Namibia never fails to enthral its visitors, to charge the fantasies and imaginations of narrators in their efforts to aptly describe the many-facetted grandeur and harsh splendour of this desert country
Namibia is known for its contrasting landscapes. The desolate Namib Desert is said to be the oldest in the world, with its high dunes and awe-inspiring sense of space.....
Along its entire length, the vast shifting sand dunes of the Namib Desert spread inland for 80 to 130km. Sossusvlei hosts postcard perfect Sand Dunes – a photographers delight !
A fascinating land of contrasts – from the interior sand basin of the Kalahari to the Etosha Pan (a dried-out saline lake), surrounded by grasslands and bush which support a large and varied wildlife. The Etosha National Park & Game Reserve is one of the finest in Africa, in that it remains, to a large extent, free of human influence
This package is just a guideline and sample itinerary only. You can extend or shorten it as you please, upgrade or downgrade accommodation and amend it to suit your budget and specific requirements.
Costs on application and quote is subject to number of travellers and size vehicle required
Contact our travel experts to design your ultimate self drive experience !
ITINERARY
DAY 1 WINDHOEK - Namibia
Depart on direct flight from either Johannesburg or Cape Town to Windhoek International Airport, Namibia.
On arrival, please proceed to the Avis counter in the Arrivals Hall for collection of your rental vehicle.
On completion of your rental formalities, please make your way to the Elegant Bed and Breakfast for 1 nights accommodation including Breakfast.
Overnight: Elegant B & B - Bed and Breakfast
Experience elegance, style and tranquility in this newly built Bed & Breakfast, situated close to Windhoek’s Central Business District. The Elegant Bed & Breakfast provides personalized service and genuine hospitality and offers the guest the perfect base to relax, explore and conduct business from.
This morning please make your way to Sossusvlei and on to Kulala Desert Lodge where 2 nights accommodation have been reserved on your behalf on an All Inclusive Basis.
Early morning ballooning can be reserved at an extra charge.
Early morning guided nature drives to the spectacular dunes of Sossusvlei are through a private gate on the Tsauchab River. World-famous Sossusvlei is an enormous clay pan, flanked by the famous red sand dunes that stand out starkly against the blue sky. These dunes have developed over millions of years, the wind continuously transforming the contours of this red sand sea. The 'vlei' itself only fills after rare heavy rainfall when, in a complete turn-around, it becomes a spectacular turquoise lake.
Nature drives and walks are also offered on the private reserve with those incredible views, and to catch a glimpse of the denizens of the desert. Another option, at an extra cost, is early morning ballooning, beginning at first light.
The balloon safari offers a truly unique experience to soar silently above the magnificent sand dunes and desert, with a champagne breakfast being served at your landing site.
Overnight: Kulala Desert Lodge - All inclusive
All Inclusive includes All Meals, Selected Drinks and 2 Lodge Activities per day: early morning guided drives to the dunes, nature drives and walks in the private Kulala Wilderness Reserve.
Kulala Desert Lodge is situated within the arid Namib Desert on the 37 000ha private Kulala Wilderness Reserve, and is closest to the iconic red dunes of the Sossusvlei. The camp comprises 15 thatched and canvas "kulalas" ("to sleep" in Oshiwambo) with en-suite bathrooms and verandas. Each unit is built on a wooden platform to catch the cooling breezes and has a deck on the flat rooftop where bedrolls are placed for guests to sleep under the myriad stars that Namibia's clear skies portray.
DAY 4 - 5 SOSSUSVLEI - SWAKOPMUND
Today please make your way to Swakopmund where 2 night’s accommodation has been reserved on your behalf at Brigadoon Cottages including Breakfasts.
Swakopmund has a variety of exciting and interesting excursions and points of interest. We would recommend the Quad Biking, the tour of the Namib Desert, and a Dolphin Cruise
Things to see and do in Swakopmund, Namibia
Swakopmund is high on the list of everyone's Namibia itinerary and with good reason. The list of things to do in Swakopmund is astonishing and would take days to work through. Some of the activities are natural and others are manufactured by hair-brained adrenalin junkies.
Whatever your preference, Swakopmund has enough activities to keep you busy.
Some of our most recommended activities in and around Swakopmund include:
Marine cruise in Walvis Bay Lagoon (Walvis Bay) On a large catamaran or motorboat, the bay is calm and the waters full of life. This half day trip gives you close contact with seals, dolphins, birds and, if you're very lucky, sightings of whales and a strange creature called a mola mola. The cruises finish with a champagne finger brunch and fresh Walvis Bay oysters on board.
Living Desert Tour (Swakopmund) A fascinating guided excursion into the world's oldest desert is a must for any nature lover. Discover the minutiae of life in the seemingly barren wilderness including the odd Welwitschia plant and other bizarre desert-adapted lifeforms; eerie Marsian landscapes and sensuous dunescapes offer a fitting backdrop
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Quad Biking (Swakopmund or Long Beach) A very popular option with families, a guided quad bike trail through the dunes is fun, interesting and safe. The tours follow strict ecological guidelines to protect the fragile ecosystem and maintain the unspoilt beauty of the Skeleton Coast.
Sandwich Harbour Excursion (Walvis Bay) A wetlands birding heritage site, this guided tour takes you to the almost inaccessible Sandwich Harbour south of Walvis Bay.
Birdwatching (Walvis Bay) Take your binos and your checklist, the Walvis Bay Lagoon, along with Sandwich Harbour, is a RAMSAR wetlands site crammed with flamingoes, plovers, grebes, terns, oystercatchers, gulls and many other migrants and residents.
Kayaking Tours (Walvis Bay) A gentle and peaceful way to explore the lagoon. Seals and dolphins always come and visit and you get much closer than the marine cruises (no oysters or champagne though!).
Scenic Flights and Ballooning (Swakopmund or Walvis Bay) Spectacular scenery as you fly over the dunes, wrecks and shoreline of the Skeleton Coast.
Adventure Sports (Swakopmund) - sky-diving, land yachting, karting, paragliding, sand-boarding, deep sea and shore fishing, surfing, kiting...
"Normal Sports" (Swakopmund) - golf (all-grass desert 18-hole course), gym, horseriding, tennis, squash, bowls...
Tourist Attractions (Swakopmund) - Galleries, museums, aquarium, craft markets, curio shops, antiques, jewellers and souvenirs
Dining and Entertainment - Swakopmund has a large selection of coffee shops and restaurants specialising in seafood, game and meat, German fare and international standards. The town also sees a regular parade of music shows and stage productions and the German carnival is an annual extravaganza that transforms the town every June into a Bavarian film set.
Overnight: Brigadoon Cottages – Bed and Breakfast
Brigadoon Bed and Breakfast self catering apartments is an award winning member of HAN (Hospitality Association of Namibia) as well as a member of Namib I.
Tastefully furnished colonial style accommodation across the road from the main beach, the heated indoor Olympic size swimming pool, the museum and the Lighthouse.
Within walking distance of the post office, banks, excellent restaurants, shops and the town centre.
Today please make your way to the Damaraland and on to Desert Rhino Camp where 2 night’s accommodation has been reserved on your behalf on an All Inclusive Basis.
Activities include rhino tracking on foot or by vehicle, full-day outings with a picnic lunch, birding and day and night nature drives to explore this intricate ecosystem. Dedicated guides will provide you with an informative and exciting experience.
The concession's freshwater springs support healthy populations of the famous desert-adapted black rhino, desert-adapted elephant, Hartmann's mountain zebra, giraffe, gemsbok, springbok, kudu and predators such as lion, cheetah, leopard, brown and spotted hyaena. Bird life is prolific and diverse with most of Namibia's endemics present.
All Inclusive includes All Meals, Selected Drinks and 2 Lodge Activities per day: rhino tracking by foot or vehicle, full day outings with picnic lunch, birding and day and night nature drives.
Desert Rhino Camp lies amongst rolling, rocky hills with scattered euphorbia, ancient welwitschia plants, scrubby vegetation and isolated clumps of trees. Yet there is a tranquil, minimalist beauty and a surprising amount of life in this concession.
The camp is run in conjunction with Save the Rhino Trust (SRT)
DAY 8 - 10 DAMARALAND - ONGAVA
Today please check out of Desert Rhino Camp and make your way towards Etosha and towards the Ongava area where 3 nights accommodation have been reserved on your behalf at Anderssons Camp including Breakfasts and Dinners.
The camp is close to the
Etosha National Park and ideal for full or half day game drives either in your own vehicle or you could book and pay a few game drives directly with the camp.
Overnight: Anderssons Camp – Breakfast and Dinner
Surrounded by scrub-covered plains on white calcrete soils and against the backdrop of the low Ondundozonanandana Mountains, Andersson's Camp is situated close to Etosha National Park. A former farmstead has been tastefully rebuilt and now forms the main area fronting onto a waterhole.
Andersson's Camp's close proximity to Etosha is ideal for full-day self-drives into the Park which take in the plethora of game found here.
DAY 11 ONGAVA - OKONJIMA
Please make your way towards Okahandja and to Okonjima Bush Camp where 1 nights accommodation has been reserved on your behalf including All Meals and 1 Activity.
Activities commence at 15h00 and include cheetah tracking on foot and the cheetah project, leopard tracking, birding, photography and the Bushman trail.
Overnight: Okonjima Bush Camp – Inclusive of all meals and 1 x activity
As far as conservation goes, Okonjima Bush Camp leads the pack!
To ensure complete privacy, the chalets at Okonjima Bush Camp are positioned at least eighty meters apart.
Cleverly designed, each room is built under a thatched roof, allowing for the best possible bush feel with a combination of earthy ochre walls and khaki canvas.
Conveniently so, the entire front of the chalet can be rolled up at night allowing the cool breeze and sounds of the Namibian bush to waft in- there is nothing better than waking up at sunrise with the birds chirping right outside your bed!
With its association in the Africat Foundation, or cheetah and leopard project, Okonjima is the perfect place to view cheetah on foot and observe leopard in their natural habitat.
Okonjima also has an education and research centre on the property as well as rehabilitation programs for the cats. Here you have the opportunity to experience these cats first hand, and will also have the chance to learn about what is being done by the Africat foundation.
Every evening, sit anxiously in a protective hide and watch as the wild leopards are fed!
Get in touch with nature and enjoy a number of walking trails, including a guided Bushman trail where you will learn about the traditional lifestyle and philosophy of these unique and ancient people.
An easy two and a half hours drive from Windhoek, Okonjima is a great weekend getaway or stop over, on the way to the famous Etosha
DAY 12 OKONJIMA – WINDHOEK
Today after checking out of Okonjima, please make your way back Windhoek. Please return your Avis vehicle before proceeding to check-in at the Air Namibia counter no later than 2 hours prior to departure.
Depart Windhoek on Air Namibia flight back to either Johannesburg to Cape Town.
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