Posted on December 23, 2021
If you’ve always wondered what it might be like to spend Christmas on horseback in snowy Iceland, or sunny South Africa, then you might enjoy our next few blog posts. In the run-up to Christmas, we’ll be sharing how ride operators around the world usually spend the festive season.
Next up is Kambaku Safari Lodge in Namibia.
Guests enjoying a Christmas ride
On Christmas Eve morning, the Nature Reserve Management Team goes into the bush to select a suitable Acacia Christmas tree and brings it back to the lodge.
The lodge team enjoying the Christmas celebrations.
The Kambaku team are eagerly awaiting its arrival and decorate the tree with locally made decorations and lights. Guests are welcome to join in while enjoying a glass of prosecco. Meanwhile, the kitchen is already in the middle of its preparations for a very special Christmas dinner.
Off on a Christmas ride
In the afternoon, guests are welcome to join various activities such as game drives, bush walks or a sundowner ride. Afterwards, everyone meets up for a group sundowner with a camp fire in the bush. Christmas punch and G&Ts are offered around whilst the sun sets in all its spectacular colours.
The horses get to dress up too
Then guests return to the lodge to find it festively decorated and proceed to enjoy a 6-course dinner.
Each horse is decorated for Christmas
The stables are decorated with tinsel and horses are dressed up with Christmas decorations for the Christmas Eve sundowner ride.
At Kambaku, each Christmas, all the horses get a special treat, which could be watermelon, apples or carrots depending on their preference.
Another horse ready for Christmas
Each guest finds a present from Kambaku under the Christmas tree.
The Christmas menu is tailormade each year by the kitchen chef Lahya. She uses produce from the vegetable garden and game meat to make each Christmas dinner a unique experience.
Viva, one of the guides at Kambaku
As Namibia follows the German tradition, Christmas Eve sees the main celebration and on Christmas Day there is a braai (BBQ) in the evening.
Guests are often apprehensive about spending Christmas away from home but when they leave telling the team that it was very special to spend it at Kambaku, it makes everything worthwhile.
Many thanks to Viva and the team from Kambaku for sharing this lovely insight into Christmas in Namibia.
If you are interested in riding in Namibia, then please do email us on rides@inthesaddle.com or call +44 1299 272 997 for more information.
