Discover Namibia Featuring: Windhoek, Sossusvlei, Skeleton Coast, Damaraland, Etosha National Park, Windhoek
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Discover Namibia Featuring: Windhoek, Sossusvlei, Skeleton Coast, Damaraland, Etosha National Park, Windhoek Your tour at a glance: Day Itinerary Accommodation Meals One Arrive Windhoek Hotel Heinitzberg Two Sossusvlei Kulala Desert Lodge B,L,D Three Sossusvlei Kulala Desert Lodge B,L,D Four Skeleton Coast Skeleton Coast Camp B,L,D Five Skeleton Coast Skeleton Coast Camp B,L,D Six Skeleton Coast Skeleton Coast Camp B,L,D Seven Damaraland Damaraland Camp B,L,D Eight Damaraland Damaraland Camp B,L,D Nine Damaraland Damaraland Camp B,L,D Ten Etosha National Park Ongava Lodge B,L,D Eleven Etosha National Park Ongava Lodge B,L,D Twelve Etosha National Park Ongava Lodge B,L,D Thirteen Windhoek Hotel Heinitzberg B Fourteen Depart In Transit B Land Only: From $XXXXXX per person Contact Ker & Downey for International or Intra Africa airfare quote. Prices subject to change pending agreement to terms and conditions Includes: • Ker & Downey Signature Meet & Greet Services • Accommodations: Hotel Heinitzberg – 2 nights; Kulala Desert Lodge – 2 nights; Skeleton Coast Camp – 3 nights; Damaraland Camp – 3 nights; Ongava Lodge ‐ 3 nights. • Seat In Plane Non‐Private Transfers: Windhoek/Sossusvlei/Skeleton Coast/Damaraland/Etosha National Park/Windhoek • Meals and Beverages at Kulala Desert Lodge, Skeleton Coast Camp, Damaraland Camp, Ongava Lodge • Breakfast only: Hotel Heinitzberg • All activities not described as “optional” in itinerary • Laundry services at Kulala Desert Lodge, Skeleton Coast Camp, Damaraland Camp and Ongava Lodge • Detailed final documents wallet Does Not Include: • International Airfare • Intra‐Africa scheduled flights • Porterage • Visa fees • Insurance not mentioned above • All accommodation not mentioned above • All meals not mentioned above • All international and domestic flights and airport taxes not mentioned above • All transport not mentioned above • All expenses of a personal nature i.e. telephone calls, laundry, etc. • Tips and gratuities • Beverages not mentioned above • Entrance Fees not mentioned above • All other services not mentioned above ~Itinerary~ Day One ‐ Arrive Namibia Welcome to Namibia where you will be met and transferred to your accommodations for the night, the luxurious castle, Hotel Heinitzberg in Windhoek. Located on “luxury hill”, the hotel is a historic castle which was commissioned in 1914 by Count von Schwerin for his fiancé, Margarethe von Heinitz. The castle is today, a luxury hotel which is privately owned. The luxurious attention to detail is everywhere – from romantic four‐poster beds to the personal attention you receive from the moment you arrive. There are 16 spacious, generously‐appointed en suite rooms, each with their own view of the Namibian landscape. There is a heated swimming pool, optional laundry services and babysitting available. Should you wish to indulge and relax with a spa or massage, the hotel has a complete spa, which is a wonderful optional luxury. Dining at the hotel is a fabulous experience. Leo’s at the Castle is a gourmet restaurant that overlooks the city of Windhoek. Fabulous culinary delights and exquisite choices from the extensively stocked wine cellar, ensures an exquisite dining experience that will be memorable. Accommodations: Hotel Heinitzberg Days Two & Three ‐ Sossusvlei On the morning of Day Two, a road transfer will take you from the Hotel Heinitzberg 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 camel thorn tree near Sossusvlei. As Kulala Desert Lodge has a private entrance to the park the Sossusvlei 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, and 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. 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 – Skeleton Coast Good morning! On the morning of Day Four, you will enjoy your final breakfast at Kulala Desert Lodge and you will be transferred to the airstrip for your seat in plane charter to the Skeleton Coast. For the next three nights, you will be pampered and indulged at the incredible Skeleton Coast Camp. Skeleton Coast Camp, located in a 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 hyena, Hartmannʹs mountain zebra and occasionally lion and cheetah. This safari is unlike any other safari you may have experienced in the past. The area is so vast and there is so much to see and experience that guest’s could abandon the traditional early morning and afternoon activities. Instead guests might leave camp after breakfast and spend the full day exploring the park. A picnic lunch is enjoyed out in the wild and you return to base camp in the late afternoon. Safaris take place 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 Seven, Eight & Nine ‐ Damaraland On the morning of Day Seven, you will enjoy your final morning at Skeleton Coast Camp before boarding your non‐private air charter to Damaraland. Enjoy the flight and the views of the dunes, the majestic coastline of Namibia and the awesome vantage point of your bird’s eye view. You will arrive in Damaraland where you will be transferred to your fabulous accommodation for the next three nights. Damaraland Camp is a unique venture which integrates local communities and the environment by maintaining an active and sustainable wildlife program, which has been rated as the most successful eco‐tourism venture in Namibia. In addition, Damaraland Camp received top honors from Conde Nast Traveler as one of the top rated destinations for the “Ultimate Safari”. This luxury desert safari camp includes seven twin‐bedded tents, two double tents and one family tent which accommodates up to four guests. Each tent is extremely spacious and offer guests a full en suite bath, tea stations, private decks with incredible views, shaded verandahs and wonderful amenities. The camp lounge is large and expansive with a full bar, an open fireplace under the stars, a swimming pool, curio shop and a library providing interesting reading about Namibia and it’s flora and fauna. The camp offers guests a limited, but daily laundry service. Due to its placement – perfectly enhanced by early morning mists, the region receives moisture which provides sustenance to a wide variety of wildlife and plants.