Namibia: Lodge & Camping Safari (NAM)
(20 DAYS LAND ONLY)
Updated 18/08/2005
This varied itinerary has been specifically designed for small groups of individuals who want to see as much as possible without missing out on the excitement that travel in Africa can bring and of course includes areas of special interest and plenty of walking. The safari is lodge based combined with some camping and as such we can enjoy the richness of Namibia’s peoples, their culture, the vast and contrasting landscapes and Namibia’s most impressive wildlife; happy in the knowledge that there will be a bed waiting for us at the end of the day or the even a star bangled night sky surrounding the camp fire!
Namibia is developing an excellent reputation as one of the finest places to see game in Africa. Three days will be spent in the incredible Etosha National Park. We will also experience the grandeur of Fish River Canyon, as well as Old World Swakopmund on the Atlantic seaboard and we will travel via the dramatic Kalahari and visit the seal colony at Cape Cross.
Day 1: Windhoek
Arrive in Windhoek. We will drive to our lodge and settle in. The afternoon will be free to explore the game lodge although there may be an optional Game drive with leopard and cheetah feeding available.
Lodge; 1 night
Day 2: Hardap Dam
We depart Windhoek driving south. Later in the day we arrive at Hardap Dam a huge expanse of water providing a dramatic contrast to the arid surroundings we have travelled through so far. We overnight in comfortable bungalows close to the dam and some shady camel-thorn trees.
Lodge with multi-share bungalows, shared bathrooms, kitchen, braai area and air conditioning; 1 night
Day 3 & 4: Fish River Canyon
Our first stop this morning is Namibia’s renowned Quiver forest. Although they give the impression of being trees, these giant plants are actually a member of the Aloe family and, somewhat uniquely, grow together in a large group just north of the town of Keetmanshoop. Just a few kilometres further down the road we encounter the endearingly named Giants Playground – a startling landscape of curiously eroded rocks, precariously balanced one on top of the other. Our drive this afternoon takes us to the edge of the second largest canyon in Africa. Often compared to the Grand Canyon, it is a 161km long, 27km wide ravine with a maximum depth of 550m. The canyon’s viewpoint is spectacular: from this look-out the gorge falls away in a sheer drop down to the meandering Fish River below. In the afternoon we can explore the area on foot and enjoy the splendid views of this grand, sombre and immensely powerful natural phenomenon. We explore this unique landscape the second day through bird watching and walks.
An optional flight over the canyon may also be possible
Lodge with double cabin-style rooms; 2 nights
Day 5: Luderitz
We will drive west after an early breakfast to the old diamond town of Luderitz. This almost surreal living relic of the German Colonial era is a typical German style town huddling on the barren, windswept coast of the Namib Desert and almost untouched by the 21st century. The Bremen’s merchant, Adolf Luderitz, who persuaded Bismarck to place Southwest Africa under German 'protection’ in 1884, founded it.
Lodge; 2 nights
Day 6: Luderitz
Today you are free to explore the town on your own. It has everything you would expect of a small German town, from delicatessens to coffee shops and Lutheran churches. Some excellent historical displays can be seen when visiting the Luderitz museum and definitely worth visiting is the diamond-mining ghost town of Kolmanskop. If you love the ocean you can take a cruise on a schooner to visit the nearby islands. All activities are optional and your tour guide will assist you planning and booking any activities available.
Day 7: Duwizib Castle
We leave the Atlantic Ocean behind and venture north into the breathtaking landscape of the Namib. We set up camp under some shady thorn trees and visit the old German Castle in the afternoon. The evening is spent watching the clear Namib sky with all the star constellations while we listen to the sounds of the nightlife.
Camping; 1 night
Day 8: Sesriem
We drive north today. The scenery changes throughout the day as we leave the seemingly-endless lunar landscape of the Namib Desert, whose horizon is studded with massive granite kopjes, and enter an area of mountain desert which then gives way to dunes. Unbelievably, this beautiful but waterless environment is home to many different animals and birds. Although no rain falls, thick sea mists, which can penetrate over 100 kilometres inland, help to sustain a remarkable variety of life. Our destination is in the Sesriem area, gateway to the highest sand dunes in the world. Our campsite is situated between the escarpment and the Desert. Sunsets here are fantastic, and nightfall brings the emergence of a billion stars in the clear skies of the desert.
Campsite; 2 nights
Day 9: Sosussvlei & Sesriem
Rising early, we drive to the heart of the desert to witness an incredible sight. In the morning light the desert flushes with colour that deepens and changes as the sun’s rays strike the quartz sand from an ever-higher angle throughout the early morning. The spectacle is breath taking. The endless expanse of legendary 'walking dunes' - sculpted by the wind - has to be seen to be believed. Far from all looking alike, dunes of different areas have distinctive shapes and characteristics. We walk with a specialist local guide to learn about the curious mechanics of this unstable landscape and discover the natural world living within and around it (Optional).
At the end of an ancient river course lays Sossusvlei, a clay pan set amidst red dunes where we keep a sharp lookout for the striking gemsbok. It's well worth climbing to the top of one of the 300-metre high dunes (reputedly the highest on earth) for the view. Equally impressive are the silence and the tremendous sense of isolation. The heat forces us out of the desert and back to Sesriem where we have lunch and rest until late afternoon when we visit Sesriem Gorge, a wonderland of rock formation where the desert floor has been cut by the force of water.
Day 10: Swakopmund
We travel through the Namib landscape where we might see some arid mammals and stop to explore on foot. Finally we reach Swakopmund, Namibia's second largest city, where we may glimpse flamingo and pelican.
The afternoon will be free to explore this old German town and tonight we will have the opportunity to dine in a restaurant where we can savour fresh seafood from the Atlantic, and Black Forest gateau! For any that have missed the trappings of city life, there is even a casino!
Pension / hotel; 2 nights
Day 11: Swakopmund
Today is all optional excursions. From visiting the lunar landscape to welwitsia misrabeles, seal colony or Walvis Bay or doing sand surfing on the roaring dunes. Options: We follow the Atlantic Ocean and stop to visit Cape Cross Seal Reserve, which protects up to 100,000 Cape Fur Seals (a species of sea lion). We head north along the Skeleton Coast - this treacherous, rocky coastline was named by mariners who saw many vessels meet their end on its inhospitable shores
Day 12: To Twyfelfontein
Today we drive to Twyfelfontein. In the late afternoon we set up our bush camp in the fascinating area of Twyfelfontein, we visit an ancient Bushman site to see rock engravings carved into petrified sand dunes (optional). Over 2,500 petroglyphs, some of which date back over 6,000 years to the early Stone Age, depict a variety of animals, including some no longer found in the region. We walk with a local guide to see the finest examples; it’s easy to imagine how life must have been thousands of years ago (optional).
Day 13: Etosha NP, Okaukuejo
We drive through picturesque farm country to Damaraland and its capital, Khorixas. We may stop en route at a petrified forest where trees date back 260 million years and you can see the prehistoric Welwitschia mirabilis, a plant which has mysteriously adapted to life in the desert with such success that it lives for over a thousand years! Heading off across Etosha, more and more animals and birds appear. We carry on to the western camp at Okaukuejo. Once the site of another fort, it's now the administrative headquarters of the Park and the views at sunset from the top of its circular tower are renowned, indeed it's possible to see as far as the unpronounceable Ondundozonananandana Mountains. However, the highlight of our first night in Etosha is an evening spent at the waterhole, where we have an excellent chance of viewing the rare Black Rhino and other animals not usually seen by day.
The accommodation consists of Multi-share bungalows with shared bathrooms, kitchen, BBQ area and air conditioning. Some are very close to the floodlit waterhole so you can watch from the patio 2 nights.
Day 14: Etosha National park
Early in the morning, after a quick breakfast, we'll go in search of a multitude of animals and birds. At the park’s heart is the enormous Etosha Pan, a shallow, salty depression that once may have been a lakebed, but now only fills with shallow water in exceptionally wet years. Around its perimeter numerous perennial waterholes attract great concentrations of wildlife. Four endangered species live here: Black Rhinoceros, Black-faced Impala, Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra and the tiny Damara Dik-dik. Returning to camp for the heat of the day, we spend the afternoon relaxing in the shade or at the waterhole. As it begins to cool off we head out again to add to our growing list of species spotted: elephant, giraffe, zebra, springbok, Blue Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, gemsbok, kudu, eland, plus the carnivores: lion, cheetah, possibly leopard, Spotted and Brown Hyena, and Black-backed jackal. The long bird list includes more than 320 species - from ostrich and flamingo to the rare Wahlberg's Eagle, and the Klaas' Cuckoo. In the evening we can have a hot shower and relax at the waterhole. It is always a treat to watch sunset from the tower of the old fort and enjoy supper under the stars.
Day 15: Etosha National Park (Halali)
Today we do a game drive, heading east and soon it is time for lunch at Halali set in a unique area of rocky limestone outcrop. We rest for a few hours, have a refreshing swim and then carry on to do a game drive.
Lodge; 1 night
Day 16 – Etosha NP (Namitomi)
We do a game drive to Namutoni. The afternoon is spent to explore the area through a game drive. Namibia's highly renowned, premier game park is huge at almost the size of Belgium and has some excellent facilities. The whitewashed ramparts of Namutoni’s old German fort, were originally built to control and subdue the Ovambo people, but now restored - are an evocative reminder of Namibia’s past. Namutoni also has a floodlit waterhole that allows us to view game during the evening and late into the night if we choose.
Lodge with multi-share bungalows, shared bathrooms, kitchen, BBQ area and air conditioning
Day 17: Waterberg Plateau NP
After a morning game drive we leave the Etosha behind and turn south to the Waterberg. We spend the afternoon exploring the park.
Camping; 1 night
We leave, heading due south on a flat, well surfaced road to Windhoek. On our journey we cross the heartland of the Herero speaking people and make a stop in Okahandja where there are some excellent wood carving markets after which a short drive brings us to Windhoek. The afternoon is free.
Lodge; 2 nights
Today is a free day to explore Windhoek on your own, or to partake in some of the activities that the game lodge has to offer. All activities are optional.
After breakfast we transfer to the airport.