$3,740 to $4,166 pp (USD)
This tour is offered in ZAR.
Show rate in ZAR
Windhoek
Welcome to Namibia! After arriving at Hosea Kutako International Airport outside the country’s capital city of Windhoek, a representative will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall of the airport with your name on a signboard. After loading your luggage into the vehicle, you will be transferred to your guesthouse based in Windhoek, where you will settle in and rest up for a wonderful journey that starts tomorrow morning. Please note dinner is not included for tonight and will be at your own account.
- Main Destination:
- Windhoek (City)
- Accommodation:
- Olive Grove Guesthouse
- Meals & Drinks:
Etosha National Park
After breakfast, we will do a short city tour with our guide and then make our way north on the next stage of our exciting adventure! The drive to Etosha will take about 4 to 5 hours, but it is a fantastic way to get to know the “lie of the land” here in Namibia. We will pass through Okahandja before passing close to both Okonjima Nature Reserve and the Waterberg Plateau National Park. The next town we go through will be Otjiwarongo, one of the fastest-growing towns in Namibia and home to a large population of German-speaking people.
We will make a few stops along the way to stretch our legs and have a bite to eat. We will reach our lodge just outside the Etosha National Park gate in the afternoon, and if there is time, we will go for a short game drive inside the park.
We will settle in at our comfortable lodge, have dinner and enjoy our first taste of Namibian cuisine. We'll then have a good night’s rest. There is much excitement to come!
- Main Destination:
- Eastern Etosha National Park
- Accommodation:
- Mushara Bush Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Etosha National Park
We have a full day to enjoy Etosha today, and we will also slowly make our way to the southwestern side of the park, where we will overnight today. We will stop at Halali Camp in the middle of the park for lunch.
Etosha is also a photographer’s dream, with the contrasts in light, colour and textures particularly dramatic. Many guests’ “lifer shots” of African animal and bird species were taken in this park. The sunrises and sunsets are particularly spectacular, so better get those cameras and phones ready!
After another fantastic day in the park, we will reach our camp and freshen up. We will either be staying in a camp inside the park or just outside the park’s gate. We will then enjoy dinner and a good night’s rest. One of the great features of the camps inside Etosha is the floodlit waterholes at the perimeter fence, where guests can sit and enjoy game coming to drink only a few metres away; a special treat to remember forever!
- Main Destination:
- Etosha National Park
- Accommodation:
- Etosha Safari Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Etosha National Park
We will explore the southwestern side of the world-famous Etosha National Park today, going for a morning drive after breakfast and returning to our lodge for lunch and a break in the heat of the day.
In the drier months of the year, almost all the animals tend to congregate around the waterholes dotted around the massive park. They come to drink water and are inevitably followed by predators; this allows us to sit and wait at some of the waterholes for the action to come to us. This is what sets Etosha apart from other parks in southern or east Africa; unique indeed!
We will return to the lodge after our afternoon game drive to enjoy dinner. Remember to look up before settling into your bed tonight—the African night sky, undisturbed by city lights out here in the bush, is truly amazing.
- Main Destination:
- Etosha National Park
- Accommodation:
- Etosha Safari Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Damaraland and Himba Village Visit
This morning after breakfast we will make our way to Damaraland where we will spend one night. On our way, we will stop at a Himba Village and learn more about their everyday way of life.
This beautiful mountainous region is home to an assortment of scientifically important desert-adapted wildlife such as African elephants, black rhinoceros and lions, which somehow survive and thrive in this near-barren landscape. We hope to see some of them; a special treat indeed!
After a picnic lunch en route, we will stop and admire the “petrified forest” rock formation, believed to be more than 200 million years old! Here we will also look out for the Namib Desert’s weird-looking living fossil plant, the Welwitschia, the longest-living plant on earth.
Before we check into our lodge this evening, we will visit two more fascinating geological formations, the “organ pipes” arrangement and the much-photographed “burnt mountain”.
- Main Destination:
- Brandberg Mountain (Rock Art)
- Accommodation:
- Brandberg White Lady Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Skeleton Coast and Swakopmund
This morning we make our first stop at Uis, before continuing towards the Atlantic Coast. This route crosses the desolate ‘gravel plains’ of the Namib Desert before arriving at the ‘Skeleton Coast’. After a nice lunch break on the roadside, we'll reach the ocean and turn northbound, in order to visit Cape Cross and its world-famous Cape Fur Seal colony. We will take our time to adequately explore, enjoy and photograph the 80000 inhabitants of the colony before we continue south along the coast and make our way to Swakopmund.
After a quick check-in at our city hotel, we use the remaining hour or two of daylight, to explore this charming coastal city, booming in the middle of the hostile desert environment. We will all be back at our hotel after sunset, for a nice dinner and a great night’s rest.
- Main Destination:
- Swakopmund (City)
- Accommodation:
- Swakopmund Sands
- Meals & Drinks:
Living Desert Experience, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay
After breakfast at our hotel, we will depart for a Living Desert Experience, a unique adventure indeed and a real eye-opener!
We will encounter and learn more about the fascinating wildlife of the Namib Desert with the help of a local expert. This seemingly dead environment supports a wealth of animal and plant life that have adapted in wonderful ways to survive and thrive here. We will look for geckos, scorpions, snakes, skinks, lizards, birds and beetles as well as the incredible plant life that survives in this harsh and seemingly inhospitable environment. Some of the special creatures we might see include Namib sand gecko, Namaqua chameleon, shovel-snouted lizard, tractrac chat and even Peringuey’s adder.
After returning for lunch, we will visit the Walvis Bay Lagoon, home to a big variety of waterbirds, both resident and rare. We will return to Swakopmund for dinner which is at your own account.
- Main Destination:
- Swakopmund (City)
- Accommodation:
- Swakopmund Sands
- Meals & Drinks:
Sossusvlei
This morning, we'll make our way to iconic Sossusvlei, turning inland and traversing the vast Namib-Naukluft Park. Our entire drive today takes place in the Namib Sand Sea, one of Namibia’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is the only coastal desert in the world that includes extensive dune fields influenced by fog. Covering an area of over three million hectares, the site features gravel plains, coastal flats and rocky hills within the sand sea, a coastal lagoon and ephemeral rivers, resulting in a landscape of exceptional beauty.
It is a beautiful drive of about 4 hours, and if time allows, we will stop for the famous 'Apple Pie' in the small desert oasis town of Solitaire, a true Namibian tradition that should not be missed.
We will reach our accommodation as the sun is disappearing behind the horizon, painting the surrounding sand dunes flaming red. A hearty Namibian dinner and an early bedtime will ensure that we have enough energy for an early start tomorrow.
- Main Destination:
- Sossusvlei (Sand Dunes)
- Accommodation:
- Namib Desert Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Sossusvlei
We will again be up before the sun this morning, and we hope to be close to the world’s highest sand dunes by the time the first rays appear. It is a magical place to be as the sun rises, with incredible photographic opportunities.
From the Sesriem entrance gate, we'll drive in the ancient dry bed of the Tsauchab River, stopping regularly at all the famous spots, and climbing a few dunes, all the while making our way slowly to the world-famous Dead Vlei. We will stop for a picnic close to the Vlei itself whilst enjoying the amazing landscape. Our last excursion will be at Sesriem Canyon. It is a narrow gorge of 1km long and up to 30m deep slashed into the earth by the Tsauchab River millions of years ago, and is located near the entrance to Sossusvlei.
It will take most of the day to explore this wonderland, so we will only return to our lodge in the afternoon. Once we are back at our accommodation, we'll enjoy our last dinner together after a magical Namibian adventure.
- Main Destination:
- Sossusvlei (Sand Dunes)
- Accommodation:
- Namib Desert Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Departure
After a relaxing final breakfast together, we will depart for Windhoek. It is a 4- to 5-hour drive northwards to the capital. We will drive through the Namib Desert for the last time. It is the oldest desert and boasts the highest sand dunes in the world.
We will drive up to the Khomas Highland via one of the many scenic mountain passes, and remember to keep an eye out for some wildlife before we reach Windhoek. We might see common ostrich, gemsbok, pale chanting goshawk, sociable weavers or even a greater kudu.
In Windhoek, we will either take you to your hotel (if you are planning a longer stay in the capital), or to the Hosea Kutako International Airport for your homeward flight or for your connecting flight if you decide to combine this safari with an extension to the Caprivi, Victoria Falls, Botswana, Zambia or South Africa. We will gladly assist with accommodation in Windhoek should you need to stay over. (Not included - extra cost).
- Main Destination:
- Windhoek (City)
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks: