To be honest, not the most exciting of routes - though most people on GS do just that, kind of Coca Cola. Kind of missing the really good stuff in the northern Nam, so the question is - are you able to ride off the main dirt highways (C roads) and why do you want to go up north? If it is just animals, they are there (and I will describe below how to get some chance to see them), but quite frankly then you can just ride up to Tsumeb or even Etosha gate and get 100% success there either by joining guided safari ride or by renting a car in Tsumeb and driving through Etosha yourself. Is there any other reason you want to go up north? Sure, it is about the most beautifull place on the planet, but for that you might need to get off the C road dirt highways.
What is the problem with riding - can you ride off the main roads at all, let's say on rocky double track (not technical just little gravel rocks) or let's say 10 km of deep sand (if the rest 160 km are good gravel), or are you just sticking religiously to the roads? The advice kind of depends on understanding what kind of limitations you have in terms of riding (I understand you don't want to do 100 km of deep sand, but can you suffer through let's say 10 km if it will allow you then to do 200 of beautifull scenery?)
If you want to explore a bit and not just stick to the main roads (altough dirt ones) I believe it is highly advisable to get Tracks4Africa on your GPS. Do you have it? If not you can buy it in Swakop in the main tourist shops or ask in Yamaha.
And how many km on average you do a day - what do you consider doable distance per day?
For your 7 day loop back to Swakop I would recommend this:
- Do the ride up the coast if you know there is something of interest (I know about seals in Cape Cross, but never been up to Torra/Terace Bay (just check with people in Swakop whether the bikes are allowed in the Skeleton NP - probably yes, but rather check).
- Ride up from coast on C39 to Twyfelfontein (there is petrol there so no need to go to Khorixas, unless you have some special reason - nothing of interest there as far as I know). Depending on the time either camp in Twyfelfontein (there are some rock paintings if you are bored), or ride another 70 - 100 km to the main attraction of this loop - Brandberg White Lady lodge and campsite situated on the eastern side of Brandberg mountain. This is the lodge where elephants and even lions roam freely often and even David Attenborough used it to film his Planet Earth footage.
There are two ways to get to Brandberg White lady lodge and campsite:
- 1. easy peasy on D 2612 / D2319 / D2359
- 2. much more interesting and juicy double track called Valley of Desolation - check Day 12 of my Ride Report. This is very remote and much longer as it circumnavigates around Brandberg mountain from south, but much much better. Most of it is rocky double tracks with few sections of riverbed sand of about 5 - 10 km. It is over 200 km, but can be broken down into two days as there is campsite in Ugab river called Rhino Camp. This is absolute highlight of Damaraland and you have a chance to run into elephants, lions and other crikets (not guaranteed - these are wild animals and don't stay in one place, but can be very risky if you have breakdown (do you have satellite phone?). If you are interested you can get the GPS tracks in my RR for Day 12 (but that route bypasses the Rhino camp - you will find that one on T4A).
- Stay day or two in Brandberg White Lady lodge (they have campsite if you are on budget, but watch out in the night, because elephants often frequent the campsite - even lions sometimes). From there you can either ride yourself up Ugab river (risky - narrow, deep sand, lots of dangerous animals) which sits right next to lodge, or just get safari ride with guide in car from the lodge - they organize those. I believe the place is worth at least two nights. Next day you can visit the White Lady painting in Brandberg, which is about 30 min - 1 hour hike from the bottom of the mountain, and maybe go for another safari ride (or chill in lodge pool).
- From Brandberg White Lady lodge I would hit C35, refuel in UIS (petrol station) and make it to Spitzkopfe about 130 km away, where I would camp for the night and enjoy the scenery (you can actually climp on top of one of the outcrops there).
- From Spitzkopfe it is just easy peasy ride back down to Swakop either on dirt via Hentiesbay, or on tar direct.
Please give some indication about what do you struggle with riding and if you are interested in any offroad exploration (offroad being double tracks, not complete offroad) at all, before I go at length explaining the route up north. Generally, if you don't want to venture off highly frequented roads, it may not be worth it, but then - maybe to you it might. I need some guidance on that.
Topic: Northern Namibia: is this itinerary ok to see elephants and wildlife? (Read 971 times)