Windhoek
On arrival at Windhoek International Airport, we will be transferred to Windhoek where we will spend our first night in Namibia. After check-in at the hotel, we will explore the city on foot or do an optional activity. Dinner tonight is at your own expense in one of Windhoek’s many restaurants.
- Main Destination:
- Windhoek (City)
- Accommodation:
- The Windhoek Luxury Suites
- Meals & Drinks:
Kalahari Desert
This morning we collect our rental vehicle and then leave the big city and head southeast into the Kalahari Desert. Whilst not officially a desert due to its higher-than-average annual rainfall, the Kalahari offers impressive views over the deep red dunes speckled with desert animal species like oryx, springbok and ostrich. This afternoon we can enjoy a sundowner nature drive, explore the Bagatelle Ranch, and search for wildlife such as giraffes, kudus, zebras, oryx, gnus and eland antelopes.
The reserve has some of the highest dunes in the region and offers a fascinating view over a salt pan characteristic of the Kalahari. The Kalahari is home to more than 150 bird species, many of which can also be found in our reserve and the popular meerkats families can also be watched with us, even though they are actually very shy.
- Main Destination:
- Kalahari Region
- Accommodation:
- Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch
- Meals & Drinks:
Hiking on the Namib Rand Nature Reserve
An early start is recommended for our journey west from the Kalahari to the Namib Desert. On arrival at the NamibRand Nature Reserve, we can check in at the Tok Tokkie headquarters and enjoy lunch before heading off on foot. The NamibRand, located in southern Namibia, is a private reserve established to protect and conserve the unique ecology and wildlife of the area. It is one of the largest private nature reserves in southern Africa, extending over an area of more than 200,000 ha.
Virtually all facets of the Namib Desert are represented on the reserve; sand and gravel plains and stretches of savannah alternate with mountain ranges, inselbergs and vegetated dune belts as well as an abundance of wildlife from large antelope, to the tiny chameleons and tok-tokkie beetle. Our hiking starts with a short 1 to 2-hour hike to our overnight stop where our camp is already prepared. Here, we can enjoy a sundowner drink and our first sunset over the Namib Desert.
- Main Destination:
- Namibrand Nature Reserve
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Hiking on the Namib Rand Nature Reserve
Tea and coffee are served before sunrise followed by a light breakfast so that we can set off in the cool of the early morning. The highlights of the walk are the breathtaking views of the dunes and plains as well as the “coming alive” of the desert as the guide allows us to feel, smell, taste and see the oldest living desert in the world.
We walk over a mountain saddle before descending to a dry riverbed. During the course of the day, our guide will explain the wonders of the Namib to us and how the fascinating desert flora survives, how insect and reptile life adapts to the harsh environment and how mammals can survive here without water.
We will stop at a shady spot for lunch and have time to relax during the heat of the day. As the heat recedes, we start walking again up and over the dunes to our second overnight spot. On arrival at the camp, we enjoy a sundowner and a delicious dinner before spending another night under the stars.
- Main Destination:
- Namibrand Nature Reserve
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Namib Desert
Once again we are woken in the soft light shortly before sunrise. Coffee and breakfast are served before we set off through the dune field. The soft and rolling dunes are interspersed by camel thorn trees, which provide welcome shade for a rest. Today’s walk is easy and we arrive at Tok Tokkie farmhouse at approximately 11h30 where we can say goodbye to the NamibRand Nature Reserve and head through to the boundary of the Namib Naukluft Park.
We have a short drive to our next destination, located just 30 km from Sesriem where we can wash off the dust of our hiking adventure and settle into the oasis that is Le Mirage. This area offers equally stunning photography opportunities, and for those who can’t get enough of landscape photography this afternoon, we can take a self-guided walk or join a guided quad biking excursion to see more of this incredible area.
- Main Destination:
- Sossusvlei (Sand Dunes)
- Accommodation:
- Le Mirage Resort & Spa
- Meals & Drinks:
Namib Desert
It’s recommended to make a pre-dawn start this morning to Sossusvlei, aiming to arrive at the national park gates at sunrise. We head directly into Dead Vlei so we can explore and enjoy photography before the crowds arrive. For the energetic, be the first of the day to summit Big Daddy, the highest dune in the area, or meander around Dead Vlei and enjoy the dunes during the coolest part of the day.
Sossusvlei is easily one of Namibia’s most spectacular attractions, characterized by the large red dunes surrounding bleached clay plans. The dunes in this area are some of the highest in the world, measuring almost 400m, and offering some of the most incredible photographic opportunities, particularly around sunrise. Should you wish, a guided excursion can also be booked with the lodge.
- Main Destination:
- Sossusvlei (Sand Dunes)
- Accommodation:
- Le Mirage Resort & Spa
- Meals & Drinks:
Swakopmund
Our drive today takes us through to Swakopmund via the Gaub and Kuiseb passes. Our first official stop is Solitaire, a small but important outpost for tourists and locals alike, and a popular place to stop and enjoy some more unusual photographic opportunities. From Solitaire, we continue through the ever-changing desert landscapes before arriving in Walvis Bay, the main harbor in Namibia. Here we have the opportunity to visit the Walvis Bay Lagoon, a Ramsar-listed wetland site, famous as the feeding ground for many bird species including the greater and lesser flamingos, as well as the endemic Damara tern amongst others, making it an ornithologist paradise. From Walvis Bay, it’s just a short drive to Swakopmund where we will spend the next 2 nights.
- Main Destination:
- Swakopmund (City)
- Accommodation:
- The Delight Swakopmund
- Meals & Drinks:
Swakopmund
You can spend the day on rest and relaxation, or explore the coastal region on one (or two) of the many optional activities available. Explore the desert or the coast, from land, air or sea on any number of optional activities. Alternatively, meander through Swakopmund, explore the local galleries and enjoy a walk along the Atlantic Ocean.
- Main Destination:
- Swakopmund (City)
- Accommodation:
- The Delight Swakopmund
- Meals & Drinks:
Damaraland
From Swakopmund, we head north along the coast with our first stop at the Zeila Shipwreck, the Skeleton Coast's most recent victim. Then, we have the option to take a short detour north to Cape Cross, home to one of the world's largest colonies of Cape fur seals. It’s a smelly but fascinating stop and as you meander along the boardwalk, the seals will oblige you with a million photo opportunities.
From here, we travel inland along the C35, one of the most culturally diverse roads in the country. Here, we have the chance to stop and meet the 3 different tribal groups; the Herero, the Damara and the Himba, that have made the area their home. These entrepreneurial women have created small craft stalls along the road in the hope of enticing the passing tourists to buy some locally-crafted souvenirs. This is a great opportunity to meet some of the local women, and learn a little more about life in the rural parts of Namibia.
- Main Destination:
- Damaraland
- Accommodation:
- Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Damaraland
You have a rare opportunity for a lie-in this morning and to enjoy a leisurely breakfast before taking a short drive to Twyfelfontein. Here, you will take a guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage site, home to the world's largest collection of San rock engravings, dating back around 5,000 years. Learn all about how the San people used these etchings to record wildlife sightings, map their travels and communicate and tell stories generation after generation.
After our guided tour, we can return to camp where we can relax during the heat of the day, enjoying lunch, a siesta or a swim before heading out on a guided nature drive exploring the ephemeral rivers in search of desert elephants. Namibia is one of just 2 countries in the world (the other is Mali) where elephants have specially adapted to harsh desert environments and now roam freely through the Damaraland and Kaokoland regions. We hope to find these gentle giants as they meander the dry riverbeds in search of food and water.
- Main Destination:
- Damaraland
- Accommodation:
- Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Etosha National Park
After breakfast, we pack our things and make our way toward Etosha National Park. We head into Etosha via the Western gate and do game driving across the park to Okaukuejo/Halali. This area offers incredible game-viewing opportunities including species that are not seen in other areas of the park including the Hartmann's mountain zebra. Our camp inside the park means that our game viewing can continue into the night should we wish to sit up around the waterhole after dinner.
- Main Destination:
- Etosha National Park
- Accommodation:
- Okaukuejo Resort
- Meals & Drinks:
Etosha National Park
You have a full day to explore the eastern part of Etosha, Namibia’s premier national park. The park itself stretches some 22,000 sq km and is named after the enormous salt pan located within. The Etosha Pan covers around 4,800 sq km and is so big that it can be seen from space. Spend the day searching for 4 of the Big 5, from elephant, rhino, leopard, and lion to plains game including giraffe, gemsbok, oryx and more. Our last night in the park should be spent by the waterhole, checking to see what might come down to the waterhole.
- Main Destination:
- Etosha National Park
- Accommodation:
- Okaukuejo Resort
- Meals & Drinks:
Windhoek
Today is our last day in the Etosha region and our camp inside the park means that our game viewing can continue as we prepare for our departure. Enjoy a final en-route game drive this morning as we make our way out of the park back to Windhoek with optional stops along the way at the Okahandja Wood Carvers Market.
- Main Destination:
- Windhoek (City)
- Accommodation:
- The Windhoek Luxury Suites
- Meals & Drinks:
Departure
Depending on our flight time, we can enjoy a leisurely breakfast and some last-minute shopping before heading out to Windhoek International Airport where we can drop off our vehicle and check in for our onward flight.
- Main Destination:
- No major destination visited
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks: