Day 1 - Okumetameta
You will be met at your accommodation in Windhoek at about 09.00 before travelling east via the towns of Witvlei and Gobabis. The group will stop for a short lunch break in Gobabis - this meal will be for your own account. Your destination is a local farm known as Okumetameta (the place of smiles) in the Kalahari not far from the Buitepos border post between Namibia and Botswana. Before heading to your campsite, you pause to meet the owners of the farm and your hosts. From here it's a short drive to your camps site where you meet your Bushman guides and set up camp. Spend the remainder of the afternoon enjoying the tranquil wilderness setting whilst dinner is prepared for you over the camp fire. After everyone is fed, the group and guides will share stories under the starry night sky in keeping with the long time tradition carried out by the Bushman.
Windhoek - Okumetameta, eastern Kalahari: approx. 3.5 hours (325km)
Includes dinner.
Day 2 - Batswana Village
Begin with an early breakfast followed by a bush walk. Led by Bushman guides you will be taught the art recognising animal spoor, tracking and stalking. Animals such as antelope, ostrich and mongoose do occur on the farm and you might be lucky enough to catch sight of these, helping to enhance this experience. The Bushman women, who are often the main gatherers for their villages, will join you and their men to impart knowledge of the plants found here. Taste edible leaves and bark, find out which roots provide water and discover natural medicines. There is also time to learn how to make a fire by rubbing sticks together before ending this fascinating excursion with dancing. Each dance by the Bushman holds a meaning and there are individual dances for healing, to encourage rain or simply for fun. Guests are encouraged to join in the dancing: a move always appreciated by your hosts.
Visit the local traditional craft village set up by the Bushman here and gain insight into how these captivating people produce tools such as their time-honoured bows and arrows.
Around late morning you board your safari vehicle and continue on to another village called Epukiro, part of a historical Roman Catholic mission. En route you will pass through commercial farm land as you drive deeper in to Namibia's Kalahari Desert. At Epukiro there is the choice to stay in traditional Batswana huts or set up a tent for the night. Led by one of the local women you will set out on foot visit the modern Batswana village found here, complete with shops, a school and a clinic. The local villagers will be as interested in your way of life and stories of your home, as you are in theirs. Often you will be treated to traditional music, dance or even a play. You'll be able to experience traditional food preparation methods and get to try some of the local fare before an evening of storytelling and singing around the camp fire.
Okumetameta - Batswana village, eastern Kalahari: approx. 2.5 hours (225km)
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 3 - Windhoek
Enjoy breakfast before you begin your journey back to Windhoek. On the way you'll take time to stop in the town of Gobabis where you'll round off your cultural adventure with a tour into a nearby township. Departing in the late morning, you'll drive back to Windhoek arriving at about 13.30.
Batswana village - Windhoek: approx. 3.5 hours (320km)
Includes breakfast.
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