Namibia holiday 2018 - Travel report

Here is the travelogue of Ulrike Laupichler, who won the Namibia holiday from the LCFN lottery:

We were greeted at the airport by the driver who took us to Africa on Wheels, where we were able to take over our Toyota Hilux 4x4. The car was equipped with brand new tires and carried us almost 3,000 km through Namibia without any problems

Montebello Guest House

We were welcomed very warmly in the Montebello Guesthouse, despite the location in Windhoek it is quiet and the pool and courtyard invite you to relax. We used the time to prepare for the trip, repackage, etc., as a meeting with Namibian friends was due, the offered Windhoek city tour with Bwana Tucke-Tucke could only be partly taken part, but was an interesting experience.

Namib Desert Lodge

After a ride over the Remhoogte Pass, where we were caught again by the breathtaking scenery and the emptiness of Namibia, we arrived at the Namib Desert Lodge and were immediately surprised by the news of an upgrade.

We were able to move into our actual room with a magnificent view of the fossilized dunes. Then we were taken to the Dune Star Camp - with even more terrific views, a small desert hike with a ranger, a sundowner and a wonderful dinner ...

The next morning we drove early in the direction of Sossusvlei and were surprised by fog in the dunes - a dream. The look of Big Daddy is just terrific and the Dead Vlei worth a lot of photos.

The afternoon we relaxed at one of the 2 pools of the lodge and enjoyed the evening the buffet.

Hotel A La Mer

The next morning we went through the desert to Swakopmund, here again the cameras were claimed on the track ...

At the A La Mer we admired our room with a very original decor and bathroom before going shopping downtown, where we could buy many of our souvenirs and enjoy one of the nice cafes.

The bookstore was well worth a visit. The dinner at The Tug was so good we made a resevration for the following day as well.

We enjoyed the day on a dolphin ride in Walvis Bay - it was lovely with pelicans and seals on board, delicious oysters and dolphin sightings.

Twyfelfontein Lodge

At the Twyfelfontein Lodge we were surprised by the great location and the good adaptation to their environment.

The afternoon we spent in the Living Museum of the Damara. Only for us various things were demonstrated such as make fire, which plants are used medicinally and a dance and theater performance. We are glad that we have been given this opportunity.

Vingerklip Lodge

I was especially looking forward to this stop, because I already fell in love with this lodge 10 years ago without staying there - finally the opportunity arose to do so. The Vingerklip Lodge is wonderfully situated overlooking the Vingerklip and a beautiful park-like area, you will notice that everything, including the decor, was carefully composed.

We could not decide if we wanted to have our dinner in the lodge or on top of the Ugab Terraces, we would have liked to have a second night to take the decision ...

Etosha

After a rewarding walk to Vingerklip we drove to Etosha. Despite the heat, we had good luck with the wildlife sightings, especially at the waterhole in Okaukuejo, a water hole near Namutomi and a small cheetah family.

The accommodations were good, but the restaurant is not comparable to the supply in the lodges ...

Mushara

The next accommodation, the Mushara Lodge, on the other hand, was a real culinary highlight, but also the tent was very comfortable - only the heavy thunderstorm kept us from sleeping a little during the night. The afternoon we enjoyed reading comfortably by the pool in the most beautiful sunshine.

Roy's Rest Camp

After leaving Tsumeb we reached the probably most bizarre lodge of our trip - Roys Restcamp . Furnishings and decoration wer made from many old objects. On a short walk across the grounds, we could stretch our legs for a while before being well catered for at the campfire and at dinner.

Living Museum of the Ju / Hoansi

The journey to the Living Museum is a little trip around the world - but worth every kilometer ... certainly I would never have come there if we had not made this visit possible. We went with the bushmen through the bush, have learned how they gather and hunt, were allowed to make our own bow and jewelry. A longer program where time flew by.

Waterberg Valley Lodge

Our last stop was the Waterberg Valley Lodge with a terrific view over dinner and a rhinoceros game drive that could be admired on foot.

Conclusion: All in all, it was a wonderful trip and we thank all the sponsors who made this possible and I would recommend anyone who has the opportunity to visit one of the Living Museums. It is a great opportunity to get to know the culture of different peoples of Namibia.

Thanks to the sponsors

We want to thank our main sponsor Africa On Wheels - for the unbeatably low-priced rental vehicle and for their past and continuous support with vehicles for our project tours.www.africa-on-wheels.com

Info-Namibia: The bookings and organisation of the tour were conducted free of charge through our cooperative booking office Info-Namibia. www.info-namibia.com

2 nights of free accommodation were sponsored by:

Pension A La Mer in Swakopmund -– close to the beach, neat, cosy rooms as well as a friendly service. www.pension-a-la-mer.com

Roy's Camp, the “Out of Africa” bush lodge close to our Ju/'Hoansi-San Living Museum. Roy’s Camp is a regular supporter of the LCFN: www.roys-rest-camp.com

1-night bed and breakfast was sponsored by Montebello Guesthouse in Windhoek, known for their brilliant service, superb breakfast and good location: www.montebello.com.na

1-night dinner, bed and breakfast:

Vingerklip Lodge - breathtakingly beautiful Lodge at the Vingerklip: www.vingerklip.com.na

Mushara Bush Camp of the Mushara Collection - beautiful Camp with a superb location close the the Etosha Nationalpark: www.mushara-lodge.com

Waterberg Valley Lodge of the Waterberg Wilderness Collection – Situated at the paradisiacal Waterberg www.waterberg-wilderness.com

50 % discount for 2 nights bed and breakfast

Namib Desert Lodge of the Gondwana Collection – beautiful lodge close to the famous Sossusvlei: www.gondwana-collection.com

Once again we would like to thank all sponsors for their friendly and uncomplicated cooperation!!