Desert Express Embarking on a complete revamp of our schedules
On April 3 this year the Desert Express will be 7 years old. To mark this occasion we have embarked on a new look schedule.
First and the most importantly is that we will have no price increase until November 2006.
We have introduced weekender packages on selected weekends. The westward journey to Swakopmund will stay the same but instead of turning back on Saturday afternoon we will now leave Swakopmund at six on Sunday morning. This will leave passengers with a full day to enjoy Swakopmund with dinner and overnight on the train. Sunday will offer breakfast and a sumptuous three-course lunch with the train arriving Windhoek late on Sunday afternoon.
We have also changed our Mokuti/Etosha trip from a Monday – Thursday trip to a long weekend trip departing Thursday morning and arriving back in Windhoek on Sunday afternoon in time to catch a plane if you are from across our borders. We will also overnight in Namutoni camp inside the Etosha pans instead of at Mokuti Lodge at the gate to the Pans. This will enable our passengers to sit at the waterhole at night and experience the night sounds of the wild. Dates for these trips are 16 – 19 June, 18 – 21 August and 27 – 30 October. We will also offer two game drives instead of the current one and it will be undertaken by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. The evening drive will offer a sundowner in the veld whilst the morning drive will be an extended trip offering breakfast in the veld. All in all, our passengers will now spend more time in The Etosha pans than before.
A third innovation is to offer Swakopmund and The Etosha pans in the same six day round trip making it a perfect holiday to see and experience two of Namibia’s most famous holiday destinations in the safety and comfort of a fully air conditioned train.
The train will depart from Windhoek to Swakopmund Tuesday afternoon and arrive in Swakopmund Wednesday morning. In Swakopmund passengers will be taken on a variety of site seeing tours. Dinner overnight and breakfast will be on the train in the Swakopmund station. On Thursday morning passengers will go for a sight seeing tour around Walvis Bay. This will include the bird life of the lagoon, the salt works and a visit to dune 7.The train departs for Otjiwarongo at 14:00 where it will overnight. Friday 07:00 departure for Etosha. Afternoon game drive and evening barbeque. Guests can sit at the waterhole and experience the night sounds. Saturday morning game drive with breakfast and depart back for Windhoek at 15:00. The Desert Express will arrive in Windhoek 15:00 Sunday afternoon. Dates for this package is 19 – 24 July
In Swakopmund passengers will now check-in at the train and not at the hotel anymore. This will allow us to take immediate responsibility for our passengers and get them out of the sometimes unpleasant Swakopmund weather.
Another change is that we will stop Oropoko on our normal Friday schedule which will give passengers the time to really settle in for the journey before disembarking for the first time. Passengers will go for a game drive and sundowner in the veld before continuing towards the night stop. This will mean that we have to depart earlier from Windhoek. 11:30 in winter and 12:30 during the summer. The Lion feed will now be on the return journey on Sundays.
The Desert Express runs twice weekly between Windhoek and Swakopmund and also offer a 4 day trip to Lüderitz. The dates for the Lüderitz trip are 26 – 29 May.
I trust that these changes will be met with enthusiasm and that The Desert Express will offer new opportunities for discovering Namibia.
Yours Faithfully.
Kobus Grobbelaar.
Senior. Consultant: Desert Express
Please note : While every effort has been made to ensure that the information on this page is correct, no responsibility will be accepted for any incorrect information contained herein. If any of your details have been omitted or you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail us at dx@transnamib.com.na
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