Year 11 Namibia Trip

30th August 2026

The 2026 Year 11 Namibia trip started off in the early hours of Monday the 3rd of August. The Year 11s – fresh off of an extended holiday – clambered into the bus accompanied by Mr Moore, Mrs Cash, Mrs Devilliers and Mr Williams. The first day was almost entirely spent on the bus, with some short breaks at gas stations (where a small fortune was spent on snacks) as well as lunch at Nandos in Springbok. After a shocking biltong confiscation scandal at the Namibian border, we arrived at the base camp for Amanzi River Trails around 6pm to a beautiful sunset.

It took us quite a while to figure out the tents at first, and soon small tent villages were scattered among the lawn. Thankfully, by the late evening, everybody had begun to adjust well to the environment and we shared a lovely dinner together where we met Russell (the owner’s dog – who proceeded to constantly steal bits and pieces left around the campsite just to make you chase after him.)

An early morning then followed, as we rushed to sort out the last of our possessions into the shared buckets, cooler boxes and dry bags. After somehow squeezing our provisions onto the kayaks and tying everything down, we were led through a short safety briefing by our trusty guides and said our goodbyes to everyone at base camp (especially Russell)

The first stint on the kayaks was absolute chaos; nobody seemed to know how to go in a straight line which led to countless crashes and spins. We also ventured through our first rapid, which seemed to drench everyone sitting in front.

By the time we reached a spot for our first break, we soon realised that the people at the back of the kayak pack were nearly ten minutes behind everyone else. The day continued onwards – with a short lunch break on the river banks, swims in the rapids and playful races. Notably, we faced the infamous ‘nappy ride’. Essentially, everybody tied their life jackets around their waists and plunged into the cold river where we splashed down the rapids without a boat! The group seemed divided, with some swearing that this was a near death experience and drying off in our boats while others banded together to go down the rapids again and again. By the time we reached our spot for the night everyone was absolutely exhausted.

Putting up the tents proved to be an incredibly tricky task whilst on the river due to the aggressive wind in the afternoon. Despite this, the first night concluded with campfire stories, hot chocolate and star gazing.

The second day came with a partner swap for the kayaks; all of the original partners were changed and every girl had to find a boy for a partner. For some, this finally allowed there to be stability, as many people gained confidence on the boats. Unfortunately for others this wasn’t the case as many of us spent a good amount of time getting stuck against the rocks in the countless rapids. We reached our spot for the night quite early which gave us time to tan, play games and swim (or even shower) in the river. However, the calming atmosphere was broken up around dinner time when suddenly an extremely ferocious wind picked up on the river banks and howled through the tents. Everyone scrambled to come up with creative ideas for keeping their tents on the ground. Quickly, the boys built a wall out of the kayaks which was soon named after its creator ‘The Great Wall of OJ’. Others ventured far away from the river to find rocks to pile on top of the tent pegs. Thankfully, there were no major tent-casualties and no-one got blown into the river in the middle of the night.

Thursday morning marked our last day on the river and it started off extremely cold.

We spent about an hour huddled around the small fire before breakfast, which was a really good opportunity to talk – not just to our friends, but also to our teachers and guides. Our grade then packed up and set off on our final stint, we were told that we would be braving the Sjambok Rapids at the end of the journey, filling everyone with both excitement and nerves.

The Sjambok Rapids were absolutely thrilling to go on. The rush from being battered around the water and pushed almost to the point of capsizing was exhilarating! It was the perfect way to end off our kayaking experience. Afterwards, thoroughly soaked, everyone clustered together at the end of the rapids, where we pulled off on the river banks and had lunch whilst we waited (seemingly forever) for the buses to come and pick us up.

The wait was not easy though, as we had to drag the boats and all our belongings up a hill and onto the dirt roads. Once the truck came, everyone had to work together to load heavy bags into them. After a short walk to the bus, our first cold soda in days and a silent drive back to base camp, we all collapsed on the grass where we would spend our final night camping. Russell was overjoyed to see us and quickly began his favourite hobby: running away with our clothes. His stolen items include one croc, two T-shirts, a bandana and a football. Everyone got to freshen up and eat dinner (plus ice cream dessert!) as the sun began to set.

Due to the early start the next morning, many were hesitant to put up their tents which led to some small sleepovers as most tents had around 4 of us squashing into them.

After waking up around 4:30 the next morning, everyone quietly packed up and sauntered into the bus. After crossing the border most decided to attempt to catch up on their sleep. The rest of the journey home went on without any issues and soon enough we were excitedly running to meet our family members back at the school.

The Year 11 trip was truly a unique experience which taught all of us new things about ourselves and each other, as well as many new skills. We had an unforgettable time and hope you enjoy the photos!

– Aaliya and Livi