Namibia at its Best

Day 1: Waterberg Resort

On your arrival at the Windhoek International Airport, you will be met by your English Speaking Tour Guide.  You depart from here via Okahandja and the wood carvers market to the Waterberg Plateau Park.

Overnight accommodation at Waterberg Resort or similar on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.  Lunch for your own account.)

Waterberg Resort

Waterberg Plateau Park is a national park in central Namibia encompassing the Waterberg Plateau, 68 km east of the town of Otjiwarongo. The Waterberg Plateau is a particularly prominent feature, elevated high above the plains of the Kalahari of Eastern Namibia. The plateau and some 405 km² of surrounding land were declared a Nature Reserve in 1972.  The Waterberg Plateau Park is ecologically diverse and rich and has over 200 different species of bird and some rare species of small antelope on the lower hills of the mountain.

Day 2: Etosha National Park

After an early morning walk and breakfast you depart for the Etosha National Park.  As you enter the National park you will embark on your first game drive.  After check in and lunch you depart with your guide on a game drive in the National park.  PLEASE NOTE : All gamedrives in the Park are done with your NTC Tour Guide and NTC vehicle that you will use throughout your Tour.  NO gamedrives are in an open vehicle. 

Overnight accommodation at Okaukuejo Resort or similar on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.  (Lunch for your own account.)

Etosha National Park

Today’s Etosha National Park was proclaimed as Namibia’s first conservation area in 1907 by the then German government and is one of the largest game reserves in Africa.  Consisting of saline desert, savannah and woodlands, its definitive feature is the Etosha Pan, a vast shallow depression.

For the greater part of the year the pan is a bleak expanse of white, cracked mud which, on most days shimmers with mirages.  Seeing vast herds of game against this eerie backdrop, referred to in the local vernacular as the ‘great white place of dry water’, makes the Etosha game-viewing a unique experience.

Of the 114 mammal species found in the park, several are rare and endangered, such as black rhino, cheetah and black-faced impala.  Etosha’s current population of more than 700 black rhino represents one of the few growing populations of black rhino in the world.

About 340 bird species occur in Etosha, about one third being migratory.  For the greater part of the year (the dry season) Etosha’s animals and birds are dependent on about 30 springs and waterholes.  These provide excellent game viewing and photographic opportunities.  During the rainy season, especially the bird life at the main pan and Fischer’s Pan is worth viewing

Day 3: Etosha National Park

Today you depart on a game drive through to the western side of the park, where you overnight at the new resort, the Dolomite Resort.

Overnight accommodation at Dolomite Camp or similar on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.  (Lunch for your own account.)

Day 4: Opuwo

After an early breakfast you exit the Etosha National park through the Galton/Otjivasando Gate and continue north to the small town of Opuwo.  In the afternoon you will visit a Himba settlement in the area.

Overnight accommodation at Opuwo Country Lodge or similar on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.  (Lunch for your own account.)

The Himba

The Himba are a tribe of nomadic pastoralists who inhabit the Kaokoland area of Namibia. The Himba are actually descendants of a group of Herero herders who fled into the remote north-west after been displaced by the Nama. The Himba have clung to their traditions and the beautiful Himba women are noted for their intricate hairstyles which and traditional jewellery.

Day 5:  Twyfelfontein

After an early breakfast you depart south to the beautiful area of Damaraland.  A visit to the Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings, the Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes is included.

Overnight accommodation at Twyfelfontein Country Lodge or similar on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.  (Lunch for your own account.)

Damaraland is one of the most scenic areas in Namibia, a huge, untamed, ruggedly beautiful region that offers the traveller a more adventurous challenge. Here there are prehistoric water courses with open plains and grassland, massive granite koppies and deep gorges. Towards the west, the geography changes dramatically with endless sandy wastes, that incredibly are able to sustain small, but wide-ranging, populations of desert-adapted elephant, black rhino, giraffe, ostrich and springbok.

The name Damaraland is still commonly used in tourism circles, although the entire region has now been renamed; the southern section now lies in the Erongo region while the north forms part of the Kunene region

Day 6 & 7: Swakopmund

Today you depart with your guide via Cape Cross to Swakopmund.  A visit to the seal colony at Cape Cross is included.

On your second day in Swakopmund you will visit Walvis Bay and its Lagoon, rich in birdlife.

Overnight accommodation at The Royal Sea Star B&B or similar on a bed and breakfast basis.  ( Lunch and Dinner NOT included)

Swakopmund

Founded in 1892 during German colonial rule, it served as the territory’s main harbour for many years.  Today this quaint desert town, hedged by desert and sea, is enhanced by lush green lawns, palm trees and carefully tended public gardens.

Quaint architecture from a bygone era adds to the time-out-of-place atmosphere of Swakopmund.  Much of the distinct German colonial architecture has been preserved and today many of the town’s old buildings house shops, offices and other utility services.  The Swakopmund museum is small but comprehensive with displays ranging from natural history, mineralogy and botany to historical and ethnological dioramas.

The coast with is desert hinterland offers many options both for adventure and relaxation.

Day 8 & 9: Namib Desert

Today you depart by road to the Namib Desert.  The route will take you via the Welwitschia Plains.

On your second day you will visit Sossusvlei and the Sesriem Canyon.

Overnight accommodation at Desert Camp or similar on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.

Sossusvlei 

The sand dunes of Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert are often referred to as the highest dunes in the world. Various arguments are laid out to support this claim, but all miss the point, which is that Sossusvlei is surely one of the most spectacular sights in Namibia. Located in the Namib Naukluft Park, the largest conservation area in Africa, and fourth largest in the world – the sand dunes at Sossusvlei are just one excellent reason to visit Namibia.

The second attraction of the area is Sesriem Canyon, which is only a few kilometres from the campsite, the entrance gate, and main Nature Conservation office. The canyon derives its name from the fact that early Afrikaner trekkers had to use six (‘ses’) leather thongs (a thong is a ‘riem’) so that their buckets could reach the water far below. The canyon begins as an almost imperceptible but nevertheless deep cleft in level, stony ground, and then widens until it finally flattens out onto the plain. Because it is so deep and sheltered, it often holds water well into the dry season – an invigorating sight in such a barren and stark environment.

Day 10: Departure

Today marks the end of your visit to Namibia.  Your guide will transfer you to the Windhoek International Airport to meet your departure flight.  ( Flights need to depart after 14h00)

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