Namibia holiday, Southern cultures
| country: | Namibia |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you |
| price: | From £1135 (6 days) excluding flights. Price includes a fully equipped 4x4 vehicle, 3 meals a day, accommodation, park and entry fees and a fully qualified Namibian Tour Guide |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
6 days discovering Namibia's Southern cultures.
Namibia is a country of scenery and even friendlier people. This is more so when you travel to the South of the country. The vast open plains with very little vegetation, stretching as far as the eye can see will leave you speechless. This is a hard and semi arid country and meeting the people that ekes out a living here can make it seems like a miracle.
From the Basters that live in their own village of Rehoboth to the Nama nation, the greatest of the Southern nations.
They differ, not only in language and physical but also in the ways they make a living. From the Bondelswarts to the Topnaars, again two different tribes, each with his own traditions and way of living.
Add to this the scenery you will see and you have a tour that will stun your senses. Beauty beyond comparison, people from the hard land making it even more beautiful. Be witness to the second largest canyon in the world and the largest sand dunes in the world and you cannot go wrong in embarking on this trip of a lifetime.
Namibia is a country of scenery and even friendlier people. This is more so when you travel to the South of the country. The vast open plains with very little vegetation, stretching as far as the eye can see will leave you speechless. This is a hard and semi arid country and meeting the people that ekes out a living here can make it seems like a miracle.
From the Basters that live in their own village of Rehoboth to the Nama nation, the greatest of the Southern nations.
They differ, not only in language and physical but also in the ways they make a living. From the Bondelswarts to the Topnaars, again two different tribes, each with his own traditions and way of living.
Add to this the scenery you will see and you have a tour that will stun your senses. Beauty beyond comparison, people from the hard land making it even more beautiful. Be witness to the second largest canyon in the world and the largest sand dunes in the world and you cannot go wrong in embarking on this trip of a lifetime.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Mariental/Gibeon. The journey to see and experience the different cultures in Namibia is a long one. Prepare yourself for some distance and expanses of both land and people that will be rewarding and fulfilling. Passing through savannah country, the environment slowly changes into a more arid scene as we head southwards towards the idyllic town of Mariental. Our first destination will be Gibeon. This village represents one of the many homes of the Nama people, descendants of the brave Hendrik Witbooi. The Nama tribe is one of the oldest inhabitants of Namibia. |
| Day 2: | Namaland/Warmbad. Travelling further south, we pass through the heart of Namaland. Asab and Tses are two small villages that we pass en route to Warmbad. Translated from Afrikaans to English, this word means ‘warm bath’ and is home to the Bondelswarts. These people, also kin of the Nama tribe, have their own unique culture, evolved over a hundred years. Warmbad also has the distinction of the oldest building in Namibia and that is definitely reason enough to stop here for a short visit. |
| Day 3: | Fish River Canyon/Huibib plateau. We leave the Bondelswart and head towards the second largest canyon in the world, the Fish River Canyon. This magnificent quirk of nature is the result of a huge gorge cutting into relatively soft rock formations and giving birth to one of Namibia’s most well known geological wonders. At the Hobas lookout, you will experience an adrenaline surge when taking a bird’s eye view of the seemingly never-ending depths of the canyon. Aus, situated on the Huibib plateau, will be our destination and camp for the night. |
| Day 4: | Sesriem. Contouring the fourth largest park in the world (the Namib Naukluft Park) we head for Sesriem. This whole area encompassed the hunting and roaming grounds for the Nama tribe in years gone by. In the Naukluft Mountain Range, there were several skirmishes between the Nama and German soldiers in the late 1800s as the Namibian people denied foreign occupation and fought to their deaths to defend their land. Sometimes, if the conditions are just right, the smell of blood spilled so many years ago can still be smelled on the passing breeze. The evening will be spent under southern skies near the Sesriem gate. |
| Day 5: | Sossusvlei/Swakopmund. A very early departure finds us on top of the highest dunes in the world at Sossusvlei. To witness a true African sunrise while on top of the highest dune is a sight that you will carry with you evermore. After the sea of dunes, we make our way towards Swakopmund. This tourist oriented town has a very cosmopolitan feel about it. The distinctive architecture has a very definite German slant to it but, although the town still has a large number of German inhabitants, the town also boasts other cultures from all over Namibia. We will see during the course of the day how these different cultures function and work together in this environment that they find themselves in. For the evening’s entertainment, any of the large variety of restaurants can be visited for a tasty meal. |
| Day 6: | Okahandja/Windhoek. We leave Swakopmund and slowly start heading back to Windhoek. Along the way, we visit the Spitskoppe and marvel at the remnants of the Bushmen tribes that used to live here. Their paintings give us a glimpse into their lives as it used to be, many years ago. In the quaint little town of Okahandja, you have the opportunity to buy memorabilia and crafts made by the locals from all over Namibia. The hustle and bustle of this open market adds a palette of contrasting colours to what would otherwise be a mundane shopping experience. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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To ensure the local cultures are explored and experienced as much as possible the route takes us to some very small villages. This would make the distances feel longer, but is needed to experience the full cultural effect of this part of the land. Lodges where we will overnight include The White House near Grunau, Klein Aus Vista near Aus and Sesriem.
The first two are owned by Namibians that also live on these lodges and manage it themselves. All local staff is from the surrounding area. Again certain policies are in place regarding waste management, energy and water management. Recycling of paper and glass is the order of the day. Once everything has been separated the waste is removed to the nearest town for further distribution. Water is a scarce commodity in this part of the country so water saving toilet cisterns are in place, showers rather than baths are present, and the visitors are also provided with information regarding other water conservation tips. Solar panels are used to provide warm water, and also used to extract water from the boreholes. Electricity is provided by a supplier, but some of the lodges have generators to provide electricity. To further save on energy the solar panels are also used to charge the batteries, and this is then used for electricity in the lodge itself. Conservation strategies are in place, but differ from lodge to lodge. At the white house the lodge supports the local farmer’s community, and also assist in preventing poaching and other illegal activities. At Klein Aus Vista the Wild Horses of the Namib are the main focus. Activities from this lodge therefore focus on the wild horses and several excursions will take the visitor to see these magnificent animals and the area they inhabit. Sesriem and the Naukluft area is part of the Namib Naukluft Park, therefore under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of environment and Tourism. Namibia Wildlife Resorts manage the campsite area. Very visible is the waste recycling bins available at the campsite. Bottles, paper and other materials is separated and then taken to Windhoek for processing. This project was partly initiated and done by Raleigh International. We encourage visitors to purchase local produce wherever possible, in order to help with the local economy of this very poor part of the country. All guides will be local Namibians. Staffs on all the lodges and the owners of the lodges are Namibians. The south is not really renowned for a lot of arts and crafts, but some are present, and the visitor will have plenty of time to purchase any of the locally produced items. We are a Namibian owned and based company and we only make use of Namibian guides. Chances are that the same person planning your trip will also be your guide. |
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