THE NAMIB DESERT RIDE

Welcome to Namibia!

Arrive at Hosea Kutako International Airport. A shuttle service will collect you from Windhoek International Airport (Hosea Kutako) to your first overnight in Windhoek at River Crossing Lodge. Meet your fellow riders and host/riding guide Andrew Gillies for sundowners and dinner. Andrew will give you a briefing about your adventure and what to expect in the days ahead.

After breakfast you will be transferred to Sossusvlei (approx 4.5 hours), an exciting journey via Spreetshoogte Pass which will provide the first sightings of the vast Namib Desert below. Meet and greet will happen with the horses and crew at the first camp site before a delicious lunch is served. In the afternoon it is possible to explore the terminal pan of Sossusvlei and clamber up the soaring sand dunes for a panoramic view before heading back to camp as the sun sets. Dinner is cooked over an open fire in true Namibian style.

Camp life has a leisurely pace – days begin at sunrise with the aroma of freshly brewed 100% Arabica coffee wafting through camp. After an ample breakfast we start riding around 8 am for 4 – 5 hours. Lunch breaks are 1 – 2 hours, followed by another 2-3 hours riding in the afternoon. Most days the backup meet us for lunch. We ride 20 – 60 km per day at all paces over rough terrain. This ride has a technical scramble into and out of the Kuiseb Canyon on foot.

Venturing out on your first ride you will be stunned by the huge grassy valley stretching out ahead of you, with sights of the distant Namib sands. Riding into the lunch spot you will be pleasantly surprised by the desert oasis of Solitaire. The afternoon ride meanders past the rugged Namib Naukluft Mountains before returning for dinner around the camp fire. The camps water trough is often visited by mountain zebra, kudu and oryx who won’t pass up the opportunity of a handy water stop in the night! As the soft evening light descends we enjoy sundowners as the spectacular Milky Way appears overhead.

Morning number four leads you along gentle dunes and through untouched wilderness without a soul in sight. Adrenaline starts to soar in the afternoon as you canter across the dry riverbeds before climbing up to tonight’s campsite, potentially set up on a small hill.

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. You 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 which crisscross the steep sides of the canyon, a technical descent requires some walking/scrambling into and out of the Canyon, so it’s importnat that you are generally fit.  The high, narrow walls of the canyon preserve an almost year-round supply of precious water for the wildlife in this area. Finally you reach to great plains of the central Namib and the pace picks up somewhat for some good long canters.

Good riding surface often results in an increase in pace as you head to the water point situated at Ganab, a stop-off that often provides some plains game sightings such as zebra, oryx and ostrich. The plains are cut across by various watercourses, dividing the vast space with lines of trees, which if you are lucky, can sometimes be seen giving shelter to desert-adapted giraffe, springbok and oryx. 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.

From the desert, you pass through the spectacular Moon Valley on your descent to a wonderfully sheltered campsite in the Swakop River. The Swakop river basin has eroded a truly ancient geology (600 million years old). Curious black ridges of dolerite intrusions form whale backs on the hills surrounding the river basin. On your last day in the saddle, set off for your final ride along the Swakop River to the coast and take in your first view of the Atlantic Ocean and first sign of civilization for ten days! To round off the spectacular adventure you will have one final canter along the brilliant white sands of the beach before collapsing in a gloriously satisfied heap at the comfortable guesthouse. The horses will also be putting their feet up in a paddock nearby overlooking the sea. The last supper is taken after sundowners and you can take a look back over what will have undoubtedly been an adventure of a lifetime.

After a bit of a lie-in and a leisurely breakfast, you will be transferred to Windhoek for your departing flight (after 15h00). If you have extra time in Africa, extend your stay to visit the high dunes and desolated valleys of Sossusvlei, the wildlife of Etosha National Park, or travel further to South Africa or Botswana.