Dust and Dunes Tour - Namibia 2008

[bmad]

It feels like this trip was in the planning for far too long  ;D. Finally departure day arrived and the three man crew departed early morning for Springbok.

Bmad - R1150GS Adv                          eSKaPe - R1200GS                              African Sky - 950 Adventure S

We covered about 5000km's in 9 days, with approximately 3000km's on dirt  :ricky:
The route we covered was as follows:
Day 1 - JHB to Springbok
Day 2 - Springbok to Luderitz 
Day 3 - Luderitz to Sesriem
Day 4 - Sesriem to Walvis Bay
Day 5 - Walvis day to Swakopmund
Day 6 - Off day  ;D
Day 7 - Swakopmund to Windhoek
Day 8 - Windhoek to Aroab
Day 9 - Aroab to JHB

It was really difficult to decide which pictures to show and which to leave out, so in order to get a better perspective of the trip, i have made some combination pics that i think give a good overall impression of the trip.

Along our route, we met with very interesting people, had some interesting meals and stopped at awesome small towns and places.
One thing about Namibia is the open spaces, there is so much of it and it is an experience to live it and stop on the side of the road and breath for a minute.  The pictures do not do this country any justice.

We rode a mixture of good tar and good gravel, to the tricky D707 and other rear wheel sliding roads. Some of these roads keep you focused for a long time 

We had the opportunity to visit Sossusvlei - if you are ever there, do not miss it. Those dunes go on for miles and are breathtaking :thumleft:

The bikes performed well and the only hiccup we had was a puncture on eSKaPe's front wheel.
All three bikes were the perfect bikes for this trip  :mwink:

A ride on quads on our day off was good fun and set the tone for the next day play on Dune 7 - this is another must do, what an experience :ricky:

eSKaPe on dune 7

Bmad on dune 7

We even had a serious thunderstorm in Aroab with hail - i think the locals will discuss this storm for time to come. It certainly made our homeward journey more interesting!

And then there was plenty of odds and sods to keep the trip alive

and finally, what a better way to round off an awesome trip, than with a sunset  ;D

 

[edgy]

Very cool Bmad...thanks

 

[Kykdaar]

Great pics. Love Namibia for the same reasons you mentioned - open spaces and the opportunity to breathe a bit more freely. Can not wait for my turn in December.

Thanks for posting.

 

[Oetie]

Thanks bmad!!

Some nice photo's that say more than words!!

 

[Pistol]

Great stuff - looks like you ate well ;D Very jealous

 

[Mungo Park]

brings back very,very fond memories..

 

[throttle jockey]

I love that country the pictures are only a tip of the iceburg. LETS GO EDGY

 

[Stofstreep]

:drif:
Cool!!

Very nice pics there!!

 

[MrBig]

some nice pics there Bmad.
Looks like you guys had an awesome time!
Highs & Lows?

 

[Stephan]

:thumbsup: magic pics

 

[africanSky]

MrBig, from my perspective:

Highs: riding with your mates, the bikes, the country, the people, the weather, the bikes, riding with your mates .........

Lows: The trip has to end some time!

 

[Plothond]

Lovely !!

I like your pictures and the layout - a nice refreshing change
Food looks good  ;D

What is the price of fuel there at the moment ?

 

[bmad]

MrBig, from my perspective:

Highs: riding with your mates, the bikes, the country, the people, the weather, the bikes, riding with your mates .........

Lows: The trip has to end some time!

I agree that the highs was the entire trip - could not have asked for better riding buddies or a better place to ride  ;D

Beside coming home, the other low was African Sky missing out on Dune 7

Lovely !!

What is the price of fuel there at the moment ?

Fuel costs are slightly cheaper ±8.80 per litre for unleaded

 

[Ama ride ride]

Kewls pics... :drif:

Memories will last for ever...

 

[popipants]

Great stuff!!!

2 sleepies and counting!!!!
Cannot wait!

 

[JABO]

Exellent.

Can you please give us an idea of the costs involved.

Will love to go do sort of the same thing.

J

 

[Misty]

AMAZING pics, it sure looks like a great trip you had â?? and yes a dream for many of us â?? but this way one can almost imagine being there! Thanks for sharing 

 

[Bushclown]

Great pics

Thanx for sharing
:thumleft:

 

[Frog]

The photo's tell it all!! Awesome

 

[bmad]

Exellent.

Can you please give us an idea of the costs involved.

Will love to go do sort of the same thing.

J

Costs are a tough one. When we planned the trip the motto was:
"take half the stuff and double the money"

Well, i only listened to the first half!  :

Seriously though, the entire trip with all the prep, etc cost me about 7.5k.
Had my bike serviced and checked out before the trip, this cost was included in the above. I also opted to buy a smaller sleeping bag and other accessories to take with, for packing sake.

We worked on about R170 per person per night for accommodation, but in places it cost more. Safest bet would be about R250 per night, obviously cheaper if you camp. We choose to go the B&B or chalet route, nothing quite like a comfy bed and a warm shower  ;D
We did not go overboard on food or anything, so standard costs there. We mainly just ate breakfast and dinners.
Fuel was obviously the most expensive, but most important cost :mwink:

cheers