Namib Desert - Namibia

Ann who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Goes without saying the best way to experience the breath-taking landscapes of this unique country is from the back of a horse. | Epic adventure, fabulous athletic horses, very skilled guides, well rehearsed routine for guests and horses… for their welfare and your safety… it works… just go with the flow… I was the oldest rider at 60, twice the age of a lot of the guests but if you can ride well, and are fit and healthy, have a sense of humour and aren’t daunted by long hours in the saddle age is just a number… my knees killed me to be fair after 40km or more in the saddle each day but as soon as I was off the horse I recovered in minutes ready for another day. Don’t be fooled by the frequently used term LSD (aka long slow distance) it’s not slow! But cantering or galloping fast for 5-10 minutes at a time on fit horses that lope along without getting out of breath is heavenly and doesn’t hurt your knees! Bring it on!

[In The Saddle replies: We're thrilled that you enjoyed your adventure in the beautiful Namibian desert. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your trip].

Do you have any comments about the accommodation and food?

Delicious food cooked over an open fire by a young chef, far exceeded my expectations....can't believe how they could prepare and cook such varied and tasty food over an open fire...and in the dark too.

Tip for packing, given that you are sleeping on a stretcher bed outside under the stars, don’t bring one big bag for your gear; bring two smaller ones and use packing cubes. Digging around in your bag in the dark for clean clothes with a head torch isn’t easy. Everything gets dirty, and your bag needs to be waterproof to deal with condensation in the night when the temperature drops. Bring less casual clothes than you think you need.

My bag, my husband's bag, and another traveller's bag on the trip didn't arrive at the final airport, due to very short transfer time between flights. Try and travel with hand luggage if you can. We did have our riding gear in our hand luggage but nevertheless we needed the rest of our belongings and it involved a return trip to the airport on the first night to get our bags.

[In The Saddle replies: These are great tips - it's good to know that our recommendation for two smaller bags remains valid. Unfortunately luggage delays are happening more frequently at the moment. We continue to advise wearing your riding boots and carrying essential riding
equipment in your hand luggage, so that in the event of baggage delays you can continue to
ride. Even better if you can travel with hand luggage only!]