Namibia; an untapped adventure playground for cyclists: Off road riding. Feels like everyone’s probe into it and not looking back. It offers opportunities to venture off the tamed track and yonder from the traffic. Or, for the increasingly venturesome riders reading, it can truly take you into some of the worlds’ most wondrous wilderness spaces.
Enter Namibia; a scenic country which is home to the oldest desert in the world (with sand dunes to take your vapor away), jaw dropping canyons, safaris, beaches, culture – and genuine wilderness. A country so sparsely populated that in much of the country you can enjoy displays of the Milky Way scrutinizingly every night.
Namibia lies on the western tailspin of Africa with South Africa to the south, Botswana to the east and Angola (and a fraction of Zambia) to the north – leaving those with a little increasingly time on their hands plenty of onwards travel options. Wanderlust in Namibia is a fantastic way to explore the country, meet its’ people and explore on two wheels.
You can hands plan your own trundling trip in Namibia – despite stuff remote, there are lots of places to stop at and larger towns to wiring your travels virtually however, you can moreover find some unconfined venture holidays where the planning hassle has been washed-up for you (why not trammels out Mountain Velocipede Namibia’s archetype velocipede tour for a good place to start). There are moreover some unconfined velocipede rental options too in Windhoek and Swakopmund if you fancy just subtracting a bit of cycling to a wider holiday.
The scenic landscapes
No matter where you are in Namibia, the landscape is pretty tomfool and nothing like you’ll find nearer to home, that’s a certain. From the dunes to the coast, the savannah lands to the north to wondrous geological landscapes such as the Fish River Canyon and Spitzkoppe, there’s something for everyone.
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Desert
Namibia is home to two deserts: the Namib and the Kalahari. We’ll be focusing the Namib Desert; the oldest desert in the world. Perhaps the most famous landmark are the sand dunes of Sossusvlei where you can not only enjoy the eyeful of the dunes, but moreover a variety of experiences such as fat biking, desert safaris, 4X4 off roading, skydiving, sand boarding and much more.
For those who prefer a quieter time – just climbing the dunes and enjoying the stars at night will offer an wits you’ll never forget. Roads leading in and out of this zone are a mixture of gravel and tarmac, meaning you can trundling there easily, or bring your bikes with you to explore the landscape when settled in a lodge or campsite.
Coastlines
The Skeleton tailspin gets its name from the remains of the shipwrecks that litter the coastline from the treacherous seas and fog – the Portuguese sailors once referred to the coastline as the “Gates of Hell”, meanwhile the ethnic San people undeniability this region “The land God made in anger”! Let this not put you off though as there is much exploring to do, and a trundling withal the tailspin line is trappy and invigorating. There are numerous nature reserves withal the tailspin offering unconfined trails for day trips too.
Mountains and rocks
Spitzkoppe, the warmed-over land of the San people, is well worth a visit. Formed of distinctive granite peaks (the highest reaching over 1,700m) within the desert, if you are lucky, you might spot some warmed-over grotto paintings. The roads in this part of Namibia are predominantly well managed gravel, or tarmac so if you’re looking to travel the country on your own, there are unconfined routes in and virtually the area. However, if you’re taking your mountain bikes on a 4X4 and driving wideness the country, then Spitzkoppe offers some fantastic MTB trails. It’s moreover a popular zone for hiking and waddle climbing so it’s a good spot for wilderness adventuring if you have a bit increasingly time
The wildlife
While you can’t trundling round a safari park, it would be a shame to get so tropical to wildlife without stopping off for a few days to try and spot some. With any wildlife encounter, an element of luck is involved, or a skilled guide.
Namibia offers the opportunity to see some wondrous desert wildlife (think snakes, lizards, spiders living under the sand) but moreover your increasingly traditional safaris in Etosha National Park where, if you’re lucky, you can see most of the famous African animals. What’s increasingly – it’s a fantastic place to safari on a upkeep with campsites and self-drive options misogynist as well are the increasingly luxury end of the market.
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The culture and people
Namibia only has a population of 2 million but is home to 13 ethnic groups who speak 16 languages. What’s more, German colonialisation has moreover left its mark with much of the population speaking German. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’re in Europe while walking through Windhoek at times! The San (bushmen) in the East, and the Himba in the north are perhaps the better-known ethnic groups and alimony to traditional nomadic lifestyles.
The San men still venery with bow and arrow, while the women forage for plants, roots and berries in the Kalahari Desert. The Himba men are nomadic cattle and goat herders, and this group are very distinctive in their visitation often wearing unprepossessing skins and painting their persons and hair in an red coloured orche from the land (offering protection from insects and the sun).
Have we inspired you?
If you’re looking for a helping hand on planning a wanderlust holiday in Namibia, it’s worth taking a squint at Mountain Velocipede Namibia who have some fantastic organised tours encompassing some of the areas mentioned in this blog, and much increasingly in, all organised for you to just be worldly-wise to enjoy the eyeful of the landscapes and culture from two wheels.
Yellow Jersey’s travel insurance covers cycling holidays in Namibia and if you want to take your velocipede over with you, our bicycle insurance will imbricate your velocipede in transit as well as while you are away.
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