mother
Race Dog
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2009
- Messages
- 3,236
- Reaction score
- 118
- Location
- Cape Town
- Bike
- Harley Davidson (all models)
Namibia keeps calling me.........As some may know i did post a few pics on FB but here is the route and short story of my recent trip with a mate and our wives
Our latest Namibia trip
Last year May i did a 7000km Solo trip around Namibia and my Wife and mate where hinting to do a short trip up to Namibia in June this year….My Mate had not been to Namibia ever on his bike so was really looking fwd to the trip
long story short we set the date for June and all systems go they were to leave from Gauteng and us up from Cape Town and we planned to meet in Upington on the Thursday.
as D Day approached a massive front moved in and we postponed our trip by a day to miss the heavy rain and wind…..after all I do biking for fun and not to punish myself
Day one ..we headed for Kenhardt to get away from the weather asap but spent the day riding in very cold but thankfully not rainy weather,thank goodness for correct winter gear
i didnt want to wast tread on my rear so chose to do the 1000km to Upington with my used rear and carry a spare tyre i had lying at home.Pre arranged to change it at the BMW dealer in Upington
Day 2…Kenhardt to Upington nice and early to change tyre and wait our friends to arrive then on to Augrabies for the evening to Camp next to the falls of the Orange river
Meeting our friends in Upington
Camping at Augrabies was fairly cold
Next day
we headed out to Poffadder fueled up and then took the gravel road to Onseepkans border post to Namibia…..my mate wasnt impressed with the road as it was fairly sandy and not in good condition…..but was as good as it was going to get to cut your teeth for what lay ahead in Namibia….made the rest seem easy
as always the border crossing was quick and pain free the main reason i like to use it and also for the nice scenic roads
soon enough Ed and Marianne where finding their groove on the gravel roads
Our first night in Namibia we headed for the Canyon Roadhouse nice place and nice facilities and for a change from Camping at the Park for the Fish River we decided to stay here
camping was not as cold as the previous night but we where left unimpressed when the shower was cold in the morning after the overlanders had been through the ablutions
Next Day we headed to the Fish River Canyon view site and a short ride on to Ai Ais sort of like a rest day as it was not very far…we also decided to spoil ourselves and stay in the Lodge that night….nice change from camping and we all realized we getting soft….;-)
After relaxing at Ai Ais we headed south to take the route along the Orange river….this to me is one of the nicest roads in Namibia and i wanted to share it with our friends being their first time here
riding next to the Orange river is breathtakingly beautiful and a great experience….this year the water level was quiet low compared to other years but it still remained scenic and majestic as the water cut its way to the sea through the desert
Just before Rosh Pinah the view back to the river is stunning
i feel really blessed to be able to Ride my bike in this part of the world
From Rosh Pinah to Aus and Luderitz the road is tar just watch out for the many Gemsbokke stuck on the road side of the fence……not ideal to ride at night
Outside of Aus we saw the wild horses
We stayed two nights In Luderitz first of all after a long day one gets there late and we spent the next day showing Ed and Marianne the sights like Kolmanskop Ghost town..Diaz Cross…Shark Island and the Waterfront….trust me not much to see but for a first timer these are the key things
Biker friendly place we stayed in Luderitz
Kolmanskop ghost town
Diaz cross
Luderitz waterfront
So After spending two nights in Luderiz we hit the road to Helmeringhausen by the time we got to Aus it was freezing cold and it wasnt long and we had stopped to put all our thermal gear on again
by late morning we arrived at Helmeringhausen to thaw out a bit the coffee and Apple pie was an awsome relief and break from the cold
We had planned to camp at the farm Aubures where I normally camp but we arrived there early and it didnt take much convincing the others to move on to a lodge we had heard about from one of the guides we had met at Helmeringhausen a place called Tolous Lodge not far from Betta
Nice Sandy section on the C27 (D407) about 20km or so before Betta
This section was fairly Sandy ….but particularly bad for about a kilometer long it got hectic and this was Eds nemesis ….so we took time out to get his bike across after that everyone was happy that this was the worst section of sand and that it was behind us….
Tolous Lodge Chalet very friendly Uncle and his Wife fed us and took care of us that evening
Next morning up early and we headed out to Solitaire and Swakopmund this was a long day for us around 500km of dirt
Always time to stop for pictures
Solitaire always a nice place to stop for a break and some coffee and cake from their bakery in the middle of no where
By the time we got to Swakopmund it was fairly late also after finding a suitable place to stay…..camping was just not on the cards
the next day was to be a rest day and we spent the day showing our friends the place
Crystal Museum
on the last morning i got to my bike to find a flat front tyre from the rim being bent..probably a rock …so long story short…we rubber hammered it straight at the Yamaha dealer in town put lots of pressure to keep it binding to the rim and decided to tar it back towards home
at the outset of our plan Swakopmund was the furthest point of out trip due to Eds work commitments so we started the journey home
From Swakop we got to Rehoboth and stayed over at the Qanob Dam
Then from Rehoboth to a Guest farm outside Grunau for our last night together in Namibia
There was a nice sandy section to the farm in from the main road
Last Namibian Sunrise
Saying our goodbyes after another great trip to Namibia …an awesome trip to remember again and as Ed put it it was not a holiday it was an experience
Map of our route aprox 4700km
Our latest Namibia trip
Last year May i did a 7000km Solo trip around Namibia and my Wife and mate where hinting to do a short trip up to Namibia in June this year….My Mate had not been to Namibia ever on his bike so was really looking fwd to the trip
long story short we set the date for June and all systems go they were to leave from Gauteng and us up from Cape Town and we planned to meet in Upington on the Thursday.
as D Day approached a massive front moved in and we postponed our trip by a day to miss the heavy rain and wind…..after all I do biking for fun and not to punish myself
Day one ..we headed for Kenhardt to get away from the weather asap but spent the day riding in very cold but thankfully not rainy weather,thank goodness for correct winter gear
i didnt want to wast tread on my rear so chose to do the 1000km to Upington with my used rear and carry a spare tyre i had lying at home.Pre arranged to change it at the BMW dealer in Upington
Day 2…Kenhardt to Upington nice and early to change tyre and wait our friends to arrive then on to Augrabies for the evening to Camp next to the falls of the Orange river
Meeting our friends in Upington
Camping at Augrabies was fairly cold
Next day
we headed out to Poffadder fueled up and then took the gravel road to Onseepkans border post to Namibia…..my mate wasnt impressed with the road as it was fairly sandy and not in good condition…..but was as good as it was going to get to cut your teeth for what lay ahead in Namibia….made the rest seem easy
as always the border crossing was quick and pain free the main reason i like to use it and also for the nice scenic roads
soon enough Ed and Marianne where finding their groove on the gravel roads
Our first night in Namibia we headed for the Canyon Roadhouse nice place and nice facilities and for a change from Camping at the Park for the Fish River we decided to stay here
camping was not as cold as the previous night but we where left unimpressed when the shower was cold in the morning after the overlanders had been through the ablutions
Next Day we headed to the Fish River Canyon view site and a short ride on to Ai Ais sort of like a rest day as it was not very far…we also decided to spoil ourselves and stay in the Lodge that night….nice change from camping and we all realized we getting soft….;-)
After relaxing at Ai Ais we headed south to take the route along the Orange river….this to me is one of the nicest roads in Namibia and i wanted to share it with our friends being their first time here
riding next to the Orange river is breathtakingly beautiful and a great experience….this year the water level was quiet low compared to other years but it still remained scenic and majestic as the water cut its way to the sea through the desert
Just before Rosh Pinah the view back to the river is stunning
i feel really blessed to be able to Ride my bike in this part of the world
From Rosh Pinah to Aus and Luderitz the road is tar just watch out for the many Gemsbokke stuck on the road side of the fence……not ideal to ride at night
Outside of Aus we saw the wild horses
We stayed two nights In Luderitz first of all after a long day one gets there late and we spent the next day showing Ed and Marianne the sights like Kolmanskop Ghost town..Diaz Cross…Shark Island and the Waterfront….trust me not much to see but for a first timer these are the key things
Biker friendly place we stayed in Luderitz
Kolmanskop ghost town
Diaz cross
Luderitz waterfront
So After spending two nights in Luderiz we hit the road to Helmeringhausen by the time we got to Aus it was freezing cold and it wasnt long and we had stopped to put all our thermal gear on again
by late morning we arrived at Helmeringhausen to thaw out a bit the coffee and Apple pie was an awsome relief and break from the cold
We had planned to camp at the farm Aubures where I normally camp but we arrived there early and it didnt take much convincing the others to move on to a lodge we had heard about from one of the guides we had met at Helmeringhausen a place called Tolous Lodge not far from Betta
Nice Sandy section on the C27 (D407) about 20km or so before Betta
This section was fairly Sandy ….but particularly bad for about a kilometer long it got hectic and this was Eds nemesis ….so we took time out to get his bike across after that everyone was happy that this was the worst section of sand and that it was behind us….
Tolous Lodge Chalet very friendly Uncle and his Wife fed us and took care of us that evening
Next morning up early and we headed out to Solitaire and Swakopmund this was a long day for us around 500km of dirt
Always time to stop for pictures
Solitaire always a nice place to stop for a break and some coffee and cake from their bakery in the middle of no where
By the time we got to Swakopmund it was fairly late also after finding a suitable place to stay…..camping was just not on the cards
the next day was to be a rest day and we spent the day showing our friends the place
Crystal Museum
on the last morning i got to my bike to find a flat front tyre from the rim being bent..probably a rock …so long story short…we rubber hammered it straight at the Yamaha dealer in town put lots of pressure to keep it binding to the rim and decided to tar it back towards home
at the outset of our plan Swakopmund was the furthest point of out trip due to Eds work commitments so we started the journey home
From Swakop we got to Rehoboth and stayed over at the Qanob Dam
Then from Rehoboth to a Guest farm outside Grunau for our last night together in Namibia
There was a nice sandy section to the farm in from the main road
Last Namibian Sunrise
Saying our goodbyes after another great trip to Namibia …an awesome trip to remember again and as Ed put it it was not a holiday it was an experience
Map of our route aprox 4700km
