- Namibia explored, Laterally - Because I’ve always wanted to... Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge = One way = Return flight = Drive = One way = Return flight = Drive In a Nutshell... Flights... Day 1 - Fly to Windhoek & transfer to the Olive Exclusive Day 2 - Drive to the Kalahari & check-into Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge Date Airline & From Departs To Arrives Class Flight Day 3 - Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge at leisure Number Day 4 - Travel to Aus & transfer to Klein Aus Vista TBC TBC London TBC Windhoek TBC TBC Day 5 - Klein Aus Vista. At leisure TBC Light Doro Nawas TBC Hoanib TBC n/a Day 6 - Klein Aus Vista. At leisure Day 7 - Drive to the NamibRand & check-in Wolwedans Dunes Lodge TBC Light Hoanib TBC Doro Nawas TBC n/a Day 8 - Wolwedans Dunes Lodge at leisure TBC TBC Windhoek TBC London TBC TBC Day 9 - Wolwedans Dunes Lodge at leisure Day 10 - To Swakopmund & the Strand Hotel Day 11 - To the mountains. Transfer in the Mowani Mountain Camp Day 12 - Mowani Mountain Camp at leisure Day 13 - Journey North to the Hoanib River & the Hoanib Camp Day 14 - Hoanib Camp. Discover the Skeleton Coast Day 15 - Hoanib Camp. Discover the Skeleton Coast Day 16 - Drive to the Ongava Concession & transfer to Ongava Lodge Day 17 - Ongava Lodge. Explore Etosha National park Day 18 - Onwards to Onguma Tented Camp Day 19 - Onguma Tented Camp. On safari Day 20 - Drive to Hakusembe River Lodge Day 21 - Continue to the Caprivi Strip & transfer to RiverDance Lodge Day 22 - RiverDance Lodge. Caprivi Strip at leisure Day 23 - Drive to Hakusembe River Lodge Day 24 - Onwards to the Okonjima Bush Camp Day 25 - Okonjima Bush Camp. Searching for cats Day 26 - Back to Windhoek in time for homebound flight Day 27 - Welcome home Your Sample Itinerary... Day 1 - Fly to Windhoek Today you fly to Windhoek where you will be met at the airport by a Laterallife representative who will be waiting for you at arrivals with a name board. There is an ATM and a money exchange booth at the airport so you should be able to change or withdraw money if you need to. The drive into Windhoek takes around 45 minutes, so you can relax and enjoy the scenery on the way to your hotel. The car will be delivered to your first overnight stay. We have requested the car with Classic Plus Super Cover Insurance which is the best insurance you can get in Namibia. Please note: the driver and any authorized co-driver must produce a valid unen- dorsed driver's license and passport at the time of rental. The driving license needs to be in English. If not, an International driver's license will be required. Car hire details: Group W - Ford Ranger Double Cab 4x4 or similar • Pick-up: Day 1 • Drop-off: Day 26 • Hire period: 25 days Accommodation: The Olive Exclusive, Premier Suite Meals: Breakfast Day 2 - Drive to the Kalahari Today you will leave Windhoek and drive to the Kalahari Desert for approximately 201km/3 hours excluding stops. Depart from Windhoek southwards on the B1 and follow this road through Rehoboth and onward towards Kalkrand. Approxi- mately 8km south of Kalkrand you will see signs for the lodge, turn off the B1 to your left. The Kalahari is not officially categorised as a desert, but is rather a savannah environment of wide open grasslands and stunted acacias. As such it is home to many interesting wildlife species including meerkat (suricate), porcupine, bat- eared fox, oryx, ostrich, wildebeest and zebra. Accommodation: Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge, Standard Room Meals: Breakfast & Dinner Day 3 - Kalahari at leisure Enjoy a full day of relaxing around the lodge, enjoying the scenery and maybe taking part in one or two of the optional activities to make the most of the sur- rounding environment and your unique destination. Early morning and sundowner game drives are offered, as well as hiking trails on a well-developed network of paths. Choose from one hour walks to full day excur- sions. Of special interest here is an optional visit to the devil’s claw plantation combined with a slide show and further information about the conservation of this specific endangered plant for medicinal purposes. Accommodation: Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge, Standard Room Meals: Breakfast & Dinner Day 4 - Travel to Aus Road Directions from Mariental to Aus Approximately 443km/6 hours excluding stops. This is measured from Mariental to Aus, so please allow for the extra km that you will drive from specific lodge to lodge. Travelling from Mariental take the B1 road southwards to Keetmanshoop. Here you will take the B4 to Seeheim, stay on the B4 towards Luderitz and you will arrive at Aus which is approximatey 125km from Luderitz. The small Bahnhof Hotel in Aus is a really good place to have lunch, or just a slice of their magnifi- cent cake! Aus - This tranquil little desert town is situated 125km east of Luderitz and the name means 'out' in German, but may be derived from a Khoi-Khoi word which means the 'place of the snakes'. Aus is tucked between the folds of several hills. After the German surrender to South African troops in World War I, Aus became an internment camp for German military officers. As many as 1,550 prisoners were held at Aus, and the town’s population was further boosted by around 600 South African guards. The railway to Luderitz stops here, as some years ago the continual struggle to keep the line clear of the Namib Desert sand was abandoned, and in places the line is now covered by massive dunes. One of the oddities of the area around Aus is the presence of Namib Feral Horses. They are the world's only wild desert- dwelling horses and theories as to their origin are many. Accommodation: Klein Aus Vista, Eagle’s Nest Chalet Meals: Breakfast & Dinner Days 5-6 - At leisure Spend a couple of days at leisure in Aus and its surroundings. A suggested excursion is Luderitz a town lodged in one of the best harbours on the least hospitable coast in Africa. It was founded in 1883 when Heinrich Vogel- sang purchased Angra Pequena and some of the surrounding land on behalf of Adolf Luderitz, a hanseat from Bremen, from the local Nama chief. It began life as a trading post, fishing and guano-harvesting town, but when diamonds were discovered in 1909 in nearby Kolmanskop, Luderitz enjoyed a sudden surge of prosperity. Now the diamonds are mostly found elsewhere (Orange River) and offshore, so Luderitz has reverted to its former self. Its appeal as a town lies in the fact that little has changed since the early 20th century (and in fact it has hardly grown at all). One of Luderitz' main attractions is Kolmanskop Ghost Town; a previously bustling diamond town now abandoned and fighting a constant bat- tle for survival with the sand dunes of the Namib desert. Ideas for the day: • Visit this ghostly Town and Luderitz before heading out on boat trip (weather dependent) to the penguin colony on Halifax Island. • Free guided tours of Kolmanskop are at 09:30 and 11:00. Site entrance paya- ble at the gate on arrival. NB: Kolmanskop is closed in the afternoons. If you are feeling flush it’s worth noting this is one of only two mines in the world where you can buy diamonds direct from the mine! • Alternatively there is an Oyster boat cruise also taking in Halifax Island and Diaz point which departs at 11. Oysters are pulled fresh from the lagoon and can be enjoyed with a glass of sparkling wine (again weather dependent). Accommodation: Klein Aus Vista, Eagle’s Nest Chalet Meals: Breakfast & Dinner Day 7 - Drive to the NamibRand Drive north to the NamibRand Nature Reserve (approximately 4.5 hours drive) where you are staying at Wolwedans for 3 nights. NamibRand, one of Southern Africa’s largest private nature reserves, originated as a dream of extending the desert frontiers through the integration of a large number of former sheep farms. The aim was to develop a sanctuary free of fenc- es, so that the wildlife could once again roam their habitat unhindered. Today NamibRand, which is located just south of Sossusvlei, is synonymous with some of Africa’s most breathtaking locations. The special attraction of the reserve is the diversity of desert landscapes. The colours here and the bright red sand is just stunning as well as the curious ‘fairy circles’ which dot the entire landscape. Accommodation: Wolwedans Dunes Lodge, Chalet Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Days 8-9 - NamibRand at leisure Activities with the lodge. Explore this breath-taking reserve with a guide and learn about the desert adapted animals which call this place home. Horse riding here is also particularly good (not included). Wolwedans is very in- volved with conservation and they have an interesting tour dubbed ‘sustainability tour’ which helps you understand what they do for the local people and area. Al- ternatively you could always just have a dip in the pool or a spa treatment in your room! Accommodation: Wolwedans Dunes Lodge, Chalet Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Day 10 - To Swakopmund Drive to the coast this morning, travelling north along the C27 towards Sesriem, and then taking the C19 & C14 roads, via Solitaire. These roads are all gravel un- til you reach Walvis Bay, and the mountain passes are quite steep so please drive very carefully. There are sometimes road works on this stretch of road, so please slow right down if you see any work being done.