Damaraland Horse Riding Safari

You will fly into Windhoek International Airport where you will be met and transferred to a guesthouse just outside Windhoek. Over dinner you will be introduced to the rest of your fellow riders and be briefed about what to expect on your adventure!

Day two starts with an early breakfast and then the exciting journey north (approximately 7 hour transit including a stop on the way for lunch) to our camp in the Aba Huab river. In the afternoon we visit the World Heritage site of Twyfelfontein with its 5000 year-old petroglyphs. Elephant sometimes walk through camp at night….light sleepers be warned!

This morning you will start to get to know your trusted mount and find your ‘hooves’. With the rising sun at our back, we begin our westward journey to the distant Atlantic. In these ephemeral river systems,
the cycles of rainfall dictate the seasonal movement of game which is not concentrated, but we can encounter elephants, rhino, oryx, springbok, and other desert-adapted game. The ride will take you through the sandy, open plains of Abu-Huab – ideal for long canters – passing some of the fascinating rock formations for which the area is famous.

As you set off today you will head west across the plains which are often inhabited with game which has adapted to desert life, such as springbok, oryx and if you are lucky, whilst you are following the dry river beds dotted with Mopani trees, you might come across the quiet, yet magnificent, kudu or the odd ostrich. A light lunch is enjoyed in the shade by the riverbed before continuing to traverse the rocky and sandy undulating hills as you make for your camp by the Huab River. Here huge glacial valleys, impressive tableland mountains exhumed by erosion, folds and fractures resulting from cataclysmic eruptions present a well preserved snapshot of a land of great antiquity.

Meandering along the Huab River, the trail continues under the shade of the huge ‘Ana’ trees – a favourite food for desert elephants so keep your eyes peeled! You will ride out across the land, aiming for Mikberg which will lead you to the lunch stop at ‘cheetah tree’ – it doesn’t take much imagination to work out what you might spot here. After lunch there is a long ride across the watershed which offers breathtaking views. Tonight’s camp will be carefully selected to provide an excellent place from which to admire the impressive colours of the Brandberg (Burning Mountain), Namibia’s highest mountain.

Reluctantly you will move on from camp and head towards the Ugab River, pausing to gaze at the ancient remnants of the rock formations that have been eroded over time. In this wide open country you will get the chance to pick up the pace for some long canters before reaching the narrow gorge at Soutfontein (salt fountain). You will arrive at camp in time for a well-deserved drink before a delicious dinner. Tonight you have the opportunity to stay at Save the Rhino Campsite; a community run campsite for the ‘Save the Rhino Project’ founded as an anti-poaching organization.

Riding out and greeting the African morning, you will find yourself weaving through reeds and kori bush thickets as you navigate the banks of the Ugab all the way to Brakwasser. After lunch you will leave the Ugab River and make your way up a large gorge with spectacular rock formations. Camp is in a great spot, beautifully shaded and the perfect rest stop after a long day.

Leaving the river valley’s we now cross the vastness of open plains with the striking massive of the Brandberg (burning mountain) forming a dramatic backdrop. Here endless plains allow for some fast-paced riding as we approach the dramatic Messum Caldera, the eroded remains of a massive collapsed
volcano.

Enjoy exhilarating fast rides over endless barren plains as the air starts to cool. Today you get the first views of the Skeleton Coast as you ride through one of Namibia’s trademark landscapes – vast and rugged wilderness leading down to the craggy coast.

After the now well practiced breakfast routine you will set off for your last ride that will take you to the ocean. Feeling a huge sense of achievement, you will reach the Skeleton Coast, so called for the formidable ship-wrecks that dot the coastline and create an eerie, surreal landscape.The cold upwelling Benquela current results in some diverse weather conditions from hot desert easterlies to cold south Atlantic westerlies and lots of fog – a place of extremes! We overnight in the small coastal town of Henties Bay in a wonderful private house with the most spectacular view over the Atlantic Ocean.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Windhoek, a journey which takes roughly 5-6 hours. If you are flying home the same day flights must depart after 15:00.