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Day-by-Day Itinerary
Enjoy A Great
Diversity
of Experiences on this
"I have seen many other Namibian Safari itineraries
(and traveled
with two), offered by well-known, up-market tour providers, and I think
yours is outstanding in the many varied experiences it offers."
"All
of a sudden you turn a corner or come up over a hill and you are in a
different world. This is
what our reaction was at Sossusvlei: mountains
in the background and desert in the foreground when all of a sudden we
saw HUGE sand dunes, mirages, dry riverbeds and (oh yeah) a bus stuck in
the sand. Kent and I climbed up
one of the dunes at Sossusvlei itself (there were a couple of rest
stops on the way up). After taking in the view and recording same
for posterity, we ran down the front of the
dune."
Important Notice:
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT US AT: This Fly-In Safari in Namibia Runs for 7 Days, with 2 Preliminary Days for International Air Travel. Day 1. Friday: Depart on your African eco-safari adventure. Travel from the US to Namibia requires an overnight flight and then an overnight stay in South Africa before connecting to your morning flight to Namibia. Day 2. Saturday: Arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa, and rejuvenate yourself overnight at the International Airport Holiday Inn Hotel. The Holiday Inn is on the airport grounds, a 3-minute courtesy van ride away from the terminal. The hotel stay with dinner at the Holiday Inn and breakfast the next morning are included in the safari price, but the cost of international air travel is not.Day 3. Sunday: After spending a relaxing evening in Johannesburg, board an early morning flight to Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, where you will be met by your tour guide and pilot. Fly from Windhoek to your first adventurous destination, the stunning Namib Desert setting of the luxurious Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge. The Lodge is located in the Namib-Rand Nature Reserve, Africa's largest privately-owned conservation area. The Reserve is covered by wind-sculpted dunes, sand with a high iron-oxide content imparting a lovely reddish hue, and 700-million year-old mountains. From dawn to dusk, it's an ever-changing landscape of light and shadows with vast, multi-hued vistas. The Reserve's totally private dunes, mountains, and pristine desert spaces are enjoyed by a maximum of 20 guests at the Lodge each day. This is a place where people may experience a state of spiritual solitude that others spend a lifetime trying to find. The southern night skies are awesome and the Lodge has a telescope second only to Namibia's National Observatory in size. Day and night, the Namib Desert is a treasury of unworldly scenic wonders that can never be forgotten.Day 4. Monday: Visit Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the site of the world's highest dunes, where many dunes surround a seasonally-dry pond in windswept splendor. You may choose to climb all the way or partly up one of the Sossusvlei dunes, where you will be rewarded by a fabulous view of the corrugated dunes and desert sands rolling into the mirage-laden distance. In the afternoon, you will fly to the superb Damaraland Camp. This Camp recently won second prize in the British Travel Writers Silver Otter awards for best eco-tourism project in the world, and was designated the best in Africa. The Damaraland Camp is operated by a partnership between the Wilderness Safaris Company of South Africa and a Damara tribe conservancy group.
Early morning mists
generated by the clash between the icy Atlantic Ocean currents and warm
desert air of the Skeleton Coast drift inland along the Huab River sand
canyon, providing moisture to flora and fauna of the arid Damaraland
Region. Wildlife in the area includes
desert-adapted elephants, black rhinos, oryx (gemsbok), kudu, and
springbok, while lion and cheetah occasionally visit the area.
Day 6. Wednesday: You fly east over game-filled Etosha Park to the luxurious Ongava Camp, located just below the entrance to the government-run Okaukuejo Camp in central Etosha. Ongava Camp is operated by the Wilderness Safaris Company and combines a rustic thatched appearance with every modern luxurious convenience. The facilities, staff, and cuisine at Ongava Camp are outstanding. Many of the best wildlife photos in our Namibian PHOTO GALLERY were taken on game drives in the central region of Etosha Park. Be sure to pause at the edge of the vast Etosha Pan, where you can hear the winds blow over the seemingly limitless parched, salt-white, flat-as-a-pancake earth. It seems impossible that any life could survive here, and yet the wildlife is teeming during Etosha's dry season. Day 7. Thursday: After a morning game drive in Etosha, you will fly over the wildlife to the eastern boundary of Etosha Park and will stay at the small but comfortable Mushara Lodge. The Mushara staff will take you for afternoon and morning game drives in the eastern areas of Etosha Park, which have perhaps the highest density of animals in Namibia. You have a chance to see all of the major predator species, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas, as well as elephants, giraffes, zebras, and many diverse antelope species.
Day 8. Friday: After the morning game drive, you'll leave Etosha Park and fly south to Okonjima, an exceptional luxury resort and predator rehabilitation center. Close-up sightings of resident cheetahs and lions will provide you with excellent photo opportunities, and there's also a good chance to see leopards. Day 9. Saturday: After the morning activities at Okonjima, including game drives or walks in their cheetah enclosure, you will be driven to the Windhoek airport to catch your return flights to South Africa and your next destination. On the way to the airport, you will be able to shop for Namibian jewelry, gemstones, and handicrafts at great prices. |
Highlights . . . . . .
Ø Journey across the exquisite Damaraland region and
look for rare desert elephants and black rhinos
The Tour Guides
The pilot
of your aircraft will serve as your guide to Namibian scenery and
diverse attractions. Each resort Camp or Lodge you visit will supply their
own guides and vehicles for game or scenic drives in their areas. Epupa Camp will also provide a guide and interpreter for your visits to
Himba tribal encampments.
"Namibia is unspoiled, not "touristy."
On this tour, I felt guided versus regimented. The guides made us feel
like a family."
We spend three days in world-famous Etosha National Park, Africa's largest wildlife park with an amazing abundance and diversity of animals. The wildlife here are used to 4x4 vehicles and this acclimation enables our guests to take many close-up photographs. Each Lodge or Camp on our itinerary provides the vehicles and guides.
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