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.extraordinary |
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.outstanding |
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Where:
The
Bushman walking safari experience is based loosely around Tsumkwe Lodge and
!Nhorma village, located in the northeastern region of Namibia just below
where the country becomes the skinny leg that pokes out further east. The
walking takes place in the Nyae Nyae conservancy which is home to the Ju'hoan
bushman. The conservancy can be accessed either by light aircraft - 3 hours
from Windhoek - or by vehicle - a 200km/3 hour drive from the closest surfaced
road.
What:
The
Bushman walking experience is based around spending 3 days and nights - walking,
eating and camping overnight - with a small group of men from !Nhorma village
- walking, looking for bush food and honey, setting their traps and hunting
small game with poisoned arrows in the traditional manner.
Firstly this is a safari for those who like to walk and want to experience what the bushman lifestyle as a hunter/gatherer was and what that same lifestyle is like today. Being on foot and following the bushman that is allocated as a personal guide to each walker is hard work and an intense experience of getting up close and personal with the iron age.
Secondly this experience is more intense and much slower paced than a game walking safari - this is more about the people, their customs and their personalities than about the animals.
If you are wanting to tick off seeing large numbers of wildlife and visit the cultural village before heading back to camp for showers and drinks around the pool - this is not the camp for you.
How long:
The
Bushman walking trail safari offers 2 different experiences - the first being
5 nights - this experience offers 3 nights in the bush camping, setting traps,
digging for spring hares and gathering bush food. The second experience is
7 nights - this offers 5 nights in the bush camping, hunting an antelope with
poison arrows, setting traps, digging for spring hares and porcupine and gathering
bush food. Unless you are really up for the experience of hunting an antelope
we would suggest you stick to the 5 night safari option. No matter which option
the walker chooses the first night of the safari must be spent at Tsumkwe
Lodge - to meet Arno and settle after the journey. The last night of the safari
will be at !Nhorma Camp, right next to the village - for many this can be
the most rewarding experience of their safari trip.
The
daily schedule on the Bushman Trail Safari is determined by the availability
of food sources, the bushman and the days priorities can be changed when you
are in camp, but a general outline of the routine is - dawn wake up call and
meet at the camp fire for coffee/tea and breakfast and then head off walking
when the sun is up to look for tracks, checking/setting the traps, looking
for honey and digging for tubers and bulbs and trying to find an occupied
spring hare burrow. Lunch is eaten out in the bush and walkers return to camp
when the daily routine and hunting is over. It has been known to get back
to camp at 3am after spending 9 hours digging out a porcupine.
Who:
The
safari trail is lead by Arno Oosthuysen, he and his wife Estelle have lived
in Bushmanland for the last 15 years, they own and run Tsumkwe Lodge - situated
on the outskirts of Tsumkwe town. The village of !Nhorma is where the bushman
safari guides live, the number of guides (the ratio is usually 1 guide to
2 walkers if the camp is full) and who they might be is dependant on the size
of the walking party and what is planned for the safari. Arno works with four
teams of four guides/hunters from the village. We walked/hunted with Mossie,
Josef, Soa and Dam.
The
bushman guides do not treat walkers as customers or guests, they treat the
walker as part of the hunting and foraging party. The walker will be expected
to carry their portion of the load - this means digging, fetching wood, setting
traps, climbing trees, crawling when stalking etc. so you will need to be
quite fit.
Just to note - if the bushman guides don't really take to a walker the experience
can be a bit flat, so I advise walkers to be really nice and friendly (this
is about personality - not money) to get the most from the safari experience.
Both Arno and Estelle are very involved with community development and it
is worthwhile taking an hour or two one evening to have chat about what can
be done for whom if you are interested.
Camp:
This safari camp is a pure mobile tented camp that folds up and fits into the back of a pickup truck. The camp consists of the main mess area around the fire - surrounded by domed insect proofed tents with a shared short drop latrine style toilet. The mobile camp caters to a maximum group size of 6 walkers.
The
insect proofed tents are large enough to stand upright in and are equipped
with bed-rolls, these are a canvas sleeve containing a thin mattress, pillow,
duvet and linen. Each bedroll sleeps one person and tents can sleep 2 people
sharing. The camp relies on paraffin and battery lights at night, Arno will
have a light on the vehicle which is normally near the centre of camp.
This style of mobile camping is really comfortable, but with few luxuries
- this is my favourite nights sleep, the way we used to do it as children
- proper camping.
Tsumkwe Lodge - where walkers spend the first night of the safari - has hot
running water, flush toilets, cold beers, good food and a swimming pool. It
is quite literally the shining beacon of civilization for visitors to Bushmanland.
It is here that you will get to meet Estelle who arranges the logistics and
offer the backup for the safari.
!Nhorma
Camp - where walkers (we hope by this point hunters) spend the last night
- is a tented camp with ensuite falcilities (including flush toilets and hot
showers) on the edge of !Nhorma village. The camp is owned by the village
and operated by Tsumkwe Lodge on a contract basis.
| Facilities | Description |
| Safaris | Full day walking safari for 7+ hours |
| Tents | Dome tents |
| Tents are insect proofed with mosquito netting | |
| Tents contain 2 x bed rolls with mattress, linen, pillow and duvet | |
| Insect repellent is supplied | |
| Torch/flashlight is supplied |
| Bathrooms | Guest tents share toilet tent. |
| There is no running water in camp | |
| Toilets are "short drop" latrine style toilets | |
| Showers are bucket showers - on pulley system | |
| Hot water is heated by hand on the fire |
| Meals and drink | 2 main meals a day - breakfast and dinner |
| 1 light meals a day - picnic lunch in the bush | |
| Meals are home cooked and prepared from fresh | |
| Bottled water is supplied | |
| Walkers need to nominate a prefered drink for evenings | |
| Most local branded drinks are included in the price |
| Power | Vehicle battery used for radios and camp logistics |
| Wood and gas to cook and heat water | |
| Paraffin/Kerosene for hurricane lamps in camp and the tents |
| General | Malarial area - we recommend malarial prophylactics be taken |
| Closest doctor is in Grootfontien - 3 hour drive away | |
| Closest large modern hospital - in Windhoek 3 hours flying |
Meals and drinks:
Breakfast
and dinner are eaten around the fire, Arno does supply chairs, tables and
all the table linen including more crockery and cutlery than you could poke
a stick at. The meals tend to be very simple fare and are prepared by Oza
and Kxao who are the cooks/camphands. These two are great fellows, quick with
a smile and even faster with a cold one.
Breakfasts offer cereals and a cooked breakfast, dinners are mostly barbeque (braai) or casseroles (potjiekos). Lunch is a normal picnic style with sandwiches and fruit. All drinks are included in the price, but you need to choose you preferance back at the lodge on the first day - there just is not enough space to bring a whole bar selection into the bush. I always go for the lager - I find a cold beer at the end of the day does help the dust settle.
Safaris:
If
you are not interested in the bushman culture and feel squeamish about killing
animals and birds for food - do not try to book this safari trip - you will
hate it! This safari is for the more adventurous who want to experience the
life of a hunter/gather - this life is no longer lived by the bushman - but
these men lived it in their youth and offer up their experience as guides.
This trip is for the more committed walker who is keen on authenticity.
The
safari operates on a routine - setting off for the days walk after breakfast.
The first task is to head to the trap lines and clear and re-set the traps.
This will be done again at the end of the day when walkers head back to camp.
The morning is a great time to walk, it is cool and fresh and the ground is
covered with wildlife footprints from the nights excursions.
At
breakfast Arno and the bushmen guides will discuss where to head and what
the general focus of the safari will be for the day, this needs to be fairly
flexible as the focus can change depending on what is discovered in the mornings
tracks.
For
the 5 and 7 night safaris the experience is broken down into two parts - training
and hunting. A day or two is spent learning the surival skills - making fire,
making and setting traps, digging for water and general food plant recognition.
The following days of the safari are spent setting and checking traps, hunting
- hares, porcipines, guinea fowl and searching for honey. Honey is like sugar
for the bushman - so really sought after and just about anything will be done
to find and harvest some from a hive.
The
days can be really tough with long distances covered in very hot and dusty
conditions, this varies and sometimes the day can consist of spending 9 hours
sitting around in the shade while everybody in the party takes turns to dig
a porcipine out of it's burrow.
Walking
in an environment where the chances of interacting with dangerous wildlife
is high does require that you acknowledge the risks involved and listen to
the experts - your guides. Arno will be armed with a rifle when you are out
on safari. All the bushmen will carry their bush bags - these contain an axe,
throwing sticks, digging tools and a bow and arrow. All these guides have
extensive bush experience and know how to deal with potentially dangerous
situations, it is very important that they can trust you to obey an instruction
in a pressure situation (like "stand still" when an elephant gets
quite close) - keep this in mind when you consider booking a trip.
At
the end of the safari the last night is spent in !Nhorma village, this can
for many people be the highlight of the safari. Gnereally the village teems
with activity as the hunters return from the bush and traditional welcoming
games are played and songs sung. Later in the evening the villagers get together
and sing "healing songs" and preform spiritual healing - this can
sometimes lead to trance dancing that go through the night. Awesome!!!
Equipment:
Footwear - With this being trail you are going to need a good pair of walking shoes, I would suggest that you get a pair of light boots that do offer some ankle support. As a suggestion I would recommend that you look to get a pair of boots with a "Vibram" sole. If you do have a set of gaiters these will also be useful and some of the grass seeds and thorns can be a challenge. At least 4 pairs of good walking socks are essential.
Clothing - You will need to have clothing that is bush coloured - greens, browns and khakis. Try to avoid white, red, yellow and orange as these will not help you blend in. We suggest that you wear long trousers for the walking as this offers extra protection for your legs from bites and scratches. Long sleeve shirts with collars are also useful to keep off the sun during the day and insects in the evening. A good hat is very important, especially if you are challenged - in the hair follicle department like Iain is. We suggest a broad brimmed 'cricket style' hat (again a muted colour is important) - a baseball cap is also useful when you are in the vehicle as it does not get in the way. A good pair of sunglasses are also very useful for both glare and dust - we suggest that you use polarised lenses if you can.
We always take our "Leatherman tools" - a sort of tough Swiss Officers knife - on safaris and walks with us. These tools are fantastic and really handy - from popping a blister or repairing a boot to opening a cold beer - we try not to leave home without one.
Binoculars and Cameras - One of the most important pieces of equipment you can have when you are walking is a top quality pair of binoculars. The best makes are Leica, Nikon, Swarovski and Zeiss - these makes have top quality lens and the products are tough enough to be knocked around a bit without falling to pieces. The magnification you are looking for on a good pair of binos is about 10x40. This allows enough light into the lens for the amount of magnification - giving the user a clear image.
Without getting into the digital vs film debate for SLR's, I would suggest one of the top brands of camera body - Cannon, Leica, Nikon or Pentax. I use an Nikon or Cannon body. More important than the camera bodies are the lenses - these are what light has to pass to get to the film or memory chip in the camera body - if you have poor lenses it is far more difficult to take top pictures. I suggest that you look to take 3 basic lenses on safari. A short lens - 35mm, a medium zoom lens -70 to 210mm zoom and a longer fixed lens, say about 300mm. The F-stop of these lens is quite important if you are planning to be serious about your photography - the lower the F-stop, the greater use the lens will have. I usually take a small digital for people and location photographs and the SLR's for the juicy stuff.
For all your equipment I do recommend that you store it in dust/splash proof bags when not in use. Water and dust do not mix well with film or lenses. Ziploc's do work rather well in a squeeze.
Chat to Iain if you have any further questions about equipment you should take on this walking safari holiday.
Prices and season:
<<< Safari Itinerary including Walking with Bushman >>>
Namibia is fast becoming an expensive destination, however there are a few 'niche experiences' that are still good value for money even in the "High Season", the Bushman Trail is definately one of these. The high season tends to be the dry months when the waterholes of Etosha are most productive and daily tempratures cooler - June, July, August and September. It does seem strange that this period coinsides with the northern hemisphere summer holidays - maybe I am just a cynic!
Details |
Prices
in USD |
| Flights to !Nhorma Camp |
| Flight Windhoek/Tsumkwe - 5 seat Cessna 210 | $1675 per aircraft |
| Flight Palmwag/Tsumkwe - 5 seat Cessna 210 | $3055 per aircraft |
| Luggage Limit in light aircraft | 12,5kg per passenger |
| Excess luggage can be stored securely in Windhoek | At own risk |
| Suggest walkers wear their boots for the flight |
| !Nhorma Camp daily rate |
| !Nhorma Camp 2006 - all inclusive | $360 per person sharing |
| Single supp 2006 - all inclusive | $ 45 per person |
| Tsumkwe Lodge daily rate |
| Tsumkwe Lodge 2006 - all inclusive | $360 per person sharing |
| Single supp 2006 - all inclusive | $ 45 per person sharing |
| Bushman Trail 5 day packages: including first night at Tsumkwe and last night at !Nhorma |
| 5 Day Bushman Trail 2006 - all inclusive | $1540 per person sharing |
| Single supp 2006 - all inclusive | $192 per single |
| Bushman Trail 7 day packages: including first night at Tsumkwe and last night at !Nhorma |
| 7 Day Bushman Trail 2006 - all inclusive | $2260 per person sharing |
| Single supp 2006 - all inclusive | $282 per single |
| !Nhorma Bushman Trail Child policy |
| No Children under the age of 16 years | over 16's charged full price |
Booking:
| Booking information |
| bushman@walkingwithwildlife.com | |
| Telephone UK | +44 (0)781 889 1847 |
| Payment | Full payment required in advance |
| Credit cards, cheque and bank transfers accepted | |
| Any extras are settled in cash on departure from camp | |
| US$, GB£, Euros and Namibian Dollars are accepted | |
| Travelers cheque's are accepted |