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Our day tours leave at approximately 08h45 and return around 17h00. You will be collected from your hotel in the morning and dropped off at the same point at the end of the tour. All tours include a full meal at lunch time, soft drinks throughout the day and National Park fees. Our picnics are an event in themselves: home made bread and pâtés, lasagnes and rice dishes, salads and fruit, freshly made cakes and coffee ... all enjoyed in the middle of nowhere with spectacular views to boot! During the day we stop frequently to get out of the car and explore. We attempt to provide an understanding of the environments we visit, and work on the principle of interactive, interpretive guiding. Each tour involves some walking, but we take care not to overtire guests who prefer not to walk too far. In addition, tours usually involve some fairly adventurous driving in off-road and desert conditions. Our guides are highly experienced in this type of driving and always observe strict guidelines for your safety and for the conservation of the environment.
The Turnstone Tour to Sandwich Harbour begins when you are collected from your hotel at about 08h45. You drive along a beautiful dune chain adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, zigzagging the original railway line between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. This is an opportunity for a detailed look at the formation of 'the world's oldest desert' - its origins, its composition and its movements. Your
first stop is at ' Bird Rock '- a guano island inhabited by 200
000 birds and one of the first examples of man's efforts to utilize
the rich natural resources of the area. The Lagoons at Walvis Bay and at Sandwich Harbour have been is designated
as 'Wetlands of International Importance', while the 'Bird Paradise'
at Walvis Bay is also a key nesting and feeding site for thousands
of visiting and resident birds. A recent bird survey, overseen by
expert ornithologists from Namibia and South Africa, counted record
numbers of Flamingo, Plover and Tern between Walvis Bay Lagoon and
Sandwich Harbour. Other favourites, such as Pelican,
Avocet, Turnstone and a huge variety of waders can be seen, with
numbers peaking at around 170 000 in November. Several endemic species,
such as the Dune Lark and the Damara Tern, are also in the vicinity. This
section of the journey is as dramatic as the landscape, and it soon
becomes clear why Sandwich Harbour is often described as inaccessible!
Spring tides and shifting sands ensure an unpredictable route, but
as you approach the towering, wind-sculptured dunes at the edge
of Sandwich Harbour, there is a sense of entering a different world.
All that is left ofthe old The drive back home affords a last look at these haunting landscapes and a chance for reflection ... you will arrive back at your hotel round about 17h00. | to top of page | Namib Desert Exploring
the Swakop and Khan RiverValley
A journey northwards hugging the shoreline to the Skeleton Coast. You'll see lichen fields on the gravel plains, flamingos and pelicans on the salt pans, the bizarre seaside settlement of Vlotskasbaken, and Namibia's most northerly coastal town of Henties Bay. After visiting the seal colony at Cape Cross (one of the largest in the world), you'll head inland towards Damarland and the dramatically different scenery of mountainous semi-desert. At the Messum Crater (a massive impact crater of geological significance) you will see some of Namibia's best examples of Welwitschia. Please note that we also take day tours into The Spitzkoppe, and for fishing enthusiasts, we can arrange a day's angling from Namibia's famed fishing grounds north of Swakopmund. | to top of page |
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All
About Our Day Tours
Sandwich
Harbour
Turning
south, you begin the approach to Sandwich Harbour. This crosses
barren salt pans and vegetation covered hummock dunes, which shelter
small groups of Springbok, Ostrich, Jackal and Brown Hyena. Peregrine
Falcons, Pale Chanting Goshawks and Black-breasted Snake Eagles
can sometimes be seen hunting small mammals (such as gerbils, three-striped
mice and Cape Foxes) which share the dunes with a fascinating variety
of desert-adapted insects, reptiles and plants.
whaling station and its community of
traders and fishermen, is the freshwater lagoon, a solitary deserted
building and the strange greenery of this unique coastal wetland.
This is the setting for your picnic - a large hamper full of homemade
cakes, savouries, salads, fruit and drinks - and a spot of bird
watching. Some 40 000 birds - 34 different species - were
recorded in this area during recent surveys. Take a leisurely
walk around the Lagoon (an official marine sanctuary) and you may
also see seals, dolphins and even whales.
Leaving
from your hotel at approximately 08h30, this tour takes you
inland into a unique ecosytem of gravel plains, sweeping dunes
and river valleys. The first part of the tour focuses on a variety
of classic dune formations with magnificent views, providing
perfect opportunities to photograph the scope, shapes and colours
of the Namib. It is also affords a fascinating insight into
a world of reptiles, birds and insects living among the sand
dunes. We'll probably be able to track some down for a close
up view of gekos, lizards and harmless snakes - all uniquely
adapted to surviving in the burning sands of the desert. From
the dunes we travel across last century's railway lines and
back in time to a place known as the 'Horse Graveyard'. Here
the mass slaughter of South African military horses signalled
the turning point in South West Africa's involvement in the
First World War. It is also a good platform from which to take
a brief historical perspective of the area and get an insight
into the key role played by the Swakopmund and Walvis Bay enclave
in the development of Namibia.
We
venture deeper into the desert and the massive Namib-Naukluft
National Park via the Swakop River valley and the Moon Landscape,
formed over 460 million years. Botanically, this is like landing
on another planet: 1 500 year-old Welwitschias, lithops, hoodias
and mist-gathering lichens are unforgettably surreal. So - in
quite a different way - is the historically-loaded oasis of Goanikontes.
Once an important stop over for travellers heading inland from
the coast, the palms and blue gum trees which still haunt this
19th century Schutztruppe garrison, symbolise man's doomed efforts
to re-order the desert.
As
we head into the lower reaches of the Khan River Valley, there is
a chance to see Oryx, Springbok, Kudu, Klipsringer, Steinbock, Ostrich
and Jackal set against the harsh rocky landscapes of the pro-Namib.
Geologically, this area is of huge significance: from countless
small-scale mineworks of hand-hewn tourmaline and rose quartz, to
the largest open-cast uranium mine in the world. Their mineral treasures
apart, these geological formations are stunningly beautiful: marble,
mica, spider-web dolorite and granite cliffs provide interesting
short walks and climbs to explore the area. On the way back to Swakopmund,
we see yet another side of the Swakop River: an established community
of small holdings lining the riverbed. These range from asparagus
production, date plantations and olive groves, to small stock husbandry,
riding stables and a 'camel farm'. As with all our day excursions,
this tours returns to Swakopmund at about 17h00. Our delicious picnic
lunches, taken in splendid scenery, are not to be missed - nor is
the exciting 4x4 dune-driving necessary to reach the best panoramas!
Cape
Cross and the Messum Crater