Damara Elephant Safari

11 Days | From £pp

Namibia ( Best airport: Windhoek International Airport)

Get ready for an unforgettable adventure in Namibia, a land bursting with natural wonders! Picture this: Damaraland, a wild and rugged playground, where the dramatic landscapes come alive in stunning colors. Join us on a thrilling safari from Twyfelfontein to the Skeleton Coast, where every turn promises excitement! This isn’t just any ride—expect heart-pounding encounters with elephants, rhinos, and maybe even a lion! It’s a challenge, so we recommend this epic horse riding safari for seasoned riders looking for their next big thrill. Are you ready to saddle up for the ride of a lifetime?

The Riding

Expect to ride 20 – 50 km per day at all paces over rough desert terrain.

From Twyfelfontein to the Skeleton Coast, the sheer remoteness of this challenging horse riding safari makes it unsuitable for inexperienced riders since encounters with elephant, rhino and even lion are possible.
On the other hand, this could be the most thrilling riding adventure of your life!

Level of Riding and Fitness

This is one of the most adventurous trails we offer and is only suitable for intermediate or advanced riders with a good level of current fitness. You must be able to mount your horse from the ground unaided, and must feel completely at ease riding at all paces and over uneven terrain. It is important to be secure and balanced in the saddle and capable of riding up to 50kms a day, often at speed. On the trail you will be responsible for grooming, checking over and tacking up your own horse.

We also recommend that any rider wishing to join this ride spends a regular amount of time in the saddle before this trip to be ready physically. The average time in the saddle on this trail is 6 hours per day.

Heavier riders can be taken by arrangement with a supplement for an extra horse. Additional horses are required for riders weighing over 85kg in riding gear.

Guides and Group Size

Your guides have been running these remote horse riding safaris for almost 30 years and are knowledgeable, attentive and experienced. They have travelled across these lands many times so you’ll be in safe hands.

Group size 5-12

Any questions?

The Horses

The horses are a mix of breeds, all are very fit and endurance trained. A large herd of horses and limited dates means that each horse only does a handful of safaris each season making them enthusiastic partners across the desert. Some of the breeds used are Quarter Horses, Arab, Haflinger, Lippizzaner, Trakehner, and even the famous wild horses of the Namib desert. They range in height from 14.2-16hh, are fast and sure footed. Raised on rough terrain, all of them make kind and reliable companions for the trail.

The riding is much quicker than other safaris, fast gallops and long canters, combined with the alien scenery of the desert. However the horses are well trained, responsive and know their jobs so the riding is extremely enjoyable rather than a struggle with an unwilling partner. You must come riding fit for this adventure, a wild ride with only a few dates released each year.

When not on safari the horses live as a herd in the bush, each horse generally working no more than a handful of safaris each season. The horses are mainly ridden in endurance saddles, snaffle bridles and on a long rein. They are well-schooled, responsive and experienced in the desert.

Accommodation and Dining

These are mobile safaris with lodge stays at the start and end. The lodges are luxurious, usually with swimming pools. While on the trail, you’ll wild camp on campbeds under the stars (or in dome tents if you prefer). Bed is a roll consisting of a waterproof canvas cover stuffed with a mattress, duvet, and two pillows. Everyone has their own bed-roll for the duration of the trip and this is rolled out over a campbed (90s style, also known as ‘put me up beds’ or stretcher beds). There are hot bucket showers available at all camps and three hot meals a day prepared by mobile camp chefs, to keep your energy levels up! There is a fully stocked bar available at each camp for riders to kick back and relax with their favourite tipple.

Come morning, your breakfast could be pancakes, frittata, porridge, or eggs and there is excellent Arabica coffee available as well. Lunch is also a hot, cooked meal as you are met again by the camp chef – this could be a pasta dish or wraps, meat and salads. Dinner, as cooked on the open camp fire, tends to be typically Namibian; think hearty stews, fish or vegetables with a dessert.

The menu is suitable for vegetarians but it is important to inform us of dietary requirements when booking – we will endeavour to accommodate your needs but please keep in mind that you will be in extremely remote areas making it difficult to cater to some complex dietary issues. Tea, coffee and juice are always available in camp with chilled drinks, beer, wine etc available in the evenings.

Gallery

Itinerary

Day 1 Welcome to Namibia! A shuttle service will collect you from Windhoek International Airport (Hosea Kutako) to your first overnight in Windhoek (your name will be on a welcome board). Meet your fellow riders and host/riding guide Andrew Gillies for sundowners and dinner at River Crossing Lodge. Andrew will give you a thorough briefing about your adventure..

Day 2 Day two starts with an early breakfast and then the exciting journey north (approximately 7 hour transit including a stop on the way for lunch) to our camp in the Aba Huab river. In the afternoon we visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Twyfelfontein with its 5000 year-old petroglyphs. Elephant sometimes walk through camp at night....light sleepers be warned.

Day 3-6 With the rising sun at our back, we begin our westward journey to the distant Atlantic. In these ephemeral river systems, the cycles of rainfall dictate the seasonal movement of game which is not concentrated, but we can en- counter elephants, rhino, oryx, springbok, and other desert-adapted game. Here huge glacial valleys, impressive tableland mountains exhumed by erosion, folds and fractures resulting from cataclysmic eruptions present a well preserved snapshot of a land of great antiquity. From the Huab we cross the mountains to the Ugab river valley, staying overnight at Save The Rhino’s campsite on the banks of the river.

Day 7-10 Leaving the river valley’s we now cross the vastness of the Coastal plains with the striking massive of the Brandberg (burning mountain) behind us now. Here good going allow for some fast-paced riding as we approach the dramatic Messum Caldera, the eroded remains of a massive collapsed volcano. Our last ride takes us across striking hyper-arid desert plains to the ocean at last - the spectacularly formidable Skeleton Coast, apparently so called for the wrecked hulks of stranded ships which dot this coastline. The cold upwelling Benguela current results in some diverse weather conditions from hot desert easterlies to cold south Atlantic westerlies and fog - a place of extremes! See blog on fog deserts We overnight in the small coastal town of Hen- ties Bay in a wonderful private house with the most spectacular view over the Atlantic Ocean.

Day 11 Early breakfast and transfer to Windhoek (just over 5-hour commute) arriving around 13:00 - in time for departure flights from Windhoek International Airport after 15:00