Adventure, in an organised way
Having just returned from a Namibia tour with Richi this May/June 2022, I can only say I'd do it again any time. It has been the perfect adventure.
Stage 0: The preparation
Richi made a good job explaining, by video conference, what to expect. He had prepared a rough tour draft and provided a good overview of it, including some quite teasing preview photos. He explained the contents of the rental car and what he thought the daily routine would be like.
Stage 1: Meeting in Windhoek
Richi had taken care of organising our transport from Hosea Kutako Airport to the car rental agency. There the drivers were given a good introduction into the handling of the cars (the dependable Toyota Hilux) and the preparation and packing of the roof tents. We then assembled in the comfort of a lodge to sort out our stuff and to get to know each other.
Stage 2: The journey proper
Our tour was some 2500 km long, which was perfect for a 14 day holiday. I still admire Richi's command of management skills: His choice of roads and of campsites gave us all we needed to gradually develop the driving and wildlife skills required for the tour. Even those drivers who had not been used to gravel or 4x4 roads became confident after the first day that this was not a gruesome challenge, but that such driving would in fact be enjoyed. We had one hotel stop in Swakopmund, and, a welcome surprise, an over-night stay in a campsite with pre-made tents and beds at the end. In retrospect it is apparent how these stops prevented us from boring routine and exhaustion (and, for Swakopmund, from a night in cold fog and drizzle).
During preparation, Richi made liberal use of the word "spectacular", and he was so justified to do. Namibia is a country of overwhelming beauty, both in scenery and in wildlife. As we were generally not just hurrying form one campsite to another, there was sufficient time to stop by the roadside and take in (read: photograph) the scenery. I won't spoiler on the exact locations, but our appetite of e.g. Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Spitzkoppe, Twyvelfontein and Etosha was fully satisfied. Just let Richi take care of the itinerary, and Namibia will impress you. Oh, and better get used to getting up at 5am - there's plenty of reason why you will enjoy.
Among those reasons was Richi's self-made food, which also deserves the qualifier "spectacular". We had perfect braais, sandwiches, grilled meat, salads, you name it. There were spices available to cater for the different palates, and we had more than enough to eat. Also there were sufficient stops to fill in our private stashes of snacks and drinks.
Besides being an excellent cook, Richi was also an enjoyable host at table. He can tell stories that will entertain, surprise and sometimes scare you. Who needs TV or internet connections when Richi is available? Wifi was available sufficiently often, by the way. But this is adventure, not the comfort of your rocking armchair. So you shouldn't expect to be able to maintain a constant TikTok/Instagram thread to televise your achievements (unless you provide data transmisstion on your own).
The equipment selected by Richi was fit for its intended purpose. For three cars, one tyre needed to be changed on the road. Also, the gear was good enough to get us out of sand pits. The sleeping bags were really warm - a great source of comfort in Namibian winter with temperatures well below 10°C. The tents were sufficiently easy to build and to repackage. They included a foldable mattress which was surprisingly comfortable. During preparation Richi had recommended packing lightly, and I can testify how right he was: You won't need more than two short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts, there's plenty of occasion to wash in camps and your stuff will be dried next morning or even at the end of the day. There was a shower available on each campsite, and I think all had hot water if only by way of the donkey oven. Also electricity for charging cameras was generally available (missing on only 2 campsites, so a spare battery per camera was completely enough to fill the gaps).
In our tour most of the guests were German, but we had three Danish speakers and everyone got well along using English. In Namibia, English is understood anywhere, and sometimes even German. Besides, I never felt my security threatened anywhere.
Stage 3: Farewell
On our final day in Windhoek we dropped our luggage at the lodge and let the drivers return the cars. We had a good evening together at Joe's beer house (try the bushman's sosatie!) and a last breakfast together. Some of us continued their journey together with Richi to Botswana (and were envied by all others), for everyone else Richi had arranged appropriate airport transfers. I'm already looking forward to join on another of Richi's adventures.
June 9, 2022
Unprompted review
