Motorcycle trips in Northern Namibia – what is important, and what is not?

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Hardy de Kock

Grey Hound
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Messages
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Location
Loxton - Northern Cape
Bike
Yamaha T7
I am typing this as we are planning our calendar for 2020, whilst reviewing the feedback we received from the 2019 trips so far.
Hosting a trip for a group of individuals is not an easy task as every single person does have different views on what makes a trip epic, and therefor different expectancies.
Under normal circumstances we collect the bikes in SA and trailer it to Windhoek and back. Our tours last for about 12 days, and most of our customers fly to Hosea Kutako airport in Windhoek from SA, from where we collect them and shuttle them to Windhoek, for a briefing evening as well as a final bike check. During this evening we also upload the planned routes onto the guest’s gps’s.
We camp in community project camps and in most cases, there are warm water and electricity available. Our riders leave at their own leisure in the morning, and one of our team rides back up, to assist with any technical issues along the day’s route
We usually offer a warm breakfast and supper, whilst providing riders with a lunch pack. On the days where it is possible for the kitchen crew to intercept the front riders we will braai or provide a hot lunch along the route.
We supply tents (usually only used on the first night) together with stretchers, comfortable chairs, mattresses, and fuel and technical back up for the entire trip. We arrange medical evacuation prior to the trip for each individual in conjunction with their respective medical aid institutions.
Keep in mind that a tour to Northern Namibia is a costly affair, and that there is no point in suggesting we try to do the tours in three days. It takes time to get to the good places and if you visit this spectacular place, it is worth doing it well.
Can I ask that those who feel they can contribute, copy and paste the questions in their post and answer it where possible?

1 Would you rather fly in, and have your bike trailered by us to Windhoek, or is it something you would prefer to do yourself?. Keep in mind that this will eat at least an extra three days into your available leave time:

2. Would you prefer traveling with the crew (and your bike)? Keep in mind that this will eat at least an extra days into your available leave time.

3. Are you happy with camping or would you prefer a mix of camping and lodging? Keep in mind that lodging is relatively expensive in Damara and Kaokoland.

4.What is the longest day (hours riding) that you would want to do per day? (Understand that we depart from Windhoek, and need to get to the North West from where we enter the desert via Van Zyl’s Pass). This means the first three days means longer hours in the saddle, and distances varying between 200 and 320 km.

5. Would you expect to braai every night, or are you happy with a braai every second night?

6. Are you interested in getting daily information on the places we visit, the culture, fauna, flora and other interesting info, or would you prefer to focus on the riding only?

Thanks for your time, and your contribution.
Cheers
 
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