Trip Type - Bronze
Minimum of 1 passenger and a maximum of 13 passengers per vehicle. Accommodation is offered in midrange properties on a Bed and Breakfast basis.
Trip Highlights
- Kalahari Desert
- Fish River Canyon
- Lüderitz
- Sossusvlei
- Swakopmund
- Cape Cross
- Twyfelfontein
- Etosha National Park
Stay at the following (or similar)
- Kalahari Anib Lodge (1 Night)
- Canon Village (1 Night)
- Hotel zum Sperrgebiet (1 Night)
- Hammerstein Lodge (1 Night)
- Namib Desert Lodge (1 Night)
- Europa Hof (2 Nights)
- Twyfelfontein Lodge (1 Night)
- Etosha Safari Camp (2 Nights)
- Ghaub Guest Farm (1 Night)
Day By Day Itinerary
Saturday: Kalahari Desert
Leaving Windhoek, we travel into the largest sand mass on earth, the Kalahari Desert. The bushman refer to it as the “Soul of the World”, an emotive description for this area! With its deep red sand dunes and endless grass plains interspersed with Acacia’s and shrubs, it is the only form of survival for a vast amount of specially adapted wildlife. Enjoy the opportunity to experience the fauna and flora that has survived this desert environment for thousands of years.
Accommodation: Kalahari Anib Lodge Distance: 280KM
Sunday: Fish River Conservation Area
We travel south through expansive rocky plains, visiting the unique Quiver Tree forest. Nestled amongst huge dolerite boulders, some stacked in such a mysterious way that it seems impossible that they were formed by natural forces, it awards us with magnificent photographic opportunities. After we arrived at our lodge, we have time to enjoy a pleasant walk to an adjacent granite hill to enjoy the sundowner with a cold drink in hand.
Accommodation: Canon Village Meals: Breakfast Distance: 440KMS
Monday: Lüderitz
Our morning starts on the edge of the Fish River Canyon, where we gaze 550 meters into this magnificent geological phenomenon, the second largest of its kind on earth. Thereafter we travel down the Great Escarpment and into the awesomely stretched plains of the Namib Desert, the scenery giving way to the shifting dunes of the Prohibited Diamond Area. Here we visit Diaz’ Cross, before rounding off the day with a tour through Lüderitz and checking into our hotel for the evening.
Accommodation: Hotel Zum Sperrgebiet Meals: Breakfast Distance: 440KMS
Tuesday: Southern Namib Desert
This morning the ghost town of Kolmanskop reminds us of the opulence and decadence of the diamond rush days of the early 1900’s. Now it stands barren to the harsh wind and heat of the unforgiving desert. Thereafter we travel north through the pre-Namib to our lodge in the Namib Desert. This is the gateway to Sesriem Canyon and Sossusvlei, where some of the highest sand dunes on earth stand towering over the white desert plains.
Accommodation: Hammerstein Lodge Meals: Breakfast Distance: 430KMS
Wednesday: Southern Namib Desert
This morning demands an early start. The first rays of sunrise paint the mountains of sand into a variety of apricot, red and orange, contrasted against a crisp blue skyline, enrapting our senses, and awarding us the opportunity to capture this awesome landscape on film. Sossusvlei, where the mostly dry Tsauchab River ends abruptly amongst majestic dunes, sees us walking up one of these dunes to admire the desert landscape. Thereafter we visit the Sesriem Canyon, a life sustaining natural phenomenon in the heart of the Namib Desert.
Accommodation: Namib Desert Lodge Meals: Breakfast Distance: 430KMS
Thursday: Swakopmund
After breakfast and after we traveled through the Gaub and Kuiseb Canyons, we visit the Vogelfederberg before traveling to the quaint coastal town of Swakopmund. In the better light of the cooler afternoon we venture into the valley of the Swakop River to visit the Welwitschia Plains and the aptly named Moonlandscape, enjoying this astonishing area while the sun is setting. After the short trip back to our hotel we can enjoy dinner at one of Swakopmund’s many acclaimed restaurants.
Accommodation: Europa Hof Meals: Breakfast Distance: 300KMS
Friday: Swakopmund, Central Namib Desert
This idyllic coastal town is the perfect location for walking tours, shopping, relaxing at a quaint coffee shop or along the sandy beaches. This being Namibia’s playground, we also have a wide variety of activities on offer, ranging from dolphin cruises, desert tours and scenic flights to quad biking, paragliding, parachuting and kite surfing to mention but a few. Please ask us for details of activities available in Swakopmund.
Accommodation: Europa Hof Meals: Breakfast
Saturday: Damaraland
Heading further north, we travel along vast lichen fields to Cape Cross, a fur seal reserve where at times over 80’000 animals frolic in the waves of the Atlantic! We drive via the Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain (2579m), into the Damaraland, one of the least populated and geologically diverse areas in Africa. This harsh, rocky environment is home to the rare Desert Elephant, the Black Rhino and free-roaming antelope species.
Accommodation: Twyfelfontein Lodge Meals: Breakfast Distance: 440KMS
Sunday: Etosha Area
We start the morning with a visit to Twyfelfontein, a heritage site where bushman communities engraved and painted over 2500 pictures some 6000 years ago! We also visit the Burnt Mountain, Petrified Forest and the Organ Pipes - all geological phenomena depicting the creation and evolution of some of the oldest landmasses on earth. We proceed on to our lodge situated close to the world-renowned Etosha National Park.
Accommodation: Etosha Safari Camp Meals: Breakfast Distance: 300KMS
Monday: Etosha National Park
The day is devoted purely to the abundant wildlife found in the Etosha National Park, which surrounds a parched salt desert known as the Etosha Pan. The park is home to 4 of the Big Five - Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Rhino – its waterholes supporting a rich diversity of birds and mammals, including rare species such as black-faced Impala, roan, cheetah, and Namibia’s smallest antelope, the Damara Dik-Dik.
Accommodation: Etosha Safari Camp Meals: Breakfast
Tuesday: Etosha National Park
After breakfast we again enter the park, travelling through it from west to east. En route we may encounter animal species we have not seen before and look forward to any new surprises at the different waterholes visited. In the late afternoon we travel out of the park to our lodge, where we enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure and reminisce about the day’s exciting events.
Accommodation: Ghaub Guest Farm Meals: Breakfast Distance: 470KMS
Wednesday: Return to Windhoek
After leaving Etosha we head south to Namibia’s mining centre. In this region we visit Lake Otjikoto, the larger of only two natural lakes found in Namibia, as well as the Tsumeb museum, where we explore the colonial and mining history, as well as different minerals found in this area. We continue southwards via the African craft market in Okahandja to Windhoek. Here our tour ends.
Accommodation: Return to Windhoek Meals: Breakfast Distance: 420KMS
Rates - 01 Jan 09 to 31 Oct 09
Trip departs selected Saturdays. Rate per person Namibian Dollars (NAD) 20,900 based on two people sharing.
Single travelers please add Namibian Dollars (NAD) 2,500.
Trip is subject to availability.
All trips booked through us can be paid for in US Dollars through our New York office at the exchange rate of the day payment is made. We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
(For our clients oustside of the USA, we can also accept payment in Euro and British Pounds)
