Custom made African – Safaris in Namibia 2008

Asco Car Hire - Windhoek, Namibia 4x4 and car rental Your 4x4 and Camping Specialist

6–9 persons (3 cars) plus three guides/drivers at most.
For more information try (808) 205–3195 or e–mail:
info@detlev–henschel.com

Only dates left available in 2008: July 30^th – Aug. 13^th , 2008 and Oct. 28^th – Nov. 11^th , 2008

(if you can't make a perfect timing with your flight schedule, just tell us, we'll pick you up as we stick around anyway. Arrival two days prior to the Safari worked out fine for acclimation. Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, has an altitude of 6,000 ft. Leaving later, no problem!)

The former German colony Namibia is a SAFE country and the best time of the year to travel is twelve months a year! An honest word as we do know why.

These are unusual "Off–Road – Safaris" into the stunning and beautiful African real wildlife with fully rigged 4x4 Nissan or Toyota (four people each) into the Namib, Skeleton Coast, Damaraland, The Brandberg and due to the weather conditions Kaokoveld and Etosha Pan, (Bushmen Land) all of which are known for their harsh beauty and high diversity of wildlife – an unforgettable experience.

We normally do NOT use A/C as it turned out to be more comfort without for you at night as you get used to the climate, then. Short and day hikes as well as photo sessions are available at any time even sporadically, as we have no real time schedule! We might see the legendary desert elephants and/or one of the almost extinct last black rhinos, as well as lion, leopard, bob cat, cheetah, African wildcat, Zebra and all kinds of antelopes etc.

But please remember this is not a zoo where you can see animals "on demand" in cages! This is pure untouched nature where everything happens at random (If you want to watch copulating lions together with 24 other cars and busses on a Safari we heartily suggest Kenya or Ngorogoro Crater, Tanzania which is also beautiful or your next zoo). Namibia IS VERY different. It is mostly desert and bush land and no other cars stick around!

The route will be made up right before we take off together with a compulsory briefing and an ultimate African dinner at "Joe'S Bierhaus" known world wide by now. The reason for the late route planning is that we talk to our friends where to find out about the latest track (Afrikaans: pad, which is ANY drivable way) conditions and most important the LIFE (animals and plants) we ALL want to experience. Due to climate or migrating animals we might change the route anyway what happens all the time. We don't challenge the nature by crossing flash flooded rivers we try to be in harmony with it. We experienced there is no use of sticking to a planned route when there is nothing to see, a road block by a bunch of elephants and "trouble" is to be expected like, digging our way trough the desert. The route changes due to the rainy season and wind every year, too.
We sleep in mosquito safe (mostly ain't any!) roof tents by two, that means you should know your partner (4 ft wide only). We cook on open fire every night BBQing Ostrich, Zebra, Kudu, Oryx, Springbock steaks (due to hunting season) etc. and breakfast as well. Lunch will be on sparse to save time but dinner has always a special emphasis: the obligatory "sundowner" (to shoo the sun away), delicious game meat, drinks and stories around the fire to reflect the day while more or less invited guests ranging form grams to tons in weight might bump in and say "Hello!"

We do have water for washing but a shower has to wait may be three or four days (the animals like our smell better, then!) until we stay on a guest farm (comparable to a four or five star resort in the US), where is time to refresh and for more game drives and photo sessions as well as an English fashioned colonial dinner "in fresh clothes" before we take off again.
Within 15 years of experience everything even we could imagine had happened except ANY accidents! And we want to keep it that way, we don&lsquot make the rules the nature does and we do respect that absolutely. We had curious lions, leopards, hyena, schakal and elephants cruising through the laager when we were in the roof tents, we had lions warming around our fire, we had elephants wanted to be "hugged" and/or watching us at dinner (hyenas and schakals always do!), we had rain when there was no expected (no fire and cold beans for dinner), we had no track left when we were told there is (happy digging) and a farm was ransacked by elephants and we had to sleep in the roof tents without a shower but much more drinks and a huge fire (elephants don&lsquot drink beer!). Concluding : this is not Disney World but the real one!

The trip includes:
Full board on the whole Safari 3–5(6) Lodge–/Hotel– or Pensions, any costs of National Parks, transfers, transport, museums, guides, gas etc. no other costs occur except your private shopping.
We do only "custom made" safaris in Namibia for small groups 6 or 9 people with THE SAME spirit! There is no use to have seven people keen on photographing everything and two who complain about that all the time. Sorry but after being in business for 15 years we do know about that! You may tell us what you would like to see, drink!, eat!, what else you/your group desires, we tell you what&lsquos possible, how we are capable to do and how much it would cost. The price of the safari is due to your needs, length and how many nights you like to stay in a hotel, guest farm, lodge and where. There is no problem to skip the tent part to only guests farms, but you never experience THE Africa, then.

Namibia is an old German colony (official language: English, German, Afrikaans) and many prices we have to pay in Euro even though the currency is Namibian $. A price for a full board two weeks Safari offered above is about 5,000 € (Euro – 7,500 $ Feb. 2008) without flight. There is no limit upwards.
From the US you are able to reach Namibia by South African Airlines SAA (Star Alliance) via Atlanta – Johannesburg, South Africa – Windhoek, Namibia or US – Frankfurt, Germany – Johannesburg, South Africa – Windhoek, Namibia (or even direct Frankfurt, Germany – Windhoek, Namibia by Namibian Air).
We encourage you to have a travel insurance, check with your doc and read a bit about Africa and Namibia on the internet to make you eager what you can expect. Namibia is a fascinating and beautiful place!

Special arrangements!
Hike excursion possible for trained and rough heads only (1– 5 days as desired).
On foot and brewed your own sweat you can discover the extraordinary flora and fauna of "The Brandberg", which is in progress to become a World Heritage Area. To this hike we will invite old Damara Bushmen friends to join us and tell stories around the fire.

The Brandberg (native Damara: Dâureb) is a ca. 600 km² (320 m²) wide granite mountain range, which erects up to 2.600 m (8,000 ft) from the deserted plains of Namib Desert some 400 kilometres ( 220 miles) north–west of Windhoek.
An expedition into Brandberg is a challenge even among native people. Because of it's extremely seclusion, 60.000 very old rock paintings of a lost civilization have been survived in an untouched nature. This mountain can be a station for one's own journey into oneself. In the face of the timelessness of this colossal granite conglomerates to be able to listen to the leanings of the hearth, one can feel how thousands of generations have lived on this mountain. This mountain is proving enough by its sheer existence to be an island in the time in this fast–living world of today – a jackpot for a seeker.

(This is a five star hike and not for the untrained – extreme hard, 6,000 ft clime the first days to reach water – in harsh geography with no path inclusive granite slope climbing [2+ European grade, 50–60° slopes], safe steps on rocky environment as well as standing heights should be controlled! No water for a dip in, no cages but leopards and other creatures. Everybody has to carry his/her own equipment and water summarized about ca. 40–60 lbs! We've been up that mountain countless times for 15 years and written a book about that untouched peace of earth (www.amazon.de: Afrikas vergessene Welt – Der Brandberg, in German language so far) as well a TV documentary is in progress. Footage can be seen "Videos"

Recommended vaccination (but ask you doc, too!)
Polio refreshment
Hepatitis A and B
Tetanus
Malaria prophylaxis

Equipment on the "off–Road"–Vehicle:
Please, don't use any suitcases, they are difficult to store, use duffel bags, sailor's kitbag – dust proof – you can leave the suitcase in the hotel in Windhoek.
No Rambo knifes or guns needed!

Mosquito repellent and nose oil has been tested for great success. The humidity is sometimes lower than 5 % in the desert and pellet like dried blood trickle out of your nose (mucus "torched").