13 Day Splendid Namibia

Day 1 – Windhoek

Arrival at Windhoek International Airport no later than midday. You will be picked up by a driver and taken to the Casa Piccolo. After check-in you will have some time to freshen up before meeting your guide and leaving on a short city tour through Windhoek. There is plenty to see and explore such as the Christ Church and Tinten palast (House of Parliament). In the evening, you will go for dinner at Joe’s Beerhouse (own expense) before returning to the Guest House where you will spend the night.

Distance approx.: 50 km

Driving time approx.: 1 hour

Day 2 – Windhoek to Kalahari

After a quick safari briefing and after your luggage has been stored safely in the vehicle, you will leave Windhoek and travel southwards via Rehoboth in the direction of Mariental. The destination for the day is a Game Ranch, a farm situated in the imposing red sand dunes of the southern Kalahari. Enjoy the peace of the desert, relax and take in the endless views of the dunes. The next morning, we encourage you to join a Bushmen Walk where you will learn more about the flora and fauna found in the area (optional).

Distance approx.: 300 km

Driving time approx.: 4-5 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3 – Kalahari to Namib Desert

After a leisurely breakfast you head in the direction of Sesriem via Mariental and Maltahöhe. Sesriem is the gateway to see the shifting sand dunes of the Namib Desert at Sossusvlei. In the afternoon you will have time to relax in a elegant desert Lodge or to explore the property on foot. There is the option of booking a scenic drive. Dinner is a 3-course affair…

Distance approx.: 450 km

Driving time approx.: 5-6 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4 – Namib Desert to Rostock Ritz

At sunrise the gates of the Namib Naukluft Park open and you make your way into the Sossusvlei area. If you are early and fit enough you can even climb one of the dunes and enjoy the impressive view of the entire landscape. You will drive with the 4×4 vehicle to the Sossusvlei, which is a dry clay pan that only fills with water in years with a lot of rain. Thereafter you will continue to the Sesriem Canyon, formed by the Tsauchab River over millions of years. The destination of the day is relax at the lodge, enjoy the endless views across the Namib Desert or explore the walking trails of Rostock Ritz (optional).

Distance approx.: 250 km

Driving time approx.: 3-4 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5 – Rostock Ritz to Swakopmund

Today’s journey takes you to Swakopmund. This town is still home to many descendants of the late colonists and state officials of the German colonial era. Beautiful old German colonial buildings, cafés where you can enjoy not only the German hospitality, but also famous German cakes are found in the town centre. In the evening you will try one of the many restaurants Swakopmund has to offer (own expense) – do not miss the seafood! You will stay for two nights in a Guesthouse just five minutes’ walk from the Atlantic Ocean.

Distance approx.: 250 km

Driving time approx.: 3 hours

Meals: Breakfast

Day 6 – Swakopmund, Cape Cross, Swakopmund

After breakfast you have the morning free. Take a stroll through town, book a quad bike tour, a catamaran trip or a desert safari to follow the footsteps of the “Little Five” (all optional). In the afternoon you meet up with your guide and drive to the seal colony at Cape Cross. After a visit to the Diaz Cross you will drive back to Swakopmund where you will enjoy dinner at one of the restaurants (own expense).

Distance approx.: 250 km

Driving time approx.: 3 hours

Meals: Breakfast

Day 7 – Swakopmund to Erongo Mountains

Today you leave the Atlantic seaboard and travel inland. You will visit the 700 million years old Spitzkoppe; its granite dome-like peaks (1,730 metres) can be seen from a distance. From here you continue to the Erongo Mountains. Your destination is a Guestfarm. On a guided sundowner drive, you will enjoy the beautiful scenery and learn more about Namibia’s fauna and ecosystem. Enjoy a delicious dinner and spend the night at the guestfarm.

Distance approx.: 250 km

Driving time approx.: 3 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8 – Erongo Mountains to Grootberg

A long day is ahead of you, so getting an early start is needed. You travel past the Brandberg Mountain, Namibia’s highest mountain with a height of 2580 metres, to the Petrified Forest. Here you will stop to explore the 260 million year old fossilized tree trunks. Afterwards you visit the famous rock engravings and paintings of Twyfelfontein. You continue your journey to the Lodge which is situated at the top of a plateau and offers spectacular views over the Klip River Valley.

Distance approx.: 500 km

Driving time approx.: 6-7 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 9 – Grootberg, Elephant Tracking

After an early morning breakfast you will leave the lodge with a guide and tracker in search of the rare desert elephants, which are known to be slightly smaller in comparison to the elephants found in Etosha. During the hike you will enjoy the unique landscape of Damaraland and learn more about the local people and their living conditions. With a bit of luck, you might see desert-adapted elephant and even black rhinos. In the afternoon you will return to the Lodge where you will have dinner and spend another night.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 10 – Grootberg to Etosha National Park

Today’s journey takes you to the Etosha National Park, which was founded in 1907 and is one of the most famous national parks in Southern Africa. You will spend most of your time game viewing around the waterholes where elephants, rhinos, giraffes and different species of antelope come to drink. With a bit of luck you might even be able to spot lions and leopards. To experience nocturnal animals, join a night game drive with a park ranger (optional) or wait for animals that come to drink at the camp’s floodlit waterhole. Dinner will be for your account at the camp’s restaurant. You will overnight in a chalet.

Distance approx.: 350 km

Driving time approx.: 4-5 hours

Meals: Breakfast

Day 11 – Etosha National Park

After sunrise and a hearty breakfast you get ready for more game viewing. You drive along the vast salt pan that covers almost a quarter of the entire park and is Etosha’s most distinctive and dramatic feature. You will be able to spot herds of impalas, gnus, oryx and zebras that traverse the Etosha National Park. In the evening you exit the park at the Van Lindequist Gate and make your way to the Bush Camp where you will overnight in a permanent luxury tent with en-suite bathroom.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 12 – Etosha Area to Waterberg

After a leisurely breakfast you leave the camp and drive to Otjiwarongo. On your way you will pass the deep Lake Otjikoto, where German soldiers sank their weapons during the First World War. Close to Grootfontein you will see the Hoba meteorite, the largest known intact meteorite in the world. In the afternoon, you will arrive at the private nature reserve Waterberg Wilderness where you will spend the night. Take a walk along one of the well-marked trails and explore the surroundings, join a rhino drive (optional) or enjoy the breathtaking view over the endless bush savannah below.

Distance approx.: 400 km

Driving time approx.: 5-6 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 13 – Waterberg to Windhoek

Today’s journey takes you back to the starting point of your tour, Windhoek, where you will arrive between 2pm and 3pm. On the way there you can stop in Okahandja to buy some hand-carved souvenirs, baskets and jewellery at the big handcraft market. You will be dropped off at the airport or at a lodge of your choice in Windhoek.

Distance approx.: 300 km

Driving time approx.: 4 hours

Meals: Breakfast

Included:

• Transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle
• Professional, English-speaking guide
• 12 nights’ stay in lodges, rest camps and guesthouses
• Meals according to the itinerary
• Mineral water
• Activities as per itinerary
• All national park fees
• Flying Doctors insurance (AMREF) during the safari

Excluded:

• Flights (international and domestic)
• Meals not indicated in the itinerary
• Alcoholic and soft drinks
• Optional activities
• Tips
• Personal expenses
• Visa fees
• Travel insurance