Fish River Canyon and the Orange River
Ridden by the founder in 2020 · KTM 1290 Super Adventure, four riders
Cape Town to Canyon Village in one 850 km day, the Fish River Canyon, the hot tar to Aus, then the Orange River road from Rosh Pinah to Noordoewer. Back over Piekenierskloof.
Open in the plannerChange the dates, stops and your vehicle. The planner works out fuel, night stops, sunset, weather and the grade of every road.
Distances and grades from the planner's route on OpenStreetMap roads. Your plan may differ.
Hardest stretch: Jeep, rough tracks: corrugations, loose stones, ruts. The grade reads differently by vehicle: what's fun on an adventure bike can be slow and hard in a car.
Day by day
- DAY 1 · 899 km · 22% gravel
Cape Town → Canyon Village
Via Piekenierskloof Pass, Springbok, Noordoewer - DAY 2 · 332 km · 89% gravel
Canyon Village → Klein-Aus Vista
Via Hobas (Fish River Canyon), Canyon Roadhouse, Seeheim - DAY 3 · 331 km · 36% gravel
Klein-Aus Vista → Felix Unite, Noordoewer
Via Rosh Pinah - DAY 4 · 687 km
Felix Unite, Noordoewer → Cape Town
Via Steinkopf, Springbok, Klawer
The story
A spontaneous baby shower for a riding mate. In Namibia, obviously. Day one was 850 km and my kind of day. Then the Fish River Canyon, Canyon Roadhouse and the straightest, hottest tar to Klein Aus at 41 degrees. Day three is the reason to go: the Orange River between Rosh Pinah and Noordoewer, my favourite piece of riding anywhere in the world. Fast, flowing, wheel to wheel with mates. TKC80s gave me grip to choose my lines while the General's tyres kept trying to put him in the river.
Good to know
- Day 1 is 850 km. Split it at Springbok if you want to enjoy it.
- Fill up at every town on the way home: Steinkopf, Springbok, Vanrhynsdorp, Klawer.
- Tyre choice matters on the river road; knobblies win.
Read the misadventures
Roads change. Check conditions before you go, and report what you find in the planner so the next rider knows.