It’s time to experience the adventure of a lifetime. Camp under the stars. Ride alongside elephant and giraffe. Soak up the Namibian sun.
Experiences rarely come as magical as this. Our Namibian mountain bike safari gives you the unique opportunity to experience authentically the diverse wildlife and local communities of Namibia.
No matter how many zebra or giraffe you spot during your adventure, you’ll never forget your first sighting of these magnificent animals in their natural habitat. We’ll never tire of riding across this beautiful African country and, whether you choose to ride an MTB or E-MTB, we can’t wait for you to join us.
To find out if this novice+ MTB/ E-MTB safari in Namibia is right for you, read more on the skill and fitness levels required.
The flow of your mountain bike safari in Namibia has been carefully crafted to allow you to experience as much of this beautiful country as possible. We’ve tried to maximise time on the bike, whilst avoiding the hottest part of the day, and minimise transfer time in the vehicles. Namibia is, however, a vast country and you can expect up to four hours van transfer time on some days.
£3,750 GBP/ $5,063 USD/ €4,500 EUR per person (ex. flights, based on two sharing a room)
*Single supplement is only applicable if you are travelling solo and do not wish to share a room with another rider of the same sex. If you’re happy to do that, you need not add the supplement.
We want you to have the best experience of mountain biking in Namibia, so it’s important to be sure that this is the perfect mountain bike adventure, with the right level of challenge, for you.
You own a mountain bike and have been riding it off-road, regularly, for a year or more. You are comfortable spending 3 – 4 hours in the saddle at a time, on undulating forest roads, gravel trails and uneven terrain, and you know how to pedal, brake and change gear efficiently. Read more on our novice+ skill level.
Does this sound like you? Your vacation time is precious and we want to be absolutely sure that you’re making the most of it. Be honest with yourself, if this adventure isn’t right for you, we have other MTB tours that may be a better fit for your mountain biking ability.
Please note: The skill level required reflects an overall rating for the trails on the trip but you should expect to find sections and obstacles that push your ability levels.
Skill level: Novice+
Fitness level: 4/7
Typical trails you’ll be riding
Our adventure in Namibia can be ridden on either a regular mountain bike or an electric mountain bike and we have a high quality fleet of both types of bikes available for rent.
The ideal bike for the trails in Namibia is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike with 29” or 27.5” wheels, a dropper seat post, and around 120mm of travel front and rear. We recommend good quality MTB tyres that have good traction in loose surfaces such as the Maxxis Minion DHF and DHR2. Tyres must be tubeless (for thorns) and have robust sidewall protection.
If you wish to bring your own bike to ride you must ensure that it has been fully serviced before the trip. Here are some handy tips on how best to travel with your own bike.
We only run small group mountain bike tours to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, and there will be a maximum of 10 people in each group. The minimum number of people we require to run this mountain bike tour in Namibia is five.
Our mountain bike safari in Namibia caters for a wide age range; typically between 30- and 60-years-old. Regardless of age, you must have the appropriate level of physical fitness and mountain biking skills to participate in this adventure. Please refer to clause 14 of our terms and conditions of booking to find more information on rider age.
This mountain bike safari tour Namibia is a guided safari, ideal for novice+ mountain bikers.
Riding here, in the wild, endless landscapes of Africa, you’ll cycle relatively long distances on dirt and sandy roads, with some moderate climbs and descents.
The distances we cover each day range from 20km to 50km, and we will be mountain biking in the morning and late afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day in Africa.
Each evening your guides will chat with you about the following day’s mountain biking and give you an idea of the sorts of trails you can look forward to. If there’s anything you feel anxious about, your guides will be happy to discuss it with you.
No, you only need to carry a back pack with you whilst riding, with all of your spares and repairs, water and food. Your main bags will be transported in the support vehicle throughout the tour.
Your guide will be very happy to give you some bike skills help during your trip to help improve your confidence and your enjoyment of your mountain bike tour in Namibia.
If there is a section that you would prefer not to ride, then you can simply hop off your bike and walk. You won’t be the only one to walk certain sections and it’s not a competition in biking ability; it’s a mountain bike holiday!
Your mountain bike guides are local to Namibia, Africa and experienced professionals who have a real passion for mountain biking and for the culture and wild landscape of this region of Africa.
Your safety is their number one priority, closely followed by your enjoyment of the tour. They will always be on-hand to answer any questions or requests you may have throughout your trip.
On this MTB safari Namibia you will be staying in a range of comfortable accommodations, including farm lodges, guest houses, small hotels and luxury wild camping.
All breakfasts, 3 lunches and all dinners except the two nights in Swakopmund. Drinking water will also be supplied each day.
A good quality full suspension mountain bike with 120mm travel front and rear will be ideal for this mountain bike safari tour Namibia.
We have a fleet of high quality mountain bikes and e-mountain bikes available for rent that are suitable for the Namibian trails.
Read the full kit list to find out what you need to pack for your mountain bike tour in Namibia.
Yes, you will have the chance to have laundry done in Swakopmund.
Unfortunately not. We are working hard to provide each and every customer who rides with us an unparalleled mountain bike experience in every destination we ride. This takes years of experience, riding and planning to get right, and a drone adds a very real danger to the group’s riding experience and health & safety.
International flights arrive multiple times throughout the week from Johannesburg and Frankfurt via a number of carriers including Air Namibia. Other airlines with scheduled flights to Namibia include British Airways, South African Airways, LTU and TAAG, the Angolan national airline.
Here’s a video showing you how to pack your bike for travel.
Visas
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct visa and documentation for entry to and exit from Namibia.
General requirements
Passport – valid six months after date of entry
Citizens from the following countries are exempted from visa requirements if entering Namibia as bone fide tourist: Angola, Australia, Austria, Belgium, botswana, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Germany, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Scandinavian countries, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tanzania, UK, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe
For further information contact Ministry of Home Affairs telephone +264-61-292 2102
Arrival and departure details
Your mountain bike safari tour Namibia will start and end in Windhoek.
We strongly advise that you arrive a day or two before the first day of your adventure, to allow you to recover from your travels and to make sure that any flight or baggage delays don’t impact on the start of your adventure with us.
On the last day of your mountain bike safari tour Namibia, please book flights departing no earlier than 2pm, if at all possible. If your flight departs much earlier, we can arrange a separate transfer, but this will be at your own expense.
Our mountain bike guides in Namibia are of the highest level.
They have the knowledge and experience to lead a group safely in these remote, wild and beautiful parts of Namibia.
Our guides have years of experience in the saddle on the trails of Namibia and will be able to enhance your holiday with facts and fables on local history, flora and fauna. They’re also genuinely nice people and will do their best to make sure that everyone in the group has a great time.
The majority of accommodation that we use on our mountain bike safari tour Namibia is family-owned and operated farmhouses, guest lodges and luxury camping. This accommodation is by no means basic even by western standards.
These hospitable lodges provide relative luxury in what is possibly one of the most remote areas on the planet. We have researched these areas extensively to select the most comfortable accommodation in the region, and we have planned the itinerary accordingly.
While we encourage you to eat what the locals eat – organic traditional Namibian food – there is also the option of requesting simple western dishes. Most of the dishes in Namibia consist of a meat element, since vegetables are less widely available. However, we can cater for a vegetarian diet.
Whilst not all meals are included in the tour price, we will eat as a group at each mealtime.
There are no mandatory vaccinations for travellers from Europe. If you arrive from a country where yellow fever vaccinations are mandatory, proof of immunisation is required.
Take the usual precautions: ask your doctor whether you should renew your vaccinations against polio, diphtheria and tetanus. It also may be advisable to take precautions against Hepatitis A and B. Unfortunately there is no vaccination against malaria.
You should refrain from consuming water or ice that hasn’t been purified. Bottled mineral water is available almost everywhere.
You must always consult your local physician before travelling.
In Namibia, malaria exists primarily in the northern parts of the country, where protection often becomes too expensive. You can protect yourself efficiently with a bit of planning and extra caution.
Malaria is transmitted through the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito, which has previously bitten a person infected with malaria. If there are no mosquitoes, there is no malaria either. Since Namibia does not have much stagnant water the risk of contracting malaria is minimal in most parts of the country, or limited to a specific time of the year.
Please let us know if you have any special food requirements, allergies or pre-existing conditions your guides should know about.
Your health and safety on tour is our top priority and when you travel with us you will be covered by Global Rescue emergency medical and evacuation services.
You must always consult your own doctor or physician before travelling to new countries to seek their advice on matters concerning your health abroad.
The official currency of Namibia is the Namibian Dollar (N$), and equals the South African Rand. SA Rand is also legal tender.
Tipping
It is not compulsory to tip your guides or drivers in Namibia, but it is much appreciated. We suggest a tip of around 2% – 5% of the cost of your tour should be paid to your mountain bike guide at the end of the trip, which will then be divided between all drivers, support staff and fixers, if you feel you have had a good experience on our mountain bike safari tour Namibia.
It is not compulsory to tip in restaurants, however should you wish to tip your servers, 10% – 15% of your meal cost would be acceptable.
You are required as a condition of booking to be insured against medical and personal accident risks. In this policy you must include cover for mountain biking and we recommend that you take out a policy which covers cancellation and baggage, including your bike.
We work with Global Rescue whose policies are specially designed for adventure travel and you can arrange your insurance cover directly with them.
To make this a private tour for you and your favourite people, complete the form and we’ll work with you to make it happen.
To make this a private tour for you and your favourite people, complete the form and we’ll work with you to make it happen.
Our local mountain bike guides in Namibia are true ‘bushmen’ and love nothing more than to be out in the wilderness of their country, exploring new places and connecting with nature. Their passion for Namibia will be sure to rub off on you too.
Submit your review | |
Namibia was wonderful! The trip was beyond my wildest expectations in every way! Namibia is a vast and beautiful country and we were able to experience it from every angle – whether from the van, the bikes, the hikes up dunes, gazing at the starry skies, or the trek into a rocky area rich with pictographs, spotting desert elephants as well as a plethora of wildlife in Etosha Park (can you say zebra, rhino, elephant, spotted hyena, oryx, warthog,giraffe, springbok, wildebeest!)….we were fortunate enough to see it from the ground up.
Our guides, Marcel, Donovan, Charles, and Marc, were all a wealth of knowledge about their country and they were eager to show us and teach us about everything. Marcel kept us riding, laughing, looking, and learning. Donovan kept our rolling circus moving, setting up and breaking down camp and keeping us all comfortable and happy. Charles kept us well fed with his culinary skills while camping, and Marc taught us much about the local flora as well as baked amazing bread out in the wild. Our guides all went out of their way to make this the trip of a lifetime.
This was my first trip with H+I, and it won’t be my last. Every detail was so well executed during the trip – and the assistance and help I received before the trip from Jodie made me feel welcome and comfortable. Thank you all for such a fantastic experience!
Namibia was an amazing experience! This country is so rich with natural beauty and wonderful people, it is truly difficult to describe. This was my wife’s first mountain bike trip and my third with H+ I. The riding was perfect for our different skill levels and we both enjoyed every day. Each day of riding and subsequent animal spotting was uniquely different and incredibly exhilarating. From the 3 nights of camping in the Namib Desert to the wonderful lodges we stayed in along this trip, the accommodations were all spot on. The food was fantastic and we especially enjoyed the meals that were cooked out in the wild over the fire.
Marcel, Marc, Donovan and Charles were all quality individuals who worked tirelessly to make sure we were taken care of and all having a good time. Marcel led the group exceptionally well and kept us all laughing! The guides were very passionate about their country, possessed a great deal of knowledge about Namibia, and did a great job of educating us regarding the people, history and wildlife.
I am very thankful for all of the coordination and assistance that was provided by Catherine and the crew at H+I adventures. They were always available to answer questions, coordinate logistics and assist in the process of preparing us for this mountain biking adventure. This organization is top notch…they put together an extraordinary trip with an elite team of guides.
I would also like to send a heartfelt thank you to the crew we rode with. We feel blessed to have had the opportunity to have experienced this trip with all of you. We consider you all friends and we hope to ride with all of you once again!
