Hi All,
Here is my review of the Namibia Trip.
Namibia Review:
Wednesday 25th – Thursday 26th February
We met up with our tour manager at the airport and enjoyed a few drinks in the executive lounge before departing Heathrow. Our flights were on time and we were met the next day at Windhoek airport by our local guide/driver who was called Leonard. It took us about an hour to travel to our hotel, the Safari, where Julia soon sorted out our keys and we were able to retire to our rooms to refresh ourselves. The rest of the afternoon was free time; some people caught the shuttle bus into town whilst others, including myself, relaxed in the hotel garden with a beer or two. Dinner was in the hotel and to my recollection was good.
Friday 27th February
We left the hotel at around 0800 in the morning; wake up was 0630, for a long drive to Sossusvlei. The first hour was on a tar surfaced road but the next three hours were on unsurfaced gravel roads. It was a bumpy and rattling drive, maybe if you are of a sensitive disposition you might want to invest in an inflatable cushion, but Leonard was happy to stop and allow people to get out and take photos whenever you asked him. The roads were quite deserted most of the time but the scenery was good. We saw springbok and Oryx along the way and trees with the large nests of sociable weaver birds. Our hotel was the Namib Desert Lodge and we arrived there around midday. Accommodation was in semi-detached chalets looking out towards a large Redstone cliff.
The lodge is in a private reserve so there is not a lot to do, it does have a swimming pool and a shop, but you can also get details of walks from reception. The walks are of varying lengths, 1km, 3.5km and 5km. Some of us hardier souls, despite the strong afternoon heat, decided to attempt the 5km walk. The first part of the walk is on fairly level ground but you eventually start climbing and continue to do so until the end of the walk which offers some good views. Unfortunately you come down the same way as you went up and it can be a bit slippery in places. Wear closed shoes; you will definitely want them for the next day, as the sand gets everywhere. I wore a good pair of walking shoes but they had mesh covering parts of the shoe and by the end it felt like I had a pound of sand in each shoe. I had to empty the sand out of my shoes and socks and then wash the sand of my feet. I was still finding sand in my shoes a week later! Take plenty of water if you do any of the walks!
In the evening we went on a drive, in 4x4 vehicles out to see the petrified dunes and then were taken up to the top of the cliff to see the sunset and offered a sundowner drink of gin and tonic. There seemed to be more gin than tonic and refills were available so some of us were quite merry by the time we went back to the lodge for dinner.
Saturday 28th February
An early start today, wakeup call at 0430, depart the hotel at 0530, for the drive to see the huge sand dunes in the heart of Sossusvlei. We arrived around sunrise, which cast large shadows across the dunes providing excellent photo opportunities. The last part of the trip is by 4x4 and it is very bumpy. We were taken to the base of Big Mama, not as high as Big Daddy which is over 1000ft in height, where you have the opportunity to climb to the top of the dune. You can do as much or as little as you want but don’t forget to wear closed walking boots/shoes, a hat and take plenty of water. There is no shade!
After another bumpy ride back to the coach, we then drove off to Sesriem canyon, which is about 30m deep and was carved out by the Tschaub river. Sometimes there can be pools of water at the bottom of the canyon but it was completely dry when we were there. Access to the base of the canyon is by path and steps.
We arrived back at the lodge around midday for lunch, fish and chips! The rest of the day is free to do what you want. A few more people tried the walks, whilst others relaxed by or in the pool until dinner. I believe the meal options were Oryx and eland.
Sunday 1st March
We left around 0730, wake up 0600, for the long drive to Swakopmund again on gravel roads. A stop was made early on the drive at a place called Solitaire. It is a very small community, with very few buildings and a number of old American cars dotted here and there. The reason for our stop was the bakery, started by an eccentric chap called Moose Mac Gregor who unfortunately died last year, and which is famous for their apple pie, supposedly the best in the world. Julia, our tour manager, suggested that we buy some and have it for lunch along the way. The drive continued and the scenery seemed to change almost hourly. We had desert, scrubland, grass covered gulches and hills covered with what seemed to be rows of crenelated rock and then it were back to desert again. Again there were stops for photos and around lunch time we halted at what most be one of the most isolated loo stops I’ve seen. A fairly primitive toilet located in the middle of nowhere and nothing else in sight except for a few picnic tables. It was here that most of us sat down to enjoy our apple pie. I cannot state that it was the world’s best but it was a very good apple pie.
After our brief lunch stop we continued our journey. Leonard, our driver, stopped the coach later on in the afternoon and took us out to see some Welwitschia plants, named after the Australian botanist who discovered them. These plants can live for over 1000 years and are only found in Namibia. They have only two leaves and a hard wooden base. It was surprising to see a plant that although about 50 years old, was only a few inches in size. Estimates on other plants we saw ranged from a couple to several hundred years old. We also stopped at a spectacular rocky landscape allegedly resembling the surface of the moon before continuing on to Swakopmund. Leonard gave us a quick city tour from the bus and then we proceeded to the hotel.
Our hotel in Swakopmund, Atlantic Villas, was just a couple of minutes’ walk from a long sandy beach. I think Julia is going to recommend that another hotel be found mainly because of the distance from the town centre, you need to get a taxi and according to the locals some taxis are safer than others, and the fact that the rooms were of varying standards. I had a very nice room with a balcony and views of the sea, other rooms were at the back and quite dark and some lucky people had suites with a kitchen and lounge. We dined out that night at a restaurant called The Wreck which had been built to resemble a boat and had views of the sea. I think the meal we had there was probably the best of the trip.
Monday 2nd March
Today was a free day or you could take on optional excursions. The morning excursion, we left the hotel around 0800 and drove to Walvis Bay, was a Dolphin and Seal Catamaran cruise. The day started dull and overcast but brightened up later. I’m afraid we didn’t manage to see any dolphins but we did see thousands of seals in their colonies which were all around the bay. We saw flamingos and pelicans too. We even had seals and pelicans join us on the boat. The seals just swam up and came over the side of the boat, one of whom took a fancy to one of the ladies and gave her a few kisses on the cheek, and the pelicans just swooped down and landed on it. Lunch which consisted of a cold buffet with oysters, fresh from the bay, and champagne was provided on the boat. Very nice!
The afternoon tour was of a township. I didn’t join that tour so hopefully someone who did can add a few comments. I’m told that they were served traditional Namibian food which included fried mopane caterpillars. Some of the group who weren’t doing the afternoon tour were dropped off in Swakopmund. A friend and I spent some of the afternoon walking around the city looking at the buildings, visiting the local museum and doing a bit of souvenir hunting. We were fortunate in that the last shop we visited the assistant booked us a reliable taxi which took us straight back to the hotel where we relaxed for an hour or so. Dinner that night was at a restaurant called the Tug, an actual tug, but it has been extensively modified. Those who did the township tour were late getting back and had to rush in and out very quickly so we could arrive on time at the restaurant. Again I think the township tour may be amended slightly to allow more time back at the hotel before dinner.
Tuesday 3rd March
A long drive to Damaraland today, leaving the hotel around 0900. There was a loo stop and options to take photos along the way before we stopped at a restaurant in Uis for lunch. We arrived at our hotel, the Damara Mopane Lodge, around mid-afternoon. It is designed to look like an African village and each chalet has its own vegetable and/or herb patch which are used in making the dinner. Some of the gardens have a scarecrow. Us guys, well four of us, went for a walk around the grounds, it is well signposted and called the valley walk and takes about an hour, where we saw springbok, warthogs and several large termite mounds. Dinner was in the hotel.
Wednesday 4th March
Early start today, wakeup call at 0500, leave at 0630 to travel to Twyfelfontein, a world heritage site, to see the rock carvings. It’s a guided tour, takes about an hour, and is over rocky ground with some scrambling over rock, so wear good shoes/boots. Even though we arrived early in the day it soon got quite hot so take plenty of water and use sun protection. The carvings are of animals and their spoor so may have been used to teach children what to look for when they became hunters.
We then went to the Living Museum where some of the local people have built a village to showcase their heritage. They wear traditional costume and we were shown the smithy where the men work and the women’s house where they made some of the items available in the craft stalls. A demonstration of how to make fire using sticks and dung was next and while it took several attempts a flame was eventually produced. The lady guide also showed us the herbs and plants they use for medicines. We were also treated to a song and dance. There are two craft stalls where you can buy souvenirs.
After the village we stopped at the Organ Pipes which are formations of angular columns of rock and a brief stop at the Burnt Mountain. We didn’t get back to the hotel for lunch till 1430 so considering we left at 0630 it’s a long day without much opportunity to get any food. I would suggest making up a sandwich or roll at breakfast, there is cheese and cold meats available and take it along to provide a bit of sustenance.
There is a viewpoint above the lodge where you can go to view the sunset. Most of us trooped up there but unfortunately no sooner had we had got there when it started to rain quite heavily. There’s no cover and it’s a good 15 minute walk so we all got a bit wet. Dinner tonight included a fried snail pancake in a cream sauce. I thought it tasted quite nice.
Thursday 5th March
A leisurely start to the day for a change, leaving at 0900 for the drive to Etosha. It started to rain shortly after leaving the hotel and our coach broke down. Rain had got into an electrical connection but thanks to the sterling efforts of Leonard and Dave, a knowledgeable member of the group, and offerings of battery operated fans, clingfilm and plastic tape from various other people, we were underway again in an hour. We later stopped at a German Bakery in Outjo for coffee and cake, for those who wanted it, and an opportunity to do a bit more shopping at some craft shops. We then drove on to our hotel, the Etosha Safari Lodge, which is situated a short distance from the south gate of the Etosha National Park. The lodge is located on the crest of a ridge and the chalets are stretched in a line along the ridge from the hotel. It can be a bit of a walk for anyone at the end of the line but reception will provide a lift to and fro if you request it.
We left at 1430 for our first game drive in the Park. We had learnt a few days earlier that we were supposed to be doing the game drives in our coach but following some protests from the group and some frantic emails between Julia, the JustYou management and the local travel company, we were allocated 4x4 safari vehicles for all the game drives. I understand that this will be the case for the rest of the Namibian trips.
Our first game drive got off to a fairly slow start with several sightings of springbok, impala, giraffes, Oryx, wildebeests, ostriches and zebras but no sightings of the Big Four, there being no cape buffalo in Etosha. By early evening we had reports of the sighting of a leopard and eventually it left cover and we all got a view of it walking away. The guide said it was the first sighting of leopard for him this year and it was in an area not usually frequented by leopard. The evening just got better after that. We came across a young male lion calling out for his lionesses. He got up and walked away and we then came across the lionesses relaxing in the evening heat. After spending time watching the lionesses we drove off and then saw a female black rhino with her young one following along by her side. We then had to race to get out of the park before it closed but had to stop gain as we found a herd of elephants by a waterhole. We got out of the park and raced back to the Lodge and went straight into dinner. What a fantastic end to our day! There was a terrific thunderstorm overnight and we lost all electrical power from before midnight until around half four in the morning.
Friday 5th March
Early morning call at 0530 so we could leave at 0630 for the morning game drive. The morning consisted of sightings of wildebeests, a lone large bull elephant, springbok, ostriches, zebra, a secretary bird, black backed jackals and giraffe but no sightings of the rest of the Big Four. At around eleven or so we set off back to the lodge for lunch. We started out again at 1430 and soon sighted giraffe and eland. After about an hour we came across two bull elephants, the larger one stayed off in the bush but the smaller one was ambling along the roadside pulling up plants and slowly chewing them. Our vehicle was able to almost pull alongside him with only the width of the road between us but he didn’t seem bothered by us at all. We then proceeded down the road off to the sand pan where our guide had seen a pride of lions on occasion but the only thing we saw was the dried bones of a giraffe that the pride had killed the year before. We drove back the way we had come and sighted a ground squirrel. The elephant we had seen previously was still there and we watched him for a while but eventually he crossed the road behind us and walked off into the bush. Unfortunately that was the highlight of the drive and we didn’t come across anything we hadn’t already seen so we headed back off to the lodge for a complimentary pre-dinner Sundowner. Surprisingly, although there wasn’t a thunderstorm that night, we lost power again before twelve and it didn’t come back until after four. I don’t know if this was an economy measure by the lodge but it did seem strange to me.
Saturday 7th March
We left the lodge at 0830 for the drive through the park to our next hotel which was situated in the park a short distance from the east gate. Surprisingly although we were in the coach we had some of our best sightings of game during the drive. It was a bit chaotic with everyone trying to crowd around what open windows there were but hopefully everyone managed to get the photos they wanted. The day started off with us watching a pack of jackals chewing on the remains of a giraffe which had probably been killed by a big cat. We then saw giraffe and blue wildebeest and a large group of springbok drinking at a waterhole. We then saw a young male lion and lioness walking along the side of the road eyeing up some springbok. Several vehicles and our coach trailed the lions as they walked along and the male lion crossed the road ahead of us whilst the lioness used the culvert, over which our coach was parked, to cross under the road. Eventually we decided to let them get on with their hunt and we drove off.
No more than ten minutes later we came across another lioness with her kill. She was attempting to drag the body of a zebra into the trees but it was hard work. She would drag it a few feet and then stop for a rest, panting all the while, and then drag it another few feet and rest. It took her several minutes before she eventually was able to slip away out of sight into the trees. We did spot another lioness a few minutes later, which may have been pregnant, heading off towards the direction of the first lioness. We then drove on towards our lunch stop sighting some storks and ostriches along the way.
Following lunch we continued our drive and soon sighted elephants and giraffes. As the journey progressed Leonard informed us that we wouldn’t see many large animals so we concentrated on the bird life and saw some very colourful birds such as the lilac breasted roller and bee-eaters when all of a sudden there was a shout and we braked sharply and reversed back down the road, someone had spotted a leopard in a tree! The leopard must have seen us and jumped down and headed towards cover but we managed to get some photos. Two leopards in as many days!
Following that excitement we soon arrived at Namutoni Camp. What can I say about the accommodation? It’s located next to an old German police post which looks a bit like a fort. You can climb up to the top of the tower and there are some shops located within the courtyard. The most common comment was that it resembled an old holiday camp from the sixties; it was a bit dated and needed modernising. The individual chalets weren’t too bad though the step down into the bathroom and the sunken bath could make life a bit difficult for anyone with mobility problems. Dinner was okay but closing the bar at quarter past nine was a bit much.
Sunday 8th March
Our last full day! We left Namutoni at 0730 for the long drive to Windhoek. There’s not a lot to say about the drive as it was a long fairly monotonous journey interrupted by loo stops and lunch. We arrived back at the Safari hotel in Windhoek in the early evening. We had a farewell dinner at the Xwama Traditional restaurant in the area of Windhoek known as Katutura, literally translated as the place where we will not live, because this is where many of the coloured Namibians were forced to move to during the apartheid era. We were served Namibian food, including fried mopane caterpillars, along with chicken, pork, offal, maize and angel fish. The only entertainment was music via a CD player. As a fare well dinner it wasn’t particularly exciting and I think that another venue may considered for future trips.
Monday 9th March
We weren’t due to leave to the airport until early afternoon. Checkout was at twelve so some of us caught the shuttle bus into Windhoek and spent the morning having a look around and doing some last minute souvenir shopping. I had a light lunch back at the hotel and we left at two for the airport. Our flights were on time and we duly arrived back at Heathrow at the stated time on Tuesday morning.
Conclusion
Overall I had a great time and would recommend the Namibia holiday wholeheartedly. Julia, our tour manager, coped admirably with all our problems including a minor rebellion amongst the group when we realised that the coach was originally going to be used for the game drives. Leonard, our local guide/driver, was a great character keeping us amused with his stories about the marriage customs of the Herero people and informing us of the history of his people and his country. His knowledge of the local flora and fauna was immense. All of the hotel/lodge staff were very friendly and helpful, all our rooms had AC, and the food was good.
Helpful Hints
Take closed shoes for walking in the sand. There are also some rocky trails too.
Sun protection is an absolute necessity.
Drink lots of water. Most of the hotels did not provide free water but there were bottles on the coach and you could purchase water in the hotels/lodges too. Free drinks were provided on the game drives.
Beer and wine are relatively cheap. I think wine was about £2 a glass/small carafe and beer was around £1.50. Lunch and a drink worked out around £5 - £7. I took about £400 worth of rand and found that I still had around £125 worth of rand left at the end of the trip despite buying souvenirs, tipping the hotel staff and Leonard, and drinking lots of beer!
Get rid of your Namibian currency before leaving Windhoek either by changing it into rand at the airport or, as I did, by including whatever Namibian dollars I had in the tip for your local guide.
Make sure your camera batteries are charged up before the game drives. One of our group would have missed much of the wildlife if I hadn’t happened to have a spare battery on me.
Travel Adapters. The three round pin socket is most common and if you don’t have the relevant adapter then they can be purchased at the airport(s). The worldwide adapter comes in useful too. Some of the hotels had standard UK sockets as well so no adapter was necessary.
If anyone has any other questions I will do my best to answer them.
Regds
Jim
