Namibia Train Tour

NAMIBIAN TRAIN TOUR

DAY 1 Friday
WELCOME and DEPARTURE
Start arriving at Windhoek historical Railway station from 15:00 on this day. Your tour guide will
welcome you while you enjoy a hot or cold drink. The train will depart at 16:00 for Keetmanshoop, and during your settling-in you can browse through your program and get your first taste of the trip ahead.
Enjoy your first dinner on board after a visit to the lounge car.

DAY 2 Saturday
FISH RIVER CANYON, GIANT'S PLAYGROUND AND QUIVER TREE FOREST
We arrive at Keetmanshoop early in the morning.
We will visit Quiver Tree Forest, where around 300 specimens of this prehistoric tree, Aloe dichotoma or 'Kokerboom', can be found. They grow between 3 and 5 meters tall and their forked branches reach skywards, affording beautiful photo opportunities.
Enjoy the Giant's Playground walk-through, as well as the leopards on the farm.
Eroded over millennia, the Fish River Canyon is the second largest natural gorge in the world. Set in a harsh, stony plain, dotted with drought resistant succulents such as the distinctive Quiver Tree or 'Kokerboom', the canyon is a spectacular natural phenomenon. It took hundreds of millions of years to evolve into its current shape. Its full length is 160km, the width up to 27 km and the depth 550 m.
After a quick stopover at the famous Canyon Roadhouse, which is interestingly decorated with old car parts found in the region, we push further to Keetmanshoop for lunch (guests' own account).
The train journey continues to Aus at night.

DAY 3 Sunday
KOLMANSKOPPE, LUDERITZ and DIAZ CROSS
We will travel by bus from Aus to Luderitz (the train track is currently under construction). En route we may see the wild horses of the desert. A sight seeing tour in ghost town Kolmanskop, with lots of opportunity to take pictures, is an early highlight of the tour.
In Luderitz, a small and interesting harbour town with typical German architecture houses, it is likely that the wind will blow you away!
If the condition of the road allows it, we will pay a visit to the Diaz Cross outside Luderitz.
The train travels overnight to Windhoek

DAY 4 Monday
WINDHOEK
The city tour of Windhoek starts with a visit to the TransNamib Transport Museum. The museum is situated in the Windhoek Railway Station and was built from 1912 to 1913. In front of the building is the narrow-gauge locomotive (vintage 1900), which used to operate between Swakopmund and Windhoek.
The museum at the Alte Feste Castle offers a range of displays, including the Social History Gallery and the Independence Display. Both give an insight into Namibia's complex history.
At the top of Robert Mugabe Avenue is the Christuskirche or Evangelical Lutheran Church. This is one of the city's most striking landmarks, built from local sandstone and completed in 1910.
Romanesque, neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau styles influenced its design and Kaiser Wilhelm II donated its stained glass windows.
Our last visit is the Namibia Craft Centre in the old Breweries Building.
Tonight we will dine at the 'infamous' Joe's Beerhouse restaurant in Windhoek. A visit to this venue whilst in the capital is a MUST DO!
Late evening the train departs for Karibib.

DAY 5 Tuesday
OMARURU
For the next two days we will travel by bus. We leave Karibib for Omaruru.
Called the 'Garden Town' of Namibia, Omaruru is a town and constituency in the Erongo Region of Namibia. The town is situated near the Erongo Mountains, on the usually dry Omaruru River.
The town grew around a mission, built in 1872 by Gottlieb Viehe and now a museum, and was attacked in 1904 during the Herero and Namaqua Genocide. Captain Franke's Tower was built in this period to defend the settlement.
The town is known for its annual festival, its winery and for the dinosaur footprints at nearby
Otjihaenamparero. We will visit the biggest wine cellar in Namibia, the Kristalkellerei Winery – one of only three in the country! The white wine produced in this vineyard is unique and 'the tales behind the story' are interesting.
A unique feature in this town is the Tikoloshe root-carving factory on the outskirts of the town.
Hardly any visitor leaves this place without a souvenir bought at this interesting venue.
After the visit to Omaruru we travel further Northwards to Kalkveld before we engage a gravel road to the Vingerklip Lodge.
The train remains stationery in Karibib whilst we overnight at the Lodge.

DAY 6 Wednesday
ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

The tour departs early morning to the Etosha National Park. The park is one of the major sanctuaries for wildlife in Africa and was proclaimed a game reserve by German Governor Von Lindequist in 1907. The heart of the park is formed by the Etosha Pan (Etosha means 'place of dry water'). It is an extensive, flat depression of about 5 000 km².
The train is still stationery in Karibib whilst we overnight again in the Vingerklip Lodge.

DAY 7 Thursday
SWAKOPMUND / WALVIS BAY:
MOON LANDSCAPE, WELWITSCHIA DRIVE, WALVIS BAY AND DUNE 7
We depart from the Lodge and join the train again in Karibib mid morning. After a brief train trip we will do an afternoon's excursion into the Namib Desert and a stop at a lookout point over the valley known as the Moon Landscape. Soft overlaying levels of earth, deposited some 450 million years ago and eroded over millennia, created this eerie landscape.
The Welwitschia Nature Drive takes us from vast plains where herds of Oryx, Springbok and Zebra roam the supernatural landscape of these badlands.
Dune 7, located on the outskirts of Walvis Bay, is the highest sand dune in the area. It is an
unforgettable experience for those who feel inclined to challenge the height of this outstanding
landmark to admire the view from the top.
We then turn around to Walvis Bay. Strategically located halfway down the coast of Namibia and with direct access to principal shipping routes it is a natural gateway for international trade. We visit the Walvis Bay Lagoon, a great attraction in the Walvis Bay area. This tranquil stretch of water, its natural beauty accentuated by thousands of flamingos gathering at the rich feeding grounds, is over 3 000 years old. Because of its value as a wetlands area, it was declared a RAMSAR site (a
conservation pertaining to wetlands was held in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971).
The train remains stationary in Swakopmund overnight.

DAY 8 Friday
SWAKOPMUND
The day is spent at leisure with activities of your choice. Shopping, quad riding, dolphin & seal cruise, flight to and over Sossusvlei, etc.
SPECIALISED ACTIVITIES – OPTIONAL (own account)
SEAL AND DOLPHIN CRUISE (Highly recommended)

The cold Atlantic waters off the Namibian coast are home to a wealth of marine life, including two dolphin species and a large colony of Cape Fur seal resident at Pelican Point. The 1.3 m-long Heavisides' dolphins are seen less often. The Walvis Bay-based skippers are highly successful in tracking down the dolphins and giving their guests close-up views of the Cape Fur seals.
On this trip see how wild birds are fed by hand — even some very large Pelicans. Experience the thrill of dolphins leaping from the water alongside the boat, seals fed by hand, fresh oysters and cold sparkling wine on the calm water of the Walvis Bay Lagoon. This morning-only activity is an experience not to be missed.
Bookings are done on the train. (Morning; weather dependent).
OR
LIVING DESERT ADVENTURE – OPTIONAL (Highly recommended)
An exciting educational tour that explores the local dunes between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, and the abundance of life therein. Geckos, rolling spiders, scorpions, lizards, snakes, chameleons and skinks are some creatures to be found on this exciting tour. A scenic panorama drive across the dunes allows you to absorb and enjoy a variety of the beautiful dune landscapes while adding a little excitement to the tour.
Bookings are done on the train. (Morning; weather dependent).
ENJOY SWAKOPMUND
For those passengers who would like to enjoy the holiday town of Swakopmund, this is the day to do it.
Visit some of the any coffee shops with delicious apple tarts and other savories or go the marble exhibition. Spend some time at the Light house, the historical jetty or Tuck Boat Restaurant.
FLIGHT TO SOSSUVLEI — OPTIONAL
An optional flight to Sossusvlei can be undertaken in the afternoon, weather permitting. Duration = 2 hrs & 15 minutes. Bookings can be made on the train.
The train remains stationary in Swakopmund overnight.

DAY 9 Saturday
SPITZKOPPE AND NORTH COAST, HENTIES BAY to USAKOS
We depart by bus to the small, thriving town of Henties Bay (the town was named after Major Hentie van der Merwe) before continuing for Spitzkoppe.
Spitzkoppe is known as the 'Matterhorn of Namibia'. It rises to an altitude of about 1 800 m. Due to its striking features and outlines, it is the most famous mountain in the country. It is, however, by no means Namibia's highest mountain.
We make our way back to the train in Usakos in the late afternoon.
The train journey continues overnight to Windhoek.

DAY 10 TRANSFER DAY
A breakfast will be served on board the train.
If guests are transferring to a hotel, this will be arranged for them in the morning. If guests are flying from Windhoek International Airport, their flights may only be from 12:00 onwards.
End of tour.