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Namibia 2008

Experience the diversity of Namibia's landscape – desert, the Skeleton Coast and on safari. Join us on our camping and 4WD adventure.
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CLOTHING AND BACKPACK PREPARATION
TRANSPORT
TREKS

CLOTHING AND BACKPACK PREPARATION

When preparing for an adventurous travel experience you need to have the right gear but not too much, so whether you are travelling for 2 weeks or 1 year our tips are:

Pack lightly
Always leave space for souvenirs and other purchases. Too much clothing in a backpack will put pressure on the weakest point in a backpack (the zips) and you may find yourself with a bag with no useable zip. If it's a struggle to close you have too much.

Sacrifice fashion
If you are going on an adventurous trip you do not need to take that favourite jumper or dress. Travellers have their own dress code – scruffy - so you will probably not wear it anyway.

Know the climate of your destination
Just because you going to the Andes or Tierra del Fuego in South America in the summer doesn't mean it will be warm. We wore gloves, hats, jumper and jacket when we visited. Check what “summer” means.

Required basics

1. day pack as well as main back pack
2. comfortable sturdy shoes. Even if you are not doing a full hike, these will be useful when exploring a town
3. sandals or flip flops
4. sleeping bag or sleep sheet if there is a possibility that you may stay somewhere a little undesirable
5. underwear
6. 2 or 3 T shirts
7. 1 fleece or jumper- whatever the weather
8. 1 jacket- if it may be cold
9. 1 light goretex jacket- for wind or rain
10. T shirts

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Toiletries

1. take what you need but remember that most countries sell most things
2. preferred sanitary protection
3. take contact lenses and saline solution, and your contact lens prescription
4. medication

Mosquitoes
If you are going anywhere where mosquitoes  are likely to be present, go protected.
If you are going to a mosquito hotspot like a tropical area in the rainy season, take a light coloured goretex jacket if possible. We visited the Peruvian Amazon in the rainy season and found the mosquitoes  were ever present and could go through all clothing other than goretex jackets, which we wore all the time despite the heat.

Mosquito nets: to take or not to take:
We think that if you're not sure, don't take them.  They are often a fag to put up and most places with a problem will either provide them or have a ceiling fan which often makes them ineffective. We have been bitten even when we have slept in nets as they either come in with you or find some other entry point.

Wherever you go take:
- good mosquito repellent (ideally with 50% deet)
- light coloured clothing- mosquitoes  are apparently more attracted to dark clothing
- advice on malaria. If there is a risk, take the pills. Malaria kills more people than anything else.

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TRANSPORT

People worry about how they are going to get around a country they have never visited, and especially a country perceived to be third world such as all the South American countries. Just remember that people have always travelled between towns and villages. All South American countries we have been to or know of have got an extensive bus network- there is a bus station in every town from where you can organise a bus to most destinations (though of course if you are going far it might involve changing).

In South America trains are generally not a functioning force for tourists as many countries have failed to maintain train lines other than those with scenic tourist appeal.  In other countries, such as India,  trains are one of the best and most comfortable ways of getting around.

The revolution in the airline industry is not a British thing. In India there is huge competition with a number of low cost airlines competing over the internal routes. In South American countries we found the excellent Lan Chile operating its Lan brand in Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador.

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TREKS

Treks make a fabulous holiday for the fit and only moderately fit alike. We are not particularly fit but have done the following treks and can recommend them all:

Annapurna Base Camp (Nepal): Set your own pace (we spent 8 days on the roundtrip). You can hire the services of a porter on arrival in Pokhara. Ask around and make sure that you're paying your porter a decent wage and that he has adequate clothing for all weather. You stay in tea houses along the way, with no need to book ahead. The views of the snow-capped jagged Annapurna range were fantastic.

Inca Trail (Peru): a 4 day trek through the mountains of Peru to Machu Picchu, the city of the Incas. You must now go with an organised group. A troop of porters will make your life easier. We went with [ ]. Our friends went with [ ]. However there are many agencies- just search online.

Milford Track (New Zealand): A 3 and a half day hike along icey rivers, past numerous magnificent waterfalls and finishing at the world famous Milford Sound.  There are two ways of doing this hike: carry your own backpack, food and cooking utensils and stay in comfortable, modern bunkhouses which offer good bunk beds, kitchen facilities, loos but no showers. Or, take the more expensive option which involves luggage being transported by helicopter each day, separate better quality accommodation with your own room and even a shared shower! We carried our luggage and found it manageable. Three generations of one Australian family were doing the same- children as young as 12, parents (who did the main carrying!) and grandmother had a fantastic time.  The first day starts with a less than gruelling [2 hour] boat trip across the [ ] lake and then a mere 3 km to the first hut. On Day 4 the mission was to get to the meeting point with the boat on Milford Sound for a memorable trip back to [ ]. For further information see:

Torres del Paine: Parque Nacional Torres del Paine
Torres del Paine has 181,414 hectares containing 15 peaks above 2000m. The Torres are the pink granite “towers” at the heart of the park and below them are the horns or “Cuernos del Paine”. On the western edge are a number of glaciers, which fall into turquoise lakes formed by the melting ice.  There are many species of animals but you won’t fail to notice the guanacos grazing on the hillside. 

The main hikes are:

El Circuito. This is the longest hike at 7 days and takes you around the Torres and Cuernos del Paine. Though there are refugios along the way you will probably need to carry camping equipment owing to the distance between some.

The W.  This is another fantastic hike with the advantage that you don’t need to carry camping gear as you can stay in refugios. 

There also other shorter hikes but in our view, unless you are very fit and speedy, none that you can really do in a day trip from Puerto Natales. The reason being it takes several hours just to get to the park entrance and if you hit a queue of buses it can take a while to get through. One of the more famous shorter walks is:

To the base of Torres del Paine.  Allow 5 hours each way. It therefore makes sense to stay in the Campamento Torres 30 minutes back after reaching the base. You may need to hire camping gear in Puerto Natales or there may be tents set up at the campsite which you can hire - check with the information centre in Puerto Natales.

You get around the park by frequent buses, or the regular boats crossing the main lakes. 

 

Otter Trail (South Africa)

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Whale Trail (South Africa)- this 5 days trail is so named because it takes you along the coast the Southern Right whales pick to return to year after year to mate and produce their offspring. If you want to walk it in whale season (August to December) you have to book a year in advance by [ ]. The rest of the time it's much easier to book but can be very hot. We walked in one of the hottest times of the year-February but found walking next to the sea for most of the trek, we benefited from sea breezes. The few occasions we were walking more inland were stifling but the walk is fairly easy with few hills and so we weren't overly taxed. The accommodation provided was fantastic- varying types of thatched cottages located in the most idyllic positions imaginable greeted us each day. They sleep twelve and so bookings are accepted for 6 or 12. If there is 6 of you may have to share with another group and are most likely to have to do so in whale season.  You can either carry your bags and food or have them transported from cottage to cottage. We chose the moving service and it worked well. Unless you are very fit it is wise to have this if trekking in the summer months (January to March).