Since yesterday morning I am back in Germany – in the past 24 hours I have tried to realize, process and partly understand the moments that happened. It is really hard for me to put all this into words, but I will try to do it 😉 12 days in Namibia are behind me! A dream!

Before I started my trip I couldn’t even imagine what this 12-day tour through Namibia would mean. I imagined a barren desert country, through which we would drive from A to B. We really drove from A to B, but these changeable landscapes, the spirit, the people, the animals and these Gravelroads (for me these roads were an absolute highlight, even if one cursed them in between) I could not have imagined in my dreams. Besides our group came, which could not have been more different from the persons, what however straight the attraction and also the good tendency have constituted. Also to move such a motorcycle (BMW R 1250 GS) in this area was new territory for me… It was simply all new and exciting!

After the 12 days I can now tell you that the trip was an absolute highlight for me, which I will certainly never forget in my life. Whether it was the Kalahari Desert with its red sand that we crossed in the first days, the mountainous landscape in the south around the Fishriver Canyon, the dreamlike beautiful region at the Orange River, the Namib Desert with the highest dunes of the world, the Sossusvlei and the Deadvlei or the steppe around the Etosha National Park, everything was simply incomparably beautiful! Each of these landscapes tells its own story and speaks its own language, whether it is through the people who live there, the animals or the vegetation. Nearly all of these sections consist of untouched nature and you can see that. If you take a few moments of your time and simply stay calm, you will enjoy a tranquillity in the middle of nature that very few of us know. In times of all the hustle and bustle in our lives, these are the moments that one learns to appreciate. I personally only became aware of this when I finished this journey!

On the way through Namibia you will also find small places (rare, but there are some) that do not really deserve the name place. There are some small huts in the middle of nowhere. Mostly there is only one tap with running water. But what you find there is so much joy of life and a friendliness that I personally thought impossible under these circumstances. Exactly this friendliness and joy of life distinguish the people in Namibia. The place “Uhlenhorst”, which we crossed on the first day, comes to my mind. When we stopped there, 20 – 30 children (wherever the children came from) came storming us and were very happy to see us. It wasn’t that the children begged or anything like that, they were just happy to see us, enjoyed taking pictures with us and talking to us (if it was possible). I think I will never forget this time. In retrospect that was my personal highlight of this trip!

The animal world is no less impressive! Wherever you are, there is life, even if you may not notice it right away. Whether it’s the big animals like oryx, springboks, kudu, elephants, giraffes, big cats, warthogs, monkeys and zebras or the smaller creatures like termites, ants and similar ones, life is everywhere and each of these animals fulfils its purpose there. Only by the fact that these animals live there nature can be as it is. In this connection one must unfortunately also address the poaching, which is unfortunately a big problem there… By this unfortunately many animal species are threatened and thus also the vegetation – simply the entire nature! Unfortunately these people do not think about it, because only the fast money is seen. That thereby on short or long the own basis of life is taken, probably nobody wants to admit…

What made the trip so special for us was the fact that we rode the motorbike. I am aware that this is certainly not something for everyone, but it is simply a much closer cooperation with nature, animals and people. You simply feel an incredible freedom when driving through this country. Of course you have to know at every second what you are doing on these gravelroads, otherwise you are unfortunately lying on your nose, but if you have got used to it and have the bike under control, then you really don’t get the grin on your face anymore! This trip made me a much better motorcyclist through these roads. I can really recommend this trip to the people who like riding motorcycles! You will rarely have so much fun on the motorcycle as in Namibia. Of course you have to be able to suffer a little bit if someone rides in front of you and you get the dust off, but to be honest, it’s a bit of a charm! If you like, you can get the contrast programme every evening. In the evenings we could find ourselves in beautiful lodges or hotels where we had very tasty food and where we could relax. And here you can usually also share your impressions with friends or relatives via the Internet.

All in all I can only say that I very much hope to make a comparable trip again as soon as possible. Everything I have seen and experienced there will certainly keep me busy for a very long time. And it will put me a smile on my face when it is hectic and perhaps not so nice times. I wish each of you such impressions and experiences, which also bring a grin to your face in unpleasant times! Enjoy your life and have fun with it. You can definitely learn this on your motorcycle through Namibia 😊

Finally, I would like to thank the people and companies who made this trip possible and made it an incredible adventure for me.

Many thanks to my employer, Wunderlich GmbH, who chose me to accompany this trip. Many thanks to all my marketing team (Arno, Susi, Micha, Moritz, Ariane, Denise) who supported me every day! It’s really fun with you guys!

Many thanks to AfrikaSCOUT (Sabine, Cordi & Kathi) who planned and carried out this trip perfectly! You really did a great job and are 100% recommendable. Although the project was rather a coincidence, I am sure that it was worth it!

Thank you Gavin Green! You were the calming influence of our group, you didn’t force anything on us as a guide, but let us do our thing. You integrated yourself perfectly into the group. It was really a great pleasure and honour for me to do this tour together with you.

Thank you Stadler! At the motorcycle fair in Dortmund the company Stadler approached me and told me that they would like to provide me with a suit for this trip. The suit was even made to measure. Shortly before the journey it arrived. I love this suit! This textile is simply very comfortable, safe and super beautiful! Thank you so much for taking care of my safety!

Many thanks to Scott Sports, who equipped me with a complete set of Enduro clothes. All things (boots, trousers, protectors, gloves, helmet & glasses) definitely paid off in the terrain, were very comfortable to wear and looked great!

Many thanks to Sascha Bartel (SashMedia), who accompanied our tour as a photographer. Sascha came to this project at short notice, which is why I shared the rooms with him on the trip. We have been good friends for quite some time and also work very well together. For such a trip I could not imagine a better photographer than Sascha. This guy simply has an eye for that certain something. Thank you also for your help with my cameras, your ambition to always shoot the perfect photo and the way you enriched our group!

Many thanks also to our two gentlemen from BMW – Reiner and Zimpi! Both of you are really mad! Before the tour I could never have imagined that we could get along so well and that a troupe like us could become friends, but that’s exactly what happened! With your advice, your relaxed nature and good mood, you made the trip for us to what it was – a perfect group adventure! I hope to see you again soon!

I hope you enjoyed my blog and you will continue to follow our story. You can also contact me if you didn’t like something, or if I can do something better. Anyway, it was a pleasure to share my journey with you! Your Sven