12 Day Exploring Namibia

Highlights: Kalahari Desert, Fish River Canyon, Lüderitz, Sossusvlei, Sw akopmund, Cape Cross, Twyfelfontein, Etosha National Park.

DAYS: 12 Days & 11 Nights
MIN/MAX PAX: 1 / 13
DEPARTURE DATES:: Saturday
PICK-UP TIMES: Clients will be met at any establishment in Windhoek
Languages available: English, German
MEALS: As per itinerary

Day 1 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 endless grass plains interspersed with Acacia's and shrubs, it is the only form of survival for a vast amount of wildlife and migrating bushman communities. Enjoy the opportunity to experience the fauna and flora that have survived this desert environment for thousands of years.

Day 2 Fish River Conservation Area
We travel south through rocky plains, visit the unique Quiver Tree forests nestled amongst huge dolerite boulders, some stacked in such a mysterious way that it seems impossible that they were formed by natural forces. At our lodge we have time to enjoy a pleasant sundowner walk to an adjacent granite hill; from here, with a cold drink in hand, we can marvel at the spectacular scenery that surrounds us.

Day 3 Lüderitz
Our morning starts on the edge of the Fish River Canyon, where we gaze down 550 meters into this magnificent canyon itself, the second largest of its kind on earth! Thereafter we travel down the Great Escarpment into the wide 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.

Day 4 Southern Namib Desert
This morning the ghost town of Kolmanskop reminds us of the opulence and decadence of the diamond rush days. Now it stands barren to the harsh wind and heat of the unforgiving desert. We travel north through the pre-Namib to our lodge in the 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.

Day 5 Southern Namib Desert
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 Tsauchab River Bed 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.

Day 6 Swakopmund
After we traveled through the Gaub and Kuiseb Canyons, we visit the Vogelfederberg before traveling to 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.

Day 7 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.

Day 8 Swakopmund Breakfast & Picnic Lunch
Our destination today is the coastal town of Swakopmund via the Gaub and Kuiseb Canyons. Prior to arrival in Swakopmund we visit Moon Valley, an unusual view overlooking the landscape formed by the valleys of the Swakop River. Visit Namibia's most celebrated plant, the ancient Welwitschia mirabilis, found on the vast gravel plains.

Day 9: Damaraland
Heading further north, we travel along huge 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 and the Black Rhino.

Day 10 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 landmasses. We proceed on to our lodge close to the world-renowned Etosha National Park.

Day 11 Etosha National Park
The following two days are devoted purely to the abundant wildlife found in the Etosha National Park, which surrounds a parched salt desert known as the Etosha Pan. This park is home to 4 of the Big Five - Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Rhino - and its waterholes furthermore support a rich diversity of mammals and birds, including species such as black-faced Impala, roan, cheetah, and Namibia's smallest antelope, the Damara Dik-Dik.

Day 12 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 mining history and minerals found in this area. We continue southwards via the African craft market in Okahandja to Windhoek. Here, sadly, we have to say our good-byes.

TOUR SUMMARY

*Alternative accommodation may be used.