Namibia with the family: 15 days combining hunting and tourism

Namibia: a country with infinite hunting options

Anyone who has been reading us for some time will know how much we like Namibia as a hunting and tourism destination. With over 800,000 sqkm and a wide variety of game species, the hunting options in this country are amazing. But beyond that, the enhancement of its tourism infrastructure over the last years, has enabled Namibia to become a tourism reference as well. With a population of just under 2,5 million people, Namibia is a country free of any conflicts, making it a safe country to travel with the family.

A special trip for a special family

On the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary, Iñigo and Gloria were looking into something special. A memorable trip with their six children where they would be able to combine hunting and tourism, discovering some of the many secrets that Namibia has to offer. Great expectations put on this two-weeks trip for the whole family, in which every single member would be important!

Warm welcome after a long flight from Spain

From Spain -and the rest of Europe- there are different flight combinations to Namibia. The fact that every combination involves having to take different connection flights, means that traveling to Namibia can be long. But you know: don’t commit the crime if you don’t want to do the time. Our family opted to travel through Dubai and Johannesburg. Although this might seem a long flight -which definitely is- the connection flights ensure passengers enough time to jump from one flight to the other, especially when you travel with guns. Iñigo was not traveling with his rifle but with six children instead -can you imagine that? - so we thought Dubai would be the best option.

Once arrived in Windhoek, clients were fetched at the airport by their professional hunter and transferred to the lodge, free of any hassles. After such a long way, not only the kids were looking forward to a warm welcome and a delicious dinner. With everyone settled in the lodge and with our eyes focused on the next days, everything was looking very promising!

May the hunting begin

One of the best things about hunting in places like Namibia -beyond the game abundance and variety that it offers- is that everything goes quite in a relax way, without rushing things. This allowed our children to actively take part during the hunt in a very pleasant and joyful way.

After a first morning in which everybody became familiarised with the guns and were ready to go in a safely manner, we could not wait to see the youngsters enjoying themselves. You could read their excitement in their eyes! On the other hand, Iñigo senior had a big desire to get a Kudu. At Camino Real Hunting Consultants, we are committed with the next generation of hunters and for that reason, we do our best to try and get the kids to be actively involved during the hunt, without this necessarily meaning having to harvest a trophy. We love watching siblings having such a wonderful time together in the bush!

A few years back, Namibia suffered one of the worst rabies epidemics in history with devastating consequences. Mortality in adult individuals reached 70% within most territories. With time, and thanks to the tremendous efforts of our partners, the kudu population has recovered in a good part of the areas in which we operate, which means that with a bit of patience and luck, today we are able to deliver some outstanding bulls like the one Iñigo was able to take on the third day of safari.

What does Namibia offer, other than exquisite hunting?

Once the hunting was over, the family headed off on a road trip through Namibia for another week. With one of our guides, they visited some of the most stunning spots of the country such as Swakopmund and Sossusvlei. During their stay, the enjoyed a couple of photographic safaris in a beautiful game reserve in which they are currently running an important protection program for the white rhino, sailed on a catamaran to watch the dolphins and seals, went on an incredible 4x4 tour up and down the dunes, practiced some shark fishing from shore, flew in a hot air balloon and visited the Sesreim Canyon.

From the different options, the 4x4 tours in the desert -a must do for the most adventurous souls-, flying in a hot air balloon -the views from above at dawn or dusk will leave you speechless- and the shark fishing from shore are the most popular activities amongst our groups. Probably for me, the shark fishing is the most exciting one. Although it requires a bit of luck and sharks must be willing to do their part, the experience can be truly unforgettable. In this case, our friends were lucky and not only they enjoyed a fantastic barbecue on the beach but were able to fight a few sharks and some fish with excellent results! Their faces said it all!

An immense word of appreciation

From Camino Real Hunting Consultants, we would personally like to thank Gloria and Iñigo for trusting us in arranging such a special trip -not everybody is able to stay together for 25 years- with their children. But more importantly, we would like to thank them for being such nice people and their willingness to have a wonderful experience from the very beginning and throughout the whole journey. Because it is when people remain positive and are always looking to have a great time, that everything turns out the right way. Congratulations and make it, at least, another 25 years!

And if you are still thinking what to do…

We encourage you to contact us, get all the details and start planning your next African adventure for next year. Whether you plan to go with Friends, family or on your own, Namibia cannot wait to host you!

Wishing you all a happy hunting and looking forward to meeting you soon.

Álvaro Mazón (Jr).