The 11 Day tour is carefully designed to bring you closer to the Namibian nature and wildlife. This Tour is ideal for those that have a few days and would like to combine, Namibian Landscape ,culture ,wildlife and adventure as a package. The Tour has highlights like ,Sossusvlei ,Swakopmund , Spitzkope ,Damaralnd , Etosha National Park and Waterberg Plateau Park.
| Days | Towns | Lodges / Guesthouses | Dinner / Breakfast/Lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windhoek | Windhoek – Accom Own Cost | B |
| 2 | Sesriem | Sesriem Camp | D |
| 3 | Soliatire | Solitaire Country Lodge | B / L / D |
| 4 | Swakopmund | DuneIn Star Guest House | B |
| 5 | Swakopmund | DuneIn Star Guest House | B |
| 6 | Usakos | Spitzkoppe | B / L / D |
| 7 | Damaraland | White Lady Lodge | B / L / D |
| 8 | Etosha National Park | Okaukujo Camp | B / L / D |
| 9 | Etosha National Park | Okaukujo Camp | B / L / D |
| 10 | Etosha National Park | Halali Camp | B / L / D |
| 11 | Waterberg National Park | Waterberg Park | B / L / D |
We leave Windhoek mid morning to allow us enough time to get to our destination before sunset. From Windhoek, we are heading south west, first through the KhomasHochland Mountains before descending onto the plains of the Namib Desert. The Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world, stretches some 2000kms along the west coast of Namibia, with varying types of terrain, but it is here, in the Sossusvlei region that is known for its enormous sand dunes, and breathtaking photographic opportunities. On arrival at our camp, we can enjoy a walk and prepare for a relaxing sundowner drink before dinner with a camp fire.
A very early start this morning for our Sossusvlei guided excursion. We aim to leave our camp well before sunrise to ensure that we are one of the first to enter the national park. From Sesriem, we drive further into the desert area, where the early morning light provides excellent opportunities for photography. Once we arrive in the 4x4 carpark, we can then explore this area on foot, with a walk around Dead Vlei and Sossusvlei, and for the adventurous, a hike up Big Daddy, the tallest dune in the region, offering breathtaking views of the sand sea that is the Namib Desert. By midday, we make our way back towards Sesriem with a stop at Sesriem Canyon, a small but important landmark for both the human and animal residents of the area. We then make our way back towards our campsite where we’ll have time to rest and relax before dinner.
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 & 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 two nights.
Today is a free day, and the chance to explore at your own pace. For some, this will mean joining a boat cruise in Walvis Bay, where you have a good chance to see some seals and dolphins, for others, this will mean a morning of sandboarding before exploring the dunes on a quad bike, or enjoying a scenic flight before skydiving, and for others, it might be something a little more calm as a leisurely breakfast, a visit to the aquarium before an afternoon scenic flight along the Skeleton Coast. Swakopmund is the adventure capital of Namibia and there is certainly something to satisfy everyone. The town itself, an unusual mix of German and Namibian culture offers a relaxed and walkable town centre to enjoy at our own pace. There are good restaurants in both towns, with seafood of course being a specialty.
No Namibian safari can be complete without a visit to Spitzkoppe, the most popular and well-known mountain range in Namibia, which dates back to over 700-million years. Leaving early, we will drive through the amazing moon landscape and the largest and oldest 1500 year old Welwitchia Mirabilis plants yet discovered we will visit the massive granite formations of Spitzkoppe which tower 700 metres above the desert plains below. The presence of rock art indicates their significance to the San people who lived here many years ago. We will enjoy a walk with a local guide and have the opportunity to view some examples of the San’s rock art before setting off for our overnight stop for the evening.After learning about the geology of The Spitzkoppe, you will have ample time to relax and explore the area and make use of the fantastic photo opportunities.
We start our day early as our drive takes us into Damaraland .As we proceed on the gravel plains of the Namib and north from Uis, with the chance to meet the local people, the Himba, Damara and Herero that call these areas home. On arrival to our accommodation ,we will visit Twyfelfontein (literally translated means ‘doubtful spring’), a UNESCO World Heritage site that is home to over 2500 rock etchings, making it one of the worlds largest collections of rock petroglyphs and the Damara Living Museum . As we proceed , the chances of having to see desert elepahnts are about 40%. These animals have amazingly found a way to become accustomed to this semi arid area, and this opportunity to find free roaming desert elephant is a unique one, with these incredible creatures only being found in Namibia and Mali.
After breakfast, we say goodbye to Damaraland and head north east for wilderness National Park, one of Southern Africa’s premier game parks and wildlife enthusiasts paradise. We enter the park via the Andersson’s gate, on the southern boundary of wilderness and spend the next 3 days exploring. The park itself covers 22,270 kms2, and gets its name from the salt pan that makes up approx 23% of the park. Once a massive lake, the wilderness Pan is now mostly dry, with the exception of good rainfall years when the pan fills up enough to become a breeding ground for flamingos that migrate between Walvis Bay and Sua Pan in Botswana. This afternoon we enjoy a game drive from the park gate, stopping at some popular (animal) waterholes, before arriving late afternoon at our lodge. Tonight we can relax by the floodlit waterhole, an excellent chance to view those creatures that prefer to be active during the cool of the night.
Today will be devoted to exploring the park and maximising our chances for amazing wildlife sightings. We start with an early morning game drive before breakfast. We will then return to the lodge for breakfast. From there, we will continue our search and drive from waterhole to waterhole (especially in the winter months), as they support a rich diversity of animals. These waterholes are one of the most unique aspects of wilderness National Park, and a major attraction for wildlife photographers and animal behaviour experts as the different species of animals, both predator and prey alike, can often be captured (on camera) drinking at the same waterhole. Depending on our route, we will return to our lodge, to relax by the lodge waterhole and pool during the hottest part of the day, before continuing our game drives late afternoon to try our luck some more.
We have a more relaxing morning with hot coffee and warm breakfast. We continue our journey to the next camp within the Etosha National Park. Halali lies between the two government-run restcamps of Okaukuejo and Namutoni in Etosha National Park, and is well signposted from both. It lies amongst shady Mopane trees. Halali is in the centre of the park. You can reach Halali either via entering the park at Okaukuejo (Andersson Gate) or via Namutoni (the Von Lindequist Gate. The camp, surrounded by some of the most popular waterholes in the park, has the added advantage of a secluded, scenic, flood-lit waterhole. The surrounding area lends itself popular to game viewing where in particular, Leopard sightings are almost a certainty.
After a warm breakfast , we continue to our last destination .Waterberg Plateau is situated 350km north of Namibia's capital city Windhoek, and the 41,000ha of surrounding land was declared a Nature Reserve in 1972. We will do short hiking up to the top of the plateau with our guide .Most of the plateau is inaccessible and a number of the country's endangered species (such as black and white rhino, sable antelope, tsessebe, buffalo and wildebeest) were introduced to protect them from predators and poaching. This programme was a huge success and Waterberg now supplies other Namibian parks with rare animals.
After breakfast we head to Windhoek , travelling via Okahandja, stopping at local craft markets. Arriving at lunch time in Windhoek.
Departures: Any Day
Price Per Person: € 1 950
Participants : 3 Min / Max 8
Waterberg coast Plateau Park is simply outstanding with its views
