Itinerary

1. Day 1: Journey Through the Namib Desert to Sesriem

   • Your guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning, or alternative arrangements can be made for the safari departure point.
   • We will start our drive through the Khomas Hochland Mountains, along the breathtaking landscapes of the Namib Desert to Sessriem, surrounded by the highest dunes in the world.
   • Enjoy the tranquility of the desert and let this day fade out with a gin and tonic whilst watching the sun go down on the horizon.

   Driving time for the day : ± 4 hours.

2. Day 2: Sunrise at Sossusvlei and Exploration of Dead Vlei

   • In the early morning hours, we will enter the Namib Naukluft Park towards Sossusvlei.
   • We will experience the sunrise at the famous Dune 45 with a spectacular color changing effect in the sky.
   • Afterwards, the drive continues to the Sossusvlei. From here we will discover the Dead Vlei as well as the Sossusvlei, where you have the opportunity to climb the highest dunes in the world.
   • In the meantime, your guide prepares your well deserved breakfast picnic under a shady camelthorn tree.
   • After the meal, we will head back to Sessriem, where we will visit the Sesriem Canyon, probably the smallest canyon in the world.

   Return to the lodge in the afternoon.

3. Day 3: Scenic Drive Through the Namib Desert to Swakopmund

   • Start your day with a scenic drive through the breathtaking Namib Desert, passing canyons, mountains, and stunning landscapes.
   • Arrive in Swakopmund, Namibia’s top coastal holiday resort, known for its relaxing atmosphere and adventure activities.
   • Enjoy options like scenic flights, boat trips, dune boarding, and quad biking.

   Driving time: 4 to 5 hours with several sightseeing stops en route.

4. Day 4: Explore Swakopmund and Optional Adventure Activities

   • The rest of the day is free to explore the charming seaside town of Swakopmund.
   • Stroll through shops, visit the open-air curio market, or relax on the beach (though the Atlantic waters are chilly!). Discover the local museum or the Namibian National Marine Aquarium.
   • For the adventurous, optional activities include boat tours with oysters and champagne, scenic flights, quad biking, sandboarding, fishing, skydiving, and more.
   • Your guide will help arrange activities based on your interests (at your own risk and expense).

   Dinner today is not included in the cost of the safari and will be at the client's own expense.

5. Day 5: Skeleton Coast and Damaraland Adventure

   • We will leave the coastal environment and drive inland past a couple of shipwrecks.
   • Visit the Cape Cross Seal Reserve. This is a 60 sq. km reserve and has the largest seal colony in the world, with numbers up to 240,000 at any given time. It could be the second-largest city in Namibia if these animals were humans.
   • After this activity, we will go through the Skeleton Coast National Park. The Namibian Skeleton Coast National Park is renowned for its cold and unpredictable Benguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean that contends with the dune and desert landscape. This is a rarely visited park in Namibia with eye-catching landscapes that ranges from sweeping vistas of windswept smaller sand dunes to rugged canyons with walls of richly-coloured rocks and extensive mountain ranges. Wildlife here includes oryx, springbok, black-backed jackal, ostrich, brown hyaena, desert-adapted elephant, black rhino and lion. Our destination is Damaraland for this day.

6. Day 6: Discover Twyfelfontein and the Petrified Forest en Route to Etosha

   • This morning, we will visit the Bushman Rock Engravings around Twyfelfontein before making our way to Etosha National Park. This area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 and consists of over 40,000 rock engravings done by the San (Bushmen) people 2,000 years ago. It is a 45-minute walk conducted by local guides.
   • We will then proceed to the Petrified Forest. This is a geological formation that happened 280 million years ago. Huge trees were carried by a river and buried here. The sand was deposited around them, creating ideal conditions for the cells of the wood to be replaced by silica and thus became petrified. It is thought these trees are Dadoxylon arberi, the same tree responsible for coal fields in Europe. This is a half an hour's walk done by knowledgeable local guides.
   • We will proceed to Etosha, and we should be in time for an afternoon game drive.

7. Day 7: Full Day Safari in Etosha National Park

   • Do a morning and an afternoon game drive in the Etosha National Park. Etosha means “Great White Place” in the local Oshindonga language, referring to the 4,800 sq. km salt pan that covers 23% of the park’s surface area. The mammals include black and white rhinoceros, lion, leopard, cheetah, African elephant, plains and Hartmann’s mountain zebra, Southern giraffe subs angolensis, eland, gemsbok, African wild cat, and spotted and brown hyaena among other animals. It is quite unique in its own way as the concentration and diversity around waterholes in the dry season is magnificent, giving one a chance to see animal dramas unfolding as they take turns to quench their thirst.
   • We will be back at the lodge around midday and go back into the park in the late afternoon.
   • Enjoy a siesta or the swimming pool and the tranquility of the lodge. Etosha is a 22,270 sq. km park with 114 mammal species and over 350 bird species.

8. Day 8: Final Game Drive and Return to Windhoek

   • Depending on your outbound flight, we can either leave early in the morning to catch a flight in Windhoek for the late afternoon, or do a morning game drive in Etosha and overnight in Windhoek.

   This day marks the end of our trip.