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Etosha + Kaokoland + Damaraland + Namib Desert
NYF11W

11 NIGHTS
FROM $2,560
International flights quoted separately
This escorted small group tour of Namibia travels into far northern Damaraland & Kaokoland - home of the nomadic Himba people and rare desert elephant & rhino. Also see the highlights of Etosha National Park, Twyfelfontein rock art, Swakopmund and Sossusvlei. Scheduled departures from Windhoek. Group size 2-16. German & English. No children <12.
HIGHLIGHTS
Escorted Tour Namibia Tour Himba Village Kaokoland Desert Elephant Rhino Namibia Safari Tour Holiday Vacation Namibia
• Windhoek • Etosha Game Reserve • Owamboland • Kaokoland
• Himba Village • Desert Elephant & Rhino • Twyfelfontein • Bushman Rock Art
• Swakopmund • Sossusvlei & Sesriem
Day 1
You will be met at Windhoek Airport and transferred to your hotel.
 
Check in and relax under warm blue Namibian skies.
Day 2
This morning depart Windhoek around 08h00 for your small group tour to Etosha National Park.
 
Leaving Windhoek we travel northwards via Okahandja, where Kavango woodcarvers practise their trade at a large open air craft market on the outskirts of the town. We continue to the world famous Etosha National Park and check into our hotel near the southern gate.
Day 3
Today is devoted purely to the abundant wildlife of the famous Etosha National Park, one of the largest wildlife conservation areas in Africa, surrounding an enormous salt pan that is the size of the Netherlands.
 
During drier seasons it becomes an expanse of white cracked mud, shimmering with mirages and spiralling dust devils.  Waterholes along the southern edge frequently offer a rewarding game viewing experience, including several rare species such as black and white rhino.
 
This park is home to four of the Big 5, elephant, lion, leopard and rhino (as the terrain does not support buffalo) and its waterholes support a rich diversity of other mammals and birds, including species such as the black-faced impala, roan, cheetah and Namibia’s smallest antelope, the Damara dik-dik.
Day 4
Enjoy a superb day of game viewing today in Etosha National Park as we travel from the southern sector of the park and through the central section to the eastern gate
 
Etosha is home to over 100 different species of mammals and over 350 different birds, so outstanding game viewing is assured. Your guide will also introduce you to the complex subject of managing such an enormous conservation area. We leave Etosha in the afternoon and drive to our hotel.
Day 5
Today we leave Etosha and travel northwards into Owamboland, where we visit a traditional Owambo "kraal" homestead and learn about local life and customs.
 
In the afternoon we arrive at our lodge, with balance of day at leisure.
 
Day 6
This morning we traverse Owamboland with its expanding pans and majestic palm trees and drive 4-hours to Opuwo in untouched Kaokoland - where rare desert elephant and black rhino roam free, as well as much other wildlife.
 
In the afternoon we visit a traditional Himba Village to observe their ancient nomadic way of life, which remains unspoilt, and learn about their customs through an interpreter.
 
 
 
Day 7
This morning we travel 5-hours from Kaokoland to the Twyfelfontein Conservancy, situated  between the Ugab and Huab Rivers in dramatic Damaraland.
 
On the way we visit the age-old Petrified Forest, where we can also marvel at the oldest desert plant on earth, the Welwitchia mirabilis.
 
We drive through eroded dry river beds and rocky plains to our lodge situated between the boulders, and soak up the sun around the pool deck whilst admiring the breathtaking views of the Damara landscape.
Day 8
This morning we visit the Bushman paintings at Twyfelfontein. Meaning "Doubtful Spring", this area has been declared a World Heritage site because of its many ancient rock paintings and engravings left by the early San Bushmen people. The slopes of these hills are strewn with boulders containing thousands of their rock art and paintings – making it an amazing open-air museum!
 
We also visit the Burnt Mountain and Organ Pipes - all geological phenomena depicting the creation and evolution of some of the oldest masses on earth.
 
In the afternoon there is the option of searching for desert elephants on a guided nature drive, before returning to our lodge.
Day 9
This morning we travel 5-hours past majestic mountain ranges and the Brandberg, Namibia's highest mountain, to the charming seaside town of Swakopmund, with its old lighthouse and easy access to the sand dunes and activities of the Namib Desert.
  
On the Skeleton Coast there is a small lichen reserve, where a relatively large variety of these interesting and slow growing organisms are protected.
   
Swakopmund is situated on the Atlantic Coast where the cold Benguela Current sweeps up from Antarctica, releasing no moisture into the prevailingly onshore winds – hence the very low rainfall and desert conditions. Fog is common along the coast in the early mornings and late afternoons and this is what gives life to the desert-adapted flora and fauna of the region. The cold current is also highly oxygenated, causing it to teem with marine life.
  
Check into your hotel and relax on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
Day 10
After a morning at leisure in Swakopmund, in the early afternoon we travel south for 4-hours to the Namib Desert. and experience ever-changing landscapes as the terrain becomes more arid.
 
This is the gateway to Sesriem Canyon and Sossusvlei, where some of the highest sand dunes on earth stand towering over the white desert plains. These great mountains of sand are a monument to the extreme forces of nature, with fog supplying the life giving moisture for the survival of plants and animals. In the late afternion we check into our hotel in the Namib desert.
Day 11
An early start is imperative as this is the coolest part of the day and the best for photography, as you travel by 4x4 vehicle into the famous Sossusvlei, a clay pan surrounded by some of the highest sand dunes in the world – an endless sea of reddish sand stretching all the way to the distant horizon.
  
Its monumental star shaped sand dunes, some up to 1,000 ft (325m) when measured from the base, were formed by strong multi-directional winds. The warm tints of sand ranging from apricot to orange, red and maroon, contrast vividly with the stark white surface of the clay pans at their base.  This provides photographers with a spectacular display of images to capture.  
  
Climbing one of these dunes affords the energetic traveller an unforgettable experience of endless vistas across a sea of dunes. Time will also be taken to explore the impressive conglomerate gorges of the Sesriem Canyon, with its rock pools fed by the Tsauchab River. The erosion of many centuries has resulted in a narrow gorge, which in the rainy season sometimes fills the rock pools. The name Sesriem is derived from the six “rieme” (leather thongs) that early pioneers used to draw water from these pools.
Day 12
Today travel 5-hours through spectacularly beautiful Namib Desert scenery to Windhoek Airport for your flight home.
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