Find and book motorcycle tours to Namibia

Motorcycle Tours in Namibia

We don’t throw the term „epic“ around lightly, but if riding motorcycles in Namibia could be described with just one word, epic would be the right fit. Vast expanses of dead mountains and arid desert with bright red and white dunes resembling the surface of Mars, empty swathes of savanna, the turbulent Atlantic coast, and the endless horizons make Namibia the most extraordinary place for motorcycling; in fact, Namibia is unlike anywhere else on Earth. Motorcycle tours in Namibia take riders across a landscape so otherworldly and so surreal you feel like you’re traveling another planet, and you feel tiny and insignificant against the mad strokes of Mother Nature’s paintbrush here. The notorious Namibian gravel roads lead across a land so inhospitable to life you sometimes won’t see a soul – not even an animal – for hours on end, and that is Namibia’s appeal: lunar landscapes and perfect solitude.

On the Western side of the country, you’ll see the rugged, wild coastline with massive sand dunes crashing right into the Atlantic Ocean and the Skeleton Coast with hundreds of shipwrecks stranded in the desert. The Namibian coast is known as the most violent and treacherous in the world, and even modern ships struggle to navigate its rocky outcrops, strong currents, and the menacing surf of the ocean. On the other side, you’ll ride through the world‘s oldest desert, visit the jaw-dropping salt flats of Etosha, and a little south of Swakopmund, you’ll see the magical Sossusvlei dunes – the largest and most photographed dunes in the world.

But motorcycle tours in Namibia aren’t just about the landscapes and the gravel roads: out here, you’ll also spot wildlife such as giraffes, hippos, elephants, zebras, and more. Seeing these magnificent beasts roaming free is a truly extraordinary experience, and if you’re lucky, you may also meet the local indigenous ethnicity: San, Damara, Herero and Nama people who have inhabited this land for twenty million years. Some of the indigenous ethnicity are still living a nomadic hunter-gatherer life here. Namibia has a long and complex history and, in many ways, is a relatively young country: after years of British and German colonization and a period of South African rule, Namibia has declared independence as recently as 1990.

The German influence can still be felt in the colonial towns such as Swakopmund, but Namibia is rapidly discovering its own identity and place in the world. Unique in every way, this country is the adventure capital of South West Africa, and motorcycle tours in Namibia are the best way to experience this stunning corner of the Earth.

Motorcycle Tours in Namibia: Highlights

Whether you’re considering shipping motorcycles to Namibia or joining a guided tour, some locations here are bucket list destinations. Here is what’s not to miss along the way:

Windhoek
Situated in the very heart of the country, Windhoek is the largest city in Namibia and its social, economic, political, and cultural centre. „Windhoek'' translates to „windy country“ and, because of its location, is the starting point for most wildlife safaris in Namibia. The German influence is still present in the Namibian capital with plenty of colonial buildings, German restaurants, and German festivals still being celebrated each year. Windhoek is where your Namibia motorcycle tour will start if you‘re flying in to ride.

Kalahari Desert
Located in south-east Namibia, the Kalahari Desert is one of the most awe-inspiring places in the country. Undulating red dunes dotted with umbrella-shaped camelthorn bush are inhabited by wandering oryx, wildebeest, and the majestic Kalahari lions, and the desert is the ancestral home of the indigenous ethnicity, some of whom still dwell here. The San people live in adobe huts and still hunt the plentiful game with bows and arrows and store water in ostrich eggshells. While most motorcycle tours in Namibia will take you across the red sands of the Kalahari, if you have the time, book a bush walk with the locals to experience what life is like for the indigenous communities here.

Etosha National Park
Situated in the North of the country, Etosha National Park is Namibia’s biggest and most accessible game and wildlife reserve. Known for its enormous salt pan so vast it’s visible from space, Etosha is an extraordinary place that comes alive when wildlife gathers around its watering holes: lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, giraffe, wildebeest, hyenas, zebras, and kudu can be seen congregating at the life-giving water holes. If you can, spend a day or two exploring Etosha’s eerie landscapes and abundant wildlife.

Skeleton Coast
If you could imagine the mythical end of the world, the very edge of the Earth, it would look like Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. Located in the North near the border with Angola, Skeleton Coast is one of the loneliest, strangest, and most desolate places on the planet. The local indigenous ethnicity call the region “The Land God Made in Anger”, and Portuguese sailors once dubbed it the “Gates of Hell”. Here, the ocean crashes into the shore with such ferocity and the winds and currents are so unpredictable that more than 500 ships have wrecked on these shores, leaving their ghastly skeletons scattered about the desert. Massive sand dunes, a rocky inferno below the churning waters, and dense fog rising from the ocean make Skeleton Coast one of the most inhospitable shorelines in the world, and no human life is evident here for hundreds of miles. Carcasses of whales and land animals along with shipwrecked vessels ranging from wooden Portuguese galleons to modern steel-hulled ships litter the coastline, and lions and hyenas can be seen hunting seals on the shores, a sight too surreal even for Namibia. Elephants sometimes wade into the waves of the Atlantic, and more than eleven shark species control its waters here – it’s no wonder the nineteenth-century sailors and captains called the Skeleton Coast a nightmare inferno.

These days, however, the Skeleton Coast can be visited using the inland roads, and most motorcycle tours in Namibia take riders here to admire the might of the Atlantic Ocean and the Namib Desert crashing into one another creating this otherworldly landscape.

Swakopmund
Situated on the Atlantic Coast right on the doorstep of the Namib-Naukluft National Park, Swakopmund is a colonial town and a beach resort in the Namib Desert. Motorcycle tours in Namibia make a stop in Swakopmund to rest up and recharge after tackling those dusty gravel roads across the country and visit the nearby National Park known for its colorful dunes. Sossusvlei, a clay pan surrounded by bright orange and pink dunes, is probably the most photographed location in Namibia. Here, the white clay and dead trees contrast wildly with the brightly colored sand mountains, and some of the dunes at Sossusvlei are among the largest in the world rising for over 350 metres above ground.

Fish River Canyon
East of Sossusvlei and Swakopmund lies another wonder of Namibia’s epic landscape: the Fish river Canyon. Often likened to the Grand Canyon in the United States, Fish River Canyon is the largest in Africa with its gigantic ravine stretching for almost a hundred miles, 27 kilometers wide in several places, and 550 metres deep. The red and orange rock formations on either side of the canyon are a sight to behold, and the Fish River cutting into the dry, arid plateau creates the most magnificent shapes and forms of the canyon walls.

Practical Information for Touring Namibia

Motorcycle tours in Namibia usually take place between July and October during the Namibian winter, or the dry season. This is also the best time to see wildlife. Namibia is a year-round destination, but between October and February, the temperatures can reach over 40 degrees Celsius in some areas making the heat unbearable.

Namibia uses South African rand and Namibian dollars as their currency, but your best bet is to bring some US dollars which are widely accepted here. Plan to spend around $80-$100 a day on your food, fuel, and accommodation traveling here, and keep in mind that gas is quite expensive in Namibia.

Namibia is one of the safest and most peaceful countries to travel in Africa with a well-developed infrastructure and little crime. However, Namibia still struggles with poverty issues, and personal crime in big cities can still happen, so keep an eye on your belongings and don’t flash your expensive cameras or phone. When you’re riding Namibia’s gravel roads, don’t forget to fuel up as often as you can and carry some water with you: some stretches of the road are very isolated, and it’s best to be prepared.

When it comes to motorcycle choices for Namibia, adventure and dual sports bikes are the most suitable for Namibian terrain. While a lot of the roads here are paved, you will encounter some gravel, washboard, and sand, so pick a motorcycle that can tackle different terrain and conditions.