- Joined
- Feb 6, 2006
- Messages
- 11,909
- Reaction score
- 5,392
- Location
- Cape Town, deep in the lentils
- Bike
- KTM 990 Adventure
ROUTE INFO
The Richtersveld is an iconic, remote, endlessly beautiful mountainous desert. It has an allure that pulls travellers to its magical spaces.
It’s also not a place to take lightly. Some serious respect should be afforded its trails.
DO NOT GO OFF THE TRACKS AND ESTABLISHED ROUTES
We spent the last month re-testing the venue, organising all the necessaries and riding around looking at the best routes.
Technical Routes
The technical sections have been changed from last year so do not use the ones from last year. Delete them and load these ones up. Essentially there has been some additions to the routing and both are now reversed. First day Tech 1 is 67km, the second day Tech 2 is 120km.
Both will take at least 5 hrs if you stop often, take lots of photos and enjoy the place.
What is very different to last year is the erosion from the heavy rains. There are many many washaways and ruts that if you ride in dust or above your paygrade are going to end in tears. Ride WELL within yourself. Getting hurt here is not recommended.
You will need:
A smaller bike, (or be utterly comfortable in technical trails and kilometres of deep rutted sand on a bigger one)
Ultra-heavy duty tubes and all the tools, spares and the "know-how" to fix punctures.
Fresh knobbly tyres or fresh aggressive dual sport tyres are mandatory. Road biased tires will not make it.
Motocross boots, or high protection Dual Sport boots at the very least. The more protection the better. Ideal is Boots, knee guards/braces, pressure suits, neck brace, elbow guards, Helmet.
3 litres water in a camelbak. No carrying water in bottles. It’s a camelbak type rehydration device or you are not riding these sections. Dehydration is a very big issue here. 5 litres water per day excluding soft drinks and alcohol is the barest minimum to play here. Rehydrate sachets are highly recommended, take one twice a day.
The sun is radical - please make sure you take a nice big floppy wide brimmed hat in your camelback and put it on as soon as you take your helmet off.
GPS that can accept tracks from Garmap or Mapsource. NO ROUTING . Please know how to use your GPS and trust it - do not second guess your GPS
At least two vehicles will follow the riders.
It’s deeply remote with no cell reception. Only if you are absolutely comfortable with going very off the beaten track should you consider it.
Tough Route
If you have some unrequited Dakar dreams and want to head out on a route that will test you in this way, take this one. If you are on a smaller 500 class bike you'll have a blast going to Port Nolloth. If you are on a bigger bike it is a SERIOUS route. There are sections that are off piste across large pans and sand. Must be comfortable in deep riverbed and tweespoor sand for long stretches of many kilometres. Knobblies only no street tires. Big mix of terrain. Must be Very competent rider on your A Game. Very fit. Even at moderate pace it's a very long 10 hour day. Completely self-supporting no backup. It will have to be self-rescue if stuff happens. Bike 100%. A GPS for every bike, it is easy to get lost. Not pillion friendly. DO NOT RETURN ON SAME ROUTE. Return via Steinkopf or Hellskloof. Please don't try it in reverse. Meeting others headon is a danger, but more importantly, you might run into light issues if you have problems. If you return on the suggested route, you may want to reserve fuel from Justin.
Scenic Routes
As for the easier scenic routes, now with Sendlingsdrift freshly opened (it opened after we left so we’ve not seen the new crossing) Of all the routes, I really like this one. I highly suggest you do it clockwise heading out towards Sendlingdrift, cross and refill at Rosh-Pina, then along the stunning gravel road that follows the river. Stop for a beer at Norotshama. Then, refill at Vioolsdrift and cross back over at the border post there. Between Norotshama and Vioolsdrift there is an alternate section "Sjambok Plains". If you are up for it, it is well worth the ride. The sand sections are quite firm, so it'll be fun. The section on the Namibian side must rate as one of the finest gravel roads with a view you can get. It can be done with a pillion but you both had better really know your gravel. Just past the Growcery, the road follows the riverbed and with the recent rains, it has some sections that might be a bit of a struggle with a pillion. Maybe walk those. For the rest it's beautiful.
Also, for the less adventurous, we suggest day trips to Port Nolloth via Steinkopf, or over the border to explore the Orange River via Aussenkehr. If you don’t mind a longer ride, the Fish River Canyon or AiAis is lekker to see. Those roads are in great shape.
If you are on bigger bikes and are comfortable with sand, then going over Hellskloof gives a lot of options. Visiting Namibia for the day via Eksteenfontein and then getting across the border at Sendlingsdrift and back via Aussenkher.
There is a big bike route we rode to Port Nolloth, but you would have to be VERY comfortable in kilometres of sand and jeep tracks. Your bike would need good knobs and you would need to be completely self-sufficient.
Due to the plethora of options, none of the scenic routes will have back-up. A GPS is highly recommended. Self-sufficiency in fixing flats and niggles. A satellite phone is a good idea.
Organise to ride in groups and never alone - never leave a rider behind.
The Richtersveld is an iconic, remote, endlessly beautiful mountainous desert. It has an allure that pulls travellers to its magical spaces.
It’s also not a place to take lightly. Some serious respect should be afforded its trails.
DO NOT GO OFF THE TRACKS AND ESTABLISHED ROUTES
We spent the last month re-testing the venue, organising all the necessaries and riding around looking at the best routes.
Technical Routes
The technical sections have been changed from last year so do not use the ones from last year. Delete them and load these ones up. Essentially there has been some additions to the routing and both are now reversed. First day Tech 1 is 67km, the second day Tech 2 is 120km.
Both will take at least 5 hrs if you stop often, take lots of photos and enjoy the place.
What is very different to last year is the erosion from the heavy rains. There are many many washaways and ruts that if you ride in dust or above your paygrade are going to end in tears. Ride WELL within yourself. Getting hurt here is not recommended.
You will need:
A smaller bike, (or be utterly comfortable in technical trails and kilometres of deep rutted sand on a bigger one)
Ultra-heavy duty tubes and all the tools, spares and the "know-how" to fix punctures.
Fresh knobbly tyres or fresh aggressive dual sport tyres are mandatory. Road biased tires will not make it.
Motocross boots, or high protection Dual Sport boots at the very least. The more protection the better. Ideal is Boots, knee guards/braces, pressure suits, neck brace, elbow guards, Helmet.
3 litres water in a camelbak. No carrying water in bottles. It’s a camelbak type rehydration device or you are not riding these sections. Dehydration is a very big issue here. 5 litres water per day excluding soft drinks and alcohol is the barest minimum to play here. Rehydrate sachets are highly recommended, take one twice a day.
The sun is radical - please make sure you take a nice big floppy wide brimmed hat in your camelback and put it on as soon as you take your helmet off.
GPS that can accept tracks from Garmap or Mapsource. NO ROUTING . Please know how to use your GPS and trust it - do not second guess your GPS
At least two vehicles will follow the riders.
It’s deeply remote with no cell reception. Only if you are absolutely comfortable with going very off the beaten track should you consider it.
Tough Route
If you have some unrequited Dakar dreams and want to head out on a route that will test you in this way, take this one. If you are on a smaller 500 class bike you'll have a blast going to Port Nolloth. If you are on a bigger bike it is a SERIOUS route. There are sections that are off piste across large pans and sand. Must be comfortable in deep riverbed and tweespoor sand for long stretches of many kilometres. Knobblies only no street tires. Big mix of terrain. Must be Very competent rider on your A Game. Very fit. Even at moderate pace it's a very long 10 hour day. Completely self-supporting no backup. It will have to be self-rescue if stuff happens. Bike 100%. A GPS for every bike, it is easy to get lost. Not pillion friendly. DO NOT RETURN ON SAME ROUTE. Return via Steinkopf or Hellskloof. Please don't try it in reverse. Meeting others headon is a danger, but more importantly, you might run into light issues if you have problems. If you return on the suggested route, you may want to reserve fuel from Justin.
Scenic Routes
As for the easier scenic routes, now with Sendlingsdrift freshly opened (it opened after we left so we’ve not seen the new crossing) Of all the routes, I really like this one. I highly suggest you do it clockwise heading out towards Sendlingdrift, cross and refill at Rosh-Pina, then along the stunning gravel road that follows the river. Stop for a beer at Norotshama. Then, refill at Vioolsdrift and cross back over at the border post there. Between Norotshama and Vioolsdrift there is an alternate section "Sjambok Plains". If you are up for it, it is well worth the ride. The sand sections are quite firm, so it'll be fun. The section on the Namibian side must rate as one of the finest gravel roads with a view you can get. It can be done with a pillion but you both had better really know your gravel. Just past the Growcery, the road follows the riverbed and with the recent rains, it has some sections that might be a bit of a struggle with a pillion. Maybe walk those. For the rest it's beautiful.
Also, for the less adventurous, we suggest day trips to Port Nolloth via Steinkopf, or over the border to explore the Orange River via Aussenkehr. If you don’t mind a longer ride, the Fish River Canyon or AiAis is lekker to see. Those roads are in great shape.
If you are on bigger bikes and are comfortable with sand, then going over Hellskloof gives a lot of options. Visiting Namibia for the day via Eksteenfontein and then getting across the border at Sendlingsdrift and back via Aussenkher.
There is a big bike route we rode to Port Nolloth, but you would have to be VERY comfortable in kilometres of sand and jeep tracks. Your bike would need good knobs and you would need to be completely self-sufficient.
Due to the plethora of options, none of the scenic routes will have back-up. A GPS is highly recommended. Self-sufficiency in fixing flats and niggles. A satellite phone is a good idea.
Organise to ride in groups and never alone - never leave a rider behind.
| Routes | Distance | Difficulty | Cross into Namibia | Refuel | Support back up |
| Technical 1 | 78 | Very difficult; Soft sand, rocks, technical, small bike suitable, knoblies, 3l camelbak | No | No | Yes |
| Technical 2 | 122 | Very difficult; Soft sand, technical rocky climbs, small bike suitable, knoblies, 3l camelbak | No | No | Yes |
| Scenic 1 Namibia Sendlingsdrift | 360 | Medium, Hellskloof crossing into Namibia at Sendlingsdrift; some sand and one potholed climb. The rest good gravel. Not pillion friendly. Option to do "Sjambok Plains" between Ausenkher and Vioolsdrif. | Yes | yes Rosh Pina, Noordoewer | No |
| Scenic 2 Port Nolloth | 316 | Medium, Hellskloof; some sand and one potholed climb. The rest good gravel. Not pillion friendly | no | yes Steinkopf, Port Nolloth | No |
| Scenic 3 Alexander Port Nolloth | 543 | Easy, mostly tar and good gravel. Pillion friendly | Yes | yes Steinkopf, Port Nolloth, Alexander Bay, Rosh Pina, Noordoewer | No |
| Scenic 4 Fish River Canyon | 405 | Easy, mostly tar and good gravel. Pillion friendly | Yes | yes Ai Ais, Noordoewer | No |
| Scenic 5 Port Nolloth, Alexander Bay, Eksteenfontein | 418 | Medium, Hellskloof; some sand and one potholed climb. The rest good gravel. Not pillion friendly | No | yes Steinkopf, Port Nolloth, Alexander Bay | No |
| Scenic 6 Norotshama Ausenkher Gamkab Dunes | 194 | Easy or Difficult, If you stay out of the Gamkab canyon or off the dunes, tar almost the whole way. Lunch at Noroshama. Pillion friendly but for the above bits. Option to do "Sjambok Plains" between Ausenkher and Vioolsdrif | Yes | yes Noordoewer | No |
| Scenic 7 Goodhouse Eco Trail | 288 | Medium, Small doable part of the eco trail. Mostly good gravel, some hard pack jeep tracks. Not pillion friendly | No | yes Steinkopf | No |
| Tough Port Nolloth | 320'ish | Difficult, Hellskloof. Must be comfortable in deep sand for long stretches. Knobblies only no street tires. Big mix of terrain. Must be Very competent rider on your A Game. Very fit. Even at moderate pace it's a very long 10 hour day. Completely self supporting. Bike 100%. Not pillion friendly. Return via Steinkopf or Hellskloof | No | yes Steinkopf, Port Nolloth, | No |
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