Ride Overview
This is THE classic desert safari ride. If you been drooling over the idea of a safari – a real life “see the animals” get out and gallop over ochre plains with sunsets that have too many brilliant colors to describe – THIS is your ride! This super active ten night ride through the Sub Saharan countryside will leave you breathless and giddy with excitement. It’s the real deal when it comes to a classic tented safari. Welcome to the oldest, and arguably one of the most scenic deserts on the planet, the Namib. With its iconic ochre dunes, huge plains and unique desert adaptations, this seemingly inhospitable place leaves us enriched by its extraordinary majesty – best seen between the ears!
***Note that this is our most challenging ride and not for inexperienced nor the faint-hearted! It is however undeniably the ride of a lifetime and possibly why many of our guests come back for more year after year
Dates: 2024: April 10-20, May 22-June 1, June 3-13, Aug. 14-24, Sept. 25-Oct. 5
Rate: $7,250.00 USD or £5,800 GBP per person sharing. Single Supplement: $285.00 USD or £200 GBP
Included
- 2 nights hotel accommodation
- 8 nights open air accommodation
- All meals on during the ride
- All beverages during the ride
- Horse and all tack
- Guiding Services
- Airport transfers at pre set time
Not Included
- Airfare
- Travel Insurance (required)
- Drinks at hotels/lodges
- Additional horse fee for riders over 185 lbs (including riding gear)
- Transfers outside of pre set time
- Staff gratuities
Days 1- 4: Windhoek to the Namib
Welcome to Namibia!
Windhoek Airport Shuttle (cell: +264 (0)81 245 0081) will collect you from Windhoek International Airport and transfer you to your first overnight in Windhoek. When you've had a chance to settle in, you'll meet fellow riders as well as your host and guide Andrew Gillies for your pre-ride briefing and a welcome dinner.
After an early breakfast you begin the exciting journey into the desert (approximately 4.5 hours by vehicle) with a dramatic drop off the escarpment. It's a perfect introduction to this wild and windswept land. A hearty lunch awaits you in camp followed by an afternoon visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Sossusvlei area after which you return to camp at sunset.
Our first riding day starts amid the encircling Naukluft (narrow gorge) Mountains - you'll get to know your intrepid equine partner as you groom and tack up for the first time, after which you'll enjoy a short ride to the lunch location. It's an ideal way to to get acquainted with your horse, the terrain and the delightful companionship of the group.
As the days progress you'll marvel and be delighted at how the landscape changes all the time - there are many wonderful places for photographs. And rest assured, the pace quickens as the terrain allows, so be prepared for long and often fast canters where you'll need to be out of the saddle for the duration.
Day 5 and 6: The Canyons
While Namibia’s westward-flowing rivers rarely flow, they all run through deep valleys etched at a time when Namibia was wetter and sea levels were lower.
During the next two days we will cross two river canyons on our way to the Namib plains; the Gaub and the much larger Kuiseb which forms a dramatic end to the 400-km long Namib Sand Sea. Following the tracks of Mountain Zebra (more great photo opportunities) which crisscross the steep sides of the canyon, a technical descent requires some walking/scrambling (unmounted) into and out of the Canyon. You'll marvel at how the high, narrow walls of the canyon preserve an almost year-round supply of precious water for the game in this area.
Day 7–10: Namib Plains to the Swakop River
Excellent footing affords some fast-paced riding on the wide grassy plains on the Namib - get ready! Dry watercourses, distinguishable by the long lines of acacia trees marking their courses, are much favored resting places of Giraffe, Springbok and Oryx (more great chances for photos).
As the plains become more arid, strange shapes form and disappear in mirages and dinosaur-like plants, The gnarled Welwitschia Mirabilis, tell of a land of great antiquity and of tremendous solitude.
As you ride the Swakop River basin, you'll see that it has eroded a truly ancient geology (600 million years old) exposing a bizarre moon-like landscape. Curious black ridges of dolerite intrusions form whalebacks on the hills surrounding the river basin. And our great reward is to finally arrive to the sea with the last wonderful canter along the beach - the end of a truly epic adventure!
Departure Day 11
Early breakfast and transfer to Windhoek (just over 5-hours by vehicle) arriving around 1PM - in time for departure flights from Windhoek International Airport after 3PM.
