14 DAY FAR-REACHING NAMIBIA OVERLAND

A classic, privately guided road trip on Namibia that reveals the most enthralling points of this distinctive desert country

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. On arrival you will be met by your guide and you will be transferred to the 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 : Fish River Canyon

After breakfast the tour departs Windhoek and travels in a southerly direction en route to the Fish River Canyon. Fish River rises in the centre of the country, before flowing south into the Orange River, on Namibia’s border with South Africa. In between, it has formed the great Fish River Canyon – the largest canyon in the southern hemisphere, and probably only second to Arizona’s Grand Canyon in terms of size. Approaching the Fish River Canyon from the north is like driving across Mars. We arrive arrive at our overnight accommodations around mid-afternoon. After check-in and sometime allowed for relaxation we travel to the nearby Fish River Canyon near Hobas.

The canyon is the second largest in the world and the largest in Africa. Surprisingly the canyon was not in fact carved out by water erosion of the Fish River. The beginnings of the canyon started about 500 million years ago when a fracture of the earth’s crust resulted in the collapse of the valley bottom forming a broad valley running north-south. Southward moving glaciers deepened it with more faults and erosion adding to the effect. It was only about 50 million years ago when the Fish River started to cut its way along the valley floor. The fault accounts for the gorge-like channel and the occurrence of the hot sulphurous springs found at Ai-Ais.

Overnight:  Canyon Lodge
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 3 : Aus / Luderitz

After a late breakfast, a brief stop – if necessary – is conducted once more at the Fish River Canyon, before journeying north to the national B4 road. Once we arrive at this paved road, we turn due west towards the Namib-Naukluft Park and the Sperregebiet. Our overnight lodge, nestled in the rocky Aus Mountains, is famed for its extensive and lovely vistas. After check-in we allow for some time relaxation in these dreamlike surroundings, visitors will enjoy a guided sunset drive into the desert near the lodge, where both the renowned desert wild horses and the distinctive desert ecology may be seen at close range. Later a delectable dinner is enjoyed at the lodge as you observe yet one more remarkable sunset over the Namib Desert.

Overnight:  Desert Horse Inn
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 4 : Aus / Luderitz

Kolmanskop, the ghost town that was abandoned when the diamonds ran out. Once a thriving diamond-mining town, Kolmanskop is now abandoned, fighting a constant battle against the sandstorms and Mother Nature in the Namibian desert. Founded in 1908 when a rail worker in the area discovered a diamond, Kolmanskop enjoyed nearly fifty years of history until the town was all but abandoned in 1954 when the diamond mines finally dried up. German miners settled in the area hoping to strike it rich. For nearly ten years the site produced plenty to rewards its founders. However, by the end of World War I the mine was starting to become exhausted. By the mid 1950’s – due to an exhausted mine, a larger discovery just South of Kolmanskop, and poor conditions in a remote location – the town was finally abandoned. Kolmanskop has since become a popular photography destination.

After enjoying a guided tour of Kolmanskop we head-off to nearby Luderitz on the coast where, after enjoying lunch, some time is spent exploring this small seaside village by vehicle. The tour then proceeds to your overnight accommodations in the late afternoon.

Overnight:  Desert Horse Inn
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 5-6 : Sossusvlei

From the tiny village of Aus the tour travels north. The Namib-Naukluft Park to the west provides stunning backdrops, with rocky outcrops, lovely desertscape scenery and wide-open plains. Several stops are made en route. As we approach Sossusvlei the famous red dunes of the Namib – the world’s oldest desert – become noticeable in the distance.

Sossusvlei literally translates to “dead-end marsh”, as it is the place where the dunes come together preventing the Tsauchab River to flow any further, some 60km east of the Atlantic Ocean.  However, due to the dry conditions in the Namib Desert the River seldom flows this far and the pan remains bone-dry most years.  During an exceptional rainy season the Tsauchab fills the pan, drawing visitors from all over the world to witness this spectacular site. Photographic enthusiasts are spoilt with a glassy “lake” holding reflections of the surrounding dunes.  The dunes in this area are some of the highest in the world, reaching almost 400 meters. When the pan fills it can hold water for as long as a year.

During your stay here, visitors will enjoy various guided expeditions into the desert in the adjoining area.

Overnight:  Desert Camp
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 7 : Swakopmund

After breakfast the tour heads-off to Sossusvlei and journeys westwards in the direction of the coast via the Kuiseb Pass. En route several stops are made where visitors will have the possibility to view the sweeping landscapes and a range of geographical rocks and formations so characteristic of this area of Namibia. Nearer to the seashore, the temperatures cool and the landscape develops into barren, flat and featureless. In the mid-afternoon we arrive at the village of Swakopmund, a retreat in an everlasting desert. Swakopmund was founded in 1892 and is a charming and scenic seaside town with an abundant and exciting history. We journey to our overnight accommodations where the rest of the day will be spent at leisure.

Overnight:  Swakopmund Hotel
Meals:  Breakfast

Day 8 : Swakopmund

Visitors are may to either explore the town or to book one or more of a range of activities on offer. Your guide will support with reservation of activities including local transport.

Overnight:  Swakopmund Hotel
Meals:  Breakfast

Day 9 : Skeleton Coast / Damaraland

After the final breakfast in Swakopmund, we voyage north towards the Skeleton Coast on the coastal ‘salt road’. 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:  Palmwag Lodge
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 10-11 : 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 12-13 : 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 Camp
Meals:  Breakfast & Dinner

Day 14 : 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 flight to Johannesburg, and this concludes your outstanding 14 Day Far-Reaching Namibia Overland safari.

Overnight:  None
Meals:  Breakfast