MUSHARA LODGE, OUTPOST AND VILLAS
July 2008
July is upon us and Etosha Pan still holds huge amounts of water. Mushara has never seen it like this so late in the year. The guides have reported that there are lots of water birds still around and still breeding. The animals are in an excellent condition and there is still plenty of greenery on the trees and bushes providing sustenance even for the browsers. The game sightings as a result are good. Guests should be warned - the early mornings are very cold (10 degrees) at the moment – but the afternoons are mild.
The Outpost, Villa and Lodge are all receiving excellent feedback this year. This is a sample of recent guest comments:
Mushara Lodge:
This was the best lodge we’ve stayed in Namibia. Thank you very much for your kindness and hospitality… The people are so warm and helpful which makes this an outstanding experience. Thank you. Tim & Cathrin June 2008
Incredible service and gourmet foods. I worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years and have never had a better experience. Your staff is simply the best I’ve ever encountered. Eric Field June 2008
Loved it so much the first time (10/04/08) – brought friends and came again to stay – Wonderful pool, service, room-perfect. Will continue to tell all about “the best place to stay” in Namibia – Thank you. Helen Munro UK June 2008
Mushara Villa:
Thank you for such a tranquil and welcoming haven. The game drives were exciting with Petrus and Nataniel; we saw all that we had hoped to. The garden arbor was a welcoming retreat and the villa a restful place. Our introduction to Namibia was made all the better for the lovely staff. David & Sylvia Andrews, London, England May 2008
Marc & Mariza – A very special place is Villa Mushara – and we enjoyed it as we know you would want us to! Thank you for many things whilst we were with you, which included the ambiance and peace. The service in all shapes and forms from all of your staff made our stay a memorable one. A special thank you for the rusks!! And the soaps!! You didn’t miss a thing! Angela & Bill Blanden May 2008
The Outpost:
What a wonderful place to end our honeymoon. Helena and the staff make you so welcome it feels like your own home while we are here. Decorations and photography are amazing. Simon & Helen Fulford June 2008
Dear Lempie, Dear Helena, Dear team, Thanks for being such good and friendly hosts A word of support for you, your team and the owners: This is the first lodge we have visited with an all - native staff; including day-to-day management. You should be very proud of that; we value it a lot! Martin & Nadia June 2008
Dear Lempie, Helena and all the fantastic staff, The best thing about this place is the staff. Many thanks for a fantastic stay. Everything has just been perfect-we will remember it for ever. With much love Helen June 2008
June 2008
During June, Judy Badenhorst from Cape Town,will be spending time with the Mushara and Outpost chefs. Judy is a well known chef from Cape Town with lots of experience; she used to own the very popular Spaanschemat River Café in Constantia, was involved with a restaurant in Buitenverwachting and is part of the recently opened Corner Café in Stellenbosch.
Marc and Mariza have always loved Judie's food which is not only tasty, but fresh and wholesome so they were very pleased when she agreed to work with them to freshen up the menus at Mushara. The six chefs are loving their new training and are eagerly learning new skills.
March 2008
As from 03.03.2008 a new seat-in day tour service will be offered from Windhoek to Mushara Lodge and Mushara Outpost / Etosha National Park every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The return seat-in day tour from Mushara to Windhoek will be conducted every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Windhoek – Mushara Lodges (530 km) every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
All passengers will be collected from their hotels in Windhoek from 07.30 hrs onwards for departure from Windhoek at 08.00 hrs. The journey will include a stop for 20 minutes in Otjiwarongo for morning coffee and 60 minutes in Tsumeb for lunch at a restaurant and/or visit the Museum. Guests will arrive at Mushara in time to take an afternoon game drive into Etosha.
Mushara Lodges – Windhoek (530 km) every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Departing from Mushara Lodge at 09.15 hrs / Mushara Outpost 09.30 hrs guests will stop at Lake Otjikoto for 20 minutes and Otjiwarongo for 60 minutes for sightseeing and lunch. There will also be a stop in Okahandja for guests to visit the wood carver’s crafts market for 30 minutes. Passengers will be dropped at their hotels from 16.00 hrs
The vehicles used are luxurious Volkswagen T5 Caravelle Multivans with leather seats and multi zone climate control air condition and a maximum of 6 passengers per vehicle. If necessary, excess luggage will be transported in a trailer to utilise maximum space within the vehicle for maximum legroom (45 cm!) and comfort.
The price per trip (one-way) is N$ 1.980,00 per person (min 2, max 6 passengers)
Prices are valid from 01.03.2008 until 31.10.2009. We reserve the right to increase the prices in case of extreme fuel hikes.
February 2008
Abraham has been leading action-packed game drives from Mushara for years and last weekend was no exception. Sunday morning began with a breeding herd of elephants at the edge of the pan, where even mega-fauna are dwarfed by the massive backdrop. Abraham then discovered a female cheetah with two cubs on a very fresh springbok kill at Doring Draai. The kill was so recent that the springbok was unmarked and intact. In itself this would have been an excellent morning of gameviewing amongst the plentiful plains game of the eastern park. However a quick scout along the road to Ngobib turned up a pride of 15 lions which makes a predator tally that any guide would be more than happy with. As Abraham later drove his guests back towards Mushara the icing on the cake was a good leopard sighting on the road close to Namutoni. Before his guests returned to the UK, Abraham took them back into Etosha on Monday and the final drive rewarded them with a Black Rhino grazing at Chudop waterhole.
February 2008
As decent rainfall in Namibia is always a cause for discussion, I thought I would share the very latest images we have from the eastern park. Mushara's Marc Pampe took these shots this morning and reports that most of the grazers are currently knee deep in fresh water. This is a fantastic time of year for photographers in Etosha as the pans slowly turn into flawless mirrors reflecting the local wildlife and blue skies.
Extra care needs to be taken around the increased numbers of animals using the roads as dry routes through the park. That includes the raptors who have a field day picking off the parks smaller inhabitants denied their usual variety of hiding places.
The news from Mushara Outpost is that their (usually dry) river bed is flowing. The eight raised rooms overlook this natural feature which locals think hasn't flowed properly in the last 30 years
February 2008
The rains came very late to Etosha this year, but is was worth the wait with 270mm of rain falling in 11 days. In the park, Fishers' Pan is full, Andoni Plains are under water and the main Etosha pan has a lot of water coming in from the north. The first Flamingos have already arrived along with thousands of young antelope.
Considering the amount of rainfall, game sightings are good. Petrus, guiding two Mushara Villa guests this morning reports spotting hyena and two cheetah. Yesterday they had good lion and elephant sightings.
