People often wonder how Tracks4Africa started out. Today’s company with twenty-odd employees and product representation all over the world started out as a simple quest for information. I asked founder, Wouter Brand, to take me on a trip to see where it all began. The mode of transport would be Wouter’s only manner of travel these days – motorbikes and the destination would be nowhere specific, other than the remote Namibian landscape.
Our destination was remote Namibia.
Around the year 2000, GPS equipment became available for the recreational user and a few technically minded travellers quickly seized the opportunity to better orientate themselves to their surroundings. Wouter recalls a trip to Namibia around that time with friends in Kaokoland, which is a very remote part of Namibia and where getting lost is easy. Knowing where you are is only part of the navigation story; knowing where to go is also vitally important. Continue reading Finding the roots of Tracks4Africa→
Namibia is a big country with vast open spaces and to properly tour the country you need many weeks. However, for travellers who have little time available it is possible to experience some of the beauty of this extraordinary country by exploring the south in about fourteen days.
Seasoned travellers describe Namibia as ‘Africa Lite’ because it is an easy country to tour; the road network and infrastructure are good and the people friendly and efficient. Combine this with the unique beauty of the stark landscape and you have the ideal holiday destination. An added bonus is that most of Namibia is malaria free. Continue reading 10 Things to do in Southern Namibia→
Most sources cite the Fish River Canyon as the second largest canyon in the world, after the Grand Canyon in America. It certainly is one of Africa’s great natural wonders and the iconic five-day hike is rated among the top treks in the world.
If you follow the river diligently, the route is about 90km but thanks to some scenic shortcuts we hiked 75,5km in total. Officially the distance is covered over five days and four nights but we spent five nights in the canyon as we preferred to start the initial steep descent at midday. It is a tough hike as you have to carry everything that you will need to survive for five days (apart from water) and although the terrain is not technical, thick sand, boulder hopping and exposure to the elements make it quite challenging.
