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Africa - Namibian Splendors |
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Namibian Splendors is the "third jewel" of the Ayres Adventures "Triple Crown" - the African Trilogy. This 12-day Adventure in Namibia and South Africa offers an exciting journey through the most interesting and captivating areas of the southwestern part of the African continent. The Adventure begins in Windhoek, Namibia and ends in Cape Town, South Africa and features the popular desert attractions of Sossusvlei and the Fish River Canyon, the rugged mountains of the Skurweberg Range, and one of the world’s most beautiful cities: Cape Town.
Features of this Adventure include:
- Namibia's "Skeleton Coast" and the coastal resort of Swakopmund, Namibia's most popular seaside resort
- The Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia’s largest national park which encompasses much of the Namib Desert – one of the driest on earth.
- A rest day in Sesriem, where our accommodations include a 5-star castle in the Namib Desert. We'll visit Sossusvlei, a vast ephemeral pan located in the midst of huge sand dunes, some more than 600 feet high. You'll have the opportunity to enjoy a "sundowner" during a ride into the mountains on quad bikes.
- A rest day at a luxury game lodge on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. This lodge is set in an area of open grassy plains, acacia woodlands and red sand dunes,providing a lovely area in which to enjoy the solitude of the Kalahari.
- Cape Town, and a ride down to the famous Cape Peninsula with the twisty Chapman Drive and the penguins of Boulder Beach.
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| Namibian Splendors |
| Day |
From |
To |
Km |
| 1 |
Arrive Windhoek |
0 |
| 2 |
Windhoek |
Swakopmund
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325-690 |
| 3 |
Swakopmund
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Sesriem |
375 |
| 4 |
Free day in Sesriem/Sossusvlei |
- |
| 5 |
Sesriem |
Intu Africa |
335 |
| 6 |
Free day in the Kalahari |
- |
| 7 |
Intu Africa |
Aus |
525 |
| 8 |
Free day in Aus |
- |
| 9 |
Aus |
Norotshama |
290 |
| 10 |
Norotshama |
Lamberts Bay |
550 |
| 11 |
Lamberts Bay |
Cape Town |
325 |
| 12 |
Depart Cape Town |
2,725 |
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Itinerary |
It may be necessary to make minor modifications to the proposed itinerary. When alternate lodging is used, we will endeavor to use lodging of an equal or higher quality or rating than what has been specified in this listing. |
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Day 1: Arrival in Windhoek. Transfer to hotel, motorcycle handover, kickoff meeting and our first dinner together! Dinner at Joe's Beerhouse - a famous local restaurant is rich in history and atmosphere. Select such wild game as zebra, warthog, kudu, springbok, ostrich, oryx, impala and more. Beef and vegetarian dishes, as well as typical southern African fare, are also available. A great way to kick off our Namibian Advenure.
Hotel: Windhoek Country Club |
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Day 2: Windhoek to Swakopmund (~ 325 - 690 km, 200 - 425 miles). There are several options for riding to Swakopmund, and your tour leader can advise, based on the skill level of the riders and local road conditions. The most direct route is 325 km of gravel. There is an excellent paved highway that provides a 400 km ride. A much longer gravel ride is available (580 km) that will take riders north, and then south on the Skeleton Coast. Very experienced riders may opt for the gravel ride through the Brandberg National Park area (690 km) and the Skeleton Coast.
Hotel: Swakopmund Hotel |
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Day 3: Swakopmund to Sesriem (~ 375 km, 200 - 230 miles). We’ll enter Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia’s largest national park that encompasses much of the Namib Desert – one of the driest on earth. We’ll ride the dramatic Naukluft Massif – characterized by a high plateau bounded by gorges, caves and springs cut deeply from dolomite formations. We’ll see stunning mountain scenery as we climb the passes overlooking the Kuiseb Canyon. Today is almost entirely gravel. We’ll stay for two nights in a 5-Star castle in the desert about 20 kilometers south of Sesriem.
Hotel: Le Mirage |
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Day 4: Free Day in Sesriem. Today we'll visit Sossusvlei: with the world’s highest dunes, beautiful desert vistas, and dry pans, it's one of Namibia’s most photographed attractions. The last section is deep sand and it’s doubtful that anyone will want to tackle that stretch on a motorcycle; we’ll arrange to do the last five kilometers via 4x4. We’ll have time to do some hiking and climb the dunes at Sossusvlei for great photo opportunities. In the evening, you may opt for an optional excursion into the nearby mountains by quad vehicle for a "sundowner" and additional photo opportunities. Other optional activities include a hot air baloon flight.
Hotel: Le Mirage |
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Day 5: Sesriem to the Kalahari Desert (~ 335 km, 210 miles). We'll be on gravel again today. Road conditions can vary significantly depending on when the road was last graded and recent weather conditions. The ride will be very desolate, and it’s unlikely that we'll see very much motorized traffic. Our lodge is located on a large game reserve and wildlife sanctuary in the southwest region of the Kalahari Desert. This luxury lodge is set among open grassy plains, acacia woodlands and red sand dunes, providing a lovely area in which to enjoy the solitude of the Kalahari. During our evening game drive by 4x4 safari vehicle, we'll enjoy a "sundowner" in the bush.
Hotel: Intu Afrika |
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Day 6: Free Day in the Kalahari.
We'll have an opportunity to experience the bushman culture. Your tour leader will schedule an early morning walk in the Kalahari Desert with a bushman tracker who will tell us about the San people and their secrets for survival in this desert environment. We will also take a sundowner game drive that will take us over the dunes and to the areas where we'll see lion and leopard. Other optional activities include exploring the Kalahari on a guided dune buggy tour or just taking a walk along the dune valley among the Camelthorn trees.
Hotel: Intu Afrika |
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Day 7: The Kalahari to Aus (~ 525 km, 325 iles). Today's ride may be done primarily on pavement, but there are much shorter alternatives if you wish to ride more gravel. In either case, be prepared for many beautiful desert vistas.
If you care to ride about 30 km beyond Aus toward Lüderitz, you will probably see the only feral desert-dwelling horses in the world – the wild horses of Aus. The horses have adapted to the desert environment and are able to go for up to five days without water.
Hotel: Klein Aus Vista
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Day 8: Free day in Aus. Aus is ideally situated for a day ride on high speed pavement to the small Namibian coastal town of Lüderitz. If you opt for Lüderitz, you may also wish to visit Diaz Point or the diamond mining ghost town of Kolmanskop, an old diamond mining town tht is slowly being swallowed by the encroaching sand.
If you want more gravel, ride to the Fish River Canyon - the second largest canyon in the world. Your tour leader can provide advice regarding the options for your free day.. Hotel: Klein Aus Vista |
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Day 9: Aus to Norotshama (~ 290 km, 180 miles). Many riders consider today’s ride one of the loveliest of the entire Namibian Splendors Adventure. For the first 100 km we ride a very good paved road along the Huib-Hoch Plateau to Rosh Pinah, a “company town” which is home to a massive DeBeers diamond mine. From Rosh Pinah, we’ll take a lovely unpaved road that winds along the banks of the Orange River on our way to the interesting Namibian village of Aussenkehr and on to our Lodge at Norotshama, located on the shores of the Orange River.
Hotel: Norotshama River Resort
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Day 10: Norotshama to Lamberts Bay ( ~ 550 km, 340 miles). We’ll have only another 50 km of gravel before we return to good, high-speed pavement for the rest of our Adventure. We’ll enjoy magnificent views of the Bokkeveldberge Mountains to the east, with the Cederberge Range coming into view as we approach Clanwilliam for the turnoff to Lambert’s Bay where we might be lucky enough to see Southern Right Whales and Dolphins from the shore. In the evening you’ll enjoy one of the most unusual fresh seafood dinners you’ve ever had at one of our favorite restaurants: Muisbosskerm. The atmosphere at this open-air restaurant, located on the beach just south of Lambert’s Bay, is uniquely South African.
Lodge: Lamberts Bay Hotel
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Day 11 Lamberts Bay to Cape Town (~ 275 km, 175 miles). We’ll begin the day following the Orange River, with the Cederberge Mountain Range coming into view to the east. We’ll end our Adventure in Cape Town – reputed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We’ll stay in a first class hotel on Cape Town’s Waterfront, close to fine restaurants and shopping. From the Waterfront it’s only about 25 km to the beginning of Chapman’s Peak Drive – widely known as one of the ten most scenic drives in the world. We should arrive in Cape Town with plenty of time to ride this famous road, and perhaps continue to Sea Point or Table Mountain as well.
Hotel: V&A Waterfront |
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Day 12: Departure from Cape Town
Breakfast on the Waterfront and airport transfer |
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Photo by Mike Hardinger |
Route:
Windhoek, "Skeleton Coast" and Swakopmund, Sesriem, (Namib Desert), Intu Afrika (Kalahari Desert), Fish River Canyon, Lambert’s Bay, Cape Town
Dates:
(Arrive at departure city on start date, depart final destination on end date)
Includes BMW F650GS.
| Start Date |
End Date |
Duration |
Price (USD) |
Co-Rider |
Note |
| Apr 15 2012 |
Apr 26 2012 |
12 Days |
$6,950 |
$5,500 |
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| Oct 7 2012 |
Oct 18 2012 |
12 Days |
$6,950 |
$5,500 |
Private Trip |
| Apr 14 2013 |
Apr 25 2013 |
12 Days |
$6,950 |
$5,500 |
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| Oct 6 2013 |
Oct 17 2013 |
12 Days |
$6,950 |
$5,500 |
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Includes BMW F650GS
Additional charge of $385 for BMW F800GS
Additional charge of $900 for BMW R1200GS
Additional charge of $1150 for BMW R1200GS Adventure
Single room supplement - $1,200
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Meals:
All breakfasts and dinners.
Ride Profile:
- Approximately 50% of the mileage for the Namibian Splendors Adventure is comprised of gravel and dirt roads. Although most of these roads are Namibian "National Highways", are graded regularly and are generally in good condition, road conditions can vary depending on the weather and other factors, and there may be short stretches that are sandy and/or include deeper gravel. This Adventure is suitable only for riders with experience on gravel and dirt roads. Discuss this trip with us about our ability to provide a trailer for transporting you motorcycle on "non-paved" days.
Motorcycles Available: |
| Model |
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Specifications |
BMW F650GS
(2 Cylinder) |
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Seat Height: 820 mm / 790 mm
Seat Height: 32.3 inches / 31.1 inches
Dry Weight: 171 kg / 377 lb
Fuel Capacity: 16 Liters / 4.2 Gallons
Displacement: 798 cc
Damage Deposit: $5,000 |
| BMW F800 GS |
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Seat Height: 880 mm / 850 mm
Seat Height: 34.65 inches / 33.46 inches
Dry Weight: 178 kg / 392 lb
Fuel Capacity: 16 Liters / 4.3 Gallons
Displacement: 798 cc
Damage Deposit: $5,000 |
BMW R1200 GS
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Seat Height: 870 mm / 850 mm
Seat Height: 34.25 inches / 33.46 inches
Dry Weight: 199 kg / 439 lb
Fuel Capacity: 20 Liters / 5.3 Gallons
Displacement: 1170 cc
Damage Deposit: $5,500 |
BMW R1200 GS
Adventure
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Seat Height: 915 mm / 895 mm
Seat Height: 36.02 inches / 35.24 inches
Dry Weight: 223 kg / 492 lb
Fuel Capacity: 33 Liters / 8.7 Gallons
Displacement: 1170 cc
Damage Deposit: $6,750 |
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