Classic Namibia

Upon arrival in Windhoek, you will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel for you overnight. With its lingering heritage of German architecture, activities, and atmosphere, Windhoek is a city that can be visited throughout the year. The day is spent at leisure. You will be met by your guide at the hotel reception for a safari briefing around 6:00 p.m.

We depart Windhoek after breakfast, arriving at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in time for lunch.  We visit the education center and learn about cheetahs and their history.  After lunch, we join the staff for the feeding of the cheetahs that stay in the center and then continue on to our overnight lodging.

Etosha National Park is one of the most important reserves and game sanctuaries in Africa, and one of the last refuges of the wild black rhino. Your exclusive camp is set up on a private concession from where you will enjoy early morning and late afternoon game drives, visiting the famous Etosha Pan and numerous water holes.

Tonight is spent at one of the Park’s rest camps, in the comfort of en-suite bungalows. The floodlit water hole at the camp offers an amazing spectacle with an array of animals visiting throughout the night.

An early morning drive takes you to your exclusive camp at Damaraland. En route, visit a Himba village. The Himbas are a semi-nomadic tribe, who live in scattered settlements throughout the region. They are characterized by their proud, yet friendly stature and the women are noted for their unusual beauty, enhanced by intricate hairstyles and traditional dress.  Spend a few hours learning more about these fascinating people. Enjoy the changing colors of surrounding landscapes on a guided sunset walk, including explanations of the unique flora and geology of the area.

On the second morning, visit the Twyfelfontein area with walks to view the rock engravings, the volcanic Burnt Mountain, and the Organ Pipes, an unusual geological formation made up of numerous dolomite columns.  In the afternoon, we drive along the river in search of unique desert-adapted elephants, stopping at Welwitshia Hill for a sundowner on our way back to camp. The unusual prehistoric Welwitschia plant, a dwarf-tree flourishing on the moisture of the Atlantic Coast, has a life span estimated at more than 1,000 years.

Visit the Damara Living Museum to experience the routine of daily life, including blacksmith, leather tanning, jewelry, and craft-making demonstrations, and displays of traditional dancing and singing.  Together with the Bushmen, the Damara belong to one of the oldest nations in Namibia and, owing to their loose social structure, they were unable to defend themselves against Colonial aggressors.

Traveling through Damaraland, you’ll reach the coastal town of Swakopmund, the principal coastal resort of Namibia with a German colonial atmosphere.  Spend time at leisure to enjoy the charm of this old town or to undertake one of the many optional activities on offer (scenic flights, hot air ballooning, etc., at own expense). A morning marine boat cruise is included, where you can see a variety of bird species and feed seals by hand. There is also the chance to see two dolphin species and leatherback turtles that inhabit the Namibian coast.

Drive via Kuiseb River en route to your accommodations on the edge of the Namib Desert. The following morning is an early departure for Sossusvlei, stopping in the dune belt to enjoy the changing colors of the world’s highest sand dunes. Spend the morning walking among the dunes of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. En-route back to camp, enjoy a short hike through Sesriem Canyon and experience sunset in the dunes surrounding the lodge.

Climbing through the mountains of the Namib Naukluft Park, you will arrive in Windhoek in the early afternoon, around 2:00 p.m. and will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.