GOCHEGANAS- a eloquent Damara name, meaning: “Place of Camel Thorns, abounding with Candle-Pod Acacias” and the people of Gocheganas believe “is more than just a place, it is an experience….” This actually is a fact for people who visit this place and felt so compel to come here again in their lifetime.

Located a mere 29km south east from Windhoek, lodge is situated on a hilltop which has the vast spread of spectacular view of the African landscape, this place shares its gift of nature for worldwide people visiting and also to the natives who love this place and famous for spending a day here.

Vivid Geology

The geology in Namibia is most interesting in the world for the vivid and vibrant forms. This place shows the history of the earth with the kind of rock formations from enduring weathering and erosion. Fascinating rocks and stunning landscapes are evidence of all imaginable climatic extremes that gives the evidence of the formation of land like previous mountain building processes, sea level changes, volcanic eruptions and theory of the collision of whole continents. Gocheganas is like a open wild field where you can see the impressions of time carved in the landscape. On GocheGanas, it has quartzite’s, weathering resistant, in mountains of GocheGanas and in its ridges. You can actually see the places with interesting folded structures that are fine example of forces of mountain building. This is actually an experience to see as the place stands as testament of old times.the place is rich with mica and quartz and how vibrant are the light and dark layers of rocks due to vary amount of different minerals.

Flourishing Flora and Copious Fauna

The Flora of Gocheganas is of Highland Savanna characterize of mountainous areas and typical desert vegetation. Admire 6000 hectare of Nature Reserve, which has totaling of approx. 1,600 Animals amongst which the large species are well seen in the drives are:

• Rhino (white, second largest land mammal)
• Bat-eared Fox
• Giraffe

• Mountain- and Plains Zebra
• Cheetah
• Jackal
• Leopard
• Blue- and Black Wildebeest
• Eland
• Oryx
• Red Hartebeest
• Kudu
• Springbok
• Waterbuck
• Steenbok
• Duiker
• Klipspringer
• Ostrich

• Warthog
• An intriguing variety of birds is found over the Reserve and can be spotted at water places.

Try spotting the small species like small-spotted genet, , african wild cat, bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal, , rock dassie, aardvark (antbear), honey badger, pandolin (scaly anteater) (Protected), , banded mongoose, suricate (meerkat), ground squirrel, scrub hare, aardwolf, springhare, porcupine, cape fox, bushbaby (lesser night ape), yellow mongoose and chacma baboon.

Gocheganas Safari- Game Drives

The game drives are a very popular activity and you can choose from their range. Game drives undertaken early morning and also during late afternoon. They give a stop halfway to have snacks and drinks. They have qualified guide assistance that have the best knowledge about the place and share information on wildlife, their habitat, its flora and fascinating bird species. With the profusion of game on the farm, every game drive has its attractions; especially you will be lucky to view a rhino family! Sand dunes and vegetation at Sossusvlei in the Namib desert, Namibia, will be a fascinating and amazing sight.You can even go walking for enriching experience with the guide or on your own, especially to the water holes where you will be amazed to see the interesting bird sights. For hardy safari holiday admirer, night game drives gives the chance to visit the night-time inhabitants of the park, and have the best star gazing excursions out in the bush. The Gocheganas gives the best authentic safari experience in Namibia and make you feel the essence of wildness of Africa. The sightings here are wonderful and exciting; the wild life lover will ooze with the swell from this wonderful safari experience.

The Best of Best: Stone Age Caverns

In December 2002, the owners of GocheGanas Nature Reserve made an exciting discovery of ancient Stone Age caverns, which is located a few kilometers from the Lodge. They made the discovery of Stone tools and a mixture of pottery shards and these pieces are between 2000 and 9000 years old. This led to discovery of more and more caverns, which were near the natural hot water springs in Gocheganas. Taking a due care that damage is not done to this sensitive area, a guided visit to the Stone Age Caverns is offered by GocheGanas. This is the most fascinating and exciting about the Gocheganas. Seeing the ancient artifacts is a joy of past coming to you.

The Lodge:

Its modern accommodation in the natural setting of wildlife

• The Elegant Chalets:
  there are 15 spacious suites which has private terrace or better to say a private timber deck. The suites are well equipped with air-conditioner, television and Music and DVD system and have its own minibar and with telephone and WIFI internet connections. The en-suite bathroom is large and is equipped with bath, shower and done in some under a skylight, also attached is an outdoor shower. The place has indoor shower and separate toilet.
• The Crown Chalet:
  its is basically for families coming with their children, it is a private suite which caters for a maximum of four guests only, suite consists of a master bedroom equipped with air-conditioner, television with DVD system, with a minibar, has telephone and WIFI internet connections, with an en-suite bathroom with shower and bath under skylight, also has an outdoor shower. A timber deck, connects the master bedroom and a munificent living area and suites dining area. There are couch-beds, an en suite bathroom and kitchenette in Crown Chalet.

  The ambience and the setting of the chalets give the experience of living in close with nature and feel the natural environment up to the proximity and as if you are living in it. A wonderful experience of good amenities in this wild nature of lodge.

Services:

• Airport Shuttle Service
• DVD Player
• Front Desk
• Gift Shop
• Handicapped Facilities
• High Speed Internet
• Laundry Service
• Nanny/Babysitting Service
• Outdoor BBQ
• Room Service
• Turndown Service

The Gocheganas Restaurant

Set on top of the hill with proximity to the chalet, the Restaurant, it offers the dinning experience with spectacular views of the plains of GocheGanas Lodge Namibia. The Restaurant’s menu features are full assortment of cuisine from traditional Namibian cuisine, themed menus, gastronomic and also a special Wellness choice gourmet for people on special diet. The place has perfect setting for relaxing lunch and dinner .you can choose place at a grand fireplace outside or inside with air conditioning as depending on the weather. For a truly wild, open and natural experience visit the Outdoor Restaurant for dinners under the stars which is truly romantic style. The Barbeque is fantastic and definitely you must! The place can also be chosen for special occasion and you can give here memorable dinners. After dinner you can retreat to open- air bar to enjoy the beautiful and mesmerizing African night and have 360 degree view of nature reserve. In the relaxed and informal atmosphere seat around the fire circle and enjoy your best time and holidays in this exotic and refreshing lodge.

The Wellness Village

Complimenting and enhancing the GocheGanas Lodge, the Wellness Village. In the wild setting this place gives a holistic approach to health which is actually a combination of physical well being with mental and spiritual well being, where the realigning of body with its mind and soul. The serene and tranquility of place, away from the noise and busy lives you can come here to draw the strength for your healthy body and get introspection of your soul and calm the inner self. For rejuvenating the mind, body and spirit the place has best wellness facilities. With state of the art spa facilities, it has variety of wellness treatments packages and massages. It has special eleven treatment rooms with state of art equipment where you can opt for a crystal bath, a Vichy shower, hydrotherapy bath etc. it has selection of special packages for wellness treatments ranging from outdoor massages for de-stress and detoxification packages, and also indoor treatments, ThallassO treatments is also offered here and you can also take personal training and nutritional consultations. The services and amenities of well heated indoor pool and gym is offered.

You really should experience the special cave sauna which is placed in a cathedral masonry vault and gorge healthily in fruit and juice bar. It has facial and beauty treatments also. GocheGanas Wellness Village is truly a unique experience which will rejuvenate you.

The silence and tranquility of the place gives Gocheganas an idyllic game reserve. The exceptional luxury lodge has the best safari trail with eclectic wildlife, exotic birds and beautiful terrain of desert and mountainous stunning landscape. Its unique combination of Nature, Wildlife, Wellness, the place will be a lifetime experience to visit. The 6000 hectare of Nature reserve is filled with marvel and beauties and the place has no comparison for it bestows the guest with world class standards which will enthrall the guest with best of best experiences.

Where it is located

The Skeleton Coast is situated in the Atlantic Ocean’s northern part, the coast of Namibia.

Fauna and flora that you would find in the skeleton coast

You would find desert elephants in the interior regions of the Skeleton Coast Park. There are desert Oryx, springbok, giraffe, brown hyena, rare black rhino, and you can find lion as well if you get further inland. There is a seal colony close to the place where you would get see many thousand Cape fur seals along with dolphins and whales. There coastal birds that sustain their lives on the rich plankton and Benguela Current’s pelagic resources. The cleaning of beaches is done by the jackal, ghost crabs and brown hyena. Springbok and gemsbok are other two important animals found in the region, they are also animals whom lions attack for the food.

You could only find vegetation adapted to desert like lithops and welwitschia. There are hundreds lichen species in the hot west faced mountain slopes and on the gravel plains. Luscious ‘flowering stones’ is found in rocky fissures.
There are more than 200 species of birds found and many among this are Nambia’s endemic desert species like Gray’s Lark, Ruppell’s Korhaan and Tractrac Chat. Jeagers and Skuas are can be frequently traced in the seal colonies, Subantarctic Skua , Parasitic Jaegar and Pomarine Jaegar are the common one and you can notice them all in the summer season.

Where you can stay

• Kulala camp
• Skeleton Coast camp

• Kulala lodge
• Kulala tented camp
• Sossusvlei Wilderness camp
• Serra Cafema Camp
• Damaraland Camp
• Ongava lodge

Safaris you can opt

• Best of Nambia Wing Safari

• Wilderness Safari

When you should visit SkeletonCoast

Anytime between April to October you can visit Skeleton Coast, the days are warm and sunny and extremely less rainfall occurs in these months.

How to reach

Windhoek (Hosea Kutako) is the nearest Airport. C34 the main coastal road starting at Swakopmund can be followed by car or you can go from Khorixas i.e. by west route.

The Fish river is the longest river in Namibia which ends at Ai-Ais the hot springs.

The whole gorge is 160km in length and is 127km wide. The picturesque inner canyon is marvelous 550m profound.

The composition of this grandeur started about 1.8 millions years ago with sandstone, shale and laves deposits. Over the past 50 million years the canyon has developed to be the most imposing and striking gorge in the world. It brings the excitement and thrill to the adventurous hikers making them feel home away from home. A place so gorgeous a must visit for every hiker. Its surrounded by boulders and impassive cliffs.

Reaching to The fish river Canyon:

• Via Air: Windhoek International Airport.
• Via CarB4 Southwest for around 44km(27 miles), then left onto the C12(from Keetmanshop). After 77km(48 miles) a right turn is signposted for The canyon.
• Please check the visa requirements well before and plan the visit accordingly.
• The Hiking trail begins near Hobas on D601 and ends at Ai-Ais Hot Springs at C10.
• Avoid negative surprises and trust an Africa travel specialist who will always give you the best deal. A cheap deal in Africa is not always a good deal.

The Canyon is privately own as well.
The Fish River Canyon is a typical Semi-desert Climate.

• Summer: Very hot during months of October-March temperatures rise to 48degree Celsius during day.
• Winters: very short but temperatures can go to 0 degree but in day time it is 20 to 28 degree Celsius. May –July.
• Rain: is very unpredictable and varies between 50-100mm per year.

Its therefore recommended to visit it during winter season as the Heat stokes is common in summers. Hiking is allowed between April 15 and September 15.

The Vegetation is as per the semi-desert habitat. The trees can survive droughts upto 5 years. The flowering is in winter. Its national Tress is Quiver tree.  Namibia’s national tree, the Aloe dichotoma or Quiver Tree is mostly found in the south Wild horses, Leopard,Kudu, Steebork, Klipspringer, Mountain Zebra are the natural world of the canyons. To add to the family are birds including Pelicans, Black Eagles, Fish Eagles, Kingfishers, Lovebirds, Wild Ostrich and various species of waterfowl and wading birds, such as Herons. It is a place to visit and not live.

As the name says here we find abundance of fishes sush as as Barbled catfish and Yellow fish.

Beware of snakes(Cape Cobra, Black Spitting Cobra, Puff adder and Horned adder) and rodents.

Accomodation

Lodges of the Fish River Canyon:

• Canon Lodge: Natural Rock Chalets
• Canon Roadhouse : En-suite rooms, campsites, restaurant, pool; fuel-station
• Canon Village: Cape Dutch Cottages
• Canon Mountain Camp:Rustic self-catering camp, en-suite bathrooms; kitchen

The Fish River Hiking trails

• Starts At hobas get along to 85 kilometers ie 53 miles to end.
• Takes 3 to 5 days to complete.
• Decent starts at Hikers View ( about 3km north of the main viewpoint.
• Route follows river bed.
• Terrain consist of rocks,boulders,sand and river crossing.
• There are number of shortcuts also available.
• Steep path
• Once you reach on the top you feel the pharaoh of desert.
• The trail ends at Ai ais. meaning Burning Water in the local Nama language), a hot water spring which wells from the earth and is believed to cure rheumatism.

To make your experience memorable take care of following things:

• Drink lots of fluids. Carry water with you for trail.
• Refill water from larger pools only.
• Carry your sleeping bag as you have to sleep outside while on the trail.
• The emergency services are available though it is still rudimentary.
• Beware of snakes and rodents.

The Fish River Canyon is the gorgeous and magnificent. It’s the test that every hiker need to pass to qualify himself as hiker.

Contact Addresses
Namibia Wildlife Resorts Ltd, Private Bag 13378, Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: (061) 256 446

Where it is located

Etosha National Park is located in the northwestern Namibia in the Kunene region and this park shares boundaries with the regions of Oshana, Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa.

From the pages of past

Namibia was earlier known as South West Africa and was a German colony at that time and Etosha was first established in 1907 and occupied 100,000 sq km with the crown of being the largest game reserve in the world and with the passage of time and some political changes the reserve lost its original area of cover and now shrunken to 22,750 sq km.

Flora and fauna

Pelicans and flamingos are found in the salt pan and perennial springs attract the endangered Black Rhinoceros and the endemic Black-faced Impala. Wildlife ranges from rhinos, lions, zebras, giraffes, gemsbok, springbok, wildebeest, elephants and jackals. This national park has all the animals at one place which could not be found in any other part of the world, you would lost the count of number and variety of animals which would find in the park.

Mopane scrubs are found throughout the park. African moringa or ghost trees are special attraction of the park and second most common specie is the red bushwillow and aptly called kudu in the local language.

In the dry season, wind blowing along the pan carry saline dust with and spread over the Southern Atlantic and this salt enrichment provides minerals to the soil downwind pan on which some animals depend heavily.

The park’s 850 km boundary has been fenced to prevent spreading of disease among the animals. Fifty waterholes have been erected to attract animals, which has resulted in excessive grazing around its vicinity.

When to visit

The best time for game viewing is from May to September- the cooler months in Namibia.

Where to stay

• Namutoni- Its on the east gate of the park and is on the site old German fort which was burned by Ovambo people from the south many years ago. Fort has been turned into hotel and there is a shop from where you can get basic supplies. The place is as much adventurous as it sounds to been and its also cool to stay in a fort may be burned.
• Halali – It’s situated south of the pan. You would find most impressive floodlit water hole here with a viewing platform. What you all need to do is set up a camp and sit here at sunset with drinks and watch the glorious rare sight of animals coming to drink water.
• Okaukuejo- Its in the south entrance of the park. There are small huts, restaurant and pool. Instead of sleeping through the night make sure that you have a look at the waterhole and you would enjoy watching rhinos even in the rainy reason.

How to reach

Windhoek International Airport is the closest airport to the park and need to hire a car from Outjo get into C38 Road or else you can go from Khorixas using C39 Road. The journey worth it and you would realize this once you reach the national park.