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GAVA EXPLORATIONS DETAILED ITINERARY

28 July 2004 - 12 August 2004 (trip code TM 4-2)

Before the white man set foot on Africa, before cities and factories claimed their share of the land, long before animals had to learn to live behind fences, was the Namib Desert. Vast, remote and unconquerable, it’s harsh landscape could be survived by only the strongest and hardiest. Including the Khoikhoi - the proud nation who called this desert home. Since then, progress has changed much of Africa. But not the Namib. Today, surrounded by vast dunes and endless desert wilderness, the only plants and animals you will see are those who have ingeniously adapted over the centuries to this harsh landscape. And the people you will meet are the Topnaars, descendants of the Khoikhoi, who still live along the banks of the Kuiseb River, untouched by time or progress. Sharing their traditional meals, accommodation and fireside stories while the awesome Namib rolls out endlessly around you, you could be forgiven for thinking the world you know doesn't exist. For thinking that the last two or three hundred years never happened. For this beautiful simplicity is how life is meant to be lived. This is the land that time forgot.

Day 1: 28 July 2004 - Arrive Windhoek 

Your guide will collect you from the airport. Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, is an excellent introduction to Africa. Safe, small and friendly, the city is a melting pot of cultures and peoples. We make our way to the craft market, which offers beautiful hand-made artworks - and the best cup of coffee and lunch in town.

Accommodation: Casa Piccolo (full board, drinks excluded)

Day 2: 29 July 2004 - Drive to Sossusvlei area

Our drive takes us through the Khomas Hochland and down the Spreetshoogte Pass.

Accommodation: The Desert Homestead (full board, drinks xtra)

Day 3: 30 July 2004 - Sossusvlei 

We get up at the crack of dawn to enter the Namib Naukluft Park and travel to Sossuvlei to see the dunes. The Namib Naukluft Park is the largest game park in Africa (40 000 sq. km). The seemingly never-ending sand dunes of Sossusvlei are a truly remarkable sight.  The dunes are shaped by the wind and are constantly shifting.  They are reputed to be the highest in the world. We spend the day here photographing the shifting sand and forever changing colours.

Accommodation: The Desert Homestead (full board, drinks extra)

Day 4: 31 July 2004 - Namib

Many scientists regard the Namib Desert as the oldest desert in the world. About 200 km wide and 2 000 km long, its climate is determined by the cold Benguela current that runs along the Atlantic West Coast of Southern Africa: the hot, tropical sun above the cold sea prevents airborne moisture from falling as rain. The average rainfall in the central Namib is less than 15 mm a year - and during some years, nonexistent. This is a harsh land. Today we try and capture some of these images with our photography.

Accommodation: The Desert Homestead (full board, drinks extra)

Day 5: 01 August 2004 - Namib to Walvis Bay

After breakfast we leave for the coast of Namibia. We drive through some of the most scenic landscapes in Namibia. As we approach the central Namib the vegetation thins and lone Acacia trees are silhouetted in the dry river washes. You can almost smell the dryness, the desolation of this unforgiving land. Yet amid this seemingly barren terrain, we will happen across oryx, springbok and large flocks of ostrich. Your guide will show you the incredible variety of fauna and flora that have evolved with remarkable adaptations that allow them to survive in the hostile desert. And you will marvel at nature in all her devious glory. Some of the surrounding valleys are covered with what is generally recognized in the botanical world as the most ancient and weird of plants: the Welwitschia mirabilis. The Welwitschia plants continue to baffle scientists, as they show characteristics of both advanced and primitive plants, and some of them are more than a thousand years old. 

As with many other rivers in the Namib, the Kuiseb flows for a brief period during certain years only. Luckily, a subterranean water supply supports the large trees and shrubs, which in turn support a surprisingly large population of animals - many of which you will get to see. Our journey takes us along the dry riverbed to an area called Swartbank: a spectacular inselberg of limestone and marble. Our destination is a traditional Topnaar village on the banks of the Kuiseb River. The Topnaars - the few remaining descendants of the once-proud Khoikhoi - speak Nama, a click language. These are a slight people with many similarities to the San (Bushmen) and a long history on the African subcontinent. Slender-bodied with apricot-coloured skin and prominent. After our village stop, we continue to Walvis Bay. 

Accommodation: The Pelican Bay Hotel (full board, drinks extra)

Day 6: 02 August 2004 - Photograph around the Walvis Bay Lagoon

The Walvis Bay Lagoon is the most important coastal wetland for birds in Southern Africa. It comprises the lagoon, other intertidal areas and the saltworks; each of which supports at least a third of the birds at some stage in the tidal annual cycle. The wetlands offer excellent opportunities for birding photography. We spend the morning around the edges of the lagoon and in the afternoon we will photograph from the "hide" at the saltworks. You’re almost certain to see greater and lesser flamingos and a huge variety of waders. 

Accommodation: The Pelican Bay Hotel (full board, drinks extra)

Day 7: 03 August 2004 - To Damaraland

Our journey to the north continues. We drive along the Skeleton Coast, then through desert and rock landscapes. Our final destination is Damaraland. The area was allocated to Damara people where the Government purchased several farms for resettlement of this ethnic group. Damaraland was an area occupied primarily by the Damara people, but it soon became the home of other tribes such as the Hereros and the displaced Riemvasmakers of South Africa. Today, many residents of Damaraland are thus of mixed heritage, but most consider themselves Damara. The Damara name is derived from the Nama word "Dama", meaning "who walked here". This is because the Damara were known to the Nama people by the footprints they left around waterholes. From their vantage point in the mountains, the Damara were quick to spot resources such as water or animals, on the plains below, and they were therefore able to be the first groups to reach these essential resources. The Damaraland community comprises a unique group of people who have recognized the value of the wildlife on their land and formed a Community Wildlife Conservancy to protect it. Until 1981, Damaraland was unprotected and open to poachers, mostly from outside the area. Eventually, Namibian NGO's formed a game guard system with people from the community, and interest in the welfare of the wildlife increased. After halting the poaching activities, there were many ideas on how to conserve the area and its resources sustainable.  Damaraland is one of the most interesting and dramatic regions in the country. This area is a vast unspoiled wilderness of magnificent scenery, where the endangered black rhino and the rare desert elephant roam. Between beautiful unspoildd wilderness and unsurpassed desert scenery, unusual geological formations, archaeological sites and a unique variety of fauna & flora lies Twyfelfontein Lodge. Nestling among rugged boulders at a high elevation, affording panoramic views over the pristine surroundings

Accommodation: Twyfelfontein Lodge (full board, drinks extra)

Day 8: 04 August 2004 - To Kamanjab Himba Village

This morning we photograph the Bushman engravings and other interesting geological formations in the surrounding area. A vast and rugged terrain. Its mountain ranges are intercepted by wide gravel plains which run into sandy, vegetated riverbeds and hot, dry valleys. Twyfelfontein has one of the most extensive accumulations of pre-historic rock paintings in Namibia. Experts believe that the drawings originate from hunting bushmen (San), who were in wait for wild animals at the waterholes and perhaps attempted to secure their good luck by engraving the rocks.

Later in the day we head further north to Kamanjab where we camp next to a Himba Village.

Accommodation: Fully Serviced Camping (full board, drinks extra)

Day 9: 05 August 2004 - Himba People

Namibia is the home of the about 6000 Himba. The friendly people are closely related to the Herero. Both ethnic groups speak the same language. The Himba are a pastoral people. They predominantly breed cattle and goats and lead a nomadic life. Depending on the time of year, they move with their herds to different watering places.Clothes, hairstyle and jewelery are all of particular significance to the Himba and are part of their tradition and culture. Even newborn babies are adorned with pearl necklaces. When the children are a little older, bangles made of beaten copper and shells are added. The proud Himba women take several hours for beauty care every morning. The entire body is rubbed with a cream, which consists of rancid butterfat and ochre powder. The aromatic resin of the Omuzumba bush is added as well. The cream lends the body an intense reddish shine, which corresponds to the Himba ideal of beauty. The ancient tribe of semi-nomadic pastoralists occupied Kunene region of the country. The Himbas (who are relatives of Herero) are an extraordinary people who have resisted change and preserved their unique cultural heritage. The Himbas were impoverished by Nama cattle raiders in the middle of 1800's and then forced to be hunter-gatherers. Because of these events they were called the Tjimba, derived form the word meaning aardvark, the animal that digs for its food. Many Himbas fled to Angola where they were called Ovahimba, meaning 'beggars'. They left with their leader called Vita (''war''). After World War 1 he resettled his people in Kaokoland. Since these events the Himbas were living their nomadic pastoralist lives. But now more and more they have to reconcile traditional ways with European values. One of most interesting rituals of these people is that of the ritual fire, the ''okoruwo''. The fire provides contact between the living and the dead, which is necessary for harmonious living and keeping the ancestors happy. It is kept alive until the death of the headman. When this happens, his hut and the fire is destroyed. His family dance in mourning throughout the night. Before his burial everyone says to him: "Karepo nawa" (''keep well''). Later a fresh mopane tree is lit from the embers of the old fire.

Accommodation: Fully serviced Camping (full board, drinks extra)

Day 10: 06 August 2004 - To Etosha

We turn east and head for the Etosha National Park. World-famous for its remarkable wildlife, the park centers on the Etosha Pan - a vast saline pan stretching 120 km from east to west, and 55 km wide. If the land has been lucky, the pan will be filled with water from the rainfall in the catchment areas of the Ekuma and Oshigambo rivers. Large numbers of zebra, wildebeest, elephant, giraffe and an assortment of other antelope can be seen on the open saltpans, while lion, cheetah, hyena and jackal are the most commonly seen predators. Our activities are centered around game drives. We overnight just outside of the Anderson Gate.

Accommodation: Gava Camp, Meru-tents with en-suite facilities (full board, drinks extra)

Day 11: 07 August 2004 - Etosha 

As you wake up, the first thing you will notice is the rich, clean air around you. Drink it in - it’s a treat for city lungs! A quick breakfast and we’re off - looking for the first picture of the morning. The desert has its own kind of heat. The sun bakes through the dry air, scorching everything it touches. Learn to appreciate the rhythm of the Etosha Pan - use the cooler early mornings and late afternoons for activity. But when the sun is high, slow your movements, learn to sit quietly and let the desert fill your ears, your eyes, your soul. There is no hurry here. After a leisurely brunch, spend a few hours resting in the shade, making notes in your journal or simply watching and photographing at the waterholes. The cool afternoon brings another game drive followed by sundowners and dinner in camp. Let the Milky Way be your night light as you fall asleep to the scuttling of small nocturnal desert animals (and possibly the roar of a lion calling its mate). This is an intense desert experience - let it seep into your bones as you sleep. 

Accommodation: Gava Camp, Meru-tents with en-suite facilities (full board, drinks extra)

Day 12: 08 August 2004 - Etosha Namutoni

Our photographic game drive takes us east through the Park to Namutoni. We enjoy a picnic lunch along the way.

Accommodation: Mokuti Lodge (full board, drinks extra)

Day 13 & 14: 09 & 10 August 2004 - Etosha Namutoni

Each day in Etosha continue to commence just before sunrise with a light breakfast, as we don't want to miss the daily soap opera of dramas unfolding around the various waterholes.

Accommodation: Mokuti Lodge (full board, drinks extra)

Day 15: 11 August 2004 - Phantom Farm Lodge

Now, we have to make our way south again. Otjiwarongo (which means pleasant place) is the last town before we reach the farm Phantom. One of the few successful dual game and cattle farms in Namibia.  We hope to reach Phantom in time for an afternoon drive that will explain some of the workings of the farm and offer some excellent opportunities for scenic photography. This evening will be our last dinner together. Already sadness touches the group as we prepare to say goodbye - but with so many incredible experiences shared, the bonds between us will not be broken easily. We believe that we’ll see you again - after all, Africa is on your blood now.

Accommodation: Phantom Farm lodge (full board, drinks extra)

Day 16: 12 August 2004 - To Windhoek to depart

After breakfast we head back to Windhoek in time for your flight out. This concludes your Namibian safari. We hope to leave you with Africa resonating in your soul - and a longing in your heart to return to its desolate beauty, its night skies, its rich sounds and scents.