Along with Gravel Travel

Is my riding ability sufficient to participate in a Gravel Travel Tour?

Asking yourself this question is very important. It is also difficult for us to answer. Everyone rides differently, everyone has their own and different “experiences”. What is too easy for one person is not feasable for the next. It is also sometimes the case that an absolute novice driver can cope better with the loose surface than a long-time street biker.

We offer a lot of photos of our tours and routes on our website, where you can see quite well what to expect. Again and again we experience that riders come to us who have really never ridden on loose ground... most of them get along to some extent after a few days, but not all... this familiarization process is also associated with a certain risk of falling.

Of course we don't want to scare you and we don't drive on difficult terrain either (except on the Kaokoland tour), but we want to protect you from nasty surprises and false expectations and enable you to enjoy riding with the least risk on our trips.

Our GPS-concept allows you to drive your individual pace thus not being under any speed pressure by group riding. This is another risk minimising fact. You’re still not left alone on the road, and our advise is to better ride in loose pairs and avoid clustered group riding. 



As far as the general level of difficulty of our tours is concerned, one can say that the gravel roads are mostly in very good condition, as they are graded quite often. However, depending on the weather conditions, this condition can vary from region to region. After heavy rain, there are always sandy washouts, which can frighten the absolute newcomer to gravel... it's simply better if you've been on loose ground before. The Goodhope Tour in South Africa might the best start for beginners, as it has a 50/50 tar/gravel ratio.

It is therefore important to convince yourself before starting the tour that you can ride well enough on gravel roads to safely control the motorcycle even in sudden dangerous situations (e.g. emergency braking). If you are not sure whether you have enough experience for Namibia's gravel roads, we strongly recommend to attend an enduro training (e.g. Enduropark Hechlingen, Germany). Also Gravel Travel offers own Enduro training weekends in Lower Saxony, northern Germany, both worth for enduro newcomers as well as for bikers that do not have many offroad possibilities. Learning principles and technique of off-road enduro riding will significantly minimise your risk of accidents!

But we are sure, you'll find sufficient training opportunities in your home country as well.

Namibia and South Africa has left-hand traffic, so for those not used to that, your concentration and alertness also make a significant contribution to avoiding accidents.

What happens, if something does happen?

Despite protective clothing and cautious riding a certain degree of danger cannot be excluded. It is for this reason that all our tours are accompanied by a qualified tourguide, who will take care of the necessary arrangements in case something happens. But you will be eventhough requested to carry a first-aid kit for motorbikers and its highly recommended to have a first-aid refresher training before you go on tour.
In the unfortunate event of a severe accident we have a satellite telephone and GPS available that enables us to call and advise precisely for any Med-Rescue assistance (medical help via plane or helicopter) anywhere in Southern Africa. The medical care in Namibia and South Africa is of high standard.

Please contact your medical aid insurance to be covered within the country that you are travelling to – including medical repatriation to your home country if necessary. We urge you to get a special travel medical insurance otherwise.

We also provide important details on our FAQ page. However, if there is still a question open don’t hesitate to contact us per mail or by call see contact: