Safari Tour Details
Day 1
A long drive today, making use of the Trans-Kalahari-Highway, a relatively
new road that provides an invaluable communication link between Namibia,
Botswana and South Africa. The road takes us first to the small town of
Gobabis, one of the main livestock farming centres of Namibia, and then on
to the border with Botswana.
After completing the immigration
formalities we continue, through rural Botswana to the town of Ghanzi,
located in the centre of cattle farming Botswana. Ghanzi is located almost
in the middle of the Kalahari Desert and was almost unknown before the
Trans Kalahari Highway.
Driving time: approx. 6.5 hrs (530 km) Overnight: Ghanzi. Communal
ablutions /camping. Lunch and Dinner
Day 2
An early start and a quick stop in Ghanzi
to collect any last minute supplies before continuing west, traversing the
linear dunes of the Kalahari and passing through small towns along the
way.
A change in vegetation heralds our
arrival on the very western edge of one of the natural wonders of the
world, the Okavango Delta. Here we turn north for some way before again
pointing our wheels west as we enter the Delta proper.
We see our first glimpse of the crystal
waters through the lush vegetation and we make our camp on the banks of a
pristine African lagoon.
Driving time approx. 6hrs. (430 km).
Overnight: Private camp Okavango
Delta. Communal ablutions /camping. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 3
We are in the territory of the River
People, so this morning we leave our vehicle behind and travel in a more
appropriate fashion, first by motor-boat and then by traditional mokoro
(dugout canoe), deep into the Delta.
Mokoro's will be our main form of transport for the next two days. These
amazing traditional craft are perfectly designed for the narrow waterways
of the Okavango and allow us to travel further into the Delta than if we
were using more modern forms of transport. Mokoros carry three people, two
seated passengers and one driver. The driver stands in the rear of the
canoe, (a real feat of balance), and uses a long wooden pole to propel and
steer the mokoro through the twisting channels. It really is the only way
to travel.
We are fully self sufficient and make our
camps on the river banks and islands, under huge indigenous trees, sharing
the environment with the local people and the local fauna of Africa. The
Okavango is a wildlife paradise and we will look for game from both our
mokoros and on bush walks guided by local specialist guides, our polers.
NB: The bathroom facilities in the
Okavango Delta can be best described as rustic. There is plenty of water
but it is used, straight from the river, (well boiled first). There is no
electricity and we will enjoy bucket showers and basic toilet facilities.
These conditions will prevail for the two days on the islands.
Overnight: Okavango Delta.Rustic ablutions / camping.Breakfast,
Lunch and Dinner.
Day
4
Once established into our wilderness
routine, we usually take a long, early morning bush walk to see the
terrain and hopefully spot some Big Game, returning to camp in the mid
morning for a cooked brunch.
There is time to relax in the shade
during the heat of the day and from most camps our polers will be able to
take us to a safe swimming place to cool off
In the afternoons there is often a
shorter walk or a mokoro cruise in the cool evening air. Sunset from the
river is not to be missed.
Overnight: Okavango Delta. Rustic ablutions / camping. Breakfast,
Brunch and Dinner.
Day 5
The way of life of the Okavango River
people has remained largely un-changed for hundreds of years. It is a
totally no-stress environment in a pure wilderness setting.
We are heading back to our first camp
today, gliding across the crystal waters, home to an amazing variety of
bird life. There is the chance to add crocodiles and even a hippopotamus
to our list of creatures seen before making our final Okavango camp
amongst the lush riverine bush.
We will transfer back to camp in the
motorboats and aim to be back on the lagoon, with full facilities by the
early afternoon. We enjoy a final night beside the unparallel Okavango
Waters
Overnight: Private camp Okavango Delta. Communal ablutions
/camping. Breakfast, Brunch and Dinner.
Day
6
Back on the road today, destination
Namibia. Passport formalities completed we go directly into the Mahango
Game Reserve, a small but excellent park right on the edge of the Okavango
River. We game drive our way through Mahango and have the chance to spot
rarely seen Namibian species such as roan and the majestic sable antelope.
We now head west, through part of
Namibia's Caprivi Strip to our camp for tonight. We are again beside the
Okavango, but this time the main river, on its journey from the Angolan
highlands, through the pan handle to waters end, the delta.
Dinner tonight will be for the clients
own expense in the restaurant at the lodge.
Driving time approx. 4 hrs. (350 km).
Overnight: Rundu. Communal
ablutions / camping. Breakfast and Lunch. (Dinner at own expense.)
Day 7
A short drive brings us to the northern
Namibian town of Rundu where there is time to explore the local market
before continuing down through the Kavango Region. There are a few breaks
along the way at various kraals to see the local crafts and woodcarvings.
Continuing on to Namutoni camp in Etosha
National Park we aim to arrive in the middle afternoon, giving us time to
relax a little before heading out into the park during the cool of the
late afternoon for our first Etosha game drive.
After your evening meal there are still
more chances to see Etosha's game at Namutoni's floodlit waterhole.
Situated on the boundary of the camp and easily reachable on foot,
elephants are regular visitors here and there is a good chance of seeing
other species of big game as well.
Driving time approx. 5 hrs. (450km).
Overnight: Namutoni Rest Camp.
Communal ablutions /camping. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 8
We go straight out on an early morning game drive. We visit some of the
numerous waterholes in the area hoping to catch some of Etosha's big game
out for an early morning drink. The game drives around the Namutoni area
are some of the best in the park.
We cover several different terrains this
morning, from wooded areas to open savannah and in the rainy season,
wetland. Back to Namutoni in the late morning and after lunch there is
time once again to relax during the heat of the day. The pool area here is
very good, shaded by palm trees and a stone's throw away from the
waterhole.
As on day seven, we take a shorter game
drive in the late afternoon, often driving out to one of the waterholes
popular with game and waiting for the animals to come to us.
Overnight: Namutoni Rest Camp. Communal ablutions /camping.Breakfast,
Brunch and Dinner.
Day
9
A full day's game driving. We again leave early to enjoy the cool morning
air. We game drive our way through Etosha to Halali camp, situated in the
middle of the park. Along the way we visit several waterholes and are
afforded splendid views of the massive Etosha Pan. The game viewing is
usually excellent and we have the chance to tick off a few new species
that are not normally seen on the Namutoni side of the park.
We stop at Halali for a rest and a
leisurely lunch. There is also time to visit the Halali waterhole and to
make use of the swimming pool and bar facilities before continuing on our
way and game driving down to Okaukuejo camp.
Okaukuejo is famous for its waterhole,
which has been described as one of the "best game viewing
opportunities in Southern Africa". Situated on the doorstep of our
accommodation, black rhino, elephant, lion and numerous species of
antelope are often seen.
Overnight: Okaukuejo Rest Camp.Communal ablutions /camping.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 10
Leaving Etosha we are en route for the desert and the most scenic area of
our safari. We make a stop at a small town called Outjo where we can get
coffee and sticky cakes at the local bakery. We then drive west to
Khorixas, the capital of the Damaraland region. A short break here and
then, leaving the sealed roads far behind us, we drive into the desert.
We stop for lunch at the Petrified Forest geological site, where a local
guide will take us around and explain about the prehistoric trees, before
continuing on to Twyfelfontein.
Damaraland scenery is some of the best in
Namibia, open grasslands studded with massive granite koppies create the
feeling of being surrounded by mountains. We are well into desert elephant
and black rhino country and other game such as springbok, ostrich and
gemsbok are often seen.
We aim to arrive in the early afternoon
and have time to relax in the shade before making a late afternoon
excursion to Twyfelfontein itself. Here, again, a local guide will
introduce us to the ancient Bushman rock engravings or petroglyphs. We
also make a visit to another geological site in the area called the Organ
Pipes.
Driving time approx. 5hrs (400km).
Overnight: Damaraland. Rustic
ablutions / camping. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 11
More beautiful Damaraland scenery this
morning. We pass Namibia's highest mountain, the Brandberg (2573 m) and
make our first stop of the morning in the small town of Uis, an old mining
town, and one of the best places to buy semi-precious stones, for which
Namibia is famous. Here, rough Amethyst, Tourmaline etc can be found at
bargain prices.
From here we turn directly west and cross
the gravel plains on our way to the Atlantic Ocean and the Skeleton Coast.
Meeting the ocean at Henties Bay, we first head north along the coast to
visit the seal colony at Cape Cross. Here at certain times of the year
there can be as many as 100,000 Cape Fur seals in attendance.
The next destination is Swakopmund,
stopping for lunch en route and following the Skeleton Coast into
Namibia's premier seaside town.
Swakopmund boasts a large range of
restaurants and cafés, many of them specializing in fish dishes. The
local seafood is superb, taken straight from the icy Atlantic waters.
Tonight dinner is for the clients own account in a local restaurant. Your
guide will be able to recommend a venue.
We also make the most of being back in a
main centre by leaving the tents loaded and checking into holiday chalets.
Driving time approx. 6 hrs (400km).
Overnight: Swakopmund. Chalet
Accommodation. Breakfast and Lunch. (Dinner at own expense.)
Day 12
We first make a stop at Walvis Bay, situated about 40 km south of
Swakopmund. South of the town there is a large marine lagoon which is home
to a vast array of marine bird-life, in particular flamingos. We will make
a short visit to the lagoon to see the birds and a short visit to Walvis
Bay to collect any last minute supplies before once again heading out into
the desert.
The second part of our journey today
takes us across more of the seemingly endless Namib gravel plains. Then
the landscape suddenly changes and we are into the mountain desert. We
traverse both the Kuiseb and Gaub passes, driving both times to the river
beds at the bottom of the canyons and then climbing the long steep road to
the top and the spectacular panoramas the mountains give us.
Again the scenery changes as we make our
way down to the dune fields. We cross some open grass savannah and
farmlands before the terrain begins to give way to the immense red sand
dune desert of the Namib and from here it is only a short distance to our
next stop, the tiny town of Solitaire. We will stop here for some
refreshments before continuing on through stunning desert scenery.
We aim to arrive at our camp during the
late afternoon and watch the colours glow and change on distant mountains
to the east.
Driving time approx. 5.5 hrs (420km).
Overnight: Namib Desert Camp
.Communal ablutions / camping. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day
13
A pre dawn start is essential this morning
as we want to catch the soft light of the sunrise on the desert as we
drive in. After passing through Sesriem, the gateway to the dunes, we
drive into the heart of the dune field.
To reach Sossusvlei itself we walk for
the last 5 km through the dunes. The walk is like nothing else, in the
cool of the morning, with soft sunlight just beginning to play over the
dunes creating a sharp light and shadow contrast across the whole desert.
Ancient mineral pans, stunted camel horn trees and the chance of seeing a
gemsbok or maybe an ostrich make the photo opportunities perfect.
We spend the morning in and around
Sossusvlei, also visiting dune 45, and as the day wears on we return to
Sesriem for lunch and to escape the heat of the afternoon. As the day
cools off in the late afternoon we will take a short excursion to the
Sesriem Canyon.
Driving time approx. 2hrs (120km).
Overnight: Namib Desert. Communal
ablutions / camping. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 14
After breakfast we begin our journey, over the mountains and along scenic
roads, back to Windhoek. We will travel over the Naukluft Mountains and
also the Khomas Hochland range, through beautifull Remhoogte Pass on our
way back to civilization.
We are due back into the city around
15:00 and you will be dropped off at your accommodation on our return.
Driving time approx. 5hrs (450km).
Overnight: Breakfast and Lunch.
