Challenge 1 - Coming to the End

Challenge 1 - The End

We end the day racing up and down the slopes; boarding down and quad-biking back up again.

Non-stop.

Again and again and again.

As dusk sets in the amount of energy we've burned through since we first arrived here in Namibia is simply unbelievable. Every day we set out to do more and every day, with the aid and assistance of our awesome hosts, we did.



Manzoor, Foyce, Shofat and Suhel have had the time of their lives and have got memories to last them a very, very long time...

The following day we're up at 5am to start the long 24hr journey home...



And as the Sun rises over the Hartman Valley, the lads pause for thought to take in the last six days of action...

Lads, it's over to you...

Challenge 1 - Sandboarding: Top Tips

As the trip was drawing to an end, I made sure I caught up with Raymond, our awesome Sandboarding instructor to see if he had any tips on how to be a good sandboarder...



Nice one Raymond!

Challenge 1 - Dries' first time

We mentioned before about out awesome guides right?
Well, on the very last day we finally convinced Dries to have a go on the sandboard...

This is what happened...



GO DRIES!

Challenge 1 - The Himba Tribe

Lunch comes and goes and word is that we're not going straight back out to the dunes. Clement has spoken to some of the locals and thinks it might be ok if we swing by and visit a nearby tribe.

The Himba are a local tribe that have inhabited the surrounding areas for hundreds upon hundreds of years...



Moving between Namibia and Angola as the seasons change, international borders do not mean much to this nomadic people.

To be allowed into their 'camp' is a humbling and completely new experience. Clement briefs us on how to behave...



"Do as I do. Always address the elders first and remove your sunglasses. Do that and you will all be fine..."

It's not really spoken of what will happen if we don't do anything Clement tells us but as ever, we listen carefully and do as we're told...









From the camp we can see Eric & Raymond. They've found some good dunes and our boards are calling..

Challenge 1 - We Were Promised Quad Bikes

Today was the best day of the challenge by a long way. Admittedly the guys have been guilty of saying that nearly every day this week (and quite rightly so).

Today being the last full day of the first ever Lucozade Challenge though, the team here had something very special indeed lined up. In fact, there's so much to get through I doubt very much I'm going to fit it all into one update!

We'll begin at the beginning and, if you've been reading any of these udpates from the start then you'll know how this starts...

That's right!

*A 06:30 call from Eric! :D*

We're up, showered, fed and dressed by 07:15 and by 7:30 we're on our way to the next part of the Challenge.



That's right. Today, at long last, we get to go on the Quad-bikes that Eric & Raymond have been promising us all week! WOOOO!

The aforementioned duo pack up the 4x4 and drive on ahead scouting for new dunes for us to hit later.. that's right, they've got the sandboards (from Swakopmund - flown in with us) packed up onboard too.



Clement gives us a 30mins training course on the quads, sign language is learnt (which gear for which slopes, speed up, slow down etc) and the next thing we know --- we're off.



The awesome thing about racing out into the dunes (especially out here in the middle of nowhere) there are no roads. Like, none. The only tracks are the ones you make and well, you can pretty much go anywhere...

Racing through fields at 60kph, wiping dust and sand from your goggles, searching the red light of the quad in front.. hearts pounding, thumbs squeezing on that acceleration trigger just *that little bit tighter* - we go go go through the desert..



I guess it might be boring if the journey passed without event so when we turned a corner to find Manzoor trying to find new ways to park his quad, we all stopped to laugh (and take many, many photos).



Finally we find the 4x4 and once again, we're hittin' the dunes, sandboard style...







We board for what seems like hours when Eric stops us and yells, "Time to head back, it's nearly lunchtime..."

"WHAT?"

"It's 12:30, the Sun's getting too high. We should head back soon. It's ok, we'll come out later. Lunch first, rest. Then back again later. Ok?"

It dawns on the group that getting up so early has its advantages after all.

Challenge 1 - Serious Relaxing? HA!

If you've watched the video in the previous post you'll know that upon arriving at Serra Cafeme all we had in mind was relaxation. However, that was not to be the case. No sooner had we checked in and unpacked were we whisked away on a Crocodile safari.



Clement took us out on the boat and up and down the Kunene, in search of our 'prey'.

One thing that has to be said about Clement, he is the master of the understatement...
Some choice examples include:

"One rule: Stay away from the water. Aside from that, we'll have a lovely time!"

"Keep your limbs in the boat or you might lose one to a croc and that might be a bit awkward later on."

"Don't stand up while we're moving. If you fall in, a croc'll grab you and then you're in for an interesting time..."

Interesting? Yeah. Just a little.

Of course we heeded his advice and we all came back in once piece. You'll be pleased to know that our search was not in vain. With Clement's skill and our willingness to cooperate, we got very up close and personal with some very, very large crocodiles indeed.

Challenge 1 - The Road to Serra Cafeme

We load up yet another 4x4 and Eric introduces us to the guides from Serra Cafeme (our eventual destination in Hartmann Valley), Clement, Johann and Dries - pronounced 'Dreece' - help us pack up and we head off towards our final stop on this monster Lucozade Challenge.



We've grown to trust Eric & Raymond since our first encounter way back in Walvisbaai so no one asks about where we're headed. We're know we're going somewhere but we're really unsure of the exact location..



The question: "What's this place called?" is asked, the response? A very casual

"Oh this place? This place is so remote it doesn't even have a name..."

There is laughter and then, silence. We really could be on another planet. It's that different, so alien and yet strangely familiar.. We sit back and take it all in. Suddenly we all feel very, very tiny upon this huge planet of ours.



We break out some cold drinks and play Michael Jackson on our mobiles to pass the time (much to the enjoyment of the locals). We still don't know what to expect to next.

The 4x4 climbs steep hills and descends into rocky valleys continually, up and over.. round and down.. where are we going?

Soon. Our questions are answered. We pull up on a side road and Eric points.

"There." he says "That's the Kunene River."

We look, and gasp...





The Kunene River runs along the border of Namibia and Angola. Serra Cafeme is one of the remotest camps in the whole of Africa and it's easy to see why.

Somewhere down there is our home for the next two nights.
Wow.

Just.... WOW.

Challenge 1 - "Um... Where are we?"

Throughout the challenge so far we've seen some amazing sights and moreover, flown over some truly breathtaking landscapes. However, the one thing that they all had in common is that occasionally, just sometimes, you could make out a small amount of civilisation. Be it a small camp of some kind or just a car cruising along a road in the desert...



...there was always something to remind you that people were not too far. The Hartmann Valley however, was a completely different story. We were told that's where we were going, we were told that we'd be sandboarding again real soon (we certainly hoped so, we all saw the boards go on the plane ourselves) and we were told that we would be staying in one of Namibia's 'Premier Lodges' - of which there are only five in the region.

But as we touched down onto the airstrip, we really, really could not see any trace of life... anywhere.

Challenge 1 - Daybreak over Damaraland

The wild animals of Namibia are early risers it would seem and, if you want to be in with a chance to see any of them, you have to get up *before* the crack of dawn.



Once again Eric gives us a wake up call. This time it's for 5am. It's still dark outside when we rise and the fire is being rekindled for breakfast.

Time to tuck in...



Raymond walks over, grinning... He tells us that he had Lions outside his tent last night and he'd heard them walk through the camp while we slept.

Only then did I realise what I'd heard the night before. I double and triple checked to be sure, even go so far as to attempt to repeat the low rumbling sound myself.

Raymond still grins... "Yes James, Lions. Straight through camp."

After a hearty breakfast (including another first for Manzoor: Marmite) Eric picks up the Lions' trail and we head out on the 4x4 to see if we can find them.

It's cold out here in the morning and Eric tells us the strong winds are keeping the animals away and out of sight. We follow the trail for as long we can but to no avail.

The lions it seems, have moved on.

We head back past camp. All our bags are loaded up and we start the long drive out of the concession. We spot the same animals as we did yesterday and as the wind dies down, they seem more and more abundant.









Arriving back at the airstrip we load up our Cessna, Elsa - our pilot - is flying us out to the Hartmann Valley.



The past 24hrs have been a complete whirlwind. The camping, the terrain, the animals, the experience... it seems that the group has bonded on a whole new level. A collective sense of awe has descended on us all and, as we board the plane to our next destination, we really have no idea what to expect.

Challenge 1 - Arriving at Camp

When Eric said we'd be camping out in the wilderness tonight, he meant it. I've been camping before, but only ever at music festivals. Nothing and I mean *nothing* comes close to this.



As far as the eye can see there is nothing but land. We drove for four hours to get to this destination, we are literally in the middle of nowhere.



We grab some refreshments from the cool box (there they are looking after us again), pick out our tents and then jump back in the 4x4. Eric knows of a canyon nearby that we can investigate and it's only about 20mins before we're jumping back out again to take more photos and do some exploring.



This Concession truly is a natural wonder. People, wildlife and animals all co-existing in the same space and a lot of a hard work goes into keeping the Concession clean, healthy and perpetually as nature intended.



After Sundown we head back to the camp. The fire is just getting going and dinner will be served soon. We sit round, break open some drinks and start talking about what we've seen that day. It transpires that the boys have never been camping before so this entire trip is turning into a week of firsts for them all.

First time on a sandboard, first time to Africa, first time they'd seen an Elephant... on that last point, one member of the group shed a tear he was so moved by it. I won't embarrass him and say who. But we didn't let him forget it that night and I doubt very much we will for the rest of the trip either ;)



We sit up for hours telling stories and bonding over the campfire, Eric recounting wild encounters with the four-legged locals all the while all of us trying not to think about what creatures might be circling the site as we speak.

That night, I heard the low rumbles of something nearby and it was only in the morning when we (I wasn't the only one to hear it) discovered what it was....

Challenge 1 - Palmwag Lodge

This is the Palmwag Lodge, a 5,500 sq km private Concession out in the North of Namibia. A region of great contrasts; stark plains, petrified forests and ancient valleys, interspersed with rocky outcrops.

This will be our home for the night. There's no guesthouses out here. No showers, no pool and certainly no sand dunes.

This is animal country and today we're hoping to catch a glimpse of the some the natural inhabitants of this vast expanse.

Eric gives us a short safety briefing (mainly consisting of: "Don't get out of the vehicle..." and "...just do exactly as I say." repeated a few times).



He knows what he's talking about, we're not about to argue.

:)

Manz, Foyce, Shofat and Suhel all profess to never having seen any animals in the wild before. So to see the joy on their faces when they get up close and personal with these guys is a treat for us all.

These photos from the day capture just a small portion of what we managed to see...


Oryx:



Springbok:



Ostrich:



Zebra:



....and a LOT of Elephants! :D









Next stop... Camp!