Luxury Namibia Safari Tours and Namibia Safaris Copy
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NAMIBIA Luxury Namibia Safari Tours Namibia Safaris Namibia – a country blessed with beauty, abundant sunshine, and vast areas of unconfined space. Unspoiled landscapes and a large variety of game draw an increasing number of visitors each year from various parts of the globe make it the ideal destination for luxury Namibia safari tours. Namibia has a rich and colorful history. In the mid nineteenth century, German missionaries opened up the interior, paving the way for traders who would arrive later. Annexation of the country by Germany in 1884 accounts for the distinctive German architecture and traditions still found there today. Germany, Great Britain (via the Cape Colony) and, more recently, South Africa have governed Namibia or parts of it at various stages of its history. The country became independent at long last on March 21, 1990. Over the past decade, Namibia has matured and developed a distinct character of its own. A luxury Namibia safari tour will afford you the opportunity to experience its starkly contrasting landscapes. The brooding, desolate Sossusvlei area of the Namib Desert , said to be the oldest in the world, has fantastic high dunes that are sure to inspire a sense of awe. Visit the central plateau which offers visitors thorn bush savannah and rugged mountains, rising abruptly from the plains and leading to the majestic Fish River Canyon in the south. In the northern region of the country, landscapes range from dense bush to the open plains of the great Etosha National Park, to woodland savannah and lush riverine vegetation. Take your dream Namibia safari tour to a whole new level and visit Dinosaur footprints preserved in the sandstone, pre-historic rock art, and ancient fossil plants which bear witness to “the ageless land”. Damaraland is a huge rugged untamed area and is prime desert adapted elephant territory, where herds traverse the Aba Huab riverbed seasonally in search of water and vegetation. Consequently, wildlife viewing concentrates along the riverbed and valleys. Be sure to include The Hoanib Skeleton Coast in your tailor made safari itinerary remotely located in a broad valley at the confluence of two tributaries of the Hoanib River in the northern part of the private Palmwag Concession. Your luxury Namibia safari tour would not be complete without a stop in the nation’s capital Windhoek which lies amidst clusters of hills and the impressive Auas and Eros Mountains. The climate is typical of a semi-desert country, with hot days and cool nights. Serra Cafema Skeleton Coast – Wedged between the mountain ranges of the escarpment in the east and the Skeleton Coast in the west, the conservancy stretches north to the Kunene River, the border with Angola. It is in this area of Namibia that you will find the Himba, one of the last true nomadic people in Africa. Wilderness and modern amenities co-exist happily in this land of vivid contrasts. A thoughtfully organized tourist infrastructure and a genuine desire to welcome visitors to this special place and unique regions and landscapes make Namibia an ideal luxury safari destination. Luxury, budget or on a shoe-string, we take care of it all! Call Karell so that one of our Africa safari experts can start crafting a luxury Namibian safari tour for you. Why Safari in Namibia? Upon her return from her first trip to Namibia a client of ours exclaimed ” I felt like I had fallen into a spectacular oil painting”! That pretty much sums Namibia up. The beauty of Namibia is unsurpassed. From “Big Daddy”, the highest dune in Sossusvlei in the southern Namib Desert all the way up to the Hoanib Skeleton Coast you will be stunned by the extraordinary beauty of all the dramatically different landscapes. The most popular safari vacation in Nambia by far is the self-drive. Take your time and explore every nook and cranny at your own leisure and pace. Or fly in on a winged safari tour either scheduled or custom designed to your very own desires and interests. This is not necessarily the least expensive way to see this glorious country but if you are pushed for time it is certainly the answer. A flight up the Skeleton Coast (the name is derived from the whale and seal bones that once littered the shore and the skeletal remains of shipwrecks that were caught off guard by rocks and fog. A flight up the Skeleton Coast (the name is derived from the whale and seal bones that once littered the shore and the skeletal remains of shipwrecks that were caught off guard by rocks and fog. On your luxury Namibian safari adventure experience the thrill of hot air ballooning over the dunes. Track endangered black rhino in Damaraland Game Reserve and desert adapted lion at Hoanib Skeleton Coast. In the extreme northwest interact with the majestic nomadic Himba People and learn about their lives, traditions and culture. No visit to Namibia would be complete without a visit to Etosha National Park. Etosha National Park in Northern Namibia offers excellent game viewing in one of Africa’s most accessible venues. Zebra and springbok are scattered across the endless horizon, while the many waterholes attract endangered black rhinoceros, lion, elephant and large numbers of antelope. Top Reasons to Visit Namibia • Fly over The Skeleton Coast • Drive in the Skeleton Coast area • The Nomadic Himba People • Quad biking on sand dunes • Climb the world’s biggest Sand Dune “Big Daddy” in Sossusvlei • Vast open spaces with endless horizons • Etosha National Park • Photographers paradise • Hot Air Ballooning over the sand dunes Best Time to go to Namibia If you are looking for a Namibia Safari Tour and wanted to know what would be the best time to go to Namibia; here is some information about Namibia’s climate by months. NAMIBIA’s climate is typically semi-desert with hot days and cool nights. The cold Benguela Current keeps the coast cool and free of rain most of the year. In fact, NAMIBIA averages about 300 days of sunshine annually. The rainy season lasts from October to April, while the rest of the year is dry and cloudless. JANUARY – MARCH Peak of Summer & Rainy Months – Hot days with afternoon cloud build up and possible showers (generally short-lived) Wildlife can disperse during this time in search of new grazing. Northern NAMIBIA and the Caprivi usually receive most of NAMIBIA’s annual rainfall. APRIL – MAY Morning temperatures start to drop and the evenings become cooler. Rainfall is limited and wildlife start to congregate more at perennial water sources. JUNE – AUGUST The early part of June sees very cold mornings and evenings, occasionally even dropping below zero, continuing through the end of winter in August. Days are typically sunny and pleasant. Warm clothing is recommended for the evenings and early mornings. Game viewing can be excellent in the dry winter months in some areas. SEPTEMBER- DECEMBER Spring starts in September. Days are much warmer with occasional cool evenings and mornings. From October we experience very warm sunny days with warm evenings. Sporadic rain does occur, though larger showers are usually limited to around December. Wildlife sightings vary depending how early the rains have started. December is the hottest months of the year, averaging 95°F to 105°F in the shade. Cooler temperatures occur along the coastline thanks to the ocean breeze, with low rainfall and fog prevailing from late until mid-morning. Make no mistake, in the winter months the evenings and early mornings can be bitterly cold. If you are on safari during this time, you will need to take very warm clothing especially for early morning game drives. Damaraland Damaraland” was the 19th century name given to the north-central part of what later became Namibia by outsiders referring to the indigenous Herero-speaking people as “Damaras.” Damaraland’s landscape ranges from boulder strewn plains to curious rock formations surrounded by sand dunes. Damaraland is a huge rugged untamed area and is prime desert adapted elephant territory, where herds traverse the Aba Huab riverbed seasonally in search of water and vegetation. Consequently, wildlife viewing concentrates along the riverbed and valleys. Damaraland’s arid environment is home to gemsbok, springbok, and a variety of other species, including occasional black rhino and cheetah. Birdlife is excellent with several Namibian endemics such as Monteiro’s Hornbill and Ruppell’s Korhaan. A luxury Damaraland safari tour is enhanced by this spectacular landscape and very different wildlife. A luxurious safari tour in Damaraland is by no means traditional in the true understanding of an African Safari. The emphasis is on the beauty of Namibia’s magnificent landscapes once described by a client: “It’s as if we were flying in to an oil painting”. As part of you luxury Damaraland safari tours you can visit Africa’s largest collection of petroglyphs (prehistoric rock engravings) and San rock art found at nearby Twyfelfontein, Namibia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Please follow this link to see Damaraland National Park Camps and Lodges Etosha National Park In central-northern Namibia the flat landscape is dotted with a number of large salt pans, slight depressions created by wind action. The most famous of these formations is Etosha Pan, which resides in the eponymous Etosha National Park, a vast reserve spanning 7700 square miles. Etosha means “great white place” and a safari adventure will allow you to visit this immense salt pan which stretches blinding white across 1900 square miles. Once an ancient superlake, today a few rivers and occasional heavy summer rains fill the pan (in good years attracting over a million flamingos to its salty waters), but for the most part it is parched and dry.