12:00 Visit the historical Railway Museum, cultural performance and Travel Correspondent - Oct 9, 2020. Halali is in the centre and we stayed there first. This journey has been carefully planned to take best advantage of Namibia's dramatic sunsets and sunrises. After spending time in small and quiet Halali, Okaukuejo was a noisy surprise. On 3 April 1998, the extravagant train was launched by then the President of Namibia, Dr. Sam Nujoma. in Africa, Namibia is one of the safest countries, and also one of the cleanest. 105 were here. In order to keep system operational and safe, provincial governor Usko Nghaamwa implored local residents to stop stealing railroad ties and sections of the wire fence.[8]. The train heads north until it reaches the Otjihavera Siding in the later afternoon. Australian Dollars British Pounds Euros Namibian Dollars New Zealand Dollars South African Rands U.S. A seal-watching tour in Walvis Bay : $55 (N$700) Entrance to Kolmanskop ghost town + photography permit: $17 (N$230) Entrance to Etosha National Park: $7 (N$90) per day. The Cost of Travel in Portugal: A Detailed Budget Breakdown, The Cost of Travel in Vietnam: A 2021 Budget Breakdown, The Cost of Travel in Guatemala: A Detailed Budget Breakdown, The Cost of Travel in Ireland (2021): A Detailed Budget Breakdown, The Cost of Travel in Canada: A 2021 Budget Breakdown, The Cost of Travel in Chile: A Detailed Budget Breakdown, Koh Kood: The Prettiest Island in Thailand. However, I’d want to see why before making any judgement on that. There was A/C, parking spaces, a clean, modern room, and a gorgeous view over the ocean. In a country you were new in, how hard was it driving yourselves around. Found inside – Page 33NAMIBIA LAUNCHES ITS LUXURY TRAIN CHAD PIPELINE STILL HANGING FIRE Oil pipeline EGYPT LIBYA SUDAN ... The multi - million Desert Express train will carry tourists between the capital Windhoek and the coastal town of Swakopmund . The accommodations, the staff, the food and the interesting passengers we met were exceptional. With car insurance, of course! We stayed one night in Windhoek, departing at noon the following day on the Desert Express overnight train to Swakopmund (the train also does the reverse trip). I agree — most visitors to Namibia are not going to have their own transport, and that’s really going to increase their costs. Sparse desert landscapes contrast with oasis towns and striking coastline to create an epic backdrop on a Namibia train vacation. Choose from hundreds of Gift Baskets or customize your own for Holidays, Birthdays, and other special occasions. Namibia. An elegant dining room, well-equipped sleeping cars (for multi-day journeys) and even conference facilities are offered onboard. Buckle up for the greatest road trips on Earth. Kolmanskop is in a restricted area of Namibia, so you have to pay for a permit in order to enter the area and see it. Yikes! 13:00 Depart: Guests served with light lunch Press alt + / to open this menu. Twitter. Desert Express Train. 19:00 Dinner on board – A la Carte menu, 7:00 Breakfast en route to Swakopmund Found inside – Page 358A luxury train called the Desert Express carried passengers from Windhoek through the desert to Swakopmund. The aging system is plagued by continuing freight train derailments. A new line is under consideration from Botswana to a new ... Namibia. The team typically replies in a few minutes. The most relaxed way to travel is via The famous Desert Express!! I don’t want to lessen our experience there, but we can save a lot of money through doing that. Namibia has malaria in the north of the country, so I took malarone for the four days I was in a high-risk area, followed by the next seven days, as required. Namibian SIM card: We picked up a SIM card at Windhoek Airport upon arrival and it was super simple to do. We landed in Windhoek, but wanted to stay outside of the city, so Ovita Wildlife Restcamp was a logical place for us to stop. Doxycycline is a much cheaper alternative at $0.19 per tablet, but requires you to also take the tablets daily for a month after you leave the country and is an antibiotic, which I try to avoid taking if at all possible. Found inside – Page 249If your trip has been organised through a tour operator, check which costs are covered in your original fee – and ask how ... Desert Express, Namibia Luxury train from Windhoek to Swakopmund (www.desert Great Train Journeys Time Out 249 ... Overview and some information on the Desert Express Train in Namibia, the images are from the first departure in almost a year, that left Windhoek... Jump to. All departures are suspended with immediate effect. Prior to stopping operations, the Desert This was the cleanest room we stayed in in Namibia, the space was surprisingly modern, and I highly recommend it. We recently traveled in Namibia for 10 weeks our monthly budget was Total: NAD24013/US$1770 or average NAD400/US$30 per person per day. We were staying in a luxury tent here, and while it was basic, the pool, bar, and views more than made up for it. Betta Camp: 1 night No problem! The book Tracks4Africa is a good supplement to the Bradt guide for finding these options. The dining room, reminiscent of the Trans-Karoo with starched tablecloths and sliver. Guests disembark, 14:30 Check in at Swakopmund Railway Station. We stayed for one night. Answer 1 of 2: We're trying to decide between these two options: Take the Desert Express train from Windhoek to Swakopmund or Drive from Windhoek to Swakopmund and stay at Erongo Wilderness in between. The spectacular sand dunes of Sossusvlei are the … I’m really enjoying your detailed budget breakdowns you’ve been posting lately. 18:00 Sundowner at Stingbank I’m Lauren and I’ve been travelling the world on a permanent basis since 2011. Departing from Pretoria, the first stop is Kimberley, center of one of the world’s famous diamond rushes, where there is an opportunity to savor the 1870s atmosphere of the mine village. Shongololo carriages are dressed in wood pannels of a bygone era. Looks fabulous though! Construction on … Yay! You can therefore expect to pay around $100 a night in low season (December – March), and up to double that when the tourists arrive (June – October). Maltahohe Hotel: $87 (N$1150) per night. Camping will be less, ranging from a few dollars a night to $35 a night in some places, and food can be done on the cheap if you grab snacks from the supermarket or eat only in the towns/cities, rather than the lodges. Overview Images. Appreciate your review with a traveler’s perspective. The section between Karasburg and Keetmanshoop was completed in 1909. 14:30. Hi! I do have a couple of questions: 1. 1 night in a generously spaced safari lodge at the entrance to Etosha National Park. Perfect post, Laura! I WANT to give credit to the Desert Express staff who were on duty on the evening of the 25 August 2005.It was my first time on this train and I must admit that it was worthwhile. Rail service in Namibia is provided by TransNamib. confirm 2021 pricing. Namibia’s unique rail experience offers an overnight weekend get-away from Windhoek to our coastal towns –Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. Accommodation is the most expensive part of Namibia travel because there are basically two options: camping or expensive. I`m planning to visit Namibia with my family and friends in February next year , but I`ve read that this isn`t the best time because of the rain and hot temperatures. 8:00 Dune excursion Thanks a lot for the detailed budget split, we are planning to do a self drive around Namibia around next year and its a very nice intro how much its going to cost us, we need to start saving up from now onwards :), Oh, perfect! Because Namibia has the highest car-accident death rate in the world, with 45 people killed on the road for every 100,000 citizens. We stayed one night in Windhoek, departing at noon the following day on the Desert Express overnight train to Swakopmund (the train also does the reverse trip). 13:30 Uhr Zug um Zug (1/6) Desert Express und Ice Train | 3sat. This sounds like an amazing experience. Accessibility Help. Set in Namibia’s version of Monument Valley, it feels as though you’re a thousand miles away from civilisation when you stay here. welcome drinks at the Station 12:00 Answer 1 of 3: Anybody know if the Desert Express train is still running - and if so how to book a seat ? I get it: Namibia is totally a hard sell when it’s so goddamn expensive, but guys, if you have the means to visit, it’s 100% worth the splurge. Thank you so much for the interesting budget breakdown. Jewel of the Desert Cape Town to Windhoek. Very unprofessional. What amazes me is that there`s actually a fare for visiting the ghost town (even an additional fare to take photos). One can only imagine this sleek train crossing the Namib Desert. The total cost of my share of transportation expenses in Namibia over two weeks was: $375. For the future a connection from Oshikango to a point near Cassinga is planned on Angola's southern railway system. Found inside – Page 87Passengers are dropped at locations along the route (i.e. Rundu, Divundu, Katima Mulilo). Ekonolux also has services to Swakopmund and ... The Desert Express offers a unique opportunity for tourists to travel in style through Namibia. Brightline West, formerly known as XpressWest, is a proposed privately run high-speed rail route between Las Vegas Valley and Victor Valley, in the high desert area of Southern California. The refurbished Desert Express train has been operating on the Windhoek-Swakopmund-Windhoek line since July 2019 (3 day trips). I’ve heard but not confirmed that US dollars are also useful currency, true? Please note this package is also available in reverse from Walvis Bay (Swakopmund) to Pretoria. Anti-malarial tablets: Anyone who thinks anti-malarials are worse than malaria has never had cerebral malaria. was established which built a line from Swakopmund to Tsumeb via Otavi between 1903 and 1906, and a branch from Otavi to Grootfontein in 1907/08.[3]. Trip-of-a-lifetime type experience­s don’t come around often and these writers have been inspired by some of the rail journeys to be had on the African … Glad it could be of use for you guys :-). Namibia Tourism Namibia Hotels Bed and Breakfast Namibia Namibia Holiday Rentals Namibia Holiday Packages Flights to Namibia Namibia Restaurants … [2], The railway line from Kranzberg to Walvis Bay is 201 kilometres (125 mi) long. Some even give you access to a kitchen. It was larger, louder, and jam-packed full of tourists. We didn’t have much coverage in the country, but it was useful to have at times, and we definitely didn’t need more than 1GB over our two weeks. Betta Camp: $58 (N$760) per night. Activities and entrance fees were reasonable in Namibia and I didn’t feel as though anything we did was overpriced. Breakfast will be served from 09h00 onwards. On top of that, malaria hangs out in the northern parts of the country, and there are several other awful-sounding tropical diseases that you definitely don’t want to contract. Found inside – Page 94Our lucky winners will receive a return ticket from Johannesburg to Windhoek from Air Namibia . ... you board the luxurious Desert Express one of the most modern narrow guage luxury trains in the world and cross the ancient Namib Desert ... Day 1 Arrival in Pretoria. Yes! Found inside – Page 496The Desert Express , a luxury train aimed at tourists , runs between Swakopmund and Windhoek . The 19 hour 30 minute journey includes several stops which give travellers the opportunity to watch lions feeding , see the Namib Desert ... On Never Ending Footsteps, I aim to show you how you can explore this planet safely, adventurously, and affordably. Hi Maryla! We stayed one night in Windhoek, departing at noon the following day on the Desert Express overnight train to Swakopmund (the train also does the reverse trip). Usually, the train routes travel from Windhoek, the capital city, and spread to major towns in the northern, southern, western and eastern regions of Namibia.If you’re looking for a trip for a lavish experience, the best train to use is the Desert Express. Walvis Bay Namibia - Pretoria South Africa, 9 - 17 July 2019. Neither Dave nor I had issues with withdrawing money with our (Australian/New Zealand/British/Portuguese) debit cards and they worked in every ATM. The total cost of my food in Namibia over two weeks was: $448. NAD. Copyright Lauren Juliff © 2010-2021. Same-day shipping before 3 PM EST, M-F. Food, drinks, chocolate, candy, romance, spa themes and more! Often called the unicorn of the desert, the majestic Arabian Oryx ranged the interior of the Arabian peninsula for thousands of years before over-hunting in the 20th century lead to its decline and ultimate eradication in the wild by 1972 . Email. Video Desert Express - Nghe nhạc remix, nhạc cover hay hất - Nghe Nhạc Hay là nơi chia sẽ những video nhạc Remix, nhạc cover hay nhất, các bạn có thể xem và tải miễn phí những video MV ca nhạc Owner's info for Desert Express including 5 photos; compare with our expert's personal report. 08:40 Visit Okahandja craft market No complaints here! Each compartment is en-suite and the beds fold away to convert the room into a private lounge during the day. Per Person Sharing A Compartment. 25.11.2021. Love you budget breakdowns Lauren! August is a great month! While there are many guides online insisting you need to hire a 4×4, we opted for a Toyota Corolla and didn’t feel as though we needed much more. 11:00 Check in at the Windhoek Railway Station Day 5 Fish River Canyon. Im glad you guys love to visit our beautiful country. The Desert Express was launched in April 1989 by Founding President Sam Nujoma. After the independence of Namibia, TransNamib took control of the national rail network that operates on 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm). Thanks! According to the 'Man in Seat 61', it is a weekly tourist-orientated train that runs between Windhoek & Swakopmund . You ever missed your way? It was proclaimed a game reserve in … … Read More. My husband and I have been dreaming of visiting Namibia for years but wanted to wait until the kids were a bit older. Lunch will be served from 12h30 onwards. Namibia. By. Found inside – Page 114LEFT Expect wonderful views from your compartment window on the unique Desert Express ; the Desert Express at ... normal train from the outside , but inside it's air - conditioned luxury on wheels Eriti GETTING AROUND IN NAMIBIA Scenic ... Skip to main content. Currently the train is scheduled for the last weekend of each month (Friday-Sunday). What are your thoughts on staying outside of Etosha National Park to save money on the expensive lodges within the park? I have to mention we snagged a bargain on this — they had a special offer on accommodation as it was the lowest of low season and it would have normally been almost $200 a night. Found inside – Page 291The price Desert Express . It will run 3 times a for the coupons is fixed no matter what week in either direction . The train will your selected route is . For example 2 stop at various places enabling the pasflight coupons cost US ... Found inside – Page 23... safety rap song ) . africa Namibia 1 A joint venture between Air Namibia and Namibia Tourism has seen the launch of a new tourist train called the ' Desert Express ' which links the capital Windhoek with Swakopmund on the coast . The most expensive activity of our trip was the seal-watching tour we jumped on in Walvis Bay, which came in at $55. Children < 3 years: FOC AUD; GBP; EUR; HKD; NAD; NZD; ZAR; Enquire now; Toggle navigation … My road trip across Namibia was the best travel experience of my life. We stayed for one night. NAD 7,700.00. Going for exactly two weeks and seems like we travel in a similar style. Rail and Relax from Windhoek to Swakopmund and return…..there is no more comfortable way to experience Namibia. Hope you have an amazing time, Erin! I see. In 1980 this extension was replaced by an alternative route behind the dunes that allowed for higher axle load. Found inside – Page 297This , in turn , could facilitate in boosting economic development in Namibia in particular , and the Southern African region in general . ... rebuilding the coaches for the new luxury train called Desert Express . Test trains ran to Lüderitz in 2014 and Lüderitz Harbour in 2018. Found inside – Page 31Birthday celebrated in style Desert Express freezes prices , adds new packages BOARD A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY . ... Namibia's luxurious and popular passenger train service Desert Express has announced a moratorium on price increases until ... [2], The railway line from Kranzberg to Otavi is 328 kilometres (204 mi) long and was completed in 1906. Namib Desert. [6][7], The Ondangwa-Oshikango line was officially opened by President Hifikepunye Pohamba in July 2012. Here’s where we stayed, in order of when we visited, and for how long, in case you want to recreate my adventure (you should): Ovita Wildlife Restcamp: $85 (N$1150) per night. 104 were here. Fare around N$93 (£8 or US$13). Breakfasts and dinners were standard buffet fare, and the staff were wonderful. Namibia Tourism Namibia Hotels Bed and Breakfast Namibia Namibia Holiday Rentals Flights to Namibia Namibia Restaurants Namibia Attractions Namibia … Namibia is amazing and I hope this post doesn’t put people off. Enjoy viewing the passing landscape through the uniquely … The Desert Express Train has twenty four air-conditioned compartments over four coaches. There are dozens of inexpensive hotels in Swakopmund, so I’d recommend staying at one of those instead. Oct 3, 2016 - Explore Namibia onboard the Pangolin Express train. Guests continue across the untamed beauty of the Kalahari Desert to Namibia’s capital for a tour; Windhoek is a lively, cosmopolitan city with a strong German flavour. Did you find this the case? Answer 1 of 9: In mid April 2007 my husband and I visited Namibia. Found inside – Page 18The Enterprise route between Toronto and Montreal . Tracking across Namibia in style / by Robin McKelvie . -- IN : International railway traveler , no . 119 ( May 2000 ) , p . 6-7 : ill . Desert Express route between Windhoek and ...