11.03.2009 – News Flash – New Tourism Products In Namibia
Enviro-Kidz – Nature Conservation For The Future Generation
Last year, Namibia Wildlife Resorts initiated a new extraordinary project called „Enviro-Kidz“: Children from disadvantaged families should learn more about Namibia’s unique nature while getting to know the beauty of the country. In small groups, the kids are guided through Namibia’s national parks, the country’s most important cities and other tourism attractions in their home country. They learn about Namibia’s wildlife and landscapes, but also about nature conservation, waste management, recycling and conservation research. The project wants to give young Namibians the opportunity to get to know and appreciate the tourism attractions of their home country, and on the other hand, create awareness for nature conservation.
www.nwr.com.na
P.A.W.S. – People And Wildlife Solutions
P.A.W.S. (People And Wildlife Solutions) is a new volunteer project by Okonjima and AfriCat, supporting nature and wildcat conservation in Namibia. Africa’s vulnerable ecosystem and its beautiful wildlife are strongly interwoven. Humans have shaken the balance between animals and nature. P.A.W.S`s vision is to recreate this balance by taking small steps, one at a time.
Volunteers can contribute to the success of the project in protecting these fascinating wildcats and their natural habitat. Volunteers are, for example, asked to repair water troughs, fences, water holes and bridges. But also tracing leopards, releasing them into the wild, walking safaris, hiking trips with the Bushmen, lion viewing and game drives form part of the volunteers` daily life in the project. The concept was created in cooperation with the AfriCat Foundation – the largest organisation in the world, being particularly devoted to wildcat conservation and returning of cheetahs and leopards to the wild.
Volunteers should stay in the project for at least two weeks, up to a maximum of eight weeks. Costs are about 368 EUR (depending on exchange rate) per person (all activities, accommodation and three meals a day are included).
www.pawsnamibia.org
Following The Tracks Of The San With Wild Dog & Crazy Kudu
How do you survive in the harsh landscape of the Kalahari? How do you track a dangerous animal? Visitors interested in Namibia’s native people should go on a tour organised by Wild Dog & Crazy Kudu Safaris and experience the San`s way of life and their traditions. The operator offers three-day tours giving insights into this fascinating people’s culture and lifestyle. The San are said to be Namibia’s most ancient cultural group. The tour leads through the inspiring landscape of the eastern Kalahari. It includes a visit to a traditional San village. Guests learn about traditional dances, ancient tales and typical Bushmen dishes as well as hunting techniques and botany. The group overnights in simple huts or directly at the campfire under the Namibian starry night sky.
Rates per person from N$ 4.455 (about 356 EUR, depending on exchange rate). Transport, guide, activities, accommodation and meals are included.
www.wilddog-safaris.com
Stable Rates At Onguma, Mowani And Wolwedans
Following years of development, building camps and extending nature conservation areas, the tourism companies Onguma, Mowani and Wolwedans, united under the label Classic Safari Camps of Namibia, have reached a phase of high-level consolidation. According to Riaan Liebenberg of Visions of Africa, rates for Onguma and Mowani will not rise in the 2010 season. Onguma therewith offers excellent value for money on its campground and at the family-friendly Onguma Bush Camp.
Good value for money can also still be enjoyed at the luxurious Onguma Tented Camp and Onguma The Fort. Here, guests will appreciate the fascinating natural surroundings of the private reserve as well as unique architecture and Namibian culinary highlights. For true nature lovers seeking authentic nature experiences, the treetop houses at the Onguma Tree Top Camp are the ideal accommodation (with stable rates in the 2010 season).
In Mowani, stable rates for 2010 correspond with the largely finished refurbishment programme. The jewel in the Damaraland shines anew with twelve new luxury tents and the exclusive Mountain View Suite, offering unchanged rates for accommodation and nature activities.
Wolwedans has kept its top standard by successfully integrating the new flagship “Boulders Safari Camp” into the NamibRand-family and upgrading Wolwedans Dunes Lodge – and all this at stable rates for 2010.
www.ExclusiveTravelChoice.com
Okahirongo In The Kaokoveld Expands At The Kunene
Okahirongo Elephant Lodge near Purros in the Kaokoveld opened up in mid 2006. It belongs to the alliance “Classic Safari Camps of Namibia” since one year. The lodge translates its successful concept of exclusive nature tourism to the estuary of the Mariental River Valley at the Kunene. With the construction of the Okahirongo River Camp, the region in Namibia’s farthest north will gain more attention. The area has so far been kept exclusively for individually organised self-drive tours.
Catering for a maximum of 14 guests, Okahirongo River Camp will be an exclusive hideaway in the spectacular landscape of the most northern Kaokoveld. Five luxurious double tents, providing inside and outside showers and a large terrace facing the river bed, as well as one spacious family suite with two double rooms, will let a chosen group of guests relax from daily stress, unlike at any other place in the world.
Planned as a fly-in safari destination, Okahirongo River Camp also provides appropriate accommodation for guides and pilots.
Activities at the Okahirongo River Camp include visits to the nomadic Himba people as well as game drives tracking elephants and lions perfectly adapted to the harsh living conditions in the Kaokoveld.
www.ExclusiveTravelChoice.com
„Islands in Africa“ Broadens Its Portfolio
Several new accommodations now belong to the group „Islands in Africa“: In the beginning of this year, the Village Courtyard Suites opened up in Windhoek; last year, Epupa Falls Lodge at the Kunene River in the north of the country and Hobatere Lodge east of Etosha National Park welcomed their first guests. „Islands of Africa” therewith expands its portfolio including accommodation facilities located beyond the Caprivi Strip for the first time. Protecting the surrounding natural environment and supporting local communities as well as personal service are „Islands in Africa’s“ main focus at every accommodation.
www.islandsinafrica.com
Taking The Family To Namibia
The tour operator Southern Cross Safaris offers a special family safari to Namibia in its new programme for 2009. The 15-day tour was arranged according to the special needs and interests of parents and their kids. The itinerary was designed to minimize driving hours and it includes children-friendly activities like baking bread on a stick, barbecuing at the campfire, climbing, hiking, game viewing in the wilderness and dune sliding. The group rides in an authentic Unimog and overnights in tents under the open night sky or at cozy guest farms. In the evenings, at the campfire, the families listen to stories about the ancient lifestyle of the local San, learning about their fascinating traditions.
www.southern-cross-safaris.com
City Tour In A Double-Decker Bus
A city tour of the history-charged capital Windhoek is a cultural must-do in Namibia. Shortly, visitors may experience the city’s interesting history and vivid diversity from an open top double-decker bus. Sense of Africa is the first Namibian company operating two double-decker busses. The first bus will offer two city tours daily (including Katutura). The second bus was equipped with a bar on the ground floor and it can be booked for various events. The new tourism product was brought to life in joint cooperation with a Black Economic Empowerment Partner (BBEEE).
www.sense-of-africa.com
Namibia Country Lodges Expands Capacities
The Namibian tourism company Namibia Country Lodges runs altogether eight accommodations in Namibia’s most appealing regions. The lodges are, amongst others, located in the northern Ovambo Region, in the South Kalahari, in the Eastern Caprivi as well as near the Skeleton Coast. Last year, Tsumkwe Lodge was taken over by Namibia Country Lodges as a new facility. It is presently undergoing full refurbishment and extension. Capacities will rise to 20 rooms this year. The lodge offers several activities, among them a visit to a nearby San Village as well as hiking tours accompanied by a San guide pointing out medical plants and animal tracks.
www.namibialodges.com
New Camp For Safari & Adventure Co.: The Palmwag Lodge
Safari & Adventure Co., an independent affiliate of Wilderness Safaris Group, expands its portfolio in Namibia by taking over a new accommodation facility: the Palmwag Lodge. The lodge perfectly blends in the company’s philosophy as it offers Safari & Adventure Co.`s typical family-friendly atmosphere and adventurous wilderness.
Palmwag Lodge, a strong believer in sustainable tourism, is an ideal stopover on the way from Swakopmund or the Skeleton Coast to Etosha. Based at the lodge, guests may easily explore the surrounding region formerly known as Kaokoland. Its spectacular, rocky landscape is home to many different plant and animal species and it forms part of the 450,000 hectares large Palmwag Concession. This piece of land is well known for its typical desert animals like black rhinos, elephants and giraffes. The lodge is easily accessible via the C43 road or by plane using the nearby landing strip. Palmwag Lodge offers many different types of accommodation alternatives: Stretching from the vivid tent section to comfortable family chalets and tents created in Meru design at the shores of the Uniab River. Culinary pleasures and entertainment can be enjoyed at the pool, restaurant and bar.
www.safariadventurecompany.com
Contact Tourist Board:
Namibia Tourism Board
Maureen Posthuma
Schillerstr. 42-44
60313 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Tel. 0049 - (0)69 – 13 37 36 0
Fax 0049 - (0)69 – 13 37 36 15
info@namibia-tourism.com
www.namibia-tourism.com
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Über Namibia Tourism