Itinerary

Day 1: Windhoek

After landing at Windhoek’s International Hosea Kutako Airport, you are transferred to Galton House guesthouse for your first night in Namibia. Overnight Galton House.

Day 2: Sossusvlei

Drive time Windhoek to Sossusvlei: 4-5 hours This morning your guide will pick you up at your hotel to join the rest of the group to embark on your safari. Drive southwest through the scenic Khomas Hochland highlands before you head down the Great Escarpment into the Namib Desert below. A picnic lunch will be served at a scenic location en-route. You will arrive at Hoodia Desert Lodge in the late afternoon where you will stay for two nights whilst you explore the remarkable sights of the Namib Desert with your guide. If there is still time today, your guide will take you to visit Sesriem Canyon, a nearby geological attraction, or you can relax and soak in the scenic and tranquil surroundings at the lodge. Overnight Hoodia Desert Lodge. All meals.

Day 3: Sossusvlei

This morning you will rise early for a magical excursion with your guide into the Namib Naukluft National Park, entering the Park gates at sunrise 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. Sossusvlei is the biggest of four pans in the vicinity. Another, famous for its gnarled and ghostly camel thorn trees, is Deadvlei which can be reached on foot over 1 km of sand. Deadvlei’s striking camel thorn trees, dead for want of water, still stand erect as they once grew. They survived until about 900 years ago when the sand sea finally blocked the river from occasionally flooding the pan. Once you have explored to your heart’s content you can enjoy a relaxing picnic breakfast under the shade of a camel thorn tree. Return to Hoodia Desert Lodge in the early afternoon for a late lunch, stopping off to view Sesriem Canyon if you haven’t already done so the day before. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure. Overnight Hoodia Desert Lodge. All meals.

Day 4 & 5: Swakopmund

The fascinating drive takes you northwest through awesome and ever changing desert landscapes of the Namib Naukluft National Park, including the impressive Gaub and Kuiseb canyons. You will meet the coast at the port town of Walvis Bay and then continue north to Swakopmund where you can enjoy the pleasant seaside location and cooler coastal air for your next two nights. The following day you'll head out on the Atlantic Ocean for a chance to spot dolphins, whales, seals and a myriad of marine and bird life. Your afternoons are free to explore the quaint town. Overnight at one of the charming Swakopmund guesthouses. All meals.

Day 6 & 7: Damaraland

Today continue heading north and east into the wonderful and diverse region of Damaraland. You will pass Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg, which peaks at 2,573 m above sea level, and take time to view animals and absorb the vastness of the scenery along the way. Damaraland is typified by displays of color, magnificent table topped mountains, rock formations and bizarre-looking vegetation. The present day landscape has been formed by the erosion of wind, water and geological forces which have formed rolling hills, dunes, gravel plains and ancient river terraces. It is the variety and loneliness of the area as well as the scenic splendor which will reward and astound you, giving us an authentic understanding of the word 'wilderness'. You'll spend the days here in search of the rare desert-adapted elephant and visit the Twyfelfontein rock engravings (recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes. Overnights Camp Kipwe. All meals.

Day 8: Himba Culture & Western Etosha National Park

Today you head to Etosha National Park, traveling via the Grootberg Pass. Along the way you will visit a local Himba settlement; we may have to search for a while as the semi-nomadic Himba people tend move location with no notice! The Himba are one of the last traditional peoples of Namibia and one of the last truly nomadic tribes in Africa. They are a tall, slender and statuesque people, characterized especially by their proud yet friendly bearing. The women especially are noted for their unusual sculptural beauty, enhanced by intricate hairstyles and traditional adornments. We will learn about the customs and traditions of this very proud people, and will be given insight into their beliefs, way of life and everyday routine. Later this morning we enter the Etosha National Park through the Galton Gate on the western boundary and game drive our way on to the Dolomite Camp, arriving in the early afternoon. This previously restricted western section of Etosha was previously kept solely for research and rehabilitation of game and so it boasts some of the highest numbers of wildlife throughout the Park. Overnight Dolomite Camp. All meals.

Day 9 & 10: Etosha National Park

Today after breakfast you will game drive your way east across the western section of the Park to arrive at Okaukuejo Resort in the afternoon, having had lunch en route. The afternoon can be spent game viewing at the excellent floodlit waterhole where game comes and goes throughout the day and night, or possibly heading out again on another game drive with your guide. The Park boasts some 114 mammal and over 340 bird species. Wildlife that one might see includes elephant, lion, giraffe, blue wildebeest, eland, kudu, gemsbok (oryx), zebra, rhino, cheetah, leopard, hyena, honey badger and warthog, as well as the endemic black faced impala. This evenings you have the option to join a night drive after dinner, which will offer you a good chance of seeing nocturnal animals such as spring hares, aardvark, Cape and bat-eared foxes, aardwolf, genets, and possibly some of the larger cats. Overnights Okaukuejo Camp. All meals.

Day 11: AfriCat Foundation

Today you game drive your way from Okaukuejo Resort to exit Etosha National Park at Andersson Gate, and then continue south to the AfriCat Foundation, a wildlife sanctuary which focuses on the research and rehabilitation of Africa's big cats, especially injured or captured leopard and cheetah. Close encounters with leopard and cheetah are an unforgettable highlight. Activities include leopard tracking by vehicle, a visit to the cheetah welfare project and a visit to the night hide where nocturnal animals such as porcupine, caracal, honey badger and even leopard may be seen. Visit the night hide after dinner for an unforgettable look at the nocturnal creatures here. Overnight Okonjima Bush Camp. All meals.

Day 12: Depart

You will rise early this morning for another memorable guided activity before you return to Bush Camp for a sumptuous breakfast. After freshening up you will depart for Windhoek in the late morning, via the town of Okahandja, to arrive back at roughly 2 pm. Upon your arrival into Windhoek you will be transferred to your accommodation establishment of choice, or to Windhoek International Airport to check-in for your ongoing flight. Breakfast & lunch.

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