SOSSUSVLEI AND DAMARALAND LODGE TRAIL - NAMIBIA

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Explore two very different parts of Namibia the luxurious way, staying in well-appointed private lodges and riding responsive horses. This horse riding holiday starts in the south, near the highest sand dunes in the world at Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft Desert Park. Here we visit the dunes and enjoy a few nights under the stars in the desert (optional) before departing to the coast and Walvis Bay. After an estuary tour we head to Grootberg in Damaraland and ride with the Damaraland elephant and other game as well as visiting the local Himba tribes living in the area. Again there is an option to camp out in this game rich area. Your accommodation is very comfortable throughout, with all the hard work taken care of, even when sleeping under the stars.

Trip length 11 days/ 10 nights Ride price detailed prices price promise 2010: double pp £3,149/€3,789/$4,859 Departure dates Dates by arrangement April to October Approximate riding time per day 2 - 6 hours per day Riding ability required Intermediate onwards. Group size 2 - 10 Meeting point (getting there) Windhoek airport Transfer Included from meeting point. Flight guide London - Windhoek return £450 - £750 return Single supplement detailed prices No single supplement.

SAMPLE ITINERARY - SOSSUSVLEI AND DAMARALAND LODGE TRAIL

Day 1
Arrive in Windhoek and be met at the airport by your riding holiday representative. Transfer down to the Sossusvlei Area and the lodge in an air-conditioned 4x4 vehicle, with drinks and light snacks. Light lunch on arrival and settle into your chalet. Afternoon sundowner ride to familiarise riders with horses and get a feeling for the surroundings.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Day 2
Early morning wake-up and a light breakfast at the lodge (normally coffee, tea, juice, cereals and rusks) - then depart in 4x4 air-conditioned vehicle for Sossusvlei. Guests will be able to walk among the tallest sand dunes on earth. There are spectacular views here with towering red dunes and dramatic shadows at sunrise. You are accompanied by a knowledgeable guide who can point out features of this eco system and its wildlife. Picnic brunch will be offered.
In the afternoon the guests will be setting off on the first night of the sleep-out. Scenery is varied - you will enjoy riding across wide open grassy plains, through drainage lines and river courses, up and down sand dunes, across gravel plains - with endless vistas in every possible direction. Arrive at camp at sunset where ice cold sundowners await you. Guests freshen up while the back up team feeds and waters the horses and gets some fine bush cuisine ready. Chilled white wine and barbecued game steaks with fresh garden salads and home-baked bread are the order of the day. Homegrown vegetables ensure that our vegetarian riders are also well taken care of.
Dinner and overnight under the stars

Day 3
Enjoy an early morning coffee, eggs and bacon around the fire and a fairly continental spread for breakfast. Saddle up and head out for day 2 of the adventure. Meanwhile, the back up team will set up for you lunch, stretchers, and cold drinks during the heat of the day. Tea and coffee decadent chocolate cake and then off for the afternoon stint. Camp has been moved by the back up team and is now at another spectacular setting - sundowners, dinner - fairly witty conversation... fall asleep under the stars.
Dinner and overnight under the stars

Day 4
After breakfast we set off homeward bound and reach there in the late morning. Lunch at the lodge, go for a scenic sundowner drive through the property or for a last sundowner horse ride.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge

Day 5
Leave shortly after breakfast for Swakopmund in an air-conditioned 4x4. We drive via Solitaire and Walvis Bay, through two river canyons and across the famous Namib Desert. Overnight at Royal Bengula in Swakopmund or similar. This coastal town has pretty German Architecture and is worth a visit in itself. We suggest dinner at the Tug (great seafood, fireplaces in an old Tug boat right on the water's edge).
Dinner and overnight in Swakopmund

Day 6
Today we visit nearby Walvis Bay and enjoy a dolphin Cruise in the morning. You are very likely to see two different species of dolphin, seals, pelicans, flamingoes and maybe even a whale or the Sun Fish (Mola Mola). Oysters, champagne and other light snacks are offered on the boat. After your dolphin cruise, you will be setting off along the Skeleton Coast to the next lodge (5-6 hour drive). This is again a fantastic trip and there are snacks, fruit and cold drinks available in the vehicle.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge

Day 7
Here in Damaraland the scenery is very different from the desert. We set up in the morning in search of the elusive Desert Elephants on a horse back with a stop for lunch under the shadow of the Makalani Palm Tree. After lunch we will have time to relax before setting off for about another 2 hours ride to Boulders Camp where you will be spending the evening around a camp fire and overnight under the starts.
Dinner and overnight under the stars

Day 8
Another day is spent on a horse back, meeting the local people and villages whilst pursuing the elephants. Please note, elephant sighting are not guaranteed as the animals roam around freely in one of the last wild areas in Namibia.
Dinner and overnight at Boulders Camp

Day 9
Back to the lodge around midday with a scrumptious lunch waiting for you on the verandah of our restaurant area with often seeing Black Eagles hovering around the cliffs. After a well-deserved afternoon siesta the riders are welcome to join a relaxing - lovely walk or a last gentle ride on top of the plateau where springbok, oryx, kudu, baboons, mountain zebra, klipspringer (and very rarely also - Leopard!) are likely to be seen.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Day 10
Riders will be transferred back to Windhoek after breakfast. Windhoek is a small but bustling city with a population of approximately 300 000. It is situated in an airy basin in the central highlands flanked by the Auas Mountains to the southeast, the Eros Mountains to the northeast and the Khomas Highland on the west. Windhoek is often described as a city with a “continental” atmosphere. This can be ascribed to its architecture - historical buildings dating back to German colonial rule - as well as to its cuisine, culture and educational institutions. At the same time Windhoek has the colour, sounds and tempo of a modern African city.
After settling in at the Lodge we have the opportunity to enjoy a Sundowner Ride in the Auas Mountains just outside of Windhoek.
Dinner and overnight at River Crossing

Day 11
For the Breakfast Ride we meet for tea, coffee and biscuits at sunrise and then drive across to the stables with our guide. Once the horses and riders are ready and comfortable, the ride begins. The scenery varies from massive Camel Thorn trees to mountain paths. After about two hours of riding, we discover a breakfast table under a camel thorn tree, with a delicious spread of cheeses, cold meats, fresh bread and muffins, yoghurt, muesli and fruit platters. Fresh orange juice and percolated coffee, of course. After a leisurely breakfast, we mount up and ride back to the stables.
We will leave the Lodge in time and transfer to the Airport for your flight back home.

Please note that nights camping out can be substituted for nights in the lodge for no extra cost but this must be booked beforehand for the group as a whole.

Please note: This itinerary is given for your guidance only and it may be altered in accordance with the prevailing conditions by the organising team.

The weight limit for this ride is 14 st/198 lb/90 kg, please enquire if you are an experienced rider exceeding this weight.

FURTHER DETAILS
As we are specialists in our field we have extensive knowledge of all our products from details of accommodation and meals to number/size/type of horses to pace of riding ... and much more.
Should you wish to receive further details of this ride please click here.

WHAT IS INCLUDED
All transfers in air conditioned vehicle, all riding, meals (except in Swakopmund), accommodation, other excursions, drinks and laundry.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Tips, telephone and shop purchases, dinner on Day 5.

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