Journey to remote destinations, where uninterrupted views and a rich diversity of desert adapted flora and fauna, can be found. Find yourself surrounded by a wall of steep, reddish-yellow cliffs at the Waterberg Plateau, view the majestic grandeur of Namibia’s giant sand dunes (the largest in the world), adventure on exhilarating night game drives and embark on a marine cruise from a bustling harbour town, to encounter some of Namibia’s diverse marine life.
• Luxurious camping accommodation • Invigorating game drives, nature walks and cultural encounters (ancient and modern) • Etosha National Park • Spectacular views and a variety of landscapes
Day 1: Windhoek Upon arrival at the Windhoek International airport you will be chauffeured to the Olive Grove Guesthouse for dinner and your overnight stay. During the course of the evening your safari guide will provide you with a full tour briefing.
Olive Grove is an upmarket establishment, situated close to the city centre, in a peaceful area. There are 11 ensuite rooms all featuring satellite television and remote controlled air conditioning.
Day 2: Waterberg Plateau After breakfast you will embark on your safari through Kalahari bush savannah, where you will have the chance of seeing several antelope species and an introduction to some of Namibia’s endemic birds. Travel off the beaten track towards the Waterberg Plateau, surrounded by a wall of steep, reddish-yellow cliffs. A stop for lunch will be included on route, at a local farmstead, before arriving at your destination in the afternoon. Your exclusive campsite is situated in one of the gorges, over looking a valley towards the Northern Kalahari basin. Enjoy a delicious dinner under the canopy of leadwood and acacia trees, which surround the campsite.
Day 3: Etosha This morning you will embark on a guided nature walk along the top of the plateau, where you may encounter black or white rhino and buffalo, to learn more about some of the countries flora. After breakfast, continue your journey to our exclusive campsite in the private Fischer's Pan Game Reserve – adjacent to the eastern edge of Etosha National Park. In the afternoon, season permitting, enjoy your first exploratory game drive in the Etosha National Park – one of the world's great conservation areas comprising 22 270 square kilometres. Visit the permanent waterholes and viewing points at the vast, grey-white Etosha Pan, which covers 4 590 square kilometres of the Park.
Day 4: Etosha Depart on an early game drive into Etosha to further explore the eastern side of the park where numerous waterholes and subterranean springs attract large herds of animals – including springbok, zebra, gnu, giraffe, kudu, elephant and the endemic black-faced impala. Excellent game viewing occurs when prides of lion dominate the water resources during the drier months. Depending on game sightings and movements, you will spend the day in the Park, stopping for a delicious picnic lunch at one of the rest camps.
Day 5: Etosha Depart from your private campsite and travel westwards into the Park, stopping en route for lunch at one of the rest camps. A full day's game drive will afford you the opportunity to visit several permanent waterholes surrounding the edge of the Etosha Pan – “the great white place”. You will arrive at the Okaukuejo Rest Camp in time for sundowners at the adjacent floodlit waterhole. Accommodation is in the Rest Camp’s chalets while after dinner game viewing at the nocturnal waterhole is a must.
Day 6: Damaraland Today’s journey continues in a westerly direction towards what was formerly known as the Damaraland Region, between the Huab and the Ugab river systems. It is here that you will embark on a guided walking safari in the Twyfelfontein Heritage Site. This is one of the richest areas of rock art in Namibia, which is attributed to the San (Bushmen). It boasts over 4000 engraving sites, intermingled with paintings. Explore the fascinating geological features of the Burnt Mountain and Organ Pipe formations and venture through seasonal riverbeds. You can also track desert-adapted elephant along the Aba Huab and Huab ephemeral rivers. These elephants use the dry river system as a source of food and moisture in a concept known as a “linear oasis”. This area marks the southern limit of the Damaraland Region with its abundant diversity of desert-adapted flora and fauna. Here, you will camp under clear desert skies, offering great opportunities for stargazing.
Day 7 & 8: Damaraland After a scrumptious breakfast, you will continue into Northern Damaraland, which has a significant population of lion, elephant, leopard, large antelope, giraffe, Hartmann’s mountain zebra and the last free-ranging black rhino population in the world. Discover this truly unique area for the next two days, searching for hidden waterholes and camping in its wild and untouched landscapes. During these excursions, you may even be fortunate enough to encounter a temporary settlement of the nomadic Ovahimba tribe, who still live and dress according to their traditional lifestyles as herders. Excursions here are largely conducted on foot, providing the opportunity to explore the ancient volcanic landscape.
Day 9: Swakopmund Today, you will depart from Damaraland, to journey through the southern Skeleton Coast National Park (with its barren and vast open plains and mystic salt flats, wreck ruins and prehistoric Welwitschia mirabilis plant species), before continuing in a southerly direction along the coastline towards the town of Swakopmund. An excursion will be included to the Cape Cross Seal Reserve where you can also witness the savaging beachcomber black jackal. You will arrive, in the late afternoon, at the Intermezzo Guesthouse where you will spend two relaxing nights.
Intermezzo Guesthouse is a charming bed and breakfast, nestled in a picturesque setting. A mere two-minute walk from the beach and a convenient 25 minutes from the town centre, the guesthouse also boasts a tranquil garden and a reading lounge, where guests can while away the hours.
Day 10: Swakopmund Wake up to a delectable breakfast before heading to the harbour town of Walvis Bay to embark on a marine cruise, which travels around Pelican Point and offers the opportunity to encounter Namibia’s Atlantic Big Five. During the afternoon, time will be available to explore Swakopmund on foot or participate in some of the exciting optional activities such as quad biking, camel riding, scenic flights along the Skeleton Coast for a bird’s eye view of some of the most remote and inhospitable landscapes in the world, dune boarding and a Living Deserts tour in the Namib dune belt to get up-close-and-personal with the creepy crawlies of the desert.
Day 11 & 12: Namib Naukluft National Park Continue to the Namib Naukluft, Namibia’s largest National Park, which offers an astonishing variety of picturesque landscapes and ecosystems, which range from Sossusvlei’s massive sand dunes to vast quartzite gravel plains and the rugged Naukluft Mountains, along the eastern edge of the desert. Today’s journey will see you leaving Swakopmund to traverse over the gravel plains of the Namib Desert - this includes visits to the erosional feature of the “Moon Valley” and opportunities to view Namibia’s prehistoric plant species, before crossing through the Kuiseb Canyon. After lunch, at a lodge, you will continue to your exclusive campsite, nestled on the slopes of the Naukluft Mountains. During your stay you can visit the awe-inspiring dunes of Sossusvlei, the highest dunes in the world, many of which are in excess of 300 metres high – the constantly changing colour-schemes of the dunes makes this destination a photographers dream. Spend the morning climbing and exploring these fascinating dunes and pans to learn more about the desert ecology of this living arid region. Afternoons will also be spent on guided walks from your campsite, in the Naukluft Mountains, taking in the vast expanse of the desert landscape. For the less energetic, the main area of the camp is shaded by two ancient camelthorn trees supporting a pair of sociable weaver nests – ideal companions during a relaxing time-out.
Day 13: Departure After a leisurely breakfast, you will return to Windhoek where your safari will end in the late afternoon.
Rates :
From
NAD $23,165
pp sharing
To
NAD $28,145
pp sharing
African Safari Destinations
