Namibia is known for its contrasting landscapes. The desolate Namib Desert is said to be the oldest in the world, with its high dunes and awe-inspiring sense of space. Join us on this 12-day tour to discover this wonderful country.

Click on the small thumbnails below to view the larger image:

Day 1     Sat     Windhoek to 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.

1 x overnight Kalahari Anib Lodge including breakfast

Day 2     Sun     Fish River Canyon

We travel south through expansive rocky plains, visiting the unique Quiver Tree forest. Nestled amongst huge dolerite boulders, stacked in such a mysterious way that it seems giants played here. We continue to our lodge, situated in close vicinity to the Fish River Canyon.

1 x overnight Canon Village including breakfast

Day 3     Mon     Luderitz

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 short tour through Lüderitz and checking into our hotel for the evening.

1 x overnight Hotel Zum Sperrgebiet including breakfast

Day 4     Tue     Namib Desert

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.

1 x overnight Hammerstein Lodge including breakfast

Day 5     Wed     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 providing an 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.

1 x overnight Namib Desert Lodge including breakfast

Day 6     Thu     Swakopmund

After breakfast we travel via the desolate, rolling hills of the Kuiseb Moon Valley towards the Atlantic Ocean. In Walvis Bay we visit the shallow lagoon, one of the most important wetland areas on the African continent and a RAMSAR world heritage site.  Over 80% of the African flamingoes feed in this lagoon and present a breathtaking picture when they appear in groups counting a few hundred thousand. Stopping at Bird Island, we relive the story of a man who saw an opportunity in mining guano in the early 1900’s. Having arrived in the coastal town of Swakopmund, we have the rest of the day at leisure.

2 x overnight Schweitzerhaus Hotel including breakfast

Day 7     Fri     Swakopmund

Swakopmund 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.

Day 8     Sat     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.

1 x overnight Damaraland Mopane Lodge including breakfast

Day 9     Sun     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! Close by we explore the Burnt Mountain, Organ Pipes and the Petrified Forest - all geological phenomena depicting the creation and evolution of some of the oldest landmasses on earth. Here we also visit the Welwitschia mirabilis plant – the oldest living desert plant on earth! We proceed on to our lodge situated close to the world-renowned Etosha National Park, and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

2 x overnight Etosha Safari Camp including breakfast

Day 10     Mon     Etosha National Park

After breakfast we enter the park, travelling through it from west to east. 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.

Day 11     Tue     Etosha National Park

Today we again game drive in the Etosha National Park. We may encounter animal species we have not seen the previous day and look forward to any new surprises at the different waterholes visited. In the afternoon we travel to our lodge, where we enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure and reminisce about the day’s exciting events.

1 x overnight Ghaub Guestfarm including breakfast

Day 12     Wed     Departure

After breakfast we continue southwards to Windhoek, where we visit the craft markets in the main street of the capital city, where after we are driven to our hotel or to the international airport for our return flight.

01 November 2010 - 31 October 2011

Includes

Transport in a luxury vehicle with qualified guide.

Accommodation as stated subject to availability.

Meals as per itinerary.

Excludes

All flights, visas & taxes.

All other meals & sightseeing not stated in itinerary.

All items of personal nature.

Departure Dates: 

2010
December: 08

2011
January: 12, 26
February: 09, 23
March: 08, 22
April: 05, 19
May: 03, 17, 31
June: 14, 28
July: 12, 26
August: 09, 23
September: 06, 20, 27
October: 04, 11, 18