Namibia Reservations - Northern Tour

Our Northern Tour - Marketing and Consultants

We had a wonderful experience, when we went to the Northern part of our beautiful country. I had the privileged to visit 7 out of 100's of astonishing establishments  Namibia has to offer.

We left on Friday the 12.12.2014, after lunch for our trip to Rundu where we spent the night at one of Gondwana's amazing accommodations - Hakusembe River Lodge. We arrived at 7:30 and did not have much to see but we were welcomed with a lovely dinner........the food was superb!!!! The next day we had a hearty breakfast and took a tour around the Lodge - accommodations/rooms nice, spacious and clean and a well maintained garden. Staff was very helpful and made us feel at home.

Hakusembe River Lodge

Hakusembe River Lodge

After our site inspection we left Hakusembe and proceed with our tour to Divundu, where we spent the night at Nunda River Lodge. Before Nunda River Lodge we made two stops for a quick site inspection at Popa Falls Resort and Lunch at Divava Okavango Lodge. - I truly have to say these places are beautiful, the rooms nice and spacious, for those of you who love to be spoiled Okavango Divava Lodge is just for you! All its spa facilities has an awesome view over the Okavango River. Popa Falls also well maintained rooms and areas are clean.

Popa Falls Resort

Popa Falls Resort

Divava Okavango Lodge

We arrived at Nunda River Lodge at 16:00 and were welcomed by Cameron with a "Nunda welcome drink". After our introductions, we got the chance to get ready for our Boat Cruise - where we saw some of the Hippos and Crocodiles, we had a lovely guide Basie, who answered all our questions. He took us down to the Hippo Pools & Popa swamps..........here we took some photos and I have to say it was magnificent. After our Boat Cruise we went back to freshen up for dinner. Here the staff were also very friendly and helpful, Nunda is well managed, the rooms spacious, some of the bungalows has an open air bathroom/showers which have a view over the Okavango River.

Ngepi Camp

Ngepi Camp

After a good nights rest we packed up our stuff for our last 2 site inspections for the day at Mahangu Safari Lodge; Ngepi Camp, but before we left we also had a nice breakfast. Our first stop was at Mahangu Safari Lodge, both these two places are amazing in its own way, with nice and funny quotes on the trees and walkways. Mahangu Safari Lodge is where you can bring your family and and just relax. Where I would say Ngepi is for those of you who love nature doesn't matter where you are....whether you're in the toilet or bath - nature is all you get.

Nunda River Lodge

Mahangu Safari Lodge

RiverDance Lodge, I believe this was the HIGHLIGHT of all the places we visited. Beautiful, awesome, breathtaking and so much more. RiverDance Lodge is owned and managed by a lovely couple Karin and Tino and their 2year old baby girl Annabel, she's really adorable. Welcomed with a lovely drink from one of the staff members and before we sat down for lunch they took us for the site inspection. Everything at RiverDance Lodge was SPOT ON from the exquisite rooms to the friendly staff to a satisfying lunch. Definitely a place to be visited again.

RiverDance Lodge

RiverDance Lodge

As our time got shorten by our visit, we received a lot of rain on the way. We had no other way to stop at Hakusembe River Lodge for the night and proceed the following morning at 04:00am back to Otjiwarongo.

For all bookings at the above accommodations, please feel free to contact us at: info@namibiareservations.com

or click on the accommodations links to take you directly to the establishments on our website.

Moon Landscape Swakopmund Namibia

The Moon Landscape:

 The stark, bare and inhospitable looking Moon Landscape has become a favorite with the film industry over recent years which regularly visits the area for location shoots. This group of Damara Granites pushed upwards through the earth's crust some 500 to 460 million years ago. This previously high mountain range has been eroded through time down to the foundation which over the past 2 million years have experienced further erosion through the actions of the Swakop River changing it into what is known as a Badlands. The view points are well situated, but take care - there are no safety barriers. A visit the Moon Landscape and Welwitschia Plains is well worth the effort if you are staying in one of the coastal towns. You should plan about four hours for the 140km round trip. If there's mist along the coast it should be burning off in the area of the Moon Landscape by 10h00.

Permit Required: The tour route lays within the Northern Namib Naukluft Park and a permit is required for driving on all roads except the C14, C28, D1982 and D1998. Permits are obtainable for a nominal fee at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Offices in Swakopmund, and you will supplied with a map indicating points of interest and overnight desert camping sites. Entry Fees Payable

Moon Landscape Getting There: Drive the B2 road from Swakopmund towards Windhoek. After 0.5km you will see the 'Martin Luther' Steam Engine on your right hand side. At 1.2km you will see the road sign 'Namib Park C28 Khomas Hochland'. The gravel roads are suitable for saloon cars. There are no fuel stations or shops on the route, so be prepared and take some refreshments and drinks. Turn onto the C28 gravel road.

To untrained eyes the surrounding desert may seem empty and barren, but if you look for signs of life you will see plenty of desert shrubs, many of which are several hundreds of years old, and in places lichens. The reference points on the map relate to stone numbered signs that are placed alongside the road at points of interest. Visitors are requested to stay on the road as the desert surface is considered an Eco sensitive area. Lichens grow less than 1mm per year.

Dollar Bush - referred to for it's coin shaped leaf. Named after a German geologist named Stapff who was prospecting the Kuiseb Valley in 1885-1886. You'll find plenty of Dollar Bushes on the gravel plains of the northern Namib Desert.



 
Old Wagon Wheel Tracks: Here you can see tracks left by the oxen-wagons that plied the Old Bay Road from the coast to the hinterland over 100years ago. It will take centuries before these tracks disappear.





Goanikontes Oasis: Take a detour for a couple of kilometers to the oasis at Goanikontes. It lays in the 'dry' Swakop River bed. There's plenty of Eucalyptus and Palm trees that offer shade for a roadside picnic. At the turn of the 19th century the farm used to provide Swakopmund with mush of its fresh produce requirements. You will find a pleasant Rest Camp bungalows and chalets for overnights and a restaurant where you can enjoy coffee and cake. Braai / picnic areas. Day Fee payable.

Scrap Metal: In 1915 the Union of South Africa troops camped at this point. The rusted remains of petrol cans and an early from of steel vehicle track ca be seen. Visitors are asked not to remove any of the parts. 





Dolerite-Dyke: During the time of the break-up of Gondwana, as Africa and South America began their drift apart, great stress cracks appeared in the nearby earth's crust. Molten magma forced its way into these cracks and solidified while still at a subsurface level. Over millions of years the surrounding 'softer' rocks eroded away leaving long ridges of rocky 'outcrops' haveing a dark, almost black 'backbone'. A good example of this can be seen while driving down the road towards the Swakop-River. You will pass through a man-made cut that exposes the dolerite dyke. It is an excellent example.

Camp Sites by the Swakop-River there are shaded with bbq area. No electricity, no water and dry field toilets. Tranquil and away from it all, a night or two out here under the stars with no light or noise pollution will make for a memorable experience.

The camp areas in the national park can be booked through the Swakopmund office of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. Entry fees payable.

If you wish to find out more information on the Moon Landscape, please feel free to contact us at:

info@namibiareservations.com
or browse our website for accommodations, car rental, packages, self-drive safaris etc.

www.namibiareservations.com

Namibia: World First Expeditions

A pioneering collection of world first expeditions to the most geographically remote destinations; places never before visited or experienced by leisure travelers. Accompanied by experienced, world-class guides forge new paths and embrace the true spirit of adventure; discovering remote tribes, laying eyes on sights that few have witnessed  and experiencing extreme isolation. Make your mark on the history of exploration.

Destination: Damaraland, Ugab River, Goboboseb Mountains, Skeleton Coast and Sossusvlei Sand Dunes.

Essence of the trip:

Be among the first to venture across a stretch of Namib Desert that has yet to be completed by another explorer. Trek unsupported through the sandy plains and pass through the twisted backdrop of the Damara Belt before being guided to the Skeleton Coast by the sound of the pounding surf. This is the ultimate intrepid desert expedition, the chance to test yourself to your limits and to experience the area so precious to the ancient San Bushmen.

This trip will give you:

A test of endurance. Carry everything you need to survive for the duration of the trekking phase, apart from water which will be cached at strategic points en route.
The chance to trek through the Namib Desert with an eye on the imposing Brandberg Massif for the duration.
Trek deep into the coastal desert that early navigators didn’t dare approach.
Navigate through the unchartered territories of the dried up Ugab River and the daunting Goboboseb Mountains.
Finish your trek with a micro-lite aircraft flight over the Skeleton Coast, where you’ll finish your stay at a luxury desert camp in the midst of the Sossusvlei Sand Dunes.

Details:

Touch down in Namibia’s capital of Windhoek where you’ll be met by our expert team of guides. From Windhoek Eros airport you’ll be flown in a light aircraft for a stunning ride over the rolling, rocky hills to reach the Desert Rhino Camp in Damaraland. The area supports the largest population of free roaming Black Rhino in Africa, as well as many desert elephant and you’ll be introduced to the Save the Rhino Trust’s activities by the head warden. Over the next 72 hours you’ll take day trips and game drives out with the rangers and start training and acclimatizing for your challenging trek.

On day seven you’ll be transferred to the trek start point after breakfast, and it is unlikely that you’ll lay eyes on another living soul until the end. For the few days you’ll trek across the sandy plains, a formidably beautiful landscape with orange sands littered with milk bushes and ‘Fairy Circles’. Day four will take you in to the Damara Belt, a myriad of dark turbites and schists that have been turned on their sides. You’ll descend down, through this tortured landscape into the dried riverbed of the Ugab River where you’ll spot the artesian wells that nourish the herds of desert Elephant that roam up and down the river bed.

In the next few days you’ll emerge from the Ugab River and the Damara belt mudstone out onto granite plains and head north towards the imposing Goboboseb mountain range. In the evening as you set up camp in infinite solitude take in the stunning views of the Ugab river valley to the north. From here you’ll hit the vast expanse of rugged gravel plains as you continue west towards the coast. For the next two days test yourself as you battle the elements and the strong south westerly winds. As the end of your epic trek approaches you’ll hear the sound of the waves breaking on the hauntingly beautiful Skeleton Coast, the final leg of your intrepid journey. Take in the wreck of the old German trawler the Winston, who became stranded in thick fog in October 1970 and who so few have been lucky enough to experience. Admire the breathtaking landscape that you’ve conquered for one last time from the sky as you’re whisked down the Skeleton Coast over the haunting shipwrecks. For the last few days of your expedition you’ll hole up in a luxurious desert lodge where you can explore the expansive Sossusvlei Sand Dunes, before heading home via Windhoek.

If you have what it takes and are interested in taking this trip, please send your email to info@namibiareservations.com and we will get back to you with more information