Synonymous with the panoramic Cederberg mountains, the breathtaking City Hall Caves that takes you on a journey of discovery and leads you to another dimension, the untouched natural beauty of the West Coast, kaleidoscope of Namaqualand’s flowers, hospitality, sumptuous, hearty meals and the most luxurious bus transport.    Post Box 246 Vanrhynsdorp 8170 Tel: 027 219 1377 – 219 1633 / Fax: 027 2191635 – 086 51 22344 Innes: 082 65 00 666 / Mike: 082 89 66 444 / Jenny: 082 654 8877 info@namakwatoere.com & info@namakwatoere.co.za & info@namaqualodge.co.za www.namakwatoere.com & www.namakwatoere.co.za & www.namaqualodge.co.za   Why tour with Namakwa Tours? Who is Namakwa Tours? We are a family business consisting of parents and children:   Innes (Snr) -  Father:               Tour organiser that always strives to put together the best tour package. Registered tour guide that has an extended knowledge of the Namaqualand, the West Coast and Cederberg (City Hall Caves) and would like to introduce this region to the tourist to explore.  Nobody has accompanied more tourists to the Namaqualand than this competent tour guide and tour operator. Innes is the owner of the Namaqualand Country Lodge, which insures that every tour member enjoys outstanding accommodation during their tour. Jenny - Mother: Personally attends to all bookings which ensures professional service After many years of experience we have come to realise the different needs of every tour member and it is for this reason that we handle each booking personally Jenny takes care of all arrangements and makes sure tour members enjoy meals of the highest standard during their stay at the Namaqualand Country Lodge. Mike – Eldest son:                  Mike has been working at Namakwa Tours since he left school after matric.  He is a competent young man that registered as a tour guide at a young age. He is passionate about nature and his work.  Don’t be fooled by his age.  He has taught many people more about flowers, nature and our region than others who’ve toured the region per car learnt in 10 years. Mike also produced a top-selling DVD called “Travel through Namaqualand’s floral beauty with indigenous names”. Innes (Jnr) – Son:                    Innes Junior has been working at Namakwa Tours since he left school after matric.  He has learnt a lot over the past couple of years from both his father and brother during tours.  Innes Jnr also boasts a lovely voice.  He’s very positive with a good self-esteem and proud to be part of Namakwa Tours where every prospective tour member looks forward to visiting the region with us.  Santa – Daughter:   Santa is currently in matric and already a great asset to the tour and hotel industry.  She works with her mother in the office and hotel during holidays and weekends.  It is here that our children gain experience, vital to their future.  Morné – Youngest son: Morné is in Grade 8, but already a tour guide in the making.  He enjoys taking tours with us and learns more about nature in this way.  What makes Namakwa Tours different?    We’ve been in the tour industry since 1985 and in the hotel industry since 1987.  We moved from Pretoria and came to establish ourselves in Namaqualand.  We are now “Namakwalanders” and know our region.  We only provide tours in our region. We are a family business and are tour guides ourselves.  Our tour guides have a passion for their work and ensure you of the best, friendliest, competent and helpful tour guides! After many years of experience we have come to realise the different needs of every tour member and it is for this reason that we handle each booking personally. We are registered tour guides.  If you ever go on a tour in South Africa always ask your tour guide to show their tour guide-ID-card. On the back of the card it will indicate whether the guide is registered for the area in which they operate.  It is unfortunate that it is not efficiently enforced in South Africa.  (Yearly, we see tour operators in Namaqualand and our region that do not make use of registered guides in our area.  There are even cases where guides are not registered at all.  This is against the law.  Please be on the lookout).  Report these incidences with the Tour Guide Registration Office, Cape Town tel.  021 483 2960.   Where is the accommodation when I tour with Namakwa Tours? We sleep in our own hotel, Namaqualand Country Lodge, in Vanrhynsdorp – the heart of Namaqualand.  This means, you only unpack your suitcase once. Although our hotel rooms are all on ground level with private bathrooms and we travel with luxurious busses, we are unfortunately not completely wheelchair friendly. Because we stay over in one place, we don’t have to rush through our tour programme.  Our bus driver is not under any pressure and when you tour with us, you are truly on holiday. Our dinners and breakfast at the Namaqualand Country Lodge are buffet meals. We ensure you of a wide variety of meat, vegetables, salads and dessert.  Namaqualand Country Lodge is known for its sumptuous and hearty meals.   What form of transport does Namakwa Tours use? We tour with the best luxurious busses available on the South African market, with which mainly international tourists are transported.  Once again the busses are luxurious, but unfortunately not wheelchair friendly.  Make certain you are aware of the necessary aspects that define a “luxurious” bus. Comfortable chairs that can lean back – it is important because tour members spend most of their time in the bus and for this reason comfortable seating is of the highest importance to Namakwa Tours.  If you get tired, you can lean back and enjoy a short nap.  Of course, because of our interesting and insightful tours, this doesn’t happen very often!  Toilet – Inquire with your prospective tour organisation about this feature.  The towns in our regions are very far apart and it is always necessary to have a toilet onboard the bus for your comfort and emergency situations.  TV - DVD/Radio CD - There are specific times during our tour that we will offer DVDs of our region to present the tour in a more interesting way.  Air-conditioning – Make sure that the luxurious bus has this feature because it is needed in our region.    Bus driver - This is the most important aspect of a successful tour.  Because Innes (Senior) was a bus driver for his tour company for 10 years, he knows that a driver should never be placed under pressure.  Thus, it doesn’t matter how late a tour group arrives at their destination.  This gives the bus driver peace of mind that he doesn’t have to rush from one part of the region to another to arrive at a specific time at the hotel.  We enjoy the day to its fullest in the region.  If the tour guides see that the tour group is going to arrive late at the hotel due to the many stops for flowers, sights and information, all arrangements are adjusted.  This is the advantage Namakwa Tours has because they stay in their own hotel.     Who controls Namakwa Tours’ daily programme? Our own tour guides are in control of the tour programme.  We are registered tour guides for the regions we visit. Because our tour guides travel with the busses, we can change the programme depending on the weather. It is our rainy season during August and September.   We do everything indicated on our tour programme.  Be weary of tour operators that indicate they will visit certain places “if there are flowers” or “if the weather allows”.     What is included in the price of a Namakwa Tour? Accommodation at Namaqualand Country Lodge for every evening of the tour.  Every room in the hotel has a private bathroom with kettle for coffee/tea, you are welcome to bring your own beverages or you can buy a packet of coffee/tea for R7.00. Free coffee and tea is available at all times in the dining hall for those who like to enjoy a cup of coffee/tea early in the morning or late at night.  Single accommodation is only available on request.  If there are single accommodation available, an additional R1 000.00 will be added to your tour price. Meals:  All meals are included in the tour price.  The first day of the tour will include light lunch and buffet dinner. The last day of the tour will include breakfast and a fish buffet lunch (very large West Coast-Boesmanland meal). The other days a big breakfast and dinner buffet and light lunch are included.  We also provide beverages during the tour. Transport during the tour we travel with luxurious busses that include comfortable lean-back chairs, toilet and air-conditioning. Entrance fees are not included. Increase of tour price: If you booked a tour at the current price, your tour price will stay the same even if there is a price increase.  This is the policy of Namakwa Tours.  If you haven’t yet booked your tour and we have to adjust our tour price, as in 2008, the new price will be applicable for all new bookings.  We will only increase the tour price if there is a good reason e.g. the increase in petrol price in 2008. Discount for groups of 10 and more.  Please contact us in this regard.  Hidden Costs is not in the Namakwa Tour dictionary.  We have no extra costs.  We suggest you have money available if you want to buy someone a gift or for drinks during meals.  We will visit a wine cellar where you can buy wine from the Namaqualand cellar and buying miniature succulents is also popular among tour members.   Why does Namakwa Tours only tour from Cape Town? From experience we have learned that it is not worth the while to tour with the tour bus from Johannesburg.  We tried this during the 1980’s.  The most important reason for this is that it takes a tour bus two days to drive from Johannesburg to Namaqualand and again two days back to Johannesburg. Additional accommodation then has to be organised for the group to stay over on the way to Namaqualand and back.  This incurs extra costs reflected in the tour price.  There are many airlines that provide affordable tickets if you book long in advance. We can help with arrangements if tour members want to fly from anywhere in South Africa or Namibia.  For this service we charge R100.00 per booking.  The airline costs are paid into the airline bank account by the tour member. There are also facilities available to pay the flight costs per credit card. If you are travelling by train from Johannesburg to Cape Town we can also assist with the arrangements. For this service we charge R100.00 per booking.  We only make bookings on the Premier Class or the Blue Train.  Namakwa Tours will not make bookings on the cheapest train transport from anywhere to Cape Town. In case you want to travel from Gauteng, you should consider flying down or travelling via train and back.  You can for example fly down and enjoy a train ride back to Gauteng or vice versa. If you are driving with your car from elsewhere to Cape Town, you are welcome to leave it at the hotel in Bellville.  Please remember to arrange this with us first. If you want to depart the same night the tour ends, you have to book your flight from Cape Town after 19h00.  Our bus will drop you off at the airport in time for your flight home. Our tour will not depart from the airport this year.  For this reason you cannot fly into Cape Town on the same day the tour starts.  We’ve experienced great difficulties in the past with delayed flights with tours consequently starting much later than planned.  If you have to fly to Cape Town, you have to depart the day before.    Is there accommodation available if I have to arrive in Cape Town a day in advance? Tour members that want to come to Cape Town earlier or stay for longer can be accommodated.  We have negotiated a special tariff at two different hotels in Cape Town, where our tours depart and conclude.  This tariff is only valid if the booking is done via our office.  No commission is received upon this booking and it is purely a service that we can and want to deliver our customers.  Contact us for tariffs at the following hotels: Hotel in Bellville Parc du Cap – The Lodge Hotel at the airport – Road Lodge Airport We suggest that you make use of this offer and arrive in Cape Town the previous day.  These special hotel offers are only available if there are rooms available.  This tariff is also available if you want to stay in the hotel for longer than one day.   Is there transport available to the hotel if I arrive in Cape Town via airplane/train? We can assist if you arrive in Cape Town before the start of the tour or after the tour have ended and need transport to or from the hotel. Contact us for the tariff of the many transport operators: Transport from airport or train station to the Lodge in Bellville. Transport from airport or train station to the Road Lodge Airport.   What happens if a tour is cancelled by Namakwa Tours? Namakwa Tours undertake to, as far as possible, never cancel a tour.  We have never been forced to cancel a flower tour.  If it ever happens that we have to cancel a tour, we will refund all money paid within 24 hours with 10% interest per year.  The reason we want to make you aware of this condition is because on a yearly basis we witness how tourists book with other tour operators, pay the costs and then the tour is cancelled.  The tourists struggle to get their money back and we’ve even had cases where tourists lose all their money with these tour operators. In many cases tourists had already arranged flights and these costs are not refunded by airlines after cancellations.  We’ve accommodated these tourists in the past, but there were costs incurred for change in flight details and the tourist is responsible for these costs. There are “new tour operators” providing tours in our region and other areas and at first it seems like a bargain for the tourist, but in reality if a tour is cheap, there are reasons for this.  The possibility exists that the tour operator does not know what he or she is doing and the tour member stands to lose all their money.      By using cheap accommodation, providing cheap meals and cheap “luxurious” busses is equivalent to a cheap tour with many risks.    It is a pity, but this year we point out these issues because there is no regulation in the tour industry. On a yearly basis we witness the money lost by tourists because the businesses of some tour operators go under.  Currently there are even tour operators that have gone bankrupt and potential tour members lost all their money.  After bankruptcy the tour operator starts another tour business under another name.  Unfortunately these incidences give our industry a bad name.    How do I book with Namakwa Tours? When you’ve decided on one of our tours, complete the booking form.  Fax or e-mail the form to our office.  The rest of the arrangements will be completed by our office (hotel and flight bookings, if needed).  You will receive a tour reference number and Namakwa Tours’ banking details.  This tour reference number has to be included on the deposit slip as well as all correspondence.  We don’t provide banking details without a booking form.  The only reason for this is that tour members have paid tour costs without a reference number and paid for tours without booking.  Once before prospective tour members paid for a tour that was already fully booked.       When is tour costs payable? Deposit of R2 000.00 per tour member is payable after receiving a tour reference number with your booking. Balance payable 30 days before the date of departure.   Is Namakwa Tours the only tour operator providing tours in Namaqualand? No, we don’t want to imply that you can only tour to Namaqualand with Namakwa Tours.  There are unfortunately only a few other trustworthy tour operators that have been established for many years.  We are the leaders in Namaqualand flower tours and our West Coast Cederberg tours.  Inquire with other tour operators.  Visit their websites and ask for references of other tour members and make sure you know how long they’ve been touring in our region.  Compare our tour programme and tour price with other operators.  Our West Coast and Cederberg City Hall Cave tours are unique.  No other tour operator has this tour programme.  We ensure you of a soul enriching holiday.  If you have any doubt about Namakwa Tours, please contact us.  We’ve taken a few thousand people to Namaqualand and toured many West Coast Cederberg tours.  We can provide references of tour members that have toured with us.  Visit our website for information.  Our tours are also fully booked long in advance.      What makes Namakwa Tours so successful?  Other than the family business, the best travel programme, the most luxurious bus transport, hotel accommodation and sumptuous meals, we are positive about our region and our tourism. It isn’t difficult to fill a bus with people, but our aim is to welcome the same travellers back to enjoy the journey with us once more. Namakwa Tours achieves this every year where previous tour members tour with us again because we change our tour programme on a yearly basis.  Lastly, and definitely the most important:  Everyone that works at Namakwa Tours and Namaqualand Country Lodge, and this includes all personnel, admit that we are Christians and that we owe the wonder that is the Namqualand to our Holy Father the Creator.   We start every morning with a short prayer and trust in God for a safe and soul enriching journey. Very important to remember if someone wants to come and enjoy our floral beauty Namaqualand consists of 5 regions: Richtersveld  -  In the North-Western part of the Namaqualand and is a mountainous and desert like region and 4x4 transport is recommended Namaqualand Klipkoppe - This part is just south of the Richtersveld and is a very mountainous region with large granite mountains.  Definitely a region that should not be left out.  Visit this region preferably before the second half of September seeing as it can become really hot in this region.  Hardeveld - Just south of the Namaqualand klipkoppe and is known for its many hills. Knersvlakte  -  South of the Hardeveld and border on the Bokkeveld Mountains in the east and has the lowest rainfall in the region, but boasts with many endemic plants, but especially miniature succulents and insects Sandveld - Along the coast approximately 50km inland.  In parts where they receive enough rain, potatoes are successfully farmed We at Namakwa Tours know that you can’t enjoy the floral beauty by just visiting one region.  We visit 4 of the 5 regions and the only region we do not visit is the Richtersveld.  We travel many kilometres and try to give our tour members the best value for their money and that is why we are successful.  Yearly we welcome back the same tour members.  Many say they come back for our hospitality and others say they come back for the sumptuous meals and our super luxurious bus transport Other regions that we visit: Boesmanland - In the Nieuwoudtville area that is also known as the bulbaceous capital of the world. Swartland -  This region’s name might be a bit misleading since the Swartland is beautiful and green during August and September and boasts with the most beautiful yellow canola flowers Olifantsriver Valley - This region boasts with the biggest wine cellar in the Southern Hemisphere! And it is a very interesting region to visit with its rich history and canal system.  It is very important and necessary to visit as many regions in Namaqualand as possible.  Therefore we are privileged to live in and plan our tours from Namaqualand and that is why we know exactly where to look for flowers. We also know what is going on in our region, when it rains and what it looks like in every region, because we are in contact with our people in the different parts of Namaqualand.  We make sure that we provide the most beautiful floral sights for every tour member at the best and most affordable tour price.  It is important that you know that it is our rainy season and if you plan to stay over in a different town every night and it rains on the day that you travel from one town to another, you won’t see any flowers because of the weather travelling with you.  This is why we reserve the right to change our tour programme on a daily basis to adjust to the weather.  A tour experience is not how you do it, but with whom you do it.  Namakwa Tours ensures you of the best tour programme, super luxurious bus transport, hospitality and sumptuous meals.  Friendly Flower and Mountain Greetings Namakwa Tour Team Innes Spies (Snr) Jenny Spies Mike Spies Innes Spies (Jnr)