Welcome to Namibia
After landing at Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport, about 40km outside the city, you will be welcomed by our local representative who will transfer you to Galton House in Windhoek where you will stay overnight in their beautifully designed rooms.
The rest of the day is at leisure to relax and recuperate from your flight. This evening your guide and Smita will meet up with you at the guesthouse to join you for dinner as well as to brief you on any administrative arrangements and to answer any questions you may have about the program.
- Main Destination:
- Windhoek (City)
- Accommodation:
- Galton House
- Meals & Drinks:
Drive to Sossusvlei Area
This morning our guide will collect you from Galton House after breakfast. You then depart Windhoek in your safari vehicles and drive southwest through the scenic Khomas Hochland highlands before heading down the Great Escarpment into the Namib Desert below, stopping for a picnic lunch at a scenic location along the way. You arrive at Dead Valley Lodge in the mid-afternoon where you will stay for two nights whilst you explore the remarkable sights of the Namib Desert with your guide. If desired, your guide can take you on a sundowner nature drive to Elim Dune or the surrounding area, however if you prefer, you can just relax and soak in the scenic and serene surroundings at the lodge.
Dead Valley Lodge is situated next to the main entrance gate inside the Namib-Naukluft National Park - an oasis that offers a panoramic view of the Namib Desert with towering red sand dunes, rugged mountain ranges and arid desert savannahs.
- Main Destination:
- Sossusvlei (Sand Dunes)
- Accommodation:
- Dead Valley Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Namib Naukluft National Park
Experience the magical beauty of the Namib Naukluft National Park with your guide as you rise early in the morning for a memorable excursion into the dunes. As you are already inside the park you can get into Sossusvlei before everyone else and you would even be able to get there in time to see the sun rise to capture the dunes whilst the light is soft and shadows accentuate their towering shapes and curves. This area boasts some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world. Your guide will give you an insight on the formation of the Namib Desert and its myriad of fascinating creatures and plants that have adapted to survive these harsh environs.
A relaxed picnic breakfast in the shade of a camel thorn tree and returning to Dead Valley Lodge in the early afternoon for a late lunch will cap off a thrilling morning. The rest of the afternoon will be at leisure with a late afternoon visit to the fascinating Sesriem Canyon.
- Main Destination:
- Namib-Naukluft National Park (Namib Desert)
- Accommodation:
- Dead Valley Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Drive to Swakopmund
The fascinating drive today takes you northwest through the breathtaking and ever-changing desert landscapes of the Namib Naukluft National Park, including the impressive Gaub and Kuiseb canyons. You meet the coast at the port town of Walvis Bay where you have the option to visit the lagoon to see the interesting mix of pelicans, flamingos and other sea birds before continuing north to Swakopmund where you can enjoy the pleasant seaside location and cooler coastal air.
There will be time this afternoon to wander around town and along the waterfront on foot if appeals, before heading out to dinner at one the popular restaurants in town with your guide. Swakopmund resembles a small, German coastal resort nestled between the desert and the sea. It boasts a charming combination of German colonial architecture blended with modern hotels, shops, restaurants, museums, craft centres, galleries and cafés.
- Main Destination:
- Swakopmund (City)
- Accommodation:
- The Delight Swakopmund
- Meals & Drinks:
Catamaran Dolphin and Seal cruise
After an early breakfast, your guide will drive you back to Walvis Bay for your Catamaran Dolphin and Seal cruise. Glide through the cold Atlantic waters in search of various marine wildlife while enjoying snacks, fresh oysters and champagne on board.
You depart from the Walvis Bay Yacht Club and cruise into the beautiful and sheltered bay area, which holds more splendour than can at first be seen – a shipwreck, lighthouse, oyster platforms, different bird species, seals and an abundance of marine life are just some of the attractions. T
Afterwards, you set off back to Swakopmund with your guide/s with a light lunch to be had for those who are still hungry. An afternoon of leisure allows the opportunity to do some shopping in the local arts and crafts shops or to visit the Swakopmund Museum and Krystall Gallerei. You then meet up again in the evening to go out for dinner at one of the restaurants in town or at the hotel with your guide.
- Main Destination:
- Walvis Bay (City)
- Accommodation:
- The Delight Swakopmund
- Meals & Drinks:
Drive to Etosha Oberland
Travel north along the coast with a stopover at the Zeila Shipwreck before heading north east through the stark and interesting landscape of the Damaraland area as you traverse part of this fascinating biome on your way to the world famous Etosha National Park with lunch to be enjoyed along the way. You arrive in the late afternoon for a short siesta and to freshen up for a sundowner drink.
- Main Destination:
- Etosha National Park
- Accommodation:
- Etosha Oberland
- Meals & Drinks:
Drive to the Eastern Border of Etosha National Park
Today you will be driving from the southern part of the Etosha National Park to the eastern side on a full day game drive with lunch to be enjoyed at the Halali Rest Camp as you explore the numerous waterholes & roads that snake through the park in search of wildlife sightings.
Etosha National Park covers 22,270km², of which approximately 5,000km² is made up of saline depressions or ‘pans’. The largest of these pans, the Etosha Pan, can be classified as a saline desert in its own right. The Etosha Pan lies in the Owambo Basin, on the north-western edge of the Namibian Kalahari Desert. The Park consists of grassland, woodland and savannah. Game-viewing centers around the numerous springs and waterholes where several different species can often be seen at one time. The Park boasts some 114 mammal & over 340 bird species.
You leave the park through the Von Lindequist Gate before sunset and head out to stay for the night at Mushara Bush Camp, arriving in time to freshen up for dinner.
- Main Destination:
- Eastern Etosha National Park
- Accommodation:
- Mushara Bush Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Explore Etosha National Park
Continue your exploration of the Etosha National Park with your guide/s as you focus today on the eastern parts of the park. Lunch may either be enjoyed at Mushara Bush Camp or opt to stay in the park for the whole day with packed lunch to be enjoyed. Return in time to enjoy and sundowner drink before sitting down for dinner.
- Main Destination:
- Eastern Etosha National Park
- Accommodation:
- Mushara Bush Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Drive back to Windhoek
Enjoy an early breakfast before departing south towards Windhoek with your guide/s, passing through small towns and farming communities on your way to Okonjima – Home of the AfriCat Foundation. Here you will learn more about this world-renowned organization with regards to the conservation of large carnivores, how it started and the programs currently in place. You will also be able to see some of the ambassador cheetahs in their large enclosures before returning to the lodge for a light lunch.
You then continue further south on your way to Windhoek where you will spend the night at the Am Weinberg Boutique Hotel. Dinner this evening can be enjoyed at one of the popular restaurants in town with your guide/s to reminisce about trip highlights and good memories before bidding your guide/s farewell.
- Main Destination:
- Windhoek (City)
- Accommodation:
- The Weinberg
- Meals & Drinks:
Bid Adieu to Namibia
This morning can be spent relaxing at your hotel, exploring Windhoek, visiting NamCrafts and the Craft Centre, or doing some last minute souvenir shopping if time allows, before our representative collects you from your hotel for your transfer out to the Windhoek International Airport, getting you there in time to check in for your ongoing flight.
- Main Destination:
- No major destination visited
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks: