A loop around Namibia

[TraceyK90]

Many years ago we lived in Namibia and have always wanted to go back. So after a bit of planning we head back in just over a week with the whole family, hubster, Mr8 (who will turn nine over there), Mr7 and Miss6. We have about three weeks to do this. Flying over on Qantas after an overnight in Sydney.

This is the general plan.

• Windhoek surrounds
• Otjiwarongo surrounds
• Etosha National Park
• Twyfelfontein
• Swakopmund and surrounds
• Sesriem / Sossusvlei
• Namtib Biosphere Reserve
• Lüderitz and surrounds
• Fish River Canyon
• Noordoewer surrounds
• Springbok surrounds
• Cape Town

Internet will be limited but I'll try and post as we go.

 

[Steady]

Sounds like a you are in for a memorable three weeks. I looked across the border into Namibia about 12 months ago while on a safari cruise in Chobe game park and hearing of your upcoming trip took me straight back - thanks. Cape Town is on my bucket list, Ii'm looking forward to your TR - with plenty of photos of course.

 

[RooFlyer]

Envy! :mrgreen: I had the opportunity to do Namibia and the Okavango Delta for about 3 years when I was travelling to Sth Africa somewhat regularly on business. Always thought "too busy this trip ... next time" and of course never got around to doing it.

So will follow this TR with interest.

 

[LadyC]

Sounds great. The gentleman and I spent 10 days in Namibia last year and loved it. Lots we didn't see unfortunately but would love to go back. Will be interested to read your travels

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Many years ago we lived in Namibia and have always wanted to go back. So after a bit of planning .

I look forward to your posts.

I am going to somewhere in Southern Africa next year and am keen to "self-drive".

You say general plan, and so I assume that you are driving yourself.

So I am interested in your planning, and not just what you see. So if you could write some detail on this I would be interested.

Are you renting a vehicle? If so how, and who off.

Navigating yourself, or following a companies suggestions.

Have you pre-booked accommodation? Are you camping or staying in lodges (etc)?

 

[JohnM]

Having just today arrived back from my African safari, I will be most interested in your TR. Namibia proper was not on my tour, just the little bit at Chobe.

I was told by people managing the camp I stayed at in the Okavango Delta that Namibia is particularly well set up for self-drive; Botswana not so well.

They said there are companies that rent the camper vehicle and will also organise an itinerary and your accommodation. I intend to look more closely into this over the coming weeks.

 

[zig]

Looking forward to your TR to a part of the world I haven't visited yet. I have done South Africa, Chobe and Vic Falls, so will follow with interest.

 

[TraceyK90]

We found Namibia to be pretty safe and easy to get around by ourselves and a guidebook. We are self driving and have hired a Hilux 4x4 with a canopy and a car fridge. It actually worked out to be cheaper to use a travel agent (I checked all the rates) plus with a family of five, not many places are set up for families so Clive has been able to coordinate it. It is all prebooked, its a busy time so we didn't want to risk it. The only thing was we couldn't get accommodation inside Etosha at the NWR resorts which I would recommend especially Okaukuejo and Halali. They have had refurbs and look pretty good compared to what they were like.

As for planning I pulled out a map and we looked at what we loved, what we didn't get to see and made a loop. We arrive into Windhoek (SAA, BA and Air Namibia all fly from Johannesburg) and head straight out. Its not a bad city but we really wanted to get the kids out to see the country asap, so have a game farm about an hour our of the city as our first night. I think we are covering a lot of the main 'attractions' but not the Skeleton Coast and northern Namibia, mostly due to time constraints.

The TA we used was Clive Jones from Suricate Tours & Safaris, I can pm his details if you want.

 

[TraceyK90]

Actually I do have one thing to sort out.....any suggestions on who to credit the JNB to WDH flight to? Its on South African.

 

[TomVexille]

Actually I do have one thing to sort out.....any suggestions on who to credit the JNB to WDH flight to? Its on South African.

You can still credit to QF until September 30.

Otherwise are you a member of a *A FFP?

 

[LadyC]

You can still credit to QF until September 30.

Otherwise are you a member of a *A FFP?

You might just want to check that. I credited to SQ when I flew last year. I thought only domestic SA flights were creditable with QF.

 

[TomVexille]

You might just want to check that. I credited to SQ when I flew last year. I thought only domestic SA flights were creditable with QF.

You may be right. And I may have missed the domestic requirement.

 

[TraceyK90]

Yeah that was what I was going to do until I realised it was international. I think US Airways are still a partner.

 

[TomVexille]

Yeah that was what I was going to do until I realised it was international. I think US Airways are still a partner.

It appears so

US Airways | Earn More Miles - South African Airways

 

[TraceyK90]

Hmmm looks like this TR wont be live due to internet stability. However it has been amazing and there are heaps of great photos to come. Hopefully in a day or two when we are on the coast I can get some up.

 

[TraceyK90]

Day 1 Off to SYD
After arriving at the airport we tried to check the car into the long term car park. It was prepaid and all we had to do was insert the credit card used for the booking and we would be away…..not so quick and after 20 minutes the gate decided it had had enough fun with us and let us in. Checked in for the Mackay to Brisbane flight and then Brisbane to Sydney. It was slightly cheaper to do the two flights and we were not in a rush, plus it was book during the double SC offer late last year. Small people were provided with a stack of kids magazines and a snack.
Flight was a little late so it was a quick changeover and onto Sydney. Spent the night at the Mecure, paid for on Accor vouchers. Its not the best program but hey its one of the hotel chains we use so anything is better than nothing. Internet was almost non-existent, the sign of things to come.

Meltdowns = 0

 

[TraceyK90]

Day 2 SYD to JNB
Up early and over to the international terminal for the SYD to JNB flight. Thanks to the hubsters P1 status, it was early enough for some eggs benny and a glass of bolly bubbles. Then onto the nearly 15 hrs to South Africa. Flight (QF63) was uneventful, kids watched lots of movies and one of them didn’t sleep at all, the other two fell asleep in the last 2 hrs.
So we get into JNB and find out one of the car seats had been lost, after an hour of trying to sort it out we decided to go to the hotel. The eldest doesn’t need one as he is just out of the range, I had put in a booster so he could have a better view out the window. Found out the next day it had not been loaded in SYD and would be on its way to JNB the next day or one after that. Don’t think we will see that again.
Spent the night at The Aviator Tambo. It is an airplane theme hotel, with the best looking front desk. Looks like a wing off a plane! They have a transfer bus that runs every half hour from the airport and it was a quarter of the price of the hotel right at the airport. Kids awake at 4am, not too bad. Breakfast at 6am, which was included in the rate.
No idea where the photos for the first two days are, not a clue. When they show up I’ll post them.

 

[TraceyK90]

Day 3 JNB to WDH and Elegant Farmstead
Headed over to the airport for the 9.30am flight to Windhoek. Flew SA74, jagged some cheap seats thanks to a flight alert, ended up being half the cost of what I had been looking at. However the cheapie seats meant we were in the last two rows. The flight had Y class only however did include lunch. This was the typical bread roll, salad, hot meal - beef stew and mashed potato or chicken curry and rice, I think there was a veggie option as well. Flight time was about 2hrs and it was fantastic to fly into Windhoek again.
Arrived and processed through customs and immigration. Interesting thing was we were called up separately so the kids had to be processed with me and the hubster separately. Airport was full of hunting tours so there was a bit of extra time getting bags out while case after case of rifles were bought out.
Then we had a bit of trouble……apparently the one way hire fee want paid for. So we called the tour company and they said it hadn’t. I assured them I had paid the car hire, one way fee and border crossing fee, so I had to pay the one way fee again. The hire car guy had got out of bed on the wrong side, so after a bit of his bad attitude and kids wanting to get out of airports we headed out….and found they had given us a minivan not the hilux4x4. So I went back to see my friend at the Budget counter and call the hire car company. No 4x4s to be had so we agreed to take the vw van and they would contact us at the first place as they would ‘make a plan’. Stomped right back out, had the hubster tell me I was correct and the line I was given about the hire car cost wasn’t correct, it didn’t add up and they had mucked up the booking, composed email in my mind, had to delete most of it. Stomped back in to do toilet runs for the kids. Came back out and had to do another toilet run, on a happier note the loos at the airport are spotless and working. Why can kids not pee at the same time?
Took a wrong turn coming out of the airport, get back on the right road. Did you know the vw vans have a gear stick on the dash????
All that was forgotten as we headed into Windhoek. Eldest spotted some monkeys on the side of the road, which was the start of getting their game eyes on.
Drove through Windhoek and onto Elegant Farmstead about a 150km drive.

Meltdown = 1 (me)

Pics to come

 

[Major]

Fortunately our days of travelling with young kids are well and truely over but I know what it's like.

Looking forward to your TR and pics

 

[TraceyK90]

Now we have made it back, lets try and get some pics and details up, all up it was fantastic and we are planning on a longer trip in 3-5 years around Zim, Zam and Botswana.

Day 3 - Elegant Farmstead

The set up was a couple of cottages (with thatched roofs of course) and some rooms. The main area is set up with a lounge (tv, games, coffee area), which guests are welcome to use. Then there is a pool (way too cold for us but not the guy from Germany), observation area, bar and dining area. There is also a fire pit with seating that is lit each night and an outdoor braai. Dinner was a set menu that included cauliflower soup, roast game (gemsbok) and milk tart. We didn’t get to desert as the small people fell asleep at the table. Miss6 was a big fan of the roast game.

Our room was two adjoining parts of a single cottage ie for smaller groups they lock off the back area.



The small bowl of fruit was devoured by middle child. At night while at dinner the beds were turned down and hot water bottles provided. Guess who had to make hot water bottle up tonight at home?

Bathroom



Given how dry a country it is, most places only have showers and use bore water. It is pretty mineral rich, tastes fine (we had no issues with tap water any where with either taste or tummy trouble) but we run our house on 100% rain water and are a bit soft in that regard.....so ended up with very dry skin.

Looking back at our rooms



A dry river bed with some kudu in the trees on the other side - don't bother trying to find them unless you are a fan of wheres wally. Heaps of better photos coming up.



Here is their link Home