Amarula sponsors field guide training
October 10, 2013Excitement over start of Adventure Travel World Summit
October 11, 2013Compiled Marita van Rooyen
Namibia is an adventure destination to be explored and conquered all year round. This year the wide range of adventures on offer will be highlighted at the annual Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) scheduled to be held in the coastal resort of Swakopmund from 26 to 31 October, hosted by the Adventure Travel Trade Association.
We cornered a few adventure activity operators and picked their brains to find out what they regarded as the best options to leave adventure-hungry travellers with a smile of contentment. And this is what Caitlin Hanley, Marketing and Social Media Assistant, and Gemma Tidy, ex-river guide and frequent traveller, Felix Unite River Adventures, told us:
Canoes on the Orange river.
Why do you think Namibia is the ultimate adventure destination?
The Orange River winds its way from the Lesotho Highlands across South Africa where it meets with the Vaal River and then forms the southern border for Namibia. River rafting requires a certain level of water flow, which the Orange provides all year round, and at Provenance Camp, we are spoilt by the Namibian sun, making it an enticing location to spend a few days on the river. With water temperatures averaging 15 degrees Celsius, a four- or six-day river trip can be enjoyed in any season!
What is the best place in Namibia to live the adventure?
We like to live the adventure in southern Namibia. From Windhoek to Noordoewer, you can take the lesser-travelled route, and travel through the Sossusvlei environs and /Ai-/Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (with 4x4s). But when we’re back on home soil alongside the Orange River, we prefer to be on the water enjoying the largely untouched riverine environment.
River rafting on the Orange.
From which countries do your most enthusiastic visitors hail?
Definitely the Dutch. “Dis lekka, ja!”
What is your advice for people who have never been here, as in where should they go and how should they plan their first Namibian adventure?
I think the best advice when going somewhere new is firstly to speak to friends or family who have been there, as they are more than likely to have similar tastes to yours, secondly, to check out www.namibiatourism.com.na, which was designed to help new visitors.
On a scale of one to ten – one being a walk on the beach, and 10 climbing Kilimanjaro – where would you rate what you can do in Namibia?
- Exploring the quaint mining town of Lüderitz = 1
- A visit to Spitzkoppe = 2
- Game viewing in the Etosha National Park = 3
- Fishing at Henties Bay = 4
- Riding camels in the Swakopmund environs = 5
- Climbing the Sossusvlei dunes = 6
- River rafting down the Orange = 7
- Skydiving over Swakopmund = 8
- Doing the four-day Fish River Canyon Trail = 9
- River rafting on the Kunene = 10
