Grande Namibia
This 13 day classic safari brings you to the highlights of Namibia, a round trip including the Namib Desert, the coastal resort Swakopmund, the rugged Damaraland and Kaokoveld, the Etosha National Park boasting with wildlife and Okonjima, Home of the Africat Foundation.
Day 1: 08:30 Departure. We drive the scenic route via Spreetshoogte Pass to Namib Naukluft Lodge. The afternoon is at leisure for easy walking trails. Overnight with light lunch, dinner, bed and breakfast.
Day 2: Early morning wake-up, a snack and coffee before leaving and start your excursion to the spectacular dunes at Sossusvlei. Make the effort and climb one of the dunes before enjoying your picnic breakfast in this scenic desert landscape. Visit various look-out points, Dune 45, the ‘Dead Vlei’ and the Sesriem Canyon. Return for a late lunch. Just before sunset you participate in a sundowner-drive to the natural marble mountains on this 25,000ha Private Nature Reserve. Overnight at Namib Naukluft Lodge with full board.
Day 3: En route to Swakopmund we will drive through the Kuiseb Canyon and the Namib Desert. We’ll arrive at around lunch-time (lunch included) check into our hotel and have a bit of rest, before we are off to some of the highlights in the region: the Swakop riverbed, the ‘moonlandscape’ and at the Welwitschia Mirabilis, an ancient plant endemic to the Namib Desert. Dinner in Swakopmund is excluded. There are plenty of excellent restaurants – the choice is yours! Overnight on a bed and breakfast basis at the Hansa Hotel or similar.
Day 4: We will drive to Walvis Bay this morning and you may want to join one of the optional tours (a boat-trip with a catamaran or a motorboat from the Walvis Bay yacht harbour, kayaking on the Walvis Bay lagoon, quad-biking in the dunes en route to Walvis Bay, etc.) or you might enjoy walking along the lagoon and view the prolific birdlife with a huge population of flamingos. Return to Swakopmund in the afternoon and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. Overnight on a bed and breakfast basis at the Hansa Hotel or similar.
Day 5: Today we drive along the coastline via Henties Bay and Cape Cross, where we will visit the huge seal colony. We drive further North along the saltroad and turn near Torrabay into the vast regions of the Damaraland. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure. Overnight with dinner, bed and breakfast at Twyfelfontein Country Lodge or similar.
Day 6: In the morning we’ll visit the famous rock-engravings at Twyfelfontein, a declared World Heritage Site as well the the ‘Organ Pipes’ and the ‘Burnt Mountain’.
We carry on via Palmwag and Sesfontein into the Kaokoveld. This area is shared by elephant, black rhino, giraffe, as well as the Himba people, one of the last nomadic tribes in Africa. Often described as one of the last true wilderness areas in the North West of Namibia. Overnight with dinner, bed and breakfast at Opuwo Country Lodge or similar.
Day 7: After breakfast we take along a local guide and depart to a Himba settlement. You’ll meet with the people and will gain a bit of insight into their lives. We return and carry on to our next destination, which is located just outside the Western gate of the Etosha National Park. Overnight with dinner, bed and breakfast at Hobatere Lodge or similar.
Day 8: A whole day in this great National Park lies ahead of us and we shall stop at various waterholes en route to view game. This Park is well-known for its huge herds of zebra and antelope. With a bit of luck we should be able to spot elephant, lion and other predators. At our resort a floodlit waterhole enables you to view the game also during the night time. Overnight with dinner, bed and breakfast at Okaukuejo or Halali Resort or similar.
Day 9: We start early in the morning in order to increase our chances of seeing the big carnivores. Driving along the vast saltpan gives us incredible views of the pan. The vegetation changes on route and species of plains game differs. We’ll stop at various waterholes and our establishment of choice is located just outside the Van Lindequist entrance. Overnight with dinner, bed and breakfast at Mokuti Lodge (or similar).
Day 10: We enter once more into the Etosha National Park and explore the ‘Fischer’s Pan’ as well as the Andoni Plains in the North-East. We return to the lodge with surely great memories of the Etosha National Park. Overnight with dinner, bed and breakfast at Mokuti Lodge (or similar).
Day 11: After breakfast we stop at Lake Otjikoto, pass Tsumeb an old mining town and continue via Otjiwarongo to Okonjima Ranch – Home of the Africat Foundation. During the afternoon, we join a drive on their premises in order to see some of the endangered wildlife species. Some of them, we might not have been able to spot during our Etosha Adventure. Overnight with dinner, bed and breakfast at Okonjima Ranch.
Day 12: We visit the African Carnivore Care & Info Centre, enjoy brunch and return to Windhoek. On route we stop at the Okahandja woodcrafters market. Arrival in Windhoek during early afternoon.