| D1: Windhoek |
| Meet and Greet |
| | - | Be met at Windhoek Airport by one of our experienced guides, who will explain your itinerary and give you valuable advice, as well as information to make your trip run smoothly and be utterly unforgettable. Our guide will answer any questions you may have, hand over all the travel documents that you may need such as maps and vouchers, and escort you to your designated transportation. |
| | - | Pick up your vehicle Europcar NA Classic Max Category R b:7-13 days at Windhoek - Drop Off Windhoek (Day 9) - 9 days  |
| | - | Overnight: River Crossing Lodge (Standard Room - Bed and Breakfast) |
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| D2: Windhoek - Namib-Naukluft |
| Spreetshoogte Pass(n) • Namib-Naukluft Introduction(n) |
| | - | Breakfast |
| | - | Travel to Solitaire |
| | - | Hold on as you ascend skywards in the Spreetshoogte Pass. This gravel road lies between the Khomas Highland and the Namib Desert and, at an elevation of nearly 1 800 metres, stands as the highest pass in Namibia. It was built almost entirely by hand and forms part of the district road D1275 between Rehoboth and Solitaire. Its sharp bends and steep gradients make it tricky to drive but those intrepid explorers who take up the challenge are rewarded with spectacular and unsurpassed aerial views of the dramatic landscape lying below. There is a viewpoint at the peak of the pass offering panoramic vistas of the Namib Desert, best enjoyed in the late afternoon when the sinking sun casts a shimmering glow over the desert terrain. The pass is only accessible by vehicles without trailers and trucks and caravans are forbidden to use it. (n) (n) |
| | - | Prepare to be mesmerised as you explore the enormous Namib-Naukluft National Park. The park covers an area of just under 50 000 km2, and is the largest nature conservation area in Namibia, and the fourth largest in the world. This is a vast, remote area encompassing dramatic landscapes, from an impressive mountain massif to desert plains and high dunes, to deep gorges and an estuarine lagoon. The Naukluft area is situated north-west of Maltahöhe on the road to the coastal town of Swakopmund at the edge of the Namib Desert. Amid the semi-desert landscape and mountainous escarpment, mountain zebra and other species of game can be found. Sesriem, the main entrance gate to the park, lies west of the Naukluft mountains, where the Tsauchab River disappears dramatically down a steep gorge at a huge, dried-up pan, called Sossusvlei. Here, the towering dunes, reaching up to 300 m high - among the tallest dunes in the world - extend as far as the eye can see, and their multi-coloured hues vary from pale apricot to vivid reds and oranges. Sandwich Harbour, 42 km south of the port of Walvis Bay, is a large, reed-lined marine lagoon home to many coastal and freshwater birds and only accessibly by 4x4 vehicles. (n) (n) |
| | - | Dinner: Sossusvlei Lodge |
| | - | Overnight: Sossusvlei Lodge (Standard Room - Dinner Bed and Breakfast) |
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| D3: Namib-Naukluft |
| Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei (Shuttle)(n) • Sesriem Canyon(n) |
| | - | Breakfast |
| | - | Travel by 4x4 shuttle to the incredible site of Sossusvlei. Meaning 'dead-end marsh', Sossusvlei is a salt pan surrounded by ancient dunes that are among the highest in the world, reaching up to 300-400 metres. Visitors from all around the world come to capture haunting images of the towering coral-hued dunes. Skeletal remnants of 550-year-old dead camelthorn trees rise from another dry lake, the Dead Vlei, in stark contrast against its surrounding sea of sand. While it may seem that this stark environment could not sustain life, many species of plants and animals have adapted to the harsh conditions, among them the gemsbok (oryx), which can survive without water for weeks. (n) (n) |
| | - | Stare into the abyss at the Sesriem Canyon located 4,5 km from the Sesriem gate to the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The 50 metre-deep gorge was formed by the Tsauchab River as a result of millions of years of erosion, and is one the few places in the Namib Desert that holds water all year round - there are water pools at the bottom of the canyon even in the dry season. Early Afrikaans explorers tied six (ses) leather ropes (riem) together to pull buckets of water from the canyon for their livestock. (n) (n) |
| | - | Dinner: Sossusvlei Lodge |
| | - | Overnight: Sossusvlei Lodge (Standard Room - Dinner Bed and Breakfast) |
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| D4: Namib-Naukluft - Swakopmund |
| Kuiseb Canyon(n) • Moon Landscape and Welwitschia Mirabilis(n) • Swakopmund Orientation(n) |
| | - | Breakfast |
| | - | Travel to Namib-Naukluft |
| | - | Capture hypnotic scenic images at the Kuiseb Canyon. The ephemeral Kuiseb River has carved an impressive nine kilometre long canyon which can be seen from the C14 road close to the town of Solitaire. This river is the dividing line between the endless rocky plains of the north and the sand dunes that end near the Orange River. After the rainy season in the summer, the Kuiseb River mostly dries up but some water remains at the canyon. Klipspringer, leopard, hyena, jackal and springbok can sometimes be spotted. (n) (n) |
| | - | Travel to Swakopmund |
| | - | Walk on the moon Namibian-style at the Namib Moon Landscape, a name given to a part of the valley of the Swakop River near Swakopmund. The lunar-type landscape, eroded by thousands of years of wind and rain, is awe-inspiring. The river that flows from time to time at the bottom of the valley brings a short-lived period of fertility to the region and the water allows some plants to survive in this hostile environment. Man tried to cultivate parts of this valley for agriculture at the beginning of the previous century, with little success due to the harshness of the environment. Discover the Welwitschia mirabilis, a botanical curiosity that is found almost exclusively in areas of fog of the Namib Desert. Some specimens are older than 1500 years. (n) (n) |
| | - | Soak up the salty sea breeze on an orientation tour of Swakopmund. A popular seaside resort providing visitors respite from the heat of the desert, the town is a quirky mix of German architecture, stemming from its origins as a harbour town for German South West Africa, and the African love for adrenalin. To this day, the town's main inhabitants and visitors are German-speaking, preserving European heritage at the edge of the Namib Desert. The harbour activities were moved to Walvis Bay in 1915 but tourism continues to thrive as visitors come to see the incongruous Baltic Sea architecture among palm tree-lined streets, and participate in the plethora of outdoor activities on offer. The most iconic remnant of the German colonial era in Swakopmund is the ornate Victorian Hohenzollern building, dominated by a figure of Atlas holding the world upon his shoulders. Other prominent examples of German architecture dating from the early 1900s include the Prinzessin Rupprecht Rezidenz (originally a military hospital and now a hotel), the Woermannhaus (1905), the youth hostel, the Lutheran Church on Post Street (1911), the court, the railway station which is also now a hotel (1901), the buildings on Sam Nujoma Avenue (previously Kaiser Wilhelm Strasse), the Arnold Shad Promenade, and the metal pier which was built in 1915, and recently rescued from dereliction. (n) (n) |
| | - | Overnight: Organic Square Guesthouse (Standard Room - Bed and Breakfast) |
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| D5: Swakopmund - Twyfelfontein |
| Cape Cross Seal Reserve(n) • Twyfelfontein World Heritage Site(n) |
| | - | Breakfast |
| | - | Travel to Cape Cross |
| | - | Watch as seals frolic on the shores of the Cape Cross Seal Reserve. Located approximately 60 km north of the coastal city of Henties Bay on the Skeleton Coast, this reserve holds the largest breeding colony of the Cape fur seals in the world. Cape Cross is also where Portuguese explorer Diego Câo erected a stone pillar and cross to establish his claim on the territory in 1486. The original cross was removed in 1893 and taken to Berlin after the German possession of the land, and a replica made of Namibian dolomite was erected in its place. The reserve is open daily from 10am to 7pm. (n) (n) |
| | - | Travel to Twyfelfontein |
| | - | Read the pictures that paint a thousand words at the site of Twyvelfontein in the heart of Damaraland. With over 2 500 rock engravings dating back 6 000 years to the hunter-gatherers of the Stone Age, as well as numerous Khoikhoi rock painting sites estimated to be 2 000 years old, Twyfelfontein has one of the largest concentrations of rock petroglyphs in Africa, and was declared Namibia's first World Heritage Site in 2007. The ancient engravings and paintings depict the lives of lost communities and the animals with whom they shared the landscape. Twyfelfontein is translated to 'doubtful spring' in Afrikaans, referring to the /Ui-//aes spring that that lies within the valley along the slopes of the sandstone plateau. (n) (n) |
| | - | Dinner: Twyfelfontein Country Lodge |
| | - | Overnight: Twyfelfontein Country Lodge (Standard Room - Dinner, Bed and Breakfast (FIT)) |
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| D6: Twyfelfontein - Etosha |
| Petrified Forest(n) • 4x4 Afternoon Game Drive(o) |
| | - | Breakfast |
| | - | Touch trees of stone with a visit to the Petrified Forest, a remarkable site of fossilised tree trunks dating back to the paleontological era. Geological research has revealed that these trees belong to the pine family, and were washed down the continent in a massive flood to their current site, buried beneath hundreds of metres of sediment. Over millions of years, the pressure caused the organic material to be replaced by silica and completely transformed the trees into stone. The effects of erosion have exposed these tree relics, including two trees measuring up to 45 metres. (n) (n) |
| | - | Travel to Etosha |
| | - | Late afternoon game drive in an open 4x4 with ranger in Etosha National Park. One of the best times to observe all the fauna of the park which meets at the water points. It is in this part of the park that we are most likely to encounter black rhinos, lions, as well as high concentrations of elephants. (Optional rates: D6:4x4 Game Drive PM) |
| | - | Overnight at the Rest Camp: Okaukuejo Rest Camp (Double Room (A) - Bed and Breakfast) |
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| D7: Etosha |
| Etosha Central Game Drive Full Day(n) |
| | - | Breakfast |
| | - | Sweep through the wilderness on a full day game drive in the Etosha National Park. Proclaimed a game reserve in 1907, Etosha spreads over 22 270km2 of saline desert, mopane forests and grassy scrublands. The park's most distinctive feature is the Etosha Pan, once a lake and now a massive white, salty depression that fills with pockets of pools after infrequent rains, attracting up to 1-million flamingos which use the pan as a breeding ground. The rain pools, along with approximately 30 waterholes and springs across the reserve, sustain an abundance of wildlife, including 340 bird and 114 mammal species, as well as some rarities like the Damara dik-dik, the black-faced impala and the Egyptian vulture. (n) (n) |
| | - | Overnight at the Rest Camp: Okaukuejo Rest Camp (Double Room (A) - Bed and Breakfast) |
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| D8: Etosha - Otjiwarongo |
| The cheetah Project (o) |
| | - | Breakfast |
| | - | Travel to Otjiwarongo |
| | - | The cheetah Project (Optional rates: D9:The Cheetah Project) |
| | - | Dinner: Okonjima Plains Camp |
| | - | Overnight: Okonjima Plains Camp (Classic (Standard Room) - Dinner Bed and Breakfast) |
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| D9: Otjiwarongo - Windhoek |
| Windhoek tour(n) |
| | - | Breakfast |
| | - | Travel to Windhoek |
| | - | Saunter the sidewalks on a city tour of Windhoek. The capital of Namibia lies at an altitude of 1 654 metres within the Khomashochland, a hilly plateau in the centre of the country. With its unique blend of European and African architecture, history and culture, the tranquil city has a slightly vintage feel. Its first inhabitants named the city as a "place of vapour, water or fire" due to the numerous hot water springs in the area. Following the arrival of the Germans in 1890 the city grew around a fortress, or the Alte Feste, and the Tintenpalast (Ink Palace), Namibia's parliament building. The Christuskirche, built in neo-Gothic / Art Nouveau style, rises above the city showcasing the German architectural influence of the time. (n) (n) |
