MCX Namibia Bones of the Earth 2018...ü Two members of MCX staff ü Emergency satellite communications ü All in-country transfers ü All accommodation ü All meals except lunch in

www.mcxpeditions.com

Namibia Bones of the Earth

September 2018


Goeiedag!

Picture yourself standing on a wide, sandy plain. Imagine the warm breeze on your face and the hot sun against your skin. Listen to the wind whistle over the sand and the trees; breathe in the rich smells of the desert. Imagine yourself looking out across 300,00 square miles of some of the oldest and most varied landscape in the world; this is Namibia. With an area greater than that of France and the UK combined, it is also the second least populous country on the planet, thanks largely to the Namib desert which stretches along its entire western seaboard. The name Namib, of local Nama origin, means ‘empty place’ and at over 1,000 miles long and up to 100 miles wide in places, it is clear to see why. Namibia is a country that is all at once wild, exotic and enchanting, and with so much to offer. However, to discover the real essence of Namibia you must follow the advice of Robert Frost and journey beyond the beaten path. The lessons you learn will stay with you for the rest of your life, and the stories of your adventures will be worth sharing time and time again. Trekking around the Brandberg Massif, flying over the Namib Dune Sea and camping along the infamous Skeleton Coast are just some of the experiences that await you. Come join us and take that first step on your desert adventure.


Day One - Departure Depart from London Heathrow airport on the overnight flight to Johannesburg. Day Two - Into the Wilderness After a short ‘layover’ in South Africa we depart for Namibia and fly over the vast expanses of the Kalahari. We arrive two hours later at Hosea Kutako airport. Here we pick up our transport, drive from the airport into Windhoek for lunch, and then drive across the Khomas Highlands into our remote base camp to the north west. When everyone is settled into camp we will have a quick initial briefing before enjoying a traditional Namibian barbecue dinner around the campfire.


Day Three – The Bushman Today is the first of three acclimatisation and training days, preparing you for the desert trek ahead. After a traditional ostrich egg breakfast we will spend the day with true masters of desert survival, the !Kung Bushmen*. During our time with them we will be learning tracking and snaring techniques; bow, arrow and quiver making, identifying edible and medicinal plants, fire making and many other useful skills. As well as this we will learn to make good use of the ostrich egg shells leftover from breakfast, a prime example of how nothing is wasted. There will also be an evening talk on the wildlife conservation projects in the surrounding mountain region. *The !Kung are a part of the San people who live mostly on the western edge of the Kalahari desert. The exclamation mark is used to convey the ‘click’ sound of the name’s pronunciation. Day Four – Conservation After a breakfast briefing we will transfer to one of the conservation projects in the area. We will be helping the rangers with finding snares and looking for signs of poaching activity. This provides a golden opportunity to hone the desert survival skills learnt the previous day. During the evening we will enjoy a talk from our companions, Gert and Francois, native Namibians and descendants of the Voortrekkers* *A group of Boer settlers who broke away from British colonial administration in the 1800s.


Day Five – Emergency Procedures and Equipment Checks On our final day of training we will concentrate on emergency procedures and the use of equipment including tents, stoves, rucksacks, sat phones, PLBs*, and GPS. Putting all these newly learnt skills together we will simulate a lost scenario and practice implementing the necessary recovery procedures. We’ll also be cooking lunch on the burner, checking kit, and running through the key points of campsite selection and setup. At the end of the day we will have the opportunity to relax, look up at the stars and listen to stories of the history of the Namib Desert and the Skeleton Coast. *Personal Locator Beacon Day Six – Transfer to Start Point An early start will give us enough time to dismantle the camp. After breakfast we will depart in 4x4 trucks out across the margins of the desert towards the Brandberg Massif and our night’s camp near the Ugab river. Finally, we will cook up a hearty meal and carry out the last equipment checks before an early night.


Day Seven – Trek Day One The first day of our 120km desert trek takes us out of the Ugab river region, across the Badlands of the Damara Complex and on to our first water cache* and camp around the Klein Numas river. *A store of food and supplies. Day Eight – Trek Day Two The second day of our desert odyssey takes us out of the Badlands and onto the gravel plains near Tafel Kop and the Goboboseb mountains, finally pitching our tents by the boulder strewn Koppie camp. Day Nine – Trek Day Three On the third day of our desert trek you will feel like you have been transported to another world as you walk past unique rock formations and over vast gravel plains. The expanse of the horizon is only occasionally broken by geological features and the occasional old mining spoil.


Day Ten – Trek Day Four Day four takes us to the edge of the Dorob National Park and the big water cache at One-Ton camp. Here we will have to re-supply for the next two days. Day Eleven – Trek Day Five The end of the fifth day finds us at the most remote and isolated spot during our trek, ‘Mid Camp’. From here you may just be able to make out the fog banks along the edge of the infamous Skeleton Coast. Day Twelve – Trek Day Six The final full day’s trek covers some curiously striated sandy plains en-route to our last camp, located just a short distance from the sea.


Day Thirteen - Trek Day Seven and Aerial Transfer The last push to the coast and our final objective the wreck of the Winston. Here we touch base with our support team at a prearranged *RV point. After full and hearty breakfast we have a short vehicle transfer to our private aircraft, waiting on a remote desert airstrip and ready to transport us on the final stage of our epic journey. Now we wave goodbye to the trekking phase of the expedition and fly 500km south, feasting our eyes upon breath-taking views of the Skeleton coast. Before long we turn inland at the wreck of the Eduard Bolen and have the opportunity to see the vast expanse of the Namib Desert from a unique aerial perspective. Here we can truly appreciate the scale of this immense dune sea, home to the highest and oldest dunes in the world. In true style we touch down on the edge of the desert at our five-star lodge where cold beers, showers, and dinner await us.

*Rendez-vous or ‘meeting place’

Day Fourteen – Farewell The time comes to bid our final farewells to the desert and take the flight to Windhoek International Airport to meet your plane home. Day Fifteen – Arrive in London


For more information please contact

[email protected]

What’s Included

ü Two members of MCX staff ü Emergency satellite

communications ü All in-country transfers ü All accommodation ü All meals except lunch in

Windhoek day one ü Water, tea, coffee ü Guides ü Permits

What’s Not Included

ü International flights ü Travel insurance ü Lunch & drinks on day one ü Drinks on day one and day 13

Documents

MCX Namibia Bones of the Earth 2018...ü Two members of MCX staff ü Emergency satellite communications ü All in-country transfers ü All accommodation ü All meals except lunch in