Train trip: The Dunes Express to the east

The train departs from the station in Swakopmund at 11:00. The trip today goes to Otjiwarongo, where you will spend the first night on the train. Meals on the train.

You will be brought to Etosha National Park at 8:30 am, a beautiful piece of nature where you will look for wildlife. The members of the Big Five are just a few of the no fewer than 144 different mammals that live here. With an area of more than 22,000 square kilometers, this National Park in northern Namibia is one of the largest and best-known in Southern Africa. Etosha consists for the most part of savannah with different types of grass, trees and shrubs. The Mopane tree is the predominant vegetation in the park. In terms of animals you will find a wide variety including: elephants, white and black rhinos, lions, zebras, giraffes, wild beasts, leopards, cheetahs, impalas, kudu, jackals, moose and many other beautiful animals. So keep your camera ready in the coming days.

Located in the highlands of Namibia is the capital Windhoek, beautifully enclosed by the Auas and Eros Mountains. In this attractive city you will make a city tour (departure at 12.00). Part of this tour is a visit to the Trans Namib Museum where you will learn more about the history of the railways. A little further you visit the Alte Feste Castle (old fort), where the complex history of Namibia is central. The most famous building in Windhoek is undoubtedly the Evangelical Lutheran Church, completed in 1920. This structure is a mixture of different architectural styles. Finally you go to the Namibia Craft Center in the Oude Brouwerij where you may find a nice souvenir.

The city tour ends around 4 p.m., after which you climb back on board the train on your way to Mariental.

You will be brought to Sossusvlei in the Namib Naukluft Park at 8.30 am where you will spend the night. During the day there is time to discover the beautiful Sesriem Canyon that has been formed over millions of years by the Tsaucheb River that flows / flows through it. The name Sesriem was invented by the African explorers who had to attach no less than six (‘ses’) leather straps to each other in order to have a bucket in the canyon business to get water up. Dinner and overnight at Sossusvlei lodge.

The most famous dune in the area is probably Dune 45, so named because it is located 45 kilometers from Sesriem along the road to Sossusvlei. This dune is about 80 meters high, but is not terribly steep, making it suitable for climbing. Today you have the opportunity to watch the sunrise from Dune 45 and to change the color of the dunes when the sun rises higher in the sky.

The dunes owe their special red color to the amount of iron they contain: the older the dune, the more the iron is oxidized and the more intense the color of the sand becomes. The dunes in the area around Sossusvlei are called ‘star dunes’. The wind blows here from all directions and causes a star shape with multiple points.

Today you will leave at 9 a.m. for an excursion to two special places just outside Keetmanshoop: Giant’s Playground and Quiver Tree Forest. Giant’s Playground is also referred to as the “Garden of the Gods” and is a piece of land strewn with boulders in bizarre shapes and formations that most resemble a giant playing with blocks.

Kokerboom (or Quiver Tree) Forest is a special natural phenomenon, as Kokerboom is normally found lonely in the desert steppe and not with several in the same place. The tube tree is a tree from the aloe family and only a few species develop into a tree. This tree was useful for the bushmen because of the hollow branches that they used to make the sleeves for their arrows. Tubular trees actually always grow on or against a piece of rock, the rock absorbs the warmth of the sun during the day and releases it at night so that the tubular tree can grow in a more constant temperature.

After this interesting day you take a seat on the train that departs for Holoog around 6 p.m.

After breakfast you will leave at 9:00 am for a tour through Upington where you will visit the Donkey Memorial. You can taste delicious South African wines and brandy (brandy) at Belazel Brandy and Wine Cellar where you will also get a tour alongside a tasting.

Today an excursion is planned to introduce you to Kimberley. You will visit the Big Hole, a huge hole that arose from years of searching for diamonds here. The Kimberley mine was in operation from 1871 to 1914. You take a look at “the hole” with a width of no less than 463 meters. You will also learn more about life in the time of the diamond fever at the Diamond Mine Museum. The tour starts at 9 a.m. with a visit to the Big Hole Diamond Mine Museum. You can have lunch at a local restaurant (for your own account). In the afternoon you will visit the William Humphreys Art Gallery and the Mc Gregor House Museum.

One last breakfast and then it’s time to pack your suitcase again. You will arrive at 11:45 am at the station in Pretoria.