Namibia

GETTING THERE

• Hosea Kutako is the International Airport in Windhoek, Air Namibia is the national carrier.
• Flights from Frankfurt, London, South Africa, Botswana and Victoria Falls fly into Windhoek International making an itinerary around Southern Africa possible.
• Eros Airport, just outside of Windhoek has daily flights to Sossusvlei, Swakopmund and Etosha.
• An excellent Charter Flight network connects airport/airstrip to the private luxury lodges in remote areas, providing a wonderful “Fly-In Safari” experience.
• Eros, Keetmanshoop, Oranjemund, Ondangwa, Oshakati, Grootfontenin, Mpacha, Runud, Walvis Bay and Luderitz airports are also available for immigration and customs.

(All Airline carriers, air flights & routings are subject to change).

OVERVIEW

Experience the soaring red sand dunes of Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert, the desolate coastline of the Skeleton Coast  with it’s swirling mists and shipwreck, ancient rock art, desert-adapted species and white sand dunes.  Witness the shimmering salt pans of Etosha National Park, which attracts thousands of flamingos to its salty waters after good rains and is Namibia’s premier wildlife destination. The scenery of Damaraland is captivatingly dramatic and home to desert adapted animals such as desert elephant, desert Rhino, oryx, kudu, springbok.  Be amazed by the Petrified Forest and rare plant life of the Welwitschia Mirabilis which can live over 1000 years and the awe-inspiring animal rock art of Twyfelfontein . Learn the local cultures of the Himba People, one of the last true nomads in Africa who live in the Kunene River region in the remote north. Marvel at the Fish River Canyon in the south with it’s impressive 100 mile long gorge, 2^nd largest canyon in the world (Grand Canyon being the largest). Savour the delightful German ambience of the charming coastal resort town of Swakopmund and the capital city, Windhoek.

Soussesvlei, Namib Desert
Situated in the Southern part of the Namib Desert in the Namib-Naukluft Park, the oldest desert in the world, Soussesvlei is a ‘must visit” area in Namibia. The red and orange coloured dunes are amongst the highest in the world, one of the highest is the famous “Big Daddy”, approximately 325 metres high. The unique white landscape of Dead Vlei Pan is surrounded by the highest red sand dunes in the world and dotted with 800-year old camelthorn trees and a unique ecosystem that has been forced to adapt in this barren land. What better way to capture the magnificence of this landscape other than gliding over it at day break in a hot air balloon, ending with a delicious champagne breakfast in the desert. Scenic flights and 4×4 drives are also available.

Highlights:

• Climb “Big Daddy” the second tallest sand dune in the world
• Take a walk around Dead Vlei Pan, sit for a moment and appreciate the beauty of it all
• Learn about this unique ecosystem that has been forced to adapt in this barren land
• Excellent photographic opportunities at sunrise and sunset
• Hot air ballooning and champagne breakfast is an experience you won’t forget

Namib Desert
The Namib Desert has often been hailed as the oldest desert in the world. It’s ecosystem consists of contrasting landscapes such as dunes, coast, rivers and plains all supporting a superbly diverse ecosystem. Early stone age people have left behind well-preserved rock paintings, tools and pottery. It stretches 2000km from the Oliphant’s River in South Africa to the Carunjamba River in Angola, encompassing Namibia’s entire coastline in between.

Highlights

• One of the oldest deserts in the world
• Stunning landscapes, rare species of desert-adapted flora and fauna
• Activities from hiking the dunes, sand boarding, quad-biking through to peaceful hot air ballooning.

Skeleton Coast
The Skeleton Coast is a remote and desolate area and one that offers many wonders. The great sweeping vistas of desert, ocean and sky are breathtakingly beautiful. Situated within the Skeleton Coast National Park, it extends and protects over 16,400kms, 500km of which is shoreline. These treacherous Atlantic shores are notorious for many shipwrecks and stories of unfortunate sailors having to navigate their way over shifting sandbanks and thick fog to safe land.

Along the fertile Atlantic coastline, the oceans are seasonal playgrounds for whales, seals and sea lions. A colony of up to 100 000 Cape fur seals can be seen at Cape Cross, in the National West Coast Recreational Park just south of the Skeleton Coast National Park. The breeding season is November – December when as many as 200 000 seals can be seen on the shore. Some of them lose their lives to the brown hyena and black-backed jackal who hang around waiting for any opportunity to strike.

Further inland, the riverbeds and patches of woodlands play host to hardy antelope species such as gemsbok, kudu, springbok, giraffe. It is an unbelievable sight to see this area come to life especially after the rains. The extraordinary desert-adapted elephants can be seen in this area.

There are only a couple of exclusive lodges in this vast wonderland, providing an extremely safe and comfortable base from which to experience this extraordinary destination. A Skeleton Coast safari usually means flying into the area and exploring the coastline and its hinterland by 4 x 4 or on foot.  A light aircraft flight into the coastal area to see the shipwreck and seal colony is also an option (weather permitting)

Highlights

• Remote and desolate and one that offers many wonders
• Fascinating marine life, Seal Colony at Cape Cross
• Rare and endemic desert-adapted wildlife who make this park their home
• Coastal shipwrecks and rock art
• White sand dunes contrasting with the blue from the Atlantic Ocean
• Limited exclusive accommodation making this a truly unique and adventurous destination

Etosha National Park
Etosha National Park is one of the largest national parks in the world and one of Africa’s greatest wildlife reserves.  It is recorded to have over 114 mammal and 340 bird species, this wildlife haven with it’s game packed waterholes and good roads, is a favourite amongst game lovers.

The Etosha pan was an ancient inland sea that dried up over millions of years leaving a pancake flat Etosha Pan. The summer rains bring a layer of algae across the pan’s surface which entices flocks of flamingos and countless other birdlife. The Park is an area of open, grassy woodland and thick scrub, studded with waterholes which provides food for herds of plains game, zebra, wilderbeest, springbok, roan antelope gemsbok, black-faced Impala, Black Rhino, Tsessebe, elephant lion, leopard, cheetah.  Birdlife is in abundance with up to 340 species. Game viewing is good all year round, but is best in the May to October dry season as animals are concentrated around water sources.

Upmarket lodges are set on private reserves on the Western and Eastern side, just outside the park border.  These lodges offer a far more exclusive and intimate Etosha safari experience,  affording guests the experience to enjoy guided walks and night drives, activities not permitted in Etosha National Park. Many visitors chose to spend a couple of days in each area to maximise their game viewing experience.

Highlights

• Phenomenal game viewing
• Varied landscape with waterholes attracting wildlife and offering exceptional game viewing and photographic opportunities
• Opportunity to see endangered wildlife like Black Rhino and the Black-faced Impala
• 4 of the Big 5, no buffalo
• Easily accessible by road and air.

Damaraland
Damaraland occupies an area between the Skeleton Coast in the west and Etosha National Park in the East, it is largely uninhabited. The mountainous scenery is breathtakingly beautiful with wide open blue skies that go on forever lightening up the night skies in a heavenly array of stars.

Highlights of the Southern, drier region include, The Petrified forest near the town of Khorixas offering visitors a chance to get close to large tree trunks that have ‘turned to stone over time’. Hiking up the Brandberg Mountain to view the famous “White Lady” Bushman painting; Doros Crater, the Organ Pipes and expeditions to view the geological wonders of Spitzkoppe and Vingerklip

Visiting the rocky outcrop of Twyfelfontein with its famous Stone Age and later Khoikhoi hunter-gatherers rock art, known informally as “the greatest outdoor art gallery in the world”, a World Heritage Site and home to approximately 5000 carvings, paintings and engravings depicting animal and human images.

A Damaraland safari is perhaps the best opportunity to spot the famous desert-adapted elephant, the rare mountain zebra, the highly endangered black rhino and even lion. Wildlife found in Damaraland is perfectly at home in this exceptionally dry environment where little or no permanent water sources are found roaming vast distances in search of water and food. Tracking wild rhino is an exciting experience.

Private concession areas offer superb safari accommodation with expert and passionate local guides who will introduce this remarkable region to you on day and night game drives, nature walks, game tracking expeditions and stargazing evenings.

Highlights

• Unique opportunity to see the desert-adapted species such as the desert elephant and desert rhino
• Rhino and Elephant tracking available from some of the lodges in the area
• Ancient San rock paintings and rock engravings are plentiful throughout the area
• Brandberg, Spitzkoppe and Vingerklip are all interesting geological sites

Waterberg Plateau National Park
The Waterberg Plateau National Park rises up out of the surrounding Namibian savannah, creating a flourishing sanctuary for fauna and flora in the area. The table of the plateau is largely inaccessible, its natural fortifications providing the perfect environment for a successful reintroduction programme of endangered species to protect them from illegal hunters.  This has been extremely successful and poaching has since been eliminated. The park is home to Black and White Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Roan antelope, leopard, cheetah, numerous birds of prey and the country’s only breeding colony of Cape vultures.

Visitors can enjoy this special part of Namibia by staying at any of the privately owned lodges nearby or at the rest camp within the park’s borders where hiking trails can be conducted. It is about a 3 hour drive out of Windhoek

Highlights

• Home to some endangered species such as Black and White Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Roan antelope, leopard, cheetah, numerous birds of prey and the country’s only breeding colony of Cape vultures.
• Nature lovers paradise with a variety of hiking trails, guided or un-guided throughout the park
• Diversity of habitats supports a variety of mammals, fauna and bird life
• An excellent stop over between Windhoek and Etosha National Park (300kms from Windhoek)

Swakopmund
Swakopmund a quaint seaside town with sandy beaches on the west coast of Namibia, a 4 hour drive from Windhoek.

Take a stroll around the town and admire the quaint old-world German architecture,  historical buildings, museums and streets lined with palm trees.  Savour a delicious meal along the seafront promenade.  Fresh seafood, game and traditional German cuisine are the specialities, not to mention the German Beer.

It is known as “the adventure capital” of Namibia offering; sky-diving, quad-biking, sand-boarding, angling off the shore and more.  Enjoy a catamaran cruises promising a chance to get close to the marine and birdlife in the area

Highlights

• Namibia’s prime seaside destination
• “Adventure Capital” of Namibia, with a large number of activities and excursions on offer
• A quaint town to spend a night or two if touring by car

Fish River Canyon
The Fish River Canyon is the 2nd largest canyon in the world (The Grand Canyon being the largest).  An arid expansive riverbed in the dry season turns into a rushing rainy-season torrent. It is a mecca for self-drive enthusiasts, adventure seekers and nature lovers worldwide. One of southern Africa’s most popular hiking trails is in the canyon and is often completed over a period of 4-5 days.

A variety of wildlife can be found in the canyon from the Goliath heron and Nama padloper tortoise to the leopard, bat-eared fox and mountain zebra.

Highlights

• Second largest natural canyon in the world
• One of southern Africa’s most popular hiking trails
• Popular with hikers, photographers and nature lovers
• Diverse habitats supporting a variety of mammals, reptiles, insects, fish and bird life