Itinerary
Upon your arrival at the international airport you will be met by your guide who will give you more information about the tour. There after you will travel through scenic mountains to Windhoek the capital of Namibia where your accommodation has been reserved. You can enjoy dinner at one of the local restaurants or at your hotel.
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Day 1 - Windhoek
Windhoek is often described as a city with a continental atmosphere. This can be described due to its architecture-historical buildings dating back to German colonial rule as well as its cuisine, culture, dress codes and educational institutions. At the same time Windhoek has the colour, sounds and tempo of a modern African city.
Pavement displays of African drums and woodcarvings from the North in contrast with elegant shops offering sophisticated Swakara garments and Namibia gemstones set in individually designed pieces of jewellery. While some display clothing, silver and glassware imported from Europe, others splash out with casual and colourful garments from West Africa. -
Day 2 - Kalahari Desert
This morning after breakfast you will be travelling to the Kalahari Desert. The Kalahari is not a true desert as it receives too much rain, but it is actually a fossil desert. So do not expect to find the tall sand dunes associated with Sossusvlei, the landscape is more one of golden grass and small red dunes. You will have dinner at you lodge where you will spend the night. The Kalahari Desert or Kgalagardi, as it is known in Botswana stretches across 7 countries; Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It’s coverage in Namibia is called a desert principally because it’s porous, sandy soils cannot retain surface water, but in some areas annual rainfall can be as high as 250mm, which accounts for the luxuriant grass cover during good years.
The best known of the Kalahari’s inhabitants are the San Bushmen, numbering only a few thousand and squeezed into inhospitable pieces of land, where they are often exploited as cheap farm labour. The term Bushmen is best known referring to nomadic hunter-gather people, also called Basarwa in Botswana and San in Namibia and South Africa. The words San means ‘foragers’ and in modern times unfairly conjure up negative connotations of backwardness, low esteem, alcoholism and even banditry.
However the Bushmen are proud people, and are keen to demonstrate their origins and knowledge of living in the bushveld. They still retain some specific cultural and linguistic characteristics such as the very interesting and unique click language, and listening to it is a wonderful experience in itself. Five types of click sounds are known to exist, with a certain sucking action of the tongue being responsible for the noise. Each has a different position of the tongue and combined with the way the air is released, results in different sounds. -
Day 3 - Fish River Canyon
Today after breakfast you will be driving deep south to the Fish River Canyon where your accommodation for the following two nights is located. The Fish River Canyon is the second-largest natural canyon in the world. Set in a harsh, stony plain, dotted with drought-resistant succulent such as the distinctive Quiver Tree or Kokerboom, Aloe Dichotoma, and Euphorbia Gregaria, the canyon is a spectacular natural phenomenon that took hundreds of millions of years to evolve. Whith a full length of 160 km, a width up to 27 km and depth of up to 550 m, its most spectacular section is the 56 km stretch between the northern and southern most viewpoints.
Because the river flows intermittently there is always water in some of the pools except in very dry years. Containing Small and Largemouth Yellow fish, Sharp tooth Catfish Tilapia and Common Carp the pools are also frequented with the Water Monitor or Leguaan. Baboon, Rock Hyrax, Ground Squirrel and Klipspringer are often seen in the canyon while the presence of Leopard and Mountain Zebra are visible by their tracks at waterholes. In the afternoon you can spend the rest of the day at leisure. -
Day 5 - Lüderitz
After breakfast you will be travelling to Lüderitz where your accommodation has been reserved. Lüderitz was initially referred to as Angra Pequena, meaning Little Bay by the Portuguese whose navigator Bartolomeu Diaz erected a stone cross on Dias Point on 25 July 1488. Heinrich Vogelslang, agent of the German merchant from Brement, Adolf Lüderitz, landed at Angra Pequena on 9th April 1988 to establish a trading station. Following the negotiation with the Khoekoe chief Josef Fredericks from Bethanie, he purchased land within an 8 km radius of Angra Pequena. In April 1884 this land became part of the Protectorate of the German Empire starting the beginning of the German colonial control in Namibia, referred to as then Deutsch-Südwest-Afrika.
Lüderitz is renowned for its old-world charm and distinctly German colonial architecture. Set around the bay with their gables with winding stairs, verandas, turrets and bay and bow windows, buildings have a unique character all of their own. One of the most striking is Goerke Haus built in 1909 on the slope of Diamond Mountain. Dinner can be enjoyed at one of the local restaurants. -
Day 6 & 7 - Sossusvlei Region
The morning after breakfast you will travel to Sossusvlei where your accommodation for the two nights is reserved. Many people say that no part of the desert is visually more stunning than Sossusvlei with its monumental high dunes. The gigantic star-shaped mountains of sand (one of the largest was measured from the base to be 325 m high) are a sought after topic for artists and photographers. Sossusvlei’s mountainous dunes lie at the end of an erosional trough formed by the Tsauchab River. They are shaped by strong multi-dimensional winds, primarily south-western, and the three to five sinuous crests, which meet at the highest point to give them the star shape. Dinner will be served at the hotel.
This following morning after breakfast you can visit the Dead Vlei. Dead Vlei is an old salt pan named for its eerie dead appearance in the Namib Desert which had no water since the river changed its course. The old acacias died 500 years ago, but as there is no humidly in this place, they did not rotten, forming a dead forest. In the late afternoon you will visit then Sesriem Canyon, Walking through the canyon takes you on a journey back to 10-20 million years ago, when sedimentary layers of gravel and sand were deposited and cemented together by lime. The ledges are now inhabited by pigeons, raucous pied crows and chattering starlings. But look a little higher and you might see a Lanner Falcon or the soaring spread of a Lappet Faced Vulture with a wingspan of 2.6 m. -
Day 8 & 9 - Swakopmund
This morning you will travel through the Gaub and Kuiseb Canyon, you can visit the Vogelfederberg before traveling to the coastal town of Swakopmund where your accommodation for the night has been reserved for you. Swakopmund is much loved by Namibians as a welcome respite from the heat of the interior. It is also popular amongst visitors because of its old world charm and relaxed atmosphere. Founded in 1892 during German colonial era, it served as the territory’s main harbour for many years. Today this quaint desert town, hedged by desert and sea, is enhanced by lush green lawns, palm trees and carefully tended public gardens.
It has a wide choice of hotels, pensions and restaurants, and several coffee shops. The coast with its desert hinterland offers many options, both for adventure and for relaxation. The following morning after breakfast you can take part in one of the many activities that are on offer in the Swakopmund and Walvis Bay area. These activities range from dolphin cruises, quad bikes, sand boarding, and Sandwich Harbour tour and paragliding; thereafter you can spend the rest of the day at leisure.. -
Day 10 - Damaraland
Encompassing a vast area of 4.7 million hectares Damaraland (Kunene province) is located in north-western Namibia. It enfolds an area of looming mountains, rugged valleys and basalt strewn plains. The magnificent raw and untamed quality of its landscapes is reflected in its flora and fauna. Once a part of colonial Etosha, or the unimaginative “Game Reserve Number 2″, Damaraland has gained recognition as the success story of community based conservation in Namibia. The game depicted in ancient rock art has returned to this dramatic landscape. The delightful Springbok, shy Steenbok, elegant Kudu and feisty Mountain Zebra, as well as the oddly out-of-place Giraffe all call this immense place home. Desert adapted Elephant are dwarfed against the towering mountains and the only population of free-ranging (found outside a national park) Black Rhino seem perfectly at home in this ancient land. An amazing assortment of deadly and dangerous plants adds to the variety!
The stark Bottle Tree stands highlighted against the perpetually blue horizon while the Sesame Trees seem to stretch towards the sun. The poisonous Euphorbia is dotted across the landscape while the elegant Makalani Palms indicate secret water sources and the ancient paths of the pachyderms. High concentrations of iron oxide taint the basalt a deep red and in the early morning and late afternoon the sun set the landscape ablaze. The stunning beauty, the feeling of infinity, the majestic creatures and incredible landscapes create an unforgettable experience called Damaraland. -
Day 12 to 14 - Twyfelfontein & Etosha National Park
This morning after breakfast you can visit the Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings. The name means ”Doubtful Fountain” as was given by local farmer who was in doubts that a spring which existed in the area can support cattle for a long enough time. Twyfelfontein is the largest known concentration of stone age petroglyphs in our country. Although the area was declared a national monument in 1952 some engravings were damaged and even removed. There are approximately 2,500 engravings around Twyfelfontein. The age of engravings has not been determined precisely but there is evidence that area was occupied as early as 6,000 years ago. You can also visit the Burnt Mountain, Petrified Forest and the Organ Pipes, all geological phenomena depicting the creation and evaluation of landmasses. There after you will travel to Etosha National Park where your accommodation for the night has been reserved. Dinner will be enjoyed at the restaurant.
The following morning after breakfast you can enter the Etosha National Park. Etosha National Park is one of Southern Africa’s finest and most important Game Reserves. Etosha Game park was declared a National Park in 1907 and covering an area of 22,270 square km, it is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish.
Etosha, meaning “Great White Place”, is dominated by a massive mineral pan. The pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1,000 million years ago. The Etosha Pan covers around 25% of the National Park. The pan was originally a lake fed by the Kunene River. However the course of the river changed thousands of years ago and the lake dried up. The pan now is a large dusty depression of salt and dusty clay which fills only if the rains are heavy and even then only holds water for a short time. This temporary water in the Etosha Pan attracts thousands of wading birds including impressive flocks of flamingos. The perennial springs along the edges of the Etosha Pan draw large concentrations of wildlife and birds.
On the third day of the Etosha leg you will travel to the eastern part of the national park. In the eastern and central part of Etosha National Park it is mostly flat and so with practice it is easy to spot a variety of plains game. Most commonly seen are Elephant, Damara Dik-Dik, Giraffe and large herds of Burchell’s Zebra. Etosha is also known for its good numbers of Lion. If there have been good rains, the Etosha pans may attract Flamingos from the coastal areas, teal and various wading birds. Raptors such as the Bateleur Eagle, Pale Chanting Goshawk and Red-necked Falcon are fairly common. -
Day 15 - End of Tour
This morning after breakfast you will be driving back to Windhoek where the tour will end. You will be dropped off at the international airport for your departure flight.
Enjoy a safe journey!