Why this ride
A remote mixed-surface corridor with strong terrain and adventure-riding value. It links naturally to Damaraland escarpment.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Grootberg Pass
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 121 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 04
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Editorial context
Coordinates are curated start-via-end route seeds. They are not a surveyed centreline or navigation geometry. Run road snapping, topology checks, access checks and a live-status review before publication.
Access context
Do not auto-publish. Snap to a routable road network, verify current closures, legal motorcycle access, surface, permits, border controls and local safety information.
Seasonal context
May-Sep
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Palmwag
Palmwag is a small oasis in the dry, stony north-west of Namibia, named for the palm trees that cluster around a spring on the Uniab River, and it is one of the few places in Kunene where you can find shade, cold water and a bed. The surroundings are a huge concession of desert and rocky hills, a wilderness of red earth and pale grass where animals roam freely, and the lodge sits at the edge of it like a small green island.
Read the complete Palmwag write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Palmwag sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Grootberg Pass.
2. Grootberg Pass
Grootberg means big mountain in Afrikaans, and the name fits a flat-topped plateau that rises out of the stony plains of Kunene in north-western Namibia. It is part of the Etendeka formation, a thick stack of ancient lava flows that now forms a long escarpment, and the pass is a steep gravel descent off the edge, with sharp bends and loose stones. At the top, a lodge perches on the rim with a view that runs across the valley of the Klip river to a horizon of red, brown and purple hills.
Read the complete Grootberg Pass write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Grootberg Pass comes up 50 km in. Next is Kamanjab.
3. Kamanjab
Kamanjab is a farm-service town on the edge of Damaraland, a place of dust, cattle trucks and big skies that serves as the practical heart of north-western Namibia. It sits at a junction where the tarred road from Outjo and Etosha meets the gravel routes heading west into the empty country of Kunene, and for travellers it is the last place to buy proper supplies for a long way. The surroundings are a mix of commercial cattle farms and scrub-covered hills, dry for most of the year and briefly green after rain.
Read the complete Kamanjab write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
121 km in you reach Kamanjab.
Recorded source links
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Khorixas to Palmwag · 162 km
- Western Etosha Approach · 249 km