I awoke at about 7:00am. Out my window, desert scrub and mountains had been replaced by desert sand and mountainous sand dunes shrouded in fog. Although sunshine would have been preferable, I thought the dunes looked really neat through the fog. I quickly showered and dressed, then headed up to the dining car for breakfast.
Desert Dunes in clearing fog
The breakfast service was different from dinner in that one of the larger four top tables had been converted to a buffet that featured a variety of cheeses, crackers, meats, breads, fruit (honeydew melon and grapes), cereals, muesli, yogurt and juices. Although there was no printed menu, a variety of basic egg dishes, including a full English Breakfast were also offered.
I helped myself to some fruit and a glass of orange juice, then ordered the full English Breakfast. No doubt the sensible choice would have been some yogurt and muesli, but I like to take full advantage of the meal service on both planes and trains. This is especially true at breakfast where I always order the more extravagant meal. My breakfast included two fried eggs, boerewor sausages and bacon, mushrooms, cucumbers, a grilled tomato and a bread basket. This left me with plenty of energy for the next activity which commenced shortly after breakfast.
We were only about 15 kilometers from Swakopmund when we stopped out in the middle of the desert. We weren’t even on a siding, so I hoped no other trains were coming! The reason for this stop was to allow anyone who was up for it to hike out to and climb some big sand dunes. Our Director of Onboard Services led the charge. About half of the passengers assembled outside the train for the trek across the sands. We were told that the cooler morning temperatures and fog were a good thing because it meant we were unlikely to encounter any scorpions or sidewinders. Even so, we were cautioned to watch for them and then off we went.
Desert Dunes hike
Desert Dunes hike
I was surprised at how far we ventured from the train. I’d guess we hiked a good mile into the desert before we started climbing up what looked to be the biggest dune. Climbing sand dunes is a lot harder than climbing mountains. The sand sinks under your feet and doesn’t offer good support, thus it requires a lot more effort. Six of our group decided to turn back before reaching the top. The dune we were climbing was well over two hundred feet high and once we’d reached the top the view was pretty cool, even in the fog which was slowly lifting. Our guide explained that had this been a clear morning, we would have been able to easily see the Atlantic Ocean. As it was, we could just barely make out our train sitting way down below us out in the distance.
Although we’d climbed the dune along its ridge, the best way to come down a big sand dune is to pretend that you’re skiing between some big moguls. I just hopped a zig zag path down through the sand, which was way more fun than climbing up.
Back on board the
Desert Express, my room had been converted back to a daytime lounge. I finished packing, then headed up to the Spitzkoppe Lounge to settle my bar tab and leave a gratuity for the staff. Gratuities were of course at the discretion of the guests, but I was surprised to see how little most people appeared to be leaving. A medium sized jar had been placed on the bar and it held mostly ten and twenty dollar notes. $10.00 Namibian or South African equals about $1.40 US. Given that we were tipping for all the staff, from the car attendants to the bar tender to the dining room staff, I was surprised that most folks hadn’t left a bit more. Since tipping about 10-15% in restaurants is the norm in South Africa, $100.00 seemed a more appropriate amount and I particularly thanked my car attendant Michelle for the timely and excellent job she had done in readying my suite for both day and night use.
We rolled into Swakopmund at 10:00am, right on time. Unlike Windhoek, there was no grand train station. In fact, there wasn’t any station at all. The train eased up alongside a raised platform and we were dropped off there. The platform was in a sandy lot off a dusty side road on the outskirts of town. A couple of vans awaited to transport us to our various hotels. This was certainly a most ignoble ending to an otherwise excellent rail excursion. Hopefully a nicer station in Swakopmund will be built soon.
Otherwise, this was an excellent train trip. Although I would not place the Desert Express in the same company as the
Blue Train or the
Orient Express, at $350.00 USD for a twenty hour journey it offers affordable luxury and very good food and service well worth the price tag. Certainly, amongst African luxury trains, it is the most affordable. (See links below.) For those of you that aren’t in too much of a hurry and enjoy a good train trip, I certainly recommend the
Desert Express!
AFRICAN LUXURY TRAIN LINKS
Desert Express
Blue Train
Rovos Rail
Shongololo Express