Discover Namibia Featuring: Windhoek, Sossusvlei, Namibrand Nature Reserve, Skeleton Coast, Damaraland, Etosha National Park, Windhoek
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Discover Namibia Featuring: Windhoek, Sossusvlei, NamibRand Nature Reserve, Skeleton Coast, Damaraland, Etosha National Park, Windhoek Your tour at a glance: Day Itinerary Accommodation Meals 1 Arrive Windhoek Windhoek Country Club 2 Windhoek Windhoek Country Club B 3 Windhoek/Sossusvlei Kulala Desert Lodge B,L,D 4 Sossusvlei/NamibRand Nature Reserve Wolwedans Dunes Lodge B,L,D 5 NamibRand Nature Reserve Wolwedans Dunes Lodge B,L,D 6 NamibRand Nature Reserve Wolwedans Dunes Lodge B,L,D 7 NamibRand NR/Swakopmund/Skeleton Coast Skeleton Coast Camp B,L,D 8 Skeleton Coast Skeleton Coast Camp B,L,D 9 Skeleton Coast Skeleton Coast Camp B,L,D 10 Skeleton Coast/Damaraland Doro Nawas Camp B,L,D 11 Damaraland Doro Nawas Camp B,L,D 12 Damaraland Doro Nawas Camp B,L,D 13 Damaraland/Etosha National Park Onguma Tented Camp B,L,D 14 Etosha National Park Onguma Tented Camp B,L,D 15 Etosha National Park Onguma Tented Camp B,L,D 16 Etosha National Park/Windhoek Windhoek Country Club B,L 17 Windhoek/Johannesburg/Depart In Transit B 18 Arrive ~Itinerary~ Day One & Two ‐ Windhoek Arrive Namibia where you will be met and transferred to your accommodations. The superb Windhoek Country Club Resort is the final word in luxury and entertainment in Namibia. Exceptional service, superb accommodation and a tranquil desert setting have made this hotel the premier destination in Namibia. Upon arrival, you might want to take some time to acclimate to the arid desert environment. Any of the 39 Luxury Rooms, 105 Hollywood twins, 6 suites or double storey Presidential Suite should provide a sanctuary. Rooms have individual heating and cooling controls, bathroom with bath, shower and toilet, direct dialing phones, 24‐hour room service, electric razor plugs, mini bars, hair dryers, DStv and a balcony. Accommodations: Windhoek Country Club Resort – 2 nights Meals: B Day Three ‐ Sossusvlei This morning, a road transfer will take you from the Windhoek Country Club to Eros Airport. From there, you will meet your pilot who will then fly you to Sossusvlei. Kulala Desert Lodge is one of Namibiaʹs best situated lodges in terms of its proximity to the sand dunes at Sossusvlei. A sunrise excursion into the dunes leaves a few minutes before sunrise, with breakfast eaten under a camelthorn tree near Sossusvlei. As Kulala Lodge has a private entrance to the park the Sossuvlei excursion can bypass the main park entrance at Sesriem. The Kulala Desert Lodge is situated on a 21 000 hectare private property, bordering the Namib Naukluft Park, it offers splendid views of the Sossusvlei Dunes as well as spectacular mountain scenery. Accommodation at Kulala Desert Lodge is in one of twelve thatched and canvas chalets or ʺKulalasʺ (Kulala in the Namibian language ʺoshiwamboʺ means ʺto sleepʺ) with en‐suite bathrooms and showers. These are set on wooden platforms to provide maximum airflow. For outdoor enthusiasts, mattresses can be moved to the rooftop to sleep under the stars from a private star gazing platform. Kulala Desert Lodge has a lounge, bar dining area and small pool. A veranda overlooks the waterhole allowing views of wildlife and the wide open spaces of the Namib Desert. Although Kulala lodge is not the cheapest lodge in the area, its unique position makes it an essential on any Namibian itinerary. Early morning guided game drives to the spectacular Sossusvlei dunes are via a private gate on the Tsauchab River. Game drives and walks are also offered on the private reserve with incredible scenery, desert game and smaller desert adapted fauna and flora. Spotlit night drives are a highlight. On the edge of the oldest desert in the world, this is not a game rich area, however, whatever game seen is interesting and dramatized by the contrast between the Namib Desert and animals like Springbok, Gemsbok (Oryx) and Ostrich who manage to survive in these harsh conditions. Night drives using spotlights often encounter small mammals such as Aardwolf, Bat Eared Fox, Hares and sometimes Spotted Hyenas. Accommodations Kulala Desert Lodge Meals: B, L, D Days Four, Five & Six – The Wolwedans Today, enjoy a Sossusvlei excursion on your way to Wolwedans. The Wolwedans Dunes Lodge is situated just south of Sossusvlei and nestles amidst red dunes, against a backdrop of unparalleled beauty. Perched on top of a dune plateau, with spectacular vistas in all directions, the lodge captures the desert landscapes in a memorable manner. The building style is a combination of wooden structures, large canvas blinds and windows that open up to the desert. The lodge reflects the ambiance of a tented camp, but provides the comfort and protection of a permanent building. Each of the nine spacious chalets have an ensuite bathroom and a private veranda. Sleeping with the canvas blinds open is almost as good as sleeping under the stars. At Wolwedans, you will be introduced to this great theatre of nature and kindle ancient stirrings within you. Accompanied by experienced guides, visitors are introduced to the many facets of NamibRand Nature Reserve’s desert habitat with its diverse fauna and flora‐on foot, by car, or from the air in a hot air balloon (at an additional cost). Interpretive scenic drives in open Landrovers or the walks with resident field‐guides, reveal the wonders of the desert‐as do picnics in the wild, sundowners on the dunes and dinners by candlelight. You will learn about small and large desert dwellers and their quest for survival in this harsh and unforgiving environment, and you’ll discover a diverse flora, ranging from resilient beauty to hardened survivor ‐ not to mention NamibRand’s fascinating geology. Morning or afternoon drives cover a distance of about 40‐50 km and take 3‐4 hours. Sundowner drives are about 1‐2 hours travelling about 10 km into the dunes where drinks will be served to enhance the wonderful sunsets. The return drive is in the dark and brings you back just in time for dinner. Try out one sunset in the dunes and one at the lodge/camp. A day drive is a truly memorable excursion. Covering a distance of about 120 km it offers the highest degree of diversity as well as a better understanding of the dimensions of the NamibRand Conservancy. Also a delicious picnic lunch is served in the middle of nowhere! The day drive leaves after breakfast and returns approximately an hour before sunset. Accommodation: Wolwedans Dunes Lodge – 3 nights Meals: B, L, D Days Seven, Eight & Nine – Skeleton Coast This morning, you will be transferred to the Skeleton Coast Camp via Swakopmund. Skeleton Coast Camp, in Wilderness’ private concession area, has one of the most spectacular settings on the continent. This concession is diverse ‐ from roaring sand dunes and windswept plains to towering canyons, saltpans and Cape fur seal colonies. Freshwater springs and the early morning mist off the Atlantic Ocean sustain a surprising amount of life, from larger mammals to the extraordinary welwitschia plant. The camp has six Meru‐style tents with spacious bedrooms and en‐suite bathrooms; meals are served in the open‐air ʹdining roomʹ under an old, gnarled Leadwood tree (weather permitting). It is built on an island in the dry Khumib riverbed, about 20km inland from the coastline. Because of the uniqueness and vastness of this area, most activities are done in 4x4 vehicles that are closed to the elements, although all vehicles have pop‐top roofs and sliding windows to enjoy the fine weather. There is however plenty of opportunity to walk and stretch the legs too. Activities include either full‐day nature drives or walks with a picnic lunch, returning to camp in the evening, or half‐day nature drives or walks returning to camp for lunch and venturing out again in the afternoon. Due to the pristine nature of this area many parts are accessible only on foot, as vehicle tracks can damage the environment. Many specially‐adapted plant species such as Lithops and Welwitschia can be visited in this way. Other excursions comprise visits to the clay castles of the Hoarusib River, Rocky Point, the roaring dunes, lichen fields, Cape fur seal colonies, Himba villages, and birding. Shipwrecks, now fast being devoured by the salty and vigorous coastline, can be viewed on request. Secret water seeps attract wildlife, so guests can see desert‐adapted elephant, gemsbok, springbok, giraffe, ostrich, brown hyaena, Hartmannʹs mountain zebra and occasionally lion and cheetah. This safari is unlike any other of our safaris. The area is so vast and there is so much to see and experience that we abandon our traditional early morning and afternoon activities. We leave camp after breakfast and spend the full day exploring the park. A picnic lunch is enjoyed out in the wild and we return to base camp in the late afternoon. We travel in 4 x 4 Land Rovers and cover an extraordinary variety of terrains. Activities include the following: • Full day nature drives with walks • Excursions to seal colony and natural springs • Coastal ecology • Visit to a working Himba village and tracking desert‐adapted elephants (if either people or elephants are present in the area) • Visit to the clay castles/roaring dunes/lichen fields as well as other areas of amazing geographical diversity Accommodation: Skeleton Coast Camp ‐ 3 nights Meals: B, L, D Days Ten, Eleven & Twelve ‐ Damaraland This morning, you will transfer to Twylfontein. The journey will take you deep into Damaraland into the Twyfelfontein Area. Arrive during lunchtime Doro Nawas Camp, situated in the ruggedly beautiful Damaraland area, on a small, rocky outcrop within the floodplain of a small tributary of the Huab River.