10 DAY NORTHERN NAMIBIA OVERLAND

The utmost admirable attractions in central and northern Namibia are discovered whilst led by well-informed and skilled tourAfrika guide

Day 1: Windhoek

Visitors are met by a tourAfrika representative at O R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, from where they will be assisted with check-in for a flight bound for Windhoek, the capital and largest city of Namibia. Visitors are met at Windhoek Airport for the commencement of the 10 Day Northern Namibia Overland Safari. Your guide will transfer you to your overnight accommodations in the city. The remainder of the day is spent at leisure in Namibia’s capital city.

Overnight:  Hotel Heinitzburg
Meals:  Dinner

Day 2: Swakopmund

After an early morning breakfast, your safari departs Windhoek and traverses in a westerly direction. Travelling initially north along the national B1 route to the village of Okahandja, we then turn west en route to the bleak Skeleton Coast. The landscape becomes increasingly arid as we journey on. About 140km from the coast we cross over the village of Usakos, or ‘grab the heel’, in the Damara language. In the Usakos vicinity an uncommon form of manganese phosphate, Purpurite, is extracted. This mineral’s prominent purple colour and reflective qualities are well-liked amongst jewellers who frequently use it to produce bracelets and earrings. As we approach the coast we enter the Namib-Naukluft National Park, with the barren ‘lunar landscape’ to your left. the Namib-Naukluft is the largest game park in Africa and the fourth largest in the world. The most well-known area of the park is Sossusvlei, which is the main visitor attraction in Namibia. A surprising collection of creatures survives in the hyper-arid region, including snakes, geckos, unusual insects, hyenas, gemsboks and jackals. More moisture comes in as a fog off the Atlantic Ocean than falls as rain, with the average 106 millimeters of rainfall per year concentrated in the months of February and April. In the mid-afternoon we reach the coast where the rest of the day is spent at leisure. Visitors may elect to do a some exploring on foot in Swakopmund.

Overnight:  Hansa Hotel
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 3: Swakopmund

Our initial stop is at ‘Bird Rock’, a guano island populated by over 200 000 birds. The island is one of the finest examples of man’s attempts to exploit the abundant natural resources in the region. The Namibian safari then heads-off to the lagoon at Walvis Bay and from there into the dune sea and south to Sandwich Harbour. The two areas have been defined as ‘wetlands of international importance’. As we journey into the dune sea, we experience the famed gigantic wind-sculptured dunes of the Namib Desert. Record numbers of flamingo, plover and tern between Walvis Bay Lagoon and Sandwich Harbour. Other favourites such as pelican, avocet, turnstone and a huge variety of waders can be seen, with numbers peaking at around 170 000 in November. Several endemic species, such as the Dune Lark and the Damara Tern, are also in the vicinity. Take a relaxed walk along the lagoon – an official marine sanctuary – and you may be fortunate enough to see seals, dolphins and even whales. The safari then heads off back to Swakopmund, arriving at the hotel in the late afternoon.

Overnight:  Hansa Hotel
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 4: Twyfelfontein / Damaraland

After breakfast, the safari transverse northwards, enfolding the shoreline of the Skeleton Coast. En route you will see lichen fields on the gravel plains, flamingos and pelicans on the salt pans, the weird coastal settlement of Wlotzkasbaken and Namibia’s most northerly coastal town of Henties Bay. After dropping in on the seal colony at Cape Cross (one of the biggest in the world), we proceed inland in the direction of Damaraland, with the backdrop shifting spectacularly as we move away from desert to jagged mountains and semi-arid thinly vegetated desert. At the Messum Crater (a massive impact crater of geological significance) you will see some of the best examples of Welwitschia to be found in Namibia. We reach at Camp Kipwe in the late afternoon – a secluded spot dispersed amongst the rocks near Twyfelfontein. After rehreshing up at the camp, we proceed on an expedition to the ancient sites of Twyfelfontein, Brandberg and Organ Pipes.

Overnight:  Camp Kipwe
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 5-6: Etosha National Park

After breakfast the excursion carries on eastwards across an progressively wooded environment and big sky country in the direction Etosha National Park, entering at Galton Gate.

Etosha National Park main characteristic is the salt pan so large it can be seen from space. There is abundant wildlife that congregates around the waterholes, giving you almost guaranteed game sightings. The Park offers a complete contrast of wide open grasslands, a massive pan that covers 4731 km² and large camel thorn trees mixed with Mopani trees. This diverse vegetation accounts for the abundance of wildlife that thrives in the park.  Birders will love the rainy season in Etosha. After good rains the salt pans fills with water attracting a cloud of flamingos. More than 340 bird species have been counted in the park. Among the migratory species, the European bee-eater is possibly the most popular sightings. The game reserve is also home to the world’s largest bird, the ostrich, and the heaviest flying bird, the kori bustard. The next two days are dedicated to safaris in the region surrounding Dolomite Camp.

Overnight:  Dolomite Camp
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 7-9: Etosha National Park

Your days are dedicated to game drives in the Okaukuejo and Namutoni regions of the park. Due to the probability of game concentrations, Etosha is not only one of the most prevalent parks in Southern Africa but also has an remarkably great proportion of predators to herbivores. This offers guest an brilliant chance of viewing thrilling altercations between lion and zebra, springbok, impala and wildebeest.

In the evening guests will have the chance to sit along the fence-line overlooking the lighted waterhole, from where many animals and most notably black rhino are regularly seen as they come down to the waterhole in the hours of darkness.

Overnight:  Okaukuejo & Namutoni Camps
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 10: Departure

After the final morning game drive in Etosha the tour proceeds via the park’s eastern boundary gate and head-off south to Windhoek. Upon arrival in Windhoek visitors will board a regional flight to Johannesburg, ending an unforgettable overland safari of northern Namibia’s highlights.

Overnight:  None
Meals:  Breakfast