Visit the best places to Namibia in only 7 days – beautiful Sossusvlei dunes, fly over the Skeleton Coast, see the desert adapted elephants and visit one of the best game reserves in Africa, the Etosha National Park! This itinerary is designed for those who have limited time available but would like to see and visit the best of Namibia.
This itinerary has been designed to included a selection of the best lodges in the different areas!
The costs have been based on 2 x travellers. Should there be more than 2 travellers in a group, the costs will decrease.
ITINERARY
Day 1 Namib Desert / Namib Naukluft Park
The flight from Eros Airport in Windhoek will depart at either 09h15 or at 14h30. The flight will take about 1 hour, 10 minutes, flying south-west over the Naukluft Mountains to the desert floor. A drop of about 1000 metres from the central plateau.
Enjoy a late afternoon drive or a walk on the Kulala private reserve, situated in Sossusvlei
Overnight: Kulala Desert Lodge - Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
The unique units here at Kulala are built from clay on raised wooden decks that allow for effective airflow and a spectacular view of the Namib dunes. Each en-suite “Kulala” is adapted to the unique desert conditions and has a private verandah and flat roof deck for sleep outs. The main area consists of a lounge, dining area, bar, small curio shop and pool.
Day 2 Sossusvlei / Dead Pan / Dune 45
It is highly recommended to join the morning drive to the beautiful Sossusvlei dunes area, one of the most beautiful places to be seen!
The best is to enter the Namib Naukluft Park at sunrise as the early morning is the best light for photography, the beauty of the morning light and before the desert heat which can get quite fierce from about 11h00.
Star dunes rise up to 300m into the air and rank among the biggest in the world; the dune valleys are marked by vast clay pans where the Tsauchab River gave up its fight to reach the sea. More than 60,000 years ago, the encroaching dunes stopped the ephemeral river from reaching the sea with over 50km still to go.
Besides the dunes and pans of Sossusvlei and Sesriem Canyon, a sideshow of activities and sights has developed around the region and there are plenty of game lodges that provide additional desert-adapted activities. Plants and birds are the dominant life form in this desiccated realm and they support a tiny world of mammals, reptiles and insects that, in the absence of coastal fog, seldom wander far from the river-course and its pans.
This is a photographer’s haven especially in the morning light when the shadows magnify the sharp edges of the dunes, the red Namib sands shine and the area is just so beautiful. The Dead Pan is also one of the most beautiful places to visit, a short hike from one of the parking areas. For the adventurous and fit, climb one of the biggest dune sin the world, Big Daddy!
On the way back to the lodge, stopover at Dune 45 which is probably the most photographed dune in the world. A visit to the enchanting Sesriem Gorge is also recommended where evidence of wetlands of days gone by is in clear evidence.
Normally an afternoon rest (siesta) is taken after the early morning rise with an afternoon drive to the enchanting Sesriem Gorge and/or a nature drive on the private reserve.
Days 3 & 4 Namib Dunes / Skeleton Coast / Swakopmund / Damaraland
The flight today will be at approx. 10h45 so a leisurely breakfast can be enjoyed on the verandah overlooking the plains of the Namib. Or, arrange with the Adventure Centre for an early morning activity – there is enough time here to go on a balloon flight.
The flight from here will be a scenic flight, over the Sossusvlei dunes, a fantastic way to see the area having been there on foot the previous day! The flight path will go west over these dunes to the Skeleton Coast (or, as some people call this part of the coastline, “The Forbidden Coast”, then north over a shipwreck, seal colonies, the salt pans at Walvis Bay to land at Swakopmund to refuel.
From Swakopmund, fly north along a section of the Skeleton Coast and then inland over the Ugab River, over some majestic landscapes to the Palmwag airstrip in northern
Damaraland. From here, a short flight to the Twyfelfontein area.
After all the flying, an afternoon rest and relax at the swimming pool will be very welcome! The lodge reception will be able to advise on activities on offer:
• Guided and self-guided hikes
• Nature drive as well as looking for desert adapted elephants
• Excursion to Twyfelfontein rock engravings, Burnt Mountain and Organ Pipes
• Visit to a Damara village and lots more
Day 4 is set aside to spend in this amazing area to partake on the optional activities on offer (pay direct at the lodge reception for the options).
OVERNIGHT: MOWANI MOUNTAIN CAMP - Fully inclusive of all meals and 2 activities per day
The ultimate retreat. Mowani Mountain Camp is situated at the heart of Damaraland near Twyfelfontein. Offering luxury tent and suite accommodation, you will be comfortably hidden in your own private hide-away. Extra optional activities include ballooning, swimming, game drives and hiking trails, exploring Twyfelfontein’s historical archaeological site of fine bushmen engravings.
Days 5 & 6 Etosha National Park
Fly from Twyfelfontein to Palmwag and then to southern edge of the
Etosha National Park for 2 nights. The flight will depart at 14h30 which will leave time for a drive or walk in the morning.
in 2007 - Etosha 100 years old!
A visit to the Etosha National Park is one of the highlights of traveling to Namibia. Etosha, which was declared a game reserve by the German colonial administration back in 1907, covers an area of more than 22 000 sq kms. In its centre lies a vast saltpan surrounded by grass and thorn savannah, Mopane bushland in the west and dry forest in the north-east. About two million years ago, this area was an enormous lake, fed by the Kunene river. However the lake slowly dried up because over time, the river changed its course.
The pan is just about always dry. However, in the southern parts there are water-holes scattered throughout this area and form the basis of life for countless game. In years of good rain, sections of the pan are flooded and becomes home to many birds species, a speciality being flamingos which come here to breed.
Be it a lion or an elephant, a giraffe or a zebra, almost all African animal species are represented in the huge nature reserve, approx. 22 000 square kilometers in size. There is an estimated number of 250 lions in the park, 300 rhinos, 2 500 giraffes, 6 000 zebras and more than 2 000 elephants. The dainty springbok are especially numerous; at least 20 000 of them roam the reserve. Often, they can be observed in enormous herds of several hundred animals.
The Etosha National Park has a good infrastructure. Well-maintained gravel roads (untarred) lead to the waterholes, where game viewing is at its best.
A full day (two nights) are set aside to spend on game drives and game viewing at various waterholes in the beautiful game reserve. View numerous species of animals drinking at the same waterhole, not often seen in other African parks!
Arrange with the lodge reception about game drives in Etosha, game drives on the private Ongava Reserve as well as game hikes with the lodge guide … this is included in the cost.
Ongava Game Reserve is an extension of the Etosha National Park, offering exclusive and luxury accommodation. Set amongst long stretches of arid savannah, Ongava Tented Camp is an ideal spot for private groups. Luxury metro-style, en-suite tents each have their own private verandah and outdoor shower overlooking the Ongava plains. Extra activities include partaking in day and night game drives, nature walks and rhino-tracking by foot.
Day 7 Windhoek
The flight from Ongava will be at 09h30 to arrive in Windhoek Eros Airport at 11h00. For those who fly out today, we can arrange for a transfer to the Windhoek international airport which is situated about 45 kms from the city centre.
END OF SERVICES
All safaris are conducted according to the “Terms & Conditions” as set down by African Welcome Safaris.
The itinerary above can be amended to suit your individual requirements, interests and budget.
Accommodation is subject to availability. If at any time an ccommodation establishment is fully booked, another of equal, or better standard will be reserved. This could affect quoted costs.
