounter elephants along the way. Heading east, we once again visit the mighty Zambesi River, where we once again board the boat that will take us to our uniquely situated lodge...

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Day 13: Kalimbeza- Kwando River (Namushasha Lodge)

Today we will ride along the border of Namibia and Botswana - first along the Linyanti River, then along the Kwando River to the Mudumu National Park. The Linyanti-Kwando region is part of an important trans-border conservation area for the large herds of elephant and buffalo that migrate here seasonally between Angola, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The pads are either tarred or typically sandy-soft. At the Kwando we will take up quarters and get in touch with the typical, rustic swamp landscape, where there are many species of game and birds to discover, especially elephants and hippos can be very close here, at the latest on an evening river cruise.

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Day 14: Kwando River - Rundu (Hakusembe Lodge)

Yesterday shorter, today longer - after the briefing we start on a long stretch through the Mudumu National Park and leave it to the north until we follow the Trans-Caprivi Highway back to the west - it goes again through the Bwabwata National Park, which is not fenced along the road. Thus, we always have to reckon with game of all kinds. The road is paved until Divundu, then we follow the remote sandy tracks along the Kavango River and take in the impressions of the traditional villages that are so typical of the Namibian north. We spend an idyllic evening at the Kavango River and can review the day with an enjoyable sundowner and dinner...

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Day 15: Rundu - Otavi Mountains (Ghaub Guestfarm)

After a good night's sleep we can start without any stress. We take course to the south and leave the Kavango region towards central northern Namibia. Again the landscape changes gradually, the route crosses the so called Red Line (a veterinary fence, which separates the Kavango region with its buffalo population from the commercial cattle farming in central Namibia). The stage today offers tar and gravel in equal measure, with the second half passing through Mopane dry savannah and finally ending in the so-called Maize Triangle, where professional farming is visible on a grand scale. But the next accommodation is in the middle of a lovely landscape of green hills and wide grasslands - a former mission station offers travelers today a must stay on a well-kept old farm in the Otavi Mountains.

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Day 16: Otavi - Etosha (Etosha Safari Lodge & Camp)

From the Otavi Mountains we are still in central northern Namibia today. On remote gravel roads we ride 250 km through lonely landscapes always along the Etosha National Park, where the predominant Mopane savannah on white limestone again makes up a new facet of Namibia. At the height of the central Etosha we reach our next accommodation...

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Day 17: Etosha - Omaruru (Erongo Game)

Also today we get along almost without a tarred road... we take course to the southwest towards Damaraland, the route leads through sparse farmland in rocky and cropped landscape - but also here elephants roam around, which have adapted to the much more sparse vegetation of this drier region. The sparsely populated area of Damaraland gives us an impressive glimpse of what diverse habitats Namibia is home to. The only major town of Khorixas provides an opportunity to refuel and rest, then lonely gravel pads lead us west towards the Erongo Mountains, visible from afar next to the Brandberg in the west...

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Day 18: Omaruru - Windhoek (Windhoek Mountain Lodge)

Waking up in the morning to the peaceful chirping of a rich birdlife that feels as comfortable as we do in the rugged as well as shapely rocky scenery of the Erongo Mountains ... bizarre granite formations add another deep impression of Namibia's unique diversity to this eventful tour. After a leisurely breakfast we set our sights on the last stage. Many roads lead to Windhoek, we take the most beautiful one. Along the Erongo Mountains and off the tarred roads we use the gravel pads to the south and soon enter the hilly, lonely valley of the Swakop River. From there we enter the Khomashochland, a richly winding and mountainous gravel road, which makes us forget (almost) everything about civilization again, until we suddenly come out at the Windhoek town sign. To the Windhoek Mountain Lodge it is another 20km, there a cool beer, the pool and a really nice, common end in the evening is waiting...

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Day 19: Windhoek Mountain Lodge - Return flight

This day is completely at your own disposal at the lodge or for a stroll in Windhoek, depending on your individual departure date you can arrange your day freely today, often the flight leaves 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 local handicrafts invite at least to observe the colorful hustle and bustle around. In any case, we will make sure that you get to the airport on time...

Day 20: Arrival/Return Germany

The return flight to Germany lands in Frankfurt/Main in the early morning and if necessary you continue your journey by train or flight to your home town.