This 26-day itinerary gives you plenty of time to explore the central and southern parts of Namibia. You can leisurely experience the country's wildlife at Etosha National Park, discover the colonial traces along the coastal resorts of Swakopmund and Lüderitz, walk the trails of the world's second largest canyon and relax in the mineral springs of Ai-Ais.
Itinerary:
Windhoek-Omaruru-Waterberg-Etosha-Khorixas-Uis-Swakopmund-Sossusvlei-Lüderitz-Ai Ais-Keetmanshoop-Windhoek
Day 1 Windhoek
Arrive at Windhoek International Airport and be welcomed by your African Desk tour guide. After a two and a half hour arrive at Omaruru via Okahandja. "Omaruru" is a Herero word meaning "bitter curd", refering to the taste of milk after cows have eaten a bush in this area that gives their milk a distinctive taste. Overnight at Omaruru Game Lodge. From the windows of your bungalow you might even be able to watch springbok, giraffes or ostriches. There is plenty of game nearby at the lodge. No meals included. Restaurant is available or your guide will prepare the meals over an open fire.
Alternatively, in case you do not feel like a drive after an intercontinental flight: Overnight at Villa Verdi in Windhoek and proceed to Waterberg Plateau Park the next morning. Breakfast included. Day 2 and 3 Waterberg
Depart for Waterberg Plateau Park with plenty of time to stroll, relax or hike in the green woods, a lovely contrast to the dry savannah surrounding the park. The camp also has a swimming pool and offers game drives up to the plateau. Stay two nights in a bungalow of Waterberg Plateau Park. No meals included. Restaurant is available or your guide will prepare the meals over the open fire.
Day 4 and 5 Etosha (Namutoni)
Drive through Omaruru, Kalkfeld and Outjo before arriving at Etosha National Park in the late afternoon. The Namutoni Resort centers around an old German fort built before the turn of the century. Take photographs of the Etosha pan from the white tower, a popular spot. The floodlit waterhole next to the fort provides comfortable game viewing during the evening. Overnight two ngiths at Namutoni Restcamp. No meals included. Restaurant is available or your guide will prepare the meals over the open fire.
Day 6 and 7 Etosha (Okaukuejo)
These days provide for more game viewing at the park. Then head for Okaukeujo Restcamp. The waterhole here is also floodlit. A times an elephant herd arrives to drink or to take a bath. Regular visitors includes lions and black rhinos. Just like Namutoni the rest camp has a pool to relax and several barbecue facilities. Overnight twice at Okaukeujo Restcamp. No meals included. Restaurant is available or your guide will prepare the meals over the open fire. Day 8 Vingerklip
Today you will have a stop over at the "Vingerclip". This Ugab River Vingerklip is situated amongst the rugged Ugab Terraces, about 35 meters high. This distinctive monolith looks like a finger molded into its curious shape by erosion. Stay one night in one of the bungalows of the Vingerklip Lodge. Dinner and breakfast included. Day 9 Khorixas
En route to the Khorixas Restcamp for a look at the "petrified forests", a collection of tree trunks petrified by a large flood two hundred million years ago. Then, pass by a variety of ancient bushmen rock paintings at Twyfelfontein. This so-called "burnt mountain" glows like a red-purple fire at sunrise and sunset. Overnight at Khorixas Restcamp. Breakfast included. Restaurant for dinner available.
Day 10 and 11 Uis
From Khorixas, drive to a Damarafarm with goats, sheep, cows and donkeys close to the dried out river bed of the Ugab. You will sleep in a bungalow made from the traditional material which is dung, clay and wood. From the farm you can take a 4x4 outing to the burnt mountain to see the famous "white lady" rock painting or trace the path of the white desert elephants. Dinner over open fire, for breakfast you will have Selma's home-made bread still warm from the coal oven. Overnight two nights in the visitor's bungalow of the farm. All meals included (prepared by the guide). No restaurant available.
Day 12, 13 and 14 Swakopmund
After a two hours drive through the Namibdesert, you will arrive in Swakopmund on the Atlantic coast. On your way you may stop over at the seal colony and see up to 80,000 Cape fur seals. At the coast there is a lot to explore: including dune boarding, a trip to the silence of the Namib desert, a dolphin cruise in the Atlantic Ocean, camel riding or floating in a hot-air-balloon over the Namib desert. You can book these popular activities a couple of weeks in advance of your journey here. The Kristall Galerie and Karukulia Weavery are also worth a visit. Stay three nights in a guesthouse in Swakopmund. Breakfast included. Restaurants available. Day 15 and 16 Sossusvlei
Via Solitaire you will enter one of the highest dune landscapes in the world: Sossusvlei. The dunes are up to 450 meters high and cast a red-orange glow, especially in the early morning hours. We recommend you leave before sunrise and take a pre-packed lunch for a picnic in the dunes. Overnight at a guest farm. All meals included. Day 17 Duwiseb Castle
A castle in the middle of nowhere. That’s what you will see about 70 km from Mariental. Passing through the Namib Naukluft Park, you arrive at Duwiseb Castle, a solid rectangular structure of red sandstone with battlements and turrets. Completed in 1909, all construction materials, furniture and fittings were shipped from Germany. They were off-loaded at Lüderitz and transported 640 kilometers to Duwiseb by ox wagon. You can still see the original furniture and artworks, including firearms that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Overnight nearby Duwiseb castle. All meals included.
Day 18, 19 and 20 Lüderitz
Experience the loneliness of the "Schwardzrand" as you drive on the road to Helmeringhausen. Travelling towards Lüderitz, the landscape is characterized by never-ending plains merging with the horizon in the distance. This is the home of the wild horses of the Namib, one of the few populations of desert-dwelling horses. Built amongst rocky outcrops along the southern Namib coast, Lüderitz owes its existence to the discovery of diamonds in 1908. The German architecture is evident everywhere.
From Lüderitz you can take a day trip into the forbidden diamond area to see first hand the Bogenfels, a 55m high rock arch that juts into the Atlantic Ocean. Or you may take a trip to the modern mine and ghost town.Overnight at Guesthouse. Breakfast included. Restaurants available.
Day 21, 22 and 23 Ai Ais
Proceed through the dry South to Ai-ais and the Fishriver Canyon, the second largest in the world. It is approximately 180 kms long and stretches south from Seeheim to the Orange river, and the South African border. According to an early Bushman legend, the canyon was carved from sandstone rock by a mighty serpent, Kouteign Kooru, as it slithered off into the desert to escape chasing hunters. Relax in the sulphurous hot springs of the spa complex of the resort. 3 nights in the Ai-Ais Restcamp. The guide will prepare all meals. No restaurant available.
Day 24 Keetmannshoop
Begin the gradual northward jurney via Keetmanshoop, an area renowned for its quiver tree forest. There, you will see about 300 specimens of this prehistoric tree, Aloe dichotoma. In Afrikaans, it’s called "Kokerboom". The tree can reach 3 to 5 meters tall. Its name originates from the habit of the San to hollow out the lightest branches to make quivers. Overnight at Kokerboom Rest Camp. Breakfast included. Restaurant available.
Day 25 and 26 Windhoek
Return to Windhoek today. Get in some last-minute shopping along the Independence Avenue, take some sightseeing toursof the colonial traces in Windhoek, pay a visit to the Katutura township or visit the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre offering a variety of intercultural arts. Spend two nights in a guesthouse. Breakfast included. Restaurants available.
Day 27 Windhoek
Transfer to the international airport Windhoek
Rate: 3.337 Euro per person sharing (Minimum 2 persons)
Included: Airconditioned car (Toyota Condor, 5.seater Bus, unlimited km), fuel, experienced tour guide, accommodation, meals as per itinerary - you will either buy meat and vegetables for the braai (barbecue) together with your guide and he prepares it for you or you eat in restaurants. Included are also soft drinks on route, entry permits into park, 4x4 drives at Sossusvlei and a game drive at Waterberg.
Excluded: Drinks, personal expenses, tips and telephone calls.
This guided tour will be conducted throughout the year as long as there is a minimum of two participants. With this we can assure you an exclusive, private and individual trip.
Please note that prices are subject to change according to exchange rate fluctuations of Namibian Dollar and foreign currencies. Prices can also vary according to high or low season, type of accomodation/ car and number of participants. You can also do this trip as a self drive tour without a tour guide.For more information and requests contact us for a no obligation quotation.
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