Upon your arrival at the airport you will find an African Footprints rep that will give you all the documents required for your trip and will assist you with the handover of your vehicle.
Today you will travel to the southern part of Namibia, the Kalahari Desert. Stretching around 360,000 square miles across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, the Kalahari Desert is not a desert in the strictest sense of the word. It receives too much rainfall - between 5 and 10 inches annually. Its vast sandy expanses where precipitations filter rapidly, leaving nothing on the surface, entitled it to the name of "thirstland" , as the first European settlers described it. The desert is part of the 970,000-square-mile Kalahari Basin, which includes the Okavango River Delta and other wetter areas. The basin encompasses virtually the whole Botswana and more than half of Namibia. The Kalahari sand dunes, some of which stretch west to the Namib Desert, compose the largest continuous expanse of sand on earth. Although the Sahara Desert is larger overall, sand dunes make up only about 15% of its area. Upon your arrival, you will go for a game drive and later on you will enjoy the traditional sundowner on a red Kalahari sand dune, a perfect way to watch the sun sinking away into the distant dunes.
Today you will reach the Namib desert. Its main attraction is Sossusvlei, a clay pan that was formed when the migrating Namib dunes stopped the flow of Tsauchab River. Surrounded by towering and majestic star-shaped and undulating dunes offering breathtaking views early in the morning. The pan can be dry even for a decade, but after big floods it can store water even for one entire year. Nearby you will find the Dead Vlei, with its soil made of pure clay and the petrified acacia trees pointing towards the sky. The Sesriem Canyon owes its name to its 30m deep canyons dug in the debris of theTsauchab river.
You will wake up at dawn to explore the tallest dunes in the world that at sunrise take on magic colors. In the afternoon, if you want to, you can join one of the several activities offered by the lodge.
You will wake up early in the morning, and driving by the popular Solitaire and Ghaub and Kuiseb passes, you will finally reach Swakopmund, the main holiday destination of Namibia, marked out by well-preserved colonial german buildings. Some other popular buildings are Woermann House, the old railway station, Alte Kaserne ( Old Fort ) and the old Justice court, now serving as the State House in Swakopmund. You can spend the rest of your day at your leisure.
Spend the day at leisure in Swakopmund and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of this coastal town, nestling between the desert and the Atlantic ocean. The promenades, palm trees and beautiful gardens remind of a European seaside resort. Magnificent buildings dating back to the turn of the century give the city its charm. Excursions like boat cruises from Walvis Bay, quad-biking in the nearby dunes or scenic flights can be booked in town. The Marine Aquarium, the interesting Swakopmund Museum, the open wood market and the Kristal Galerie are worth a visit. The Kristal Galerie houses the largest known crystal cluster in the world.
Today you will reach the famous Damaraland. Damaraland is one of the most scenic areas in Namibia, a huge, untamed, ruggedly beautiful region that offers a more adventurous challenge. Here there are prehistoric water courses with open plains and grasslands, massive granite koppies and deep gorges. Towards west, geography changes dramatically with endless sandy lands, that are incredibly able to sustain small, but wide-ranging, populations of desert-adapted elephants, black rhinos, giraffes, ostriches and springboks. These animals have adapted their lifestyles to survive the harshness of the sun- blistered, almost waterless desert spaces. Together, Damaraland and Kaokoland are known as the Kaokoveld. Activities include excursions to the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein. A morning's nature drive with the possibility of seeing the elusive desert-adapted elephant and rare black rhino is another favourite here. The more adventurous might prefer one of the walking trails which takes hikers to a small waterhole, and a viewpoint. Close by there are other significant attractions including the Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes, all within an easy driving distance.
Driving by Khorixas and Outjo you will reach the Anderson Gate of Etosha National Park where you will start your adventure in the world of animals.
You have the entire day for an extensive game viewing experience. The Etosha Nationa Park surrounds a parched salt desert know as the Etosha pan, and is home to 4 of the Big Five - elephant, lion, leopard and rhino. The park's waterholes support a diversity of mammals and birds, including species such as black-faced impala, cheetah, and Namibia's smallest antelope, the Damara dik-dik.
To begin the day, you will go for an Early Morning Game Drive. The day will start before the first light. The rangers have an intimate knowledge of the environment so they will take you into this magic world. You might even catch a glimpse of a spoor of a predator, left not long before , while the first rays of sun pierce the mountains in the distance. Furthermore, apart from the daily game drives that are aimed at providing knowledge of the unique fauna and flora of Erindi Private Game Reserve, interactive lectures are offered to interested guests. The “Global Leopard Project” presentation focuses on the leopard research project conducted at Erindi and the “Awesome Ecology of Erindi”. Other presentations give insight into the daily fieldwork that leads to the successful functioning of one of the most amazing conservation areas on earth.
You will go back to the Capital where,if you want to, you will have the opportunity to go shopping.
You will be transferred to the airport on time for your return flight.
