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Namibia Holidays Road Trip Self Drive Safari Tours Etosha Namib Desert

Namibia Horseback Safari & Riding Holidays: Damaraland to Skeleton Coast

Namibia Horseback Safari: Skeleton Coast
Namibia Horseback Safari Riding Holidays Damaraland Skeleton Coast
10 NIGHTS FROM:
$5,740
Per person sharing
Scheduled flights quoted separately
6NYA10W
• Namibia Horseback Safari
• Riding Holidays, Damaraland
• Twyfelfontein
• Bushman Rock Paintings
• Huab Valley
• Ugab Valley
• Desert Elephants
• Great Plains
• Skeleton Coast
• Cape Fur Seal Colony

This exhilarating Nambia horseback safari is one of the best riding holidays in Damaraland. It is suitable for fit and competent riders only, as we ride from Twyfelfontein - where you will visit the famous Bushman Rock Paintings - along the Huab and Ugab River Valleys and across the Great Plains, to the inhospitable Skeleton Coast. Our ride finishes at Cape Cross, where we visit the Cape Fur Seal colony.

Day 1
You will be met at Windhoek Airport and transferred to your hotel in this small city.
  
Check in and relax under warm blue Namibian skies, before meeting your fellow riders and guide for a pre-dinner group meeting.
 
Note: You must bring your own helmet and riding boots (half chaps are advised rather than long boots) and good walking shoes. Wear comfortable riding clothing in neutral colours such as green, brown and khaki. Loose fitting cotton shirts are the most comfortable, with short sleeves to protect your shoulders. Avoid white or bright colours as these are easily seen by the animals. Also black and navy as these absorb the heat. Tight synthetic fabrics, shorts & skirts should also be avoided. Remember to pack sunglasses, wide brimmed sunhat, sunscreen, head torch, insect repellent, swimsuit and first aid kit with plasters.
 
All drinks are included while on the ride and at riding camp - but not at lodges, restaurants and petrol stations along the way. Single supplement will be waived if you are prepared to share lodge accommodation. Extra horse charge for riders over 85kg in riding gear.
Day 2
After an early breakfast we leave Windhoek and travel 5-hours across central Namibia into timeless Damaraland, home of the Spitzkoppe and Brandberg Mountains - the highest in Namibia.
 
We pass some fascinating rock formations in these vast uninhabited open spaces, where magnificent semi-desert flowers can grow after good rains. On arrival we check in to our riding camp near Twyfelfontein (meaning "hestitant spring") and meet the horses and staff.
 
NOTE: This is a tough ride in semi-desert conditions, so it is suitable only for fit and confident riders able to average 20 to 50 km per day at all paces, sometimes over rough terrain.
 
Although dome tents are provided, most riders chose to sleep out under the stars. Camp beds are provided and a bedroll (canvas bag with insulating mattress, down duvet and pillow), with bucket showers for ablutions. You are welcome to bring a fleece liner if you feel you might get cold at night, but extra blankets are available on request. Breakfast and picnic lunches are provided daily, with delicious evening meals cooked over an open fire. Tea, coffee and juice are always available in camp and chilled drinks, including beer and wine, are available in the evenings.
Day 3
Our first ride today is to the Aba Huab Watershed, where good going invites a few brisk canters, allowing you to get more acquainted with your horse.
 
We return to camp for lunch, after which we visit the magnificent San Bushman Rock Paintings at Twyfelfontein. The slopes of this area, which has been declared a World Heritage site, are strewn with boulders dotted with thousands of ancient engravings – making it a virtual open-air museum.
 
Our day ends with sundowners and a panoramic view of the magnificent wild scenery.
Days 4 To 7
With the rising sun on our backs, we begin our westward journey to the distant Atlantic Ocean, riding through the Huab and Ugab River valleys.
 
In these seasonal transitory river systems, the cycle of rainfall dictates the movement of game which is not concentrated. However we could encounter elephants, rhino, oryx, sprinbok and other desert adapted wildlife. Huge glacial valleys and impressive tableland mountains formed by erosion, with folds and fractures from cataclysmic eruptions, present a well preserved  snapshot of a land of great antiquity.
 
Note: Each day begins at sunrise as we depart around 8 am, with 4-5 hours of riding before lunch. After a break of 1 to 2.5 hours, we spend another 2-3 hours in the saddle. As this is a tough ride in semi-desert conditions, it is suitable only for fit and confident riders able to average 20 to 50 km per day at all paces, sometimes over rough terrain.
Days 8 To 9
Leaving the river valleys behind us, we cross the vast Great Plains with the striking massif of the Brandberg Mountain (meaning "burnt mountain") forming a dramatic backdrop.
 
Here the endless plains allow for some fast-paced riding as we approach trhe dramatic Messum Caldera, the eroded remains of a massive collapsed volcano.
 
Our last ride takes us to the ocean at last - the spectacularly formidable Skeleton Coast, so called because of the many wrecked hulks of stranded ships that dot the coastline. The cold Benguella Current results in some diverse weather conditions here, from hot desert easterlies to cold south Atlantic westerleys - a place of extremes!
Day 10
Our last day of riding today, as we reach Cape Cross.
 
Here we enjoy an excursion to the thriving Cape Fur Seal Colony, before we overnight at a comfortable lodge at the end of our memorable horseback adventure.
Day 11
A full day on the road today, as you transfer 5 to 6 hours to Windhoek Airport for your flight home.