Desert Cycle Namibia, May 2021
7 days of cycling guided by Save the Rhino Trust, followed by a day tracking rhinos.
4 nights in lodges, 6 nights under the stars camping in comfort and style.
Come cycle the Desert… if you’ve a hankering for adventure, exquisite scenery, eternal skies… and a connection with the wild things of the desert – The Rhino.
The land of the Rhino beckons you to seek within and find that inner spirit, that resilience and strength of the beast to explore by pedal power.
We cycle for 7 days through utter wilderness - The Desert. It is arid, yet teaming with life. The raw wild-ness of the desert touches the soul in an inexplicable way. Nature holds total domination in this great dry landscape: utter desolation, abandonment, isolation. Man is small, insignificant and vulnerable here.
We fly into Windhoek, Namibia. Then transfer to the Ugab River – the Southern hub of the Rhino region. We camp for 2 nights whilst we test our bike and ready ourselves. The journey commences. We cycle out of the river valley and into the desert. We camp for a further 2 nights in exquisite scenery, before we arrive at a comfortable lodge. Onward we go camping for another couple of nights, before our arrival at Palmwag lodge for 2 nights.
We have a professional cycle crew to support us, and our camp crew create comfort and gastronomy in the bush.
People who have experienced this adventure find that they connect with something inexpressible and profound within themselves, and many return, as has Berry!
After arriving at Palmwag, the hub of the desert adapted rhino region, we go rhino tracking to seek out our quarry, learning the secrets of their survival.
Vanessa Buxton - For further info: vanessabuxton@desertheart.co.uk
Desert Heart 2019
In memory of conservationist and Rhino protector Mike Hearn.
The last Desert Heart party fundraiser (they have been running since 2007) was held at the Islington Metal Works in 2019. It was a huge success, raising £20,000. The theme for the night was ‘Alice in Africaland,’ a perfect dressing up theme for the guests, as the pictures below show. The organisation Desert Heart has been going for twelve years and quickly gained a following after it was started by host of the night, Vanessa Buxton. Approximately six hundred guests arrived to dance the night away, buying raffle tickets to win a list of wonderful prizes, mainly given by the committee, which are a must. The group started organising the party event about five months before the night, working with a large committee to spread the word, making sure of essential ticket sales and everything else needed to create a unique party. This year, unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the party was cancelled but it will be back in 2021 ready to carry on the great work!
Alison Hierlehy - founder and creative director of AHDesign & organiser, Desert Heart Party
