There has however been a consistent demand for affordable shorter tour packages that take advantage of the moderate coastal region around the Walvis Bay and Swakopmund areas. The idea is to still offer ease of access to the  unique sites  and cultures of Namibia without the need to travel the vast distances often required on a more comprehensive tour. Through negotiations with our long standing partners in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund (www.atlantic-villa.com | www.sossusfly.com) we are now  very  excited to be able  to achieve this.

5 DAY 4 NIGHT NAMIBIA TOUR

Overview
Departures are ex JHB, Durban or Cape Town with an option of morning or noon departures to Walvis Bay. Collection from airport and via shuttle to Atlantic Beach Villa or similar on a B&B basis to unwind. Take the opportunity to explore the unique local architecture and vast array of restaurants and pubs in the area including: KUckis Pub & Restaurant, The Jetty, the renowned Brauhaus or The Tug. Evenings also provide a perfect opportunity to experience the vibrant nightlife, cuisine and world renowned hospitality.

On day two, enjoy a full day itinerary, taking in a lagoon cruise with Mola Mola as well as a spectacular Sandwich Harbour 4×4 excursion in the dunes. The third day to be enjoyed at leisure with an opportunity to visit the Waterfont or take in an optional bird-watching tour. Day four would comprise a half day tour to explore the magestic “Lunar Landscape” and Welwitchias. On Day five guests are able to relax in the morning before preparing for departure at noon. The cost would be ZAR 16 560 I USD 1152.00 (Per Person & R1500 single supplement). The package is available for booking from MAY 2016 until the 15th DECEMBER 2016.

Please contact us directly for a comprehensive itinerary or for any further information you might require on this not to be missed opportunity. Please also view the slideshow below to gain a glimpse of some of the amazing sights that await.

Happy Travels!

Marius du Plessis
and the
African Hoopoe Team!

Firstly however, a big thank-you to all the people who have made this years trip to Vakantiebeurs and the Emitt Trade Fair a success and to the hospitality of friends, old and new who took the time and effort to make my trip one that I will remember for a long time to come.

African Hoopoe Tours started from humble beginnings in 2007 and through commitment, hard work and a passion to create memorable experiences for our clients, we have grown from strength to strength. African Hoopoe now offer a host of professional services catering to a broad range of clients, as outlined on the right.

Thanks as always for your support!,… all of us at African Hoopoe Tours wish you an exciting and prosperous year in travel.

Please view the slideshow of some of our travel highlights and feel free to mail us with any comments or queries.
Happy Travels!

Marius du Plessis
and the
African Hoopoe Team!

A big thank-you is therefore due to the industry partners, customers and staff who have assisted in making my job such a pleasure. The African Hoopoe staff in the accounts, booking and marketing departments as well as our drivers and guides are all invaluable to the successful operation of our business and have been a key factor in us achieving the goals we set at the beginning of the year. Your hard work, diligence and loyalty are greatly appreciated!

Although African Hoopoe Tours is a relatively small operator compared to some of our competitors, we nevertheless pack a big punch. To put this into perspective, our fleet have collectively traveled over 98 000 km in 2015 and we have successfully operated tours all over South Africa as well as Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe for an average of 450 pax per month. Our fleet of vehicles have certainly earned their keep too and with an amount in excess of R250 000 having been spent on sub hire of vehicles, the recent addition of a new Quantum to our fleet was certainly well justified.
We have also made great inroads this year in establishing ourselves as highly capable and sought after operators of tours to Namibia, with several National Namibia Tours already booked for the new year.

Something I would like to touch on briefly in closing is the benefit of Crit Forms. Some guides find the process of asking their group to fill in crit forms disruptive or at the least, embarrassing, however as the business owner it is something that I feel the need to insist upon as the information gathered from our customers is invaluable in ensuring we consistently provide the best possible service and products, as well as being able to address any criticisms, promptly and efficiently to the benefit of all. I would welcome any input or thoughts on how this system could be improved.

African Hoopoe Tours are off to Vakantiebeurs (Utrecht) in January and we would be very happy to have you visit our stand if you are attending the expo. After the expo we will be stopping over in Istanbul to persue potential business.

Thanks again for your support!,… all of us at African Hoopoe Tours wish you and your families a safe and happy festive season and an exciting and prosperous new year in travel.

Please take a look at the slideshow of some of our travel highlights in 2015 and feel free to mail us with any comments and queries.
Happy Travels!

Marius du Plessis
and the
African Hoopoe Team!

African  Hoopoe Tours  have  recently returned from  Namibia, where once again  we have  been in consultation with various parties to assist us in developing exciting packages for our local and overseas customers. We share  the vision of Gerhard van der Merwe, prominent Swakopmund businessman and owner  of Atlantic Villa  Guesthouse, who  is striving to promote Swakopmund as a focal point from  which to easily explore the many wonderful attractions that  make Namibia such  an intruiging country to visit. His investment in Atlantic Villa Guesthouse, a first rate  accomodation and conferencing facility and more  recently in a local  air charter company is testament to his committment and  we are extremely excited about the opportunities that  this  represents for our clients.

Swakopmund is a vibrant city  with  much to offer, apart from its stunning Germanic architecture and  world renowned hospitality, Swakopmund is also  within close  proximity to some of the  world’s most awe inspiring scenery. There  are also a host  of exciting excursions on offer, from  4×4  trips  in the dunes, to sandboarding, quad biking, harbour cruises and  more. With  its temperate climate, Swakopmund offers a unique opportunity for our Northern Hemisphere customers to escape winter and experience a holiday of a lifetime. Etosha Game Reserve, Sossusvlei and Fish River  Canyon are also just a short charter flight away  for extended packages or longer stays.

Our intern  Romane Javelaud has recently left for Paris  and we thank her for her enthusiasm and commitment to the  African Hoopoe  brand during the time  she  spent with  us. She  has  no doubt left with  fond  memories of her travels and experiences, having recently visited the Okavango Delta, Botswana and Fish River Canyon. We wish  her well  until  we meet again.

From  Botswana to Baardskeerdersbos!,…after our  trip  North of the  border it was  straight to Port Elizabeth to meet  up with  a Canadian group  for a Garden Route  Tour. A rare  treat this time, was  to be able  to share  this  tour with my brother Andre, as we are so often in different parts of the country. Our  clients enjoyed a fantastic trip,  as did we.

As always there are several establishments and individuals that I would like  to acknowledge for their  impressive service over  the past  few weeks. Our Canadian group  were  particularly impressed with La Quartier Francais in Franschhoek. Harbour House in Hermanus was also absolutely fantastic, as was the service at the  Mount Nelson and  the ever consistent Knysna Quays. I would also  like  to thank Gerhard van der Merwe, owner of Atlantic Villa Guesthouse in Swakopmund for his hospitality and  insights into  the huge potential of the area.

African  Hoopoe Tours are proud to be aligned with  forward thinking industry leaders who compliment our vision and enable us to regularly provide our customers with  new  and exciting product offerings.

Please feel free to mail us with any queries relating to the above.

Happy Travels!

Marius du Plessis
and the
African Hoopoe Team!

African Hoopoe Tours have been extremely fortunate to have kicked off the season with a bang and I am pleased to say that our bookings are looking extremely good right through to March 2016. In light of this a big thank you is definitely due to the African Hoopoe staff, who have worked tirelessly, not only to ensure that our many tours and transfers have run smoothly but also for their sterling efforts in securing and accomodating all of our bookings. I would like to specifically mention the contributions made by our office manager Warren Walker and our marketing dynamo, Rolinda Shultz. We have also recently taken on an intern,..Romane Javelaud, who is a young french student currently busy with her honours degree in tourism, her thesis being on “Tourism in South Africa”. Romane has been of great assistance to us and an absolute pleasure to deal with, I have no doubt her thesis will make for interesting reading after her many adventures in Africa. Please follow this link to view a promo video that Romane put together for us.

As mentioned in previous blog posts, African Hoopoe Tours always make a concerted effort to forge new relationships and take advantage of new opportunities by attending as many Tourism expo’s, events and functions as we are able. To this end we will be attending Vakantiebeurs 2016, which, with over 1200 exhibitors is one of the worlds largest Tourism and Leisure events on the international calendar. Vakantibeurs takes place from 13th -17th of Jan 2016 in Utrecht, Netherlands and our aim is to connect with several European outbound operators.

African Hoopoe Tours have a wealth of experience as an inbound tour operator to customers in both Europe and Canada in conjunction with our solid ground handling, sourcing and logistics capabilities in Sub Saharan Africa. With our committment to continuously strive towards the highest levels of service, we are positive that great things can be achieved in the coming year.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our partners and customers for your continuous support and wish you all well in your tourism endeavours.

Please feel free to mail us with any queries relating to the above.

Happy Travels!

Marius du Plessis
and the
African Hoopoe Team!

African Hoopoe Tours have been conducting tours in Namibia for several years, our 21 Day National Tour, which follows a circular route, starting from Windhoek and taking in all the best sights and experiences Namibia has to offer including Etosha, Swakopmund, Sossusvlei, Fish River Canyon etc has proven extremely popular with our customers. We also offer an 11 Day Southern and 10 Day Northern Namibia Tour.

For a long time however we have been keen to put together an affordable 4-5 day tour, that showcases the areas and activities around Swakopmund and Walvis Bay and I am glad to announce that after my recent visit to Swakopmund our dream has become a reality. African Hoopoe Tours now offer a 4 Day Dune & Lagoon Tour in and around Swakopmund with an option to extend to a 5th Day available

(visit to the spectacular Sossusvlei)

The Dune & Lagoon Tour includes flights and accomodation in a prominent Swakopmund B&B and is inclusive of lunch on days 1&2.

The itinerary is as follows:

Day One:
Arrive at Walvis Bay.
Swakopmund orientation and then quad biking.
Overnite B&B basis Swakopmund.

Day Two:
Depart for Lagoon Cruise and Sandwhich Harbour
4 x 4 excursion (lunch included)
Overnite on B&B basis in Swakopmund

Day Three:
Half day excursion to Lunar Landscape and Welwitchias (picnic lunch included)
Arrive back at 14h00 and explore Swakopmund further. Enjoy lovely meal at the German Brauhaus of Swakopmund.

Day four:
Check out of hotel, go for last dune excursion, thereafter depart for the airport for flight back to CPT or JHB. Those wishing to do the ad-on excursion to Sossusvlei and Sesriem canyon depart for Sossusvlei.

Day five:
The folk who chose Sossusvlei excursion will now depart for their flight at 12h30 to either CPT or JHB.

The Dune and Lagoon Tour will take place annually between July and September, to capitalise on optimum weather conditions. We would appreciate any questions or suggestions that you might have to help us achieve a truly stunning Namibian experience for interested customers.

A big thank-you must go to all the individuals and companies that have helped us make this tour possible, namely: Sarah Wannenburg from Globe Traveller Travel Management, Gerhard van der Merwe of Atlantic Villa, Swakopmund, Mola Mola Marine and Dolphin Cruises and Swakopmund Brauhaus. I would like to encourage you all to click on the links to find out more about the services these companies offer.

Lastly, I would like to thank all our customers and partners for their continued support. At African Hoope Tours, we pride ourselves on maintaining a high level of integrity in all our dealings with our clients and partners and we continuously strive to achieve the highest levels of service.

Please feel free to mail us with any queries relating to the above.

Happy Travels!

Marius du Plessis
and the
African Hoopoe Team!