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2021 Namibia Under Canvas

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2021 Namibia Under Canvas NAMIBIA UNDER CANVAS April 21 - May 4, 2021 | 14 Days | Overland Adventure ETOSHA Expedition Highlights Etosha NATIONAL PARK Oberland Lodge • Explore Namibia’s wild coast, otherworldly Okonjima deserts, rugged mountains, stunning Bush Camp wildlife, and rich cultural heritage on this comprehensive itinerary. DAMARALAND NAMIBIA • Discover an abundance of wildlife Onduli Camp including unique desert-adapted elephants in Damaraland, as well as black and white Windhoek rhinos—Namibia is one of the only regions Swakopmund in Africa where both species are found. • Photograph the dunes of Sossusvlei, a surrealistic landscape of massive ochre- hued dunes canopied by indigo skies. Sossusvlei • View over 2,000 rock carvings at CHEETAH MAP NOT TO SCALE Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. • Visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the AfricCat Foundation to learn about the important work being done to protect these beautiful apex predators. • Itinerary .................................... page 2 > • Flight Information ...................... page 3 > • Meet Your Leader ..................... page 4 > ORYX • Rates ........................................ page 4 > DESERT-ADAPTED SOSSUSVLEI ELEPHANTS with luck, you may even be treated to the classic spectacle of Itinerary an oryx making its stately progress across the sands. Also keep watch for other desert denizens—springbok, black-backed Based on the expeditionary nature of our trips, there may be ongoing enhancements to this itinerary. jackals, and bat-eared foxes. Wednesday & Thursday, April 21 – 22, 2021 Monday, April 26 DEPART USA SOSSUSVLEI / SWAKOPMUND Board your independent flight to Namibia. This morning, enjoy a flightseeing tour along the fabled Skeleton Coast. Often shrouded by fog and named for its tricky currents and treacherous rocks, the Skeleton Coast Friday, April 23 offers views of desolate beaches decorated with multi-colored WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA pebbles, immense, bleached whale bones, and the bare ribs Arrive in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. Enjoy a welcome of shipwrecks as you glide above the coastline. Further inland reception and dinner at Am Weinberg Boutique Hotel. you’ll see the remains of the old diamond mines, hollowed-out dry river beds, and beautiful rainbow-colored saltpans. Land in the quaint, coastal town of Swakopmund, packed with old Saturday, April 24 world charm and numerous German influences. Savor lunch WINDHOEK / SOSSUSVLEI at the festive German Brauhaus restaurant, then continue to After breakfast, board our charter flight to the lovely Camp The Delight Swakopmund. In the afternoon take a brief walking Sossus. Located in a naturally-formed amphitheater, a stone’s tour, with visits to the Swakopmund Museum, the Aquarium, throw from Sossusvlei, the camp is ideally positioned to avoid and the Mole, the city’s iconic sea wall and private boat the harsh desert sun. With one of the lowest environmental mooring. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. footprints of any camp in Namibia, the camp is expertly designed—tents are protected from winds by natural stone walls and shaded by roofs built from almost 500 recycled Tuesday, April 27 oil drums. It is also equipped with furniture built in part from SWAKOPMUND / DAMARALAND recycled metals, Oregon pine floor boards and wooden This morning, depart overland for the scenic drive to pallets. Large west-facing windows and south-facing doors Damaraland, making stops for wildlife viewing and allow natural cooling and the tents are stylishly furnished, photography along the way. Damaraland is one of the offering important comforts such as en suite flush toilets and country’s most scenic areas; a huge, untamed, wilderness bucket showers, comfortable twin beds, solar power, a shaded of prehistoric water courses with open plains and day-bed and a star bed—night skies in the Namib are among grassland, massive granite outcroppings, and deep gorges. the most dazzling in the world. Accommodations for the next two nights are at Camp Onduli, built at the base of granite outcrops with magnificent views of Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg, to the south and Sunday, April 25 the dispersed cathedral-like granite inselbergs to the north. SOSSUSVLEI The camp is designed to maximize the views of this most Depart at dawn to view the sun rise over the dunes; their extraordinary landscape and every space becomes a viewpoint contrasting shadows, saturated colors, and elegant wind- whether from your bed, desk, or bathroom. Settle in to your sculpted patterns are a photographer’s dream. The strange generous room, or take a dip in the infinity pool before dinner croaking calls of Rueppell’s bustards herald the new day and, and overnight. ZEGRAHM EXPEDITIONS | NAMIBIA UNDER CANVAS < 2 > CHEETAHS TWYFELFONTEIN Wednesday, April 28 DAMARALAND Saturday, May 1 Spend a full day exploring. A number of fresh water springs ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK / OKONJIMA NATURE RESERVE along Huab River support healthy populations of desert- This morning, head toward the sandstone mountains of the adapted elephants and a number of lesser-known yet equally Omboroko range to reach Okonjima—famous for its healthy fascinating mammals including the rare Hartmann’s mountain populations of lions, leopards, and cheetahs. On the way we zebra, Kaokoland rock hyrax, peculiar dassie rat, and the will visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund facilities, a non-profit adorable rock dormouse. Rosy-faced lovebirds, swallow-tailed organization dedicated to the conservation of Namibia’s large bee-eaters, and violet-eared waxbills provide a splash of cats. Dinner and overnight at Okonjima Bush Camp. additional color to the environment. You also have the chance to view Twyfelfontein’s boulders and slabs of red sandstone, Sunday, May 2 itself a living museum boasting some 2,500 prehistoric OKONJIMA NATURE RESERVE engravings that depict wildlife and abstract motifs, a legacy of Today we search the reserve by vehicle and on foot with the area’s original San (or bushman) inhabitants. a good chance of spotting these elusive cats, and visit the AfriCat Foundation which runs the largest cheetah and leopard Thursday, April 29 rescue and release program in the world. The Omboroko DAMARALAND / ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK Mountains also support many Namibian avian endemics, After breakfast, depart overland to the beautiful Etosha notably Hartlaub’s francolin and the shy, but vocal rockrunner, Oberland Lodge located in a 5,000ha game reserve that also known as the Damara rockjumper. In the evening, shares a 10km border with the Etosha National Park. Arrive in specially designed blinds may yield sightings of lesser known the afternoon and check in at the lodge before departing for African mammals such as the caracal, honey badger, and an afternoon introductory game drive to the Etosha National South African porcupine. Park, returning to the lodge just before sunset for a sundowner drink overlooking activities at the waterhole in front of the lodge. Birdlife is prolific and includes 10 of Namibia’s 14 Monday & Tuesday, May 3 & 4 OKONJIMA NATURE RESERVE / WINDHOEK / USA endemic bird species with regular sightings of bare-cheeked After breakfast, drive to Windhoek to connect with your babblers, violet wood-hoopoe, Carp’s tits, and the brilliantly- independent homeward flight. Arrive in the USA the next day. colored, crimson-breasted shrike, Namibia’s national bird. Friday, April 30 Flight Information ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK Today, explore Etosha, “the place of dry water,” one of the You will need to purchase airfare from your home city/ most rewarding wildlife experiences in Africa. Covering over Windhoek and Windhoek/home city. Flights within Namibia 8,000 square miles, the park encompasses a vast salt pan 80 are included in the cost of the expedition. Please contact our miles long and is Namibia’s premier game-viewing destination. in-house Air Department for fare quotes, reservations, or other Stop at waterholes to observe the game gathered there and air-related questions. search for the park’s healthy populations of lions, eland, mountain zebras, black-faced impalas, a number of other antelope species, and a host of birdlife. ZEGRAHM EXPEDITIONS | NAMIBIA UNDER CANVAS < 3 > Meet Your Expedition Leader CHRIS STAMPER – Chris began his career as a professional safari guide in South Africa in 2001. A passion for wildlife and expedition travel has since led him to train and develop aspiring guides throughout South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania. His love of nature and skills from tracking and observing wildlife has always left clients with a new and deep understanding of Africa, its beauty, and its people. Whether it be on trails, in game vehicles, or sitting around a campfire, Chris is captivating when discussing the stunning sites and incredible wildlife of Africa. Rates $12,990 per person, double occupancy; $16,990 per person, solo occupancy Limited to 10 guests. INCLUDED: NOT INCLUDED: • All flights within Namibia • Airfare from your home city/Windhoek and Windhoek/home city • All excursions in the company of a world-class expedition • Excess baggage charges leader and local guides • Airport arrival and departure taxes • All gratuities • Transfers for independent arrivals and departures • All accommodations • Passport and/or visa fees • All group meals, including selected beverages with • Travel insurance lunch and dinner • Items of a personal nature such as laundry, alcoholic beverages • All entrance fees (other than listed at left), and other incidentals • Arrival and departure transfers on group dates • Email/Internet/fax/telephone charges • Gift certificates for recommended expedition gear • Medical expense coverage and emergency evacuation insurance A 25% per person deposit will secure your space on this expedition. All rates are per person, quoted in US dollars, and must be paid in US dollars. Rates and itineraries are subject to change. Please review our Terms & Conditions online at www.zegrahm.com/terms, or call our office for a printed copy. Know Before You Go Travel will be by small aircraft as well as jeeps, minivans, and game-drive vehicles. Participants should be aware that the game drives are often over bumpy surfaces and can sometimes be long and strenuous.
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