Adventure bike tours

Day 2: Upington – Ais-Ais (Richtersveld Transfrontier Park)

Saddling up early today, we make our way to the Namibian border. Our total distance for today will be approximately 480km, of which 320km will be tarred and 160km dirt. We will stop along the route for lunch, fuel and for photo’s from time to time.
From Grunau, the remainder of our ride will be all dirt road and roughly a 90km ride to a viewpoint of the Fish River Canyon at Hobas. The scenery will change dramatically as we enter the Richtersveld and we will be greeted with pure Namibian nature. From here it’s just a short ride to our camp at Ais-Ais.
Arriving at the camp, we will have a chance to get rid of the desert dust before we enjoy our surroundings and the facilities we have at our disposal.
Our lead crew will have already set up camp, got the “beers” cold and be busy with preparing tonight’s dinner.
After dinner, as it is a custom, we will run through the next day’s route and highlights.

Some of today’s highlights:
Fish River Canyon, Richterveld, Ais-Ais hot springs
Included meals: B/L/D
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : Yes
Ride distance: 480km

Day 3: Ais-Ais – Aus

This morning after breakfast we will explore the southernly parts of the area before we turn northwards to Aus. Today’s ride will be one for the books as we travel through the Richterveld Trans-frontier Park next to the Orange River. A fair part of the morning ride will hug the Orange river south of Ais-Ais as it meanders through the park and it’s easy to take on a slower pace to soak up our surroundings
The roads for today will be a 230km dirt and approximately 100km paved road as we make our way to a place where “Wild Horses” still frequent the land…Aus!
Camp for tonight will be the picturesque “Klein-Aus Vista”, a place where these wild animals still roam the desert. The wild horse’s numbers of Namibia are dwindling and the chance of seeing them running free here are fairly good. It is nothing short of a miracle to witness them and come to realisation that they exist in this desolate, unforgiving environment.

As we sit back in front of the campfire, we relish in the days ride and enjoy the Namibian sky.
Some of today’s highlights:
Richterveld Trans Frontier Park, ride along the Orange River, Aus
Included meals: B/L/D
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : Yes
Ride distance: 340km

Day 4: Luderitz

Today we will tone down the pace as we do a short ride in the morning towards Luderitz. It is only a 130km ride (paved road) to get to Luderitz and the Atlantic ocean. After we settle in to our accommodation, we will go out for the days 80km leasure ride to explore the surrounding areas.
This will include the ghost town of Kolmanskop and viewpoints over the cold Atlantic just south of Luderitz and our lead crew will grace us with lunch at one of these stops.
Once we arrive back at the lodge we will have a chance to get rid of the days dust before we go out for the night at one of the restaurants in town.

Some of today’s highlights:
Atlantic Ocean, Diaz Point, Kolmanskop’s Ghost town
Included meals: B/L
Accommodation: Lodge
Accommodation upgrade available : N/A
Ride distance: 205km

Day 5: Simplon – Kanaan desert camp

With a relaxed start today, we leave the ocean behind us after a hearty breakfast. There will be opportunity for us to stock up on supplies before we head deeper into the desert to Kanaan Desert camp. The ride will consist of 135km paved road and 140km dirt.
We will stop along the way to enjoy lunch and to stretch the old legs before we head to camp.
Our camp is situated in one of the most desolate places in the desert. Here we will have the desert at our disposal and we can take the bikes out for a exploratory ride in the desert. The crew will have us sorted with sundowners and a proper campfire.
On tonight’s menu will be a proper, good old South African braai as we marvel at the skies above us.

Some of today’s highlights:
Tiras Mountains, Aus, Kanaan Desert Camp
Included meals: B/L/D
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : No
Ride distance: 275km

Day 6: Kanaan desert camp

For those whom travel with us in the lead vehicle as well as all the riders, there will be an morning gamedrive with snacks and drinks enroute or somewhere on a dune. There will be afternoon break to enjoy the views before we take the bikes out to a spot where the crew will be waiting, beers chilled, and ready for us to enjoy the magnificent desert sunset next to the Tiras Mountains.
After sundowners we will head back to the camp for yet another extraordinary night in the desert.
Being in such a solitary place, the darkness of the night-sky above us will be lit up by countless stars and is bound to remain an unforgettable memory.
Some of today’s highlights:
Tiras Mountains, Morning gamedrive

Included meals: B/L/D
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : No
Ride distance: N/A

Day 7: Sesriem – Tshauchab River Camp

As we continue northwards on our tour, we will take the lesser travelled roads deeper into the destert. With the lead vehicle paving the way for us we will end up next to the Tshauchab river for the next two nights.
The total distance for todays ride will be 380km which will be only dirt road. There are several viewpoint we can visit in the nearby area and as per the custom, the crew will have our backs with their excellent service and ice cold beers for sunset.
After the days ride we will relax around the campfire as the team prepares yet another good dinner for us to enjoy.
We will have a full day tomorrow and a good nights rest will be welcome event.

Some of today’s highlights:
Outride to viewpoints
Included meals: B/L/D
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : No
Ride distance: 380km

Day 8: Sesriem/Sossusvlei

After a hearty breakfast, we will saddle up and take a short 50km ride to Sesriem where we will leave our bikes and venture into the desert on a 4×4 transfer. We will spend most of the day exploring this part of the Namib desert and there are tons to see and to learn about this place.
On the way to Sossusvlei we could see the “Fairy circles”, Welwitschias, and stop and climb one of the highest dunes in the area to get a birds eye view of the red Namib dunes.
If you’re brave enough, the quick way down is to roll down the side of the dune or take a leisurely jog down the same way we climbed up.
The vehicle will be there to pick us up and take us to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. The area is well known for it’s abundance of life and the endless dunes that surround us like red giants.
After a full day out, a good braai would be a welcome sight and a good shower to get all the desert sand out of our ears.

Some of today’s highlights:
Sesriem, Dune climb, Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, 4×4 desert drive
Included meals: B/L/D
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : No
Ride distance: 100km

Day 9: Windhoek

Todays ride will be a scenic masterpiece. We will ride for roughly 90km to Solitaire, where we can sample their delicious apple pie as we fill up our bikes. This place is well worth the stop and a walk around as it has a lot of interesting history. When we depart, we will head towards the renowned “Riemhoogte pass”. The views are spectacular and the ride is one of the most enjoyable rides one can do.
The dirt roads of Namibia will take us all the way to Windhoek where we will have a chance to unwind in civilisation and enjoy a good night out at one of the many restaurants in town.
There will also be time to do some much needed laundry and stock up on supplies for the last few days before we change direction towards the south.
Total distance for todays ride will be 240km.

Some of today’s highlights:
Solitaire, Riemhoogte pass, Windhoek
Included meals: B/L
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : Yes
Ride distance: 240km

Day 10: Mariental

Saying goodbye to civilization today, we settle in for some more Namibian dust as we travel southwards towards Mariental.
The ride will take us on some more spectacular adventure scenery. Tonight we will camp on the banks of Hardap Dam. Hardap Dam is the largest dam in the country and construction began in 1962 whilst Namibia was under South African occupation. Two years later construstion of the dam was finished and the dam was officially opened in 1962.
Dinner will be another event on it’s own as we light the fire and relax around a braai with a well deserved cold one.

Some of today’s highlights:
Windhoek, Hardap Dam
Included meals: B/L/D
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : Yes
Ride distance: 380km

Day 11: Keetmanshoop

As the tour is nearing it’s end and lifelong friendships have been cemented, we think back on the days gone by and the amazing adventures we’ve endured. The road, however, is not over and we continue south to Keetmanshoop.
The route today is roughly 265km and we end the days ride at the Quiver tree forest Camp. The crew will “pull out all the stops” and take excellent care of us by treating us to sundowners at “The giants playground”.
The scenery in the area is what makes this place well worth a visit and is the perfect background for beautiful pictures. If we’re lucky, we might also run into some of the wild game species that frequent the area.

Some of today’s highlights:
Quiver tree forest, Giants playground
Included meals: B/L/D
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : Yes

Day 12: Karasburg

The tour is nearing it’s end by now, but not before another exploratory ride to Karasburg. We will have an 80km paved road at the start of todays ride, after that we take the lesser travelled roads to Karasburg. Our dirt section for today will be approximately 170km and it will test all our skills we’ve come to learn about “Namibian riding” the past week.
Our lead crew will set up a lunch spot along our route where we can take a break, quench our thirst and fill our bellies.
Our camp for the night will be at the “White House Guest Farm” where upon arrival, we can refresh and settle in for the night.

Some of today’s highlights:
170km scenic back roads to Karasburg
Included meals: B/L/D
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : Yes
Ride distance: 280km

Day 13: Upington

For our last days ride we will cross the border back into South Africa enroute to Upington. Our total ride distance for today is 290km to “Oranjerus Resort” where we will end the tour. The resort is situated on the banks of the Orange river and we will have enough time to relax and enjoy the facilities.
After dinner we will have a small ceremony where we will reminisce on the recent days gone by and to relive some of the many highlights we have encountered.
For those whom are flying, a transfer vehicle will be available to take you to the airport the following morning.
Those whom are travelling by road back to Gauteng will also depart early the next morning and all our bikes will follow suit on the transport vehicle.

Some of today’s highlights:
Border crossing back to South Africa, Orange river
Included meals: B/L/D
Accommodation: Camping
Accommodation upgrade available : Yes
Ride distance: 280km

Tour distance summary :
Tarred/paved road – approximately 1430km
Dirt/gravel road – approximately 1910km
Total ride distance – approximately 3340km
Average riding p/day – approximately 278km per day

Accommodation summary :
Lodging – 1 night
Camping – 12 nights