Namibia safari and desert adventure
| country: | Namibia |
| departures: | 2009: 2 Dec |
| price: | From US $2435 - US $3765 (10 days) excluding flights. Price depends on group size. Single supplement US $195. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Explore Namibia on our Namibia Lodge Safari. This Africa safari is fully accommodated, try out this new tour! A fully accommodated 3* lodge safari from and to Windhoek through Namibia.
Highlights: Windhoek, Okonjima and the Africat Foundation, Game Drives in Etosha National Park, Damaraland, Swakopmund, Sesriem & dunes at Sossusvlei.
Includes: All transport in fully kitted 4x4 safari vehicle, game drives as mentioned, meals and activities as mentioned in itinerary, park entrance fees, experienced local driver / guide.
Excludes: Optional activities, travel insurance, flights, pre and post tour accommodation, all drinks, tips and curios.
Highlights: Windhoek, Okonjima and the Africat Foundation, Game Drives in Etosha National Park, Damaraland, Swakopmund, Sesriem & dunes at Sossusvlei.
Includes: All transport in fully kitted 4x4 safari vehicle, game drives as mentioned, meals and activities as mentioned in itinerary, park entrance fees, experienced local driver / guide.
Excludes: Optional activities, travel insurance, flights, pre and post tour accommodation, all drinks, tips and curios.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Windhoek, Namibia. On arrival at Hosea Kutako International Airport in Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, you will be met and transferred to your accommodation. Your guide will meet you at the lodge in the evening. You have the remainder of the day at leisure to explore Windhoek. |
| Day 2: | Windhoek - Okonjima, Namibia. After breakfast we head north to Okonjima, which is home to the AfriCat Foundation. On arrival you have the opportunity to go on an open vehicle game drive or visit the AfriCat Centre (own expense), a non-profit organisation, committed to long-term conservation of Namibia's large carnivores, especially cheetahs and leopards. [BLD] |
| Day 3-4: | Okonjima – Etosha National Park, Namibia. We leave the Waterberg behind us and travel towards Namibia’s well-known Highlight of the North – Etosha National Park. After arrival we go on our first game drive through the park hopefully spotting a variety of wildlife. Etosha Game park was declared a National Park in 1907, it is home to approx 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish. On Day 4 we’ll spend as much time as possible driving through the ‘Great White Place’ (translation for Etosha) trying to get closer to some of the Big Five. The resort also offer fabulous floodlit waterholes, which provide excellent game viewing at night. [BLD, BLD] |
| Day 5: | Etosha National Park - Twyfelfontein, Namibia. We leave the wild animals behind at Etosha and move onto the spectacular scenery of Damaraland. On our way we visit the small German town of Outjo where we relax for a coffee break. The Petrified Forest is next on the itinerary before reaching Twyfelfontein where we walk to visit the ancient bushman’s artwork carved and painted into the surrounding Mountains. Our final destination of the day is Twyfelfontein. [BLD] |
| Day 6: | Twyfelfontein - Swakopmund, Namibia. Today we Swakopmund. If you want to you can take part in a few of the many optional activities that are offered in Swakopmund like Quad biking, Sand boarding or Sky Diving in the afternoon. Of course you could also just go and enjoy the little German coastal town and explore its beauty, beaches and charm. This evening you can enjoy a typical Namibian meal in one of the many restaurants (own expense). [BL] |
| Day 7-8: | Swakopmund - Sossusvlei, Namibia. An early morning start takes us from Swakopmund south through Walvis Bay on our way to Sesriem in the apparently oldest desert – Namib Desert. We visit the world’s highest sand dunes at Sossusvlei. There is an option of taking the shuttle into the dunes. (Own expense) At sunrise these red sand dunes, which can reach heights of over 300 m, are absolutely spectacular and provide for a fantastic photo opportunity. With luck, there may even be water in the vlei (lake). [BLD, BLD] |
| Day 9: | Sossusvlei - Windhoek, Namibia. We leave the Desert behind us and travel back to Windhoek. This will be a long day but driving through beautiful country site and short stops in-between will reimburse us for that. In the evening we’ll arrive back in civilization in Windhoek and enjoy if you want a hearty meal in one of the many restaurants (own expense) and celebrate our last evening of the tour [BLD] |
| Day 10: | End of Tour. We enjoy our final breakfast together. You will be transferred to Windhoek Airport in time for your onward journey. [B] |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
One of the ways that this tour makes a difference is by visiting and supporting the AfriCat Foundation. This tour takes you there on Day 2. The AfriCat Foundation is a private nature reserve which is a non-profit organization. This organization promotes awareness about large carnivores and the environment. They also provide humane housing and treatment and care for orphaned and injured animals. AfriCat has rescued more than 850 cheetahs and leopards and over 85% have been released back into the wild. By visiting this foundation you are supporting their cause – this is something that we encourage. We also visit Etosha National Park. The funds that are part of the entrance fee (included in this tour) to this national park are used to preserve the area and the inhabitants. This protects about 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and even 1 fish species! The entrance fee for this National Park and others that we go to are all used to preserve and conserve the areas. But visiting areas like this you can help to keep the project ‘alive’. We stay at the Twyfelfontein Lodge which was built with care to reduce the visual impact on the environment and to blend into the mountainside with the use of thatch roofs, natural stone and paint colours toning in with the surrounding rock formations. The Twyfelfontein area, being a very vulnerable and delicate ecosystem, is renowned for some of the best examples of Bushman paintings and rock engravings in southern Africa and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the lodge is located in the heart of this conservancy. We always do out utmost to source accommodation that has been built and developed in such a way that it is unobtrusive to the surrounding area! Community Our Namibia lodge safari supports local guides, local conservation projects and more. We encourage our clients at all times to act in a responsible manner through our guides and the places that we visit. A place we visit is the Petrified Forest area to look at the Bushman’s art, fossils, and colourful concentrations of petrified wood and surrounding areas. The Petrified Forest is a National Park and a Science & Education Centre – which includes a non-profit museum. This centre promotes their time and effort to protecting the areas and educating people that visit this area. This means people can learn about their projects and support them. This tour is also a small group safari tour – meaning less intrusion along our travels to the surrounding areas and its inhabitants. Our guides are also local guides who know the area and are passionate about it. They are trained in such a way which ensures that they teach clients how to act in a responsible manner throughout the tour in an environmentally friendly way from recycling to treating the area’s with respect including water savings and animal & cultural sensitivity. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |