Ask the Adventurers: Mabaruli Safaris

Compiled Marita van Rooyen

Namibia is an adventure destination to be explored and conquered all year round. This year the wide range of adventures on offer will be highlighted at the annual Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) scheduled to be held in the coastal resort of Swakopmund from 26 to 31 October, hosted by the Adventure Travel Trade Association. 

We cornered a few adventure activity operators and picked their brains to find out what they regarded as the best options to leave adventure-hungry travellers with a smile of contentment. This is what Sven Strohmenger, co-owner, Mabaruli African Safaris, had to say:

Why do you think Namibia is the ultimate adventure destination?

Namibia is safe, extremely beautiful, and – most of all – has great open (and quiet) gravel roads to cycle along. Where else can you look from horizon to horizon and see only endless open spaces and free-roaming animals? And there is no better way then to explore all this from the back a mountain bike! We offer enjoyable and stress-free cycling tours with the best routes already set out for maximum comfort and enjoyment, with a 100% backup vehicle to support the bikes and cyclers with snacks and other goodies.

What is the best place in Namibia to live the adventure?

Definitely the Spitzkoppe and Gamsberg areas, Moon Landscape, and the Namib.

From which countries do your most enthusiastic visitors hail?

Most visitors are from Europe, and are English or German speaking. We have also many enquiries and cyclers from South Africa, who’d like to experience Namibia riding a bicycle, as well as American visitors.

What is your advice for people who have never been here, as in where should they go and how should they plan their first Namibian adventure? 

Firstly, you’ll have to make up your mind whether you want to see the main attractions like the Namib Desert and Etosha, or whether you prefer to explore the more remote and quiet areas. Namibia makes for easy and safe travelling.

On a scale of one to ten – one being a walk on the beach, and 10 climbing Kilimanjaro – where would you rate what you can do in Namibia?

The difficulty rating is moderate: Cycling in Namibia can be rated from 3 to 6 maximum (it all depends on the gravel-road conditions and in which regions you’re going to cycle). We avoid thick sand and extreme climbs, so our trips are also for the average cycler. What we offer is not a race, but a holiday, and we cycle distances according to the fitness of the client/groups.