NAM01 - 11 Day Faces of Namibia Tour & Safari

This Namibia tour starts with a few days game viewing in the Etosha National Park before visiting the different tribes of Namibia. You also travel through Kaokoland and Damaraland before some time to relax in Swakopmund.

           
Visit the different tribes of Namibia on this tour.

The Route
Windhoek - Etosha National Park - Ovamboland - Kaokoland - Damaraland - Swakopmund - Sossusvlei - Windhoek

Departures
Tours depart on a Monday. Scheduled departure dates can be found below.

Guests
Minimum 2 - Maximum 16

Day 1 of the tour
Starting in Windhoek we travel north to the Etosha National Park for an afternoon game drive. It boasts over 110 different animal species and is home to over 300 different bird species. The perennial springs along the edges of the Etosha Pan, a large, centralised saline depression with the size of the Netherlands, draw large concentrations of wildlife and birds during the dry seasons of the year. Shortly before sunset we travel out of the park to our lodge, situated within close vicinity of the entrance gate.

Approximate Distance:     440 km travel
Activities:                          Game Viewing in the Etosha National Park

Overnight:     Etosha Safari Camp - Etosha National Park (Bed & Breakfast)

Days 2-3 of the tour
The following two days are devoted purely to the game viewing of the abundant wildlife found in the park. With a size of over 22000 square kilometres, it is world renowned for its spectacular wildlife: elephant, black and white rhino, lions, leopards, cheetahs, large herds of springbok, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and a multitude of other fascinating species. Each waterhole experience is different and promises us amazing photographic opportunities and wildlife experiences. On the following day we cross the park from west to east on a full day game drive.

Approximate Distance:     300 km travel each day
Activities:                          Game Viewing in the Etosha National Park

Day 2: Overnight:     Etosha Safari Camp - Etosha National Park (Bed & Breakfast)
Day 3: Overnight:     Kempinski Mokuti Lodge - Etosha National Park (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 4 of the tour
Today we travel via the park into the "Region of the four O's", home to eight Oshiwambo groups that represent the largest tribe found in Namibia. We will visit a local homestead of the Oshiwambo tribe. Highlights include a traditional "Kraal" inhabited by local residents, where we learn about the Oshiwambo's local life, culture and customs. In the afternoon we arrive at our lodge where the rest of the day is spent at leisure.

Approximate Distance:     250 km travel
Activities:                          Visit Nakambale traditional village/ participate in village activities  

Overnight:     Ondangwa LOdge - Ovamboland (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 5 of the tour
Traversing Ovamboland with its expanding pans and majestic palm trees, we arrive at our lodge in Opuwo, set high on a hill that allows us a magnificent view over the untouched landscape of Kaokoland. In the afternoon we visit a traditional Ovahimba village: here we experience one of the last surviving human communities that have lived according to their ancestral culture for hundreds of years.

Approximate Distance:     460 km travel
Activities:                          View traditional Himba Village in the afternoon  

Overnight:     Opuwo Country Lodge - Kaokoland (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 6 of the tour
After breakfast we travel further south into Damaraland, a sparsely  populated part of Namibia that is also the home of the unique desert elephant and free roaming rhino population. En route to our lodge we visit the age-old petrified forest, where we can also marvel at the oldest desert plant on the earth, the Welwitchia Mirabilis. The last stretch of our day's tour takes us through eroded dry riverbeds and rocky plains to our lodge, situated along a dry riverbed in close proximity to Twyfelfontein and fantastic geological phenomena.

Approximate Distance:     350 km travel
Activities:                          Visit Petrified Forest and Welwitchia Mirabilis  

Overnight:     Twyfelfontein Lodge - Damaraland (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 7 of the tour
We start the morning with a visit to Twyfelfontein, Namibia's only World Heritage site where bushman communities engraved and painted over 2500 pictures some 6000 years ago! We also visit the Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes - all geological phenomena depicting the creation and evolution of some of the oldest landmasses on earth. After a visit to a traditional "living museum" of the Damara people, we travel back to our lodge. In the afternoon we have the option of searching for the desert elephant on a guided nature drive.

Approximate Distance:     40 km travel
Activities:                          Visit Twyfelfontein, Burnt Mountain, Organ Pipes, Damara Traditional Village
                                         Optional elephant tracking in the afternoon 

Overnight:     Twyfelfontein Lodge - Damaraland (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 8 of the tour
We travel via majestic Mountain ranges and the Brandberg, Namibia's highest mountain (2579m), to the Atlantic Ocean. Travelling along huge lichen fields, we reach Swakopmund in the early afternoon: here we spend the rest of the day at leisure, and can take part in a spectrum of activities that are offered in and around this idyllic coastal town. In the evening we can visit one of the excellent restaurants that Swakopmund has to offer (dinner not included). 

Approximate Distance:     340 km travel
Activities:                          Leisure time in Swakopmund, optional activities on offer

Overnight:     Schweitzerhaus Hotel - Swakopmund (Bed & Breakfast)



Day 9 of the tour
This morning is spent at leisure in Swakopmund. In the early afternoon we travel via two geologically amazing canyons and via endless desert plains into the vicinity of Sossusvlei. En route we stand the chance to see some of the specially adapted desert animals that survive by the moisture of the early morning fog reaching inland from the Atlantic Ocean. At the Solitaire general trader, we can enjoy true Namibian home baked apple pie that is reputedly the best in Africa! We have the rest of the afternoon at leisure and can relax the hottest part of the day along the sparkling pool. An exciting activity is a short walk through the desert on the back of a camel!

Approximate Distance:     280 km travel
Activities:                          Morning at leisure to book optional activities in Swakopmund

Overnight:     Solitaire Country Lodge - Sossusvlei (Bed & Breakfast)



Day 10 of the tour
This day calls for an early rise, as we will forever remember the picture of a sunrise over the mighty dunes of the Namib Desert. Gaze at the bright splash of sun-baked sand combined with the mighty play of shadows cast onto the layside of the dunes. From Sossusvlei we visit Dead Vlei, a surreal white clay pan surrounded by monumental dunes and dotted with age-old camelthorn trees. Before travelling back to our lodge, we visit Sesriem Canyon, a 30-meter deep gauge incised into the desert floor by the Tsauchab River, the same river that suddenly ends at Sossusvlei.

Approximate Distance:     290 km travel
Activities:                          Sossusvlei, Dead Vlei and Sesriem Canyon excursion, camel rides in the afternoon

Overnight:     Solitaire Country Lodge - Sossusvlei (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 11 of the tour
After a relaxed breakfast we travel back to Windhoek where you are dropped off at the accommodation of your choice, or are transferred to Windhoek Airport for your outbound flight. Tour ends.

Approximate Distance:     280 km travel

*** Outbound flights from Windhoek to be arranged after 19:00.

Please Note
This tour is operated as a Scheduled Tour. Departure dates can be found below. We can also run this tour for the Private traveller with only their group and departing on any dates to suit their needs. (6 Pax or more required).

Scheduled Departure Dates 2011/2012