Today you will arrive at Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek where you will receive your rental vehicle. You will proceed to drive to Windhoek, Namibia’s capital city, and check-in at your accommodation.
When driving in the city:
Keep doors locked at busy intersections.
Do not use your phone while the window is open.
Be sure to double check that your doors are locked when parking.
Do not leave the vehicle with valuables visible.
Drive cautiously when approaching taxis.
Today your trip takes you up north, your destination is nestled amongst the Omboroko Mountains, Okonjima Plains Camp. It is also home to the AfriCat Foundation, which is committed to researching and rehabilitating Namibia’s threatened predator population.
During you stay we would recommend the activities offered, you are welcome to enquire from staff on the available activities at the Camp and arrange accordingly.
Guests can take part in activities such as:
- Leopard activity, the leopard can be viewed frequently, (but not guaranteed), or radio-tracked from a game viewing vehicle.
- The game drive activity enables you to encounter the threatened and rare animals like the Ground Pangolin, the nocturnal hyena and the Cape Fox.
- The AfriCat foundation carnivore care and information centre offers a valuable insight into the welfare work of the AfriCat foundation.
- The “Off the beaten track” is a family friendly and interactive trail.
- Other self-guided walking trails of up to 8km and bird watching are also available for those who prefer to spend some time in the solitude of the Okonjima Wilderness.
Today you will head to the eastern side of the Etosha National Park and overnight at the Onguma Tented Camp.
Etosha is Namibia's flagship national park. The park’s main characteristic is a salt pan so large and can be seen from space. Yet there is abundant wildlife that congregates around the waterholes so we would recommend a self drive to one of the many, giving you almost guaranteed game sightings. At the same time Etosha National Park is one of the most accessible game reserves in Namibia and Southern Africa.
During the dry season, staking out a position at a waterhole viewpoint is a rewarding way to watch game without moving from one spot. A veritable 'Noah's Arc' of species queue up to take a drink, with elephants hogging the lion's share. Game such as zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, springbok, impala and eland abound in great numbers on the grasslands and congregate at waterholes in the dry season. Herds of fifty elephants are not unusual and often walk right down the middle of the road giving people in cars an incredibly close and thrilling encounter. Lions and hyenas must be searched for, but silver-backed jackals trot around almost oblivious to you. The desert dwelling oryx, upon which the mythical unicorn must surely be based, will certainly be seen here along with the impressive curly horned kudu. Etosha also contains endangered black rhino and unusual species like the black faced impala - a larger and darker subspecies found only in southwestern Angola and northwestern Namibia.
Etosha boasts a wonderfully diverse birdlife with every kind of feathered friend.
Etosha important information:
Once having entered the Park, entrance fees (not included in the paid-up reservations) must be paid at one of the camps before proceeding through the Park:
- N$ 150.00 per adult per day.
- Children 9 – 16 years: N$ 100.00 per child per day.
- Children younger than 8, free of charge.
- Vehicles with less than 10 seats, N$ 50.00 per vehicle per day.
- A deposit of NAD 500 per room has to be paid at reception.
- Gates at entry points and the resorts are open from sunrise to sunset. As the resorts must be reached before sunset, the necessary travelling times between resorts and/or gates must be considered.
- The distance between Halali and Namutoni or Okaukuejo is in both cases about 75 km.
- The speed limit in the Park is 50 km per hour.
- Day visitors have to leave the Park before sunset.
- The following are strictly prohibited: plastic bags, drones, pets, motorcycles, persons traveling on open vehicles or open loading bays, leaving indicated roads, leaving the vehicle, pellet guns, catapults or unsealed firearms and disturbance of game.
Today you get to explore the National Park more, as you travel south through the Park to reach your next destination located on the privately owned Ongava Game Reserve. Placed as it is close to the top of a hill in the foothills of the Ondundozonanandana range, the vantage point is beautiful and overlooks a well-frequented waterhole and the plains beyond.
Today we recommend you participate in the lodge activities on offer, take time to enjoy a self-drive game drive through the National Park or enjoy lounging at the swimming pool while taking in the scenic surroundings.
Today's drive will take you to Twyfelfontein located in a robust mountainous area. The Twyfelfontein valley is recognised as both a national monument aswell as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the galleries of rock engravings . The petroglyphs are are one of th emost extensive galleries in the world and are found on a number of smooth rock surfaces which most of them depict animals and their tracks. Scientists have estimated their ages to vary between 1000 and 10 000 years.
Another worthy pit stop to make is at the Organ Pipes located near Twyfelfontein. This fascinating geological formation is thought to be the result of the Gondwanaland breakup, fractures and cracks were formed as the dolomite columns cooled through the process of columnar jointing approximately 120 million years ago. Strikingly rich rusty colors are portrayed in long columns resembling those of a church organ, some rising up to 5m high.
The Burnt Mountain, a small inselberg, was also proclaimed a national monument on 15 September 1956. The reason for its name is best evident in the early mornings and late evenings when the rays of the sun seem to set the mountain ablaze. Rich red colors mixed with shades of black and purple are quite strikingly caused by Manganese coated clay molecules.
Near Khorixas lies the well-known Petrified Forest, a collection of fossil tree trunks declared a National Monument in the early 1950s. The fossil trees are between 240 and 300 million years old and were once driven as driftwood from westward flowing streams and deposited on sand banks. Today, the remains of at least 50 trees can be seen, which are so well preserved that they are often considered to be normal tree trunk.
If that's not enough, this area is home to desert elephants. These gentle giants have adapted to their dry, semi-desert environment by having a smaller body mass with proportionally longer legs and seemingly larger feet than other elephants. Their physical attributes allow them to cross miles of sand dunes to reach water. They have even been filmed sliding down a dune face to drink at a pool in a desert oasis. They survive by eating moisture-laden vegetation growing in ephemeral riverbeds and with their ability to go several days without drinking water they are able to travel long distances to reach a water source.
During a self-drive you can explore the area and visit the recommended sites and if you are lucky, you could spot a herd of elephants too.
Today you proceed to Swakopmund, a resort located between the Atlantic Ocean and Namib Dunes. Notice how the weather and vegetation changes, a true reflection of the diverse biodiversity Namibia has to offer.
During your stay you can spend your afternoons at leisure or you could choose amongst the various activities offered in and around Swakopmund, which can be booked through the NTT office. Activities ranging from quadbiking, kayaking, fatbiking to city tours, boat cruises and scenic flights, the options are countless.
Kindly drop your rental today or tomorrow.
Today a transfer company will drive you to the Swakopmund Airport, where a small aircraft will fly you to Sossusvlei.
Today’s flight will give you a front seat to an unforgettable aerial view of the Namibian coast; over Conception Bay, Sandwich Harbour, and its famous lagoon to Swakopmund. You will have the rare opportunity to witness the contrasting beauty of the ocean and the desert and see where they meet. An eagle's eye view of the majestic dunes surrounding Sossusvlei best described as a rolling carpet of unending sand, decorated with the unique biodiversity that the desert holds is truly a scenic memory to keep.
After breakfast, you will depart bright and early on a scenic drive to Sesriem Canyon, you will be treated to an adventure to explore all that Sossusvlei and Deadvlei have to offer in the great Namib Desert. This afternoon you have the opportunity to relax and enjoy sundowners at the bar with its deck pool, a great spot to jump in and cool off.
This is the end of your safari. Today, the Air Taxi will fly you back to the Hosea Kutako International Airport, where you will check in for your flight home.
