The Daan Viljoen Game Park is a 4,000-hectare reserve set amid rolling hills about a 25 km drive from Windhoek. What makes this park different than most is that there are no elephant, buffalo, or large predators. This may sound disappointing at first, but the fact makes it one of the few parks in Southern Africa where visitors can explore the bush on foot along 3 well-marked hiking trails of various lengths (3, 9 and 32 kilometers). No guide is required, but all hikers must report to the park’s office to register.
From Windhoek, Namibia, the best way to get to the Daan Viljoen Game Park is by taxi. If you plan to do a day hike, you can split the cost of the ride among fellow visitors. It will end up costing just a few dollars per person for the round trip. If you go, bring plenty of sunscreen and water. The hikes are moderately strenuous, the weather can get extremely hot and there are few large trees to provide shade.
We went as a group of four and decided to walk the 9-kilometer Rooibos trail. It started with a steady uphill climb to a rocky outcrop where we watched a troop of noisy baboons. Whenever walking near wild animals, the key to a safe experience is to leave a comfortable distance between you and them. You know you’re too close if the animals seem to be wary or jumpy. If you want to see their natural behavior, it is better to stay a little farther away and use binoculars.
After the rocky outcrop the trail winded through rolling hills. We saw wildebeest, zebra, hartebeest, Kudu and gemsbok grazing in the dry grass. Then the trail descended into a riverbed with little water. We followed it to a pool sitting at the base of a narrow cliff where Dassies (Hyrax) scurried over boulders. Then it was a steep uphill trudge back to the park headquarters and the end of our hike.
All in all, it was a full day. We arrived back in Windhoek in the late afternoon, both tired and excited by the day’s adventures and ready for more ‘Adventures in Traveling’.
No comments:
Post a Comment