Namibian Experience Safari

Safari Synopsis:

You will be collected from your accommodation in Windhoek (between 8.30 - 9.00am). We will travel north, stopping at small towns along the way including Okahandja, where we have time to visit Namibia’s largest wood carving market. The market is operated on a local co-operative basis and is one of the best places to shop for truly Namibian souvenirs.

Continuing north, passing through farmland, we aim to arrive at Okonjima during the middle afternoon, giving us time to set up our camp and to relax in the shade for a while before heading out on to the property to take part in the afternoon’s activities. Okonjima is the home of the Africat Foundation, a specialist conservation concern that centres its operations around the African Big Cats, particularly cheetah.

This afternoon you will be taken on a tour during which you will be able to meet, close-up-and-personal, some of the cheetah that are going through the Africat rehabilitation programme. Most of the animals currently living at Okonjima have been rescued from various desperate situations, being orphaned or caught in a trap, and the aim of rehabilitation process is to attempt to re-introduce them into the wild.

After our educational tour we will return our camp site and prepare for dinner under the African stars
Meals: Lunch & Dinner

An early start and continuing north we pass through some small towns, making short stops for fresh supplies and fuel. Our first main port of call today is the mysterious Lake Otjikoto. Otjikoto is in fact Namibia's largest permanent natural lake and we take time here to rest a little and learn something about the history of this unusual landmark.

Continuing on we enter eastern Etosha, where we will be staying at the Namutoni camp. We aim to arrive in time for lunch, giving us time to relax before heading into the park during the cool of the late afternoon for our first game drive.
Driving time: approx. 4hrs (300 km).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

A full day's game driving. We again leave early to enjoy the cool morning air as we game drive our way through Etosha to Halali camp, situated in the middle of the park. Along the way we visit several waterholes and are afforded splendid views of the massive Etosha Pan. The game viewing is usually excellent and we have the chance to tick off a few new species that are not normally seen on the Namutoni side of the park.

We stop at Halali for a rest and a leisurely lunch. There is time to visit the Halali waterhole and to make use of the swimming pool and bar facilities before continuing on our way and game driving down to Okaukuejo.

Okaukuejo is famous for its waterhole, which has been described as one of the "best game viewing opportunities in Southern Africa". Right on the doorstep of our camp, black rhino, elephant, lion and numerous species of antelope are usually seen. Game driving all day.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Leaving Etosha we begin our journey south with a relatively short drive to the small town of Kamanjab where we will make a short stop here before continuing on to find the Himba Tribesmen.

This is the only traditionally functioning Himba community outside the far north Kaokoland region of Namibia These tribes-people have migrated here, lifestyle and customs intact, and are following their traditional way-of-life in their village on a farm. Oase Village is located about 15 to 20 km outside Kamanjab, the exact location of the site varies as the Himba occasionally roam to a new location.

During the afternoon we will be invited into Oase Village and will meet with the locals. We will have a specialist guide for the time we are there, who will be able to translate for us and will introduce us to this “alternative lifestyle”. We will learn about marriage customs, traditional food and the mysteries of the local religion, “Holy Fire”. (300 km).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today we head into one of the most beautiful desert regions in Namibia, Damaraland. We drive south to the capital of this region, the small town of Khorixas, and then take a detour to the west, travelling via the Petrified Forest geological site, to visit the ancient Bushman rock engravings at Twyfelfontien. At both these locations we will have local guides to conduct us on a short guided tour.

From here we head deeper into the desert to Namibia’s highest mountain, The Brandberg, (2573 m). Brandberg Mountain is an ancient Bushman spiritual site and tonight we will sleep under the shadow of this giant granite monolith.
Driving time: approx. (400 km).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Starting early to enjoy the cool of the morning we will hike, “into” the mountain with our guide to see the world famous “White Lady” rock painting. Attributed to the Bushman artists, the white lady panel is believed by some to be in excess of 20 000 years old.

Back on the road for more beautiful Damaraland scenery. We make our first stop in the small town of Uis, an old mining town, and one of the best places to buy semi-precious stones, for which Namibia is famous. Here, rough Amethyst, Tourmaline etc can be found at bargain prices.

From here we turn directly west and cross the “gravel plains” on our way to the Atlantic Ocean and the Skeleton Coast. Meeting the ocean at Henties Bay, we first head north along the coast to visit the seal colony at Cape Cross. Here at certain times of the year there can be as many as 100,000 Cape Fur seals in attendance. The next destination is Swakopmund, following the Skeleton Coast into Namibia's premier seaside town. We aim to arrive in the late afternoon giving us time to explore the town on foot before sunset. Tonight is spent in shared bungalows (not camping)

Tonight we take the chance to sample one of the excellent restaurants. The seafood in Swakopmund is superb. Your guide will offer to organise a group meal in a local restaurant for this evening. Participation is recommended but by no means required.

Dinner this evening in not included in the price of the safari and will be for the client’s own account .Driving time: approx. (250 km).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

The drive back to Windhoek today will take about 4 and a half hours. We will only depart after lunch, giving us time to spend the morning relaxing in Swakopmund. Swakopmund is a very pleasant seaside town with lots of shops, a good stretch of beach (although the Atlantic here is quite cold) and an open-air curio market. There is also a very good museum and the Namibian National Marine Aquarium is located in Swakopmund.

Alternatively, there are various optional activities that can be arranged. These include aeroplane and microlight flights over the desert, scenic drives, fishing trips (both from the beach or in a boat), four-wheel motorcycle (quad-biking) trips into the desert and over the sand dunes around Swakopmund, sand boarding trips (also in the dunes), skydiving, surfing, bird-watching and many other activities are available.

Your tour guide will discuss all the possible options with you before you reach Swakopmund and will offer to make bookings in advance of your arrival. (N.B. All extra activities and excursions in Swakopmund are subject to availability and are made at the clients’ own risk and expense).

This is the last day of our trip and after lunch we will transfer back to the capital city where you will be dropped off at your accommodation.
There are many activities available in Swakopmund: dune-boarding, flights over the desert and Skeleton Coast, skydiving or simply enjoying the sights of the city. There is also a very good museum and an aquarium in town. After the morning in Swakopmund, we have lunch and then drive back to Windhoek, arriving about 17h30. Dinner to night is for your own account
Driving time: approx. 5hrs (350 km). (B, L)

You are collected from your accommodation between 07.30 and 8.00am. We start our long journey south on the main B1 highway, travelling through the thin strip of Kalahari Desert that protrudes onto the eastern side of Namibia. Stopping at small towns along the way including Rehoboth, traditional home of the Bastar people, we aim to arrive at the Quiver Tree Forest in the middle afternoon. Located just north of the southern centre of Keetmanshoop, (officially the sunniest town in the world), we make camp and have time to explore the area on foot.

Quiver trees are not in fact trees, they are a type of aloe, (Aloe Dichotoma), so called because the branches fork “dictomously”. These weird looking plants dot the landscape in this part of the world and are locally common, however they are one of the world’s rarest flora species. (500km)
Meals: Lunch & Dinner

Before leaving the Keetmanshoop area we visit another local site of interest this morning, the Giants Playground”, an area filled with massively eroded dolerite rocks that are precariously balanced in tottering towers. After a short stop in Keetmanshoop itself we continue south, leaving the main road far behind us and join the extensive network of gravel roads that unite rural Namibia.

Arriving at Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world, in the early afternoon, we drive to the main look out where the views need to be seen to be believed. We can see the river sparkling in the sunlight far below us, and can barely imagine how many millennia it took for the forces of erosion to carve such a magnificent vista.

Driving still further south, we travel all the way to the southern border with South Africa, the mighty Orange River. Coming from the arid desert regions that have formed the landscape for most of our journey, it is an amazing sight to see green vegetation and a bright ribbon of flowing water appear out of seemingly no-where. (400km)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

An easy drive this morning so we have a leisurely start. There is time for a dip in the cool waters of the Orange, (very cold waters in the winter time). Our road follows the scenic course of the river for the first part of the day’s journey before heading back into the desert and the beautiful landscapes that Namibia has to offer.

Our route takes us past the zinc mines of Rosh Pinah where we will take a short break before arriving at our destination, the tiny town of Aus in the middle to late afternoon. We sleep tonight at Klein Aus Vista, a private reserve, beautifully located in the Aus Mountain Range, (Huib-Hoch-Plateau region).

There is time to explore this stunning area on foot and to find a lofty perch in the mountains to watch the sun slip over the western horizon. (150 km).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

We are up with the dawn this morning for the short drive to Luderitz, we travel on the main road and keep a sharp look out for the unique wild horses of the Namib. These horses are the only feral horses in Namibia and have, very unusually, become adapted to an existence with very limited water. Where they originated from is un-clear, some people think they are the descendants of the horses used by the German cavalry during the First World War. Another theory is that they originally came from a horse farm that used to be run by a German Barron, (von Wolff), in the very early colonial days.

We arrive in Luderitz in time to join an optional extra excursion, a trip on an old wooden sailing ship, “The Sedina”. We take a cruise around Luderitz bay and, weather permitting, to Halifax Island to see the Jackass Penguins. If the weather conditions are suitable we turn off the engines and come back to Luderitz under sail.

Straight after the Sedina trip we drive out to Kolmanskop, a desert ghost town about 20 km out of Luderitz. It was built in the 1920's during the diamond rush and was abandoned when bigger and better diamonds were found further along the coast. The area is still abandoned and the desert has encroached over the entire town, giving an eerie feeling and real meaning to the word “ghost”.

Lunch today is not included in the programme, this is to allow everybody as much flexibility with their time as possible and to give us the opportunity to sample some of the excellent local cafes.

During the middle of the day there is time to explore Luderitz Town with its traditional German architecture and later we will take a drive out to Diaz Point to see the bird life, hopefully a few seals and the stone cross replica, originally erected by the Portuguese mariner Bartholomew Diaz.

Returning to Klein Aus Vista in the late afternoon, the road takes us through the “forbidden Zone” so named because in years gone by, the alluvial diamonds found in Namibia were simply scattered across the desert and we again have time to enjoy sunset over the mountains.

N.B: The “Sedina” excursion is subject to availability and, if undertaken, will be for the clients own risk and expense.
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Turning north, we once again head deep into the ancient southern Namib, travelling on small gravel roads and passing some tiny rural communities along the way. The scenery is harsh, and sometimes forbidding. The process of erosion in these areas is well advanced and we pass time rounded “koppies” arid terrain and outcrops of tortured rock.

Traversing this bleak yet beautiful landscape, the terrain begins to change and we cross some open grass savannah and farmlands before the terrain begins to give way to the immense red sand dune desert of the Namib. We aim to arrive at our camp during the late afternoon and watch the colours glow and change on distant mountains to the east. (350 km).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

A pre dawn start is essential this morning as we want to catch the soft light of the sunrise on the desert. After passing through Sesriem, the gateway to the dunes and driving into the heart of the dune field, we reach Sossusvlei itself by walking the last 5 km through the dunes.

The walk is like nothing else, in the cool of the morning, with soft sunlight just beginning to play over the dunes creating a sharp light and shadow contrast across the whole desert.

Ancient mineral pans, stunted camel thorn trees and the chance of seeing a gemsbok or maybe an ostrich make the photo opportunities perfect.

We spend the morning in and around Sossusvlei, also visiting dune 45, and as the day wears on we return to Sesriem for lunch to escape the heat of the afternoon. As the day cools off in the late afternoon we will take a short excursion to the Sesriem Canyon.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast we begin our journey, over the mountains and along scenic roads, back to Windhoek. We will travel over the Naukluft Mountains and also the Khomas Hochland Range, through beautiful mountain passes on our way back to civilization.

We are due back into the city around 16:00 and you will be dropped off at your accommodation in Windhoek on our return
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

• This safari includes a camp assistant to help with some of the camp chores
• Luggage limits are 10kg per person and we will only carry soft bags to minimize luggage damage. One small day pack for hand luggage and a sleeping bag are separate.
• Safaris are undertaken on a twin share basis. Should you be travelling alone we will ask you to share with another traveller.
• All drinks must be purchased by you during your safari including mineral water.
• The style of camping trips is assisted camping which means that you will have two crew members with you, a guide and a camp assistant, who between them will complete all the driving, day-to-day organisation, shopping, cooking and cleaning.  Clients are required to assist with the putting up and taking down of the tents.  All the camping equipment is supplied with the exception of sleeping bags, (although these are available for hire if necessary).