You arrive at Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako Airport where you will be met by our car hire representative and driven the short distance to the depot where you will be given a comprehensive introduction to your 4x4 vehicle. You will be covered automatically for standard insurance, further insurance options to cover your excess are available upon request.
Your overnight accommodation is at the Trans Kalahari Inn which is on the road out of the city en route to Botswana. The Inn has lovely thatched rooms, a sun terrace which is perfect for your first sundowner and a very good restaurant.
Vehicle hire in Namibia - your vehicle is key to your enjoyment of your self drive adventure. The Namibian and Botswanan roads are generally very good but 90% of them are gravel and some are quite corrugated with loose surfaces so care must be taken at all times.
This is why we always recommend a suitable vehicle. You need good ground clearance and chunky tyres to ride the bumps and then you can enjoy your adventure without worrying about the roads. Our vehicles have long range fuel tanks, 2 spare tyres and a compressor just in case.
After breakfast, try and set off early this morning and head off on the Trans Kalahari Highway towards to Botswana Border.
Just after you cross the border you will overnight at the small town of Ghanzi at the Kalahari Arms Hotel.
This simple clean hotel has a lovely swimming pool area and a popular restaurant for local people and tourists alike.
Ghanzi District is located in the Western Region of the country and is one of the best cattle ranging areas in the world, renowned for the high quality, free roaming beef it produces.
The Ghanzi community is a conglomeration of ethnic groups – the San and Bakgalagadi (the original inhabitants), the Herero, the Batawana, and the Afrikaaners who first settled in the area in the late 1800s.
You continue your journey along the Trans Kalahari Highway today towards the safari capital of Botswana - Maun.
Your overnight stop is at Riley's Maun in the centre of town and the hotel has an in-house restaurant and bar so you can relax here in readiness for your safari the following day
Maun is the perfect place to shop for supplies and you should fill up with fuel before you set off on your Botswana Safari so you can make an early morning start when you set off for Namibia.
You can leave your vehicle in the hotel car park ready for your return.
You will be transferred to Maun Airport around lunchtime in good time for your stunning light aircraft scenic flight over the Okavango Delta and Chief’s Island. This flight gives you a fish eagle’s eye view of this amazing ecosystem. When you land at your remote bush airstrip within the Moremi Game Reserve your guide will be waiting to transfer you to your mobile camp - with a game drive en route, ( we will provide you with a snack pack upon arrival. ) The friendly, attentive staff will help you feel immediately at home and brief you on what to look forward to on your safari.
Okavango Delta & Moremi Game Reserve - The Okavango is a unique ecosystem, a river delta located in the middle of the world’s largest stretch of continuous sand – the Kalahari basin. An oasis in an otherwise arid and inhospitable landscape, the Okavango Delta supports an incredible diversity of mammal and birdlife. Where land and water meet, a mosaic of pans, grasslands, forests and lagoons provides an extremely varied range of habitats which is home to one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of wildlife. The Okavango is one of the natural wonders of the world, a stillpristine yet fragile ecosystem that richly rewards exploration.
The day starts with the rising of the sun. Your wake-up call will be between 5am and 6am – a gentle “koko” (knock knock in Setswana) at the entrance of your tent. One of the team will be on hand to fill your wash-hand basin with steaming hot water and freshly made tea and coffee will be served around the campfire. A light breakfast will be served before the early morning game drive which consists of tea, plunger coffee, juice, rusks, fruit, cereal, toast and jams. The best time of day to enjoy game viewing is in the early morning and late afternoon as most animals retreat to the shade to rest during the heat of the day. Having spent the morning exploring the surrounding wilderness in search of Botswana’s hidden treasures.
The Moremi Game Reserve lies in the eastern corner of the Okavango Delta. One of the most beautiful and diverse of all the great game reserves of Africa, it protects both huge concentrations of wildlife and incredible scenery. The reserve consists of both seasonally-inundated areas such as Xakanaxa, and drier areas such as Khwai. On this safari, we will set out to reveal some of the secrets of this dynamic ecosystem.
We carry on north today to the beautiful area of Khwai which is sandwiched between Savuti in the north and Moremi in the south. The Khwai River forms a boundary between the reserve and the community area. We will spend the next three nights at a campsite in the community area, exploring the Khwai floodplains on game drives both during the day and at night.
The Khwai area is excellent for both wild dog and leopard although, to be honest, it is excellent for all wildlife species.
The Khwai River is a deep channel that is home to many hippo pods and elephants come here in large numbers to drink and bathe.
In the Khwai reserve you have the opportunity to explore after dark with spotlights which offers you an opportunity to experience some of the nocturnal animals that are rarely encountered during the day and it is dusk when the carnivores are most active. Sightings include porcupines, leopard, lions, owls, grazing hippos and many more species.
With its perennial river, Khwai is an excellent area to see hippos and large Nile crocodiles and is known also for its birds. There is an area of once flooded trees that the elephants have ravaged leaving a tangle of branches and uprooted trunks over a large area. Here is one of the best areas to see leopard as they hunt between the tangle of wood.
Later on today you have the opportunity to enjoy a mokoro ( dug out canoe ) trip along the main river. Your poler is an expert on the area and will help you identify the many birds that feed around the reed beds and it is here that you will see Botswana's famous reed frogs. A tiny but very loud amphibian.
This morning you leave the peace and quiet of the Botswanan bush on your drive back to Maun.
Some of your drive will be through the reserve before hitting the open road and passing through local villages before stopping for a picnic lunch en route and finally arriving back in Maun just after lunch.
You stay one more night at Riley's and have time this afternoon to relax around the pool before enjoying your evening
Make sure you refuel your vehicle today and shop for some lunchtime snacks for the long road journeys over the next 2 days.
Try to set off early today for your long road trip to the Namibian border. It's tar all the way so you should make good time.
Your vehicle will have the necessary paperwork for the border crossing should you be asked for it.
Your overnight accommodation is at Tsumkwe Lodge which is just over the Namibian border.
Visitors to TUCSIN Tsumkwe Lodge will not only be able to experience the ancient and unique culture of the Ju/’hoansi, but will also be contributing to the improved livelihoods of the local San community. 100% of profits generated by the TUCSIN Tsumkwe Lodge fund local projects in education, income generation, training, cultural preservation and more.
You head further west today towards Etosha National Park and your first 3 nights at the beautiful Onguma Tented Camp.
The reserve sits alongside Etosha's eastern boundary and has a wealth of wildlife of its own including elephant, rhino and lions
Tented Camp is a lovely lodge with only 8 tented chalets surrounding a waterhole.
The service is exceptional and sitting quietly on your deck watching the wildlife can be equally as rewarding as spending time inside Etosha
There is also an underground hide on the reserve situated next to a waterhole for a unique view of the wildlife as they come to drink
You have 2 full days to enjoy the eastern side of Etosha around Namutoni Camp, one of the most productive areas in the park.
There are many key waterholes within a few kilometres of Namutoni so you can spend your game drives looping back to camp for quick comfort breaks and to check the sightings book before you head off again to other areas.
Evening drives are best spent at two particularly productive waterholes,: Chudop is good both early morning and all day for herbivores, especially giraffe. For the last hour Klein Namutoni waterhole is often very rewarding and has perfect photographic light and offers the added bonus of a perfect African sunset on the way back to camp
Not only is this area home to some of Etosha’s largest lion prides, cheetah sightings here are frequent, this area is home to the majority of the park’s giraffe and it is one of the best places in Africa to see the world’s smallest antelope, the diminutive Damara Dik-Dik.
Cheetah are best seen along the road from Namutoni to Twee Palms and also around the Chudop Triangle.
You will receive a copy of Kathryn's book "The Photographer's Guide to Etosha National Park" which will help you find the wildlife hotspots in the park.
Today you head west towards the central area of Etosha to Halali Camp which is a good lunchtime stop. This area is dominated by both mopane woodland and open plains that roll all the way down to the giant salt pan.
After lunch you drive the last 72km to the south of Etosha and Okaukuejo Camp.
Etosha is home to an amazing diversity of wildlife and the area around Okaukuejo is known for its open plains and wide vistas where vast herds of herbivores trek endlessly to the camp’s floodlit waterhole followed by the ever-present carnivores looking for their next meal.
The floodlit waterhole at Okaukuejo is world famous with daily visits by huge herds of herbivores and elephants who come at dusk to drink and dust bathe and there almost nightly visits by rare black rhinos, so take a glass of wine down and enjoy the spectacle
When you arrive at Okaukuejo Camp you will need to check in at reception and pay a N$500 returnable key deposit. Ensure you book your table for dinner before you leave to find your bungalow which will be next to the waterhole
From Okaukuejo there are several key areas and waterholes to check out.
It is worth driving east as soon as the gates open to Nebrowni waterhole just 8km away. This is a favourite drinking hole for the big carnivores before they go and rest up for the day. It's a very open area so it worth sitting a while to see what is coming before moving on.
After Nebrowni head down towards Gemsbokvlakte and on to Olifantsbad ( Elephant's Bath ) which is within the mopane woodlands. Here you will find some of the woodland species such as Black-faced Impala, Kudu and Red Hartebeests. Namaqua and Double Banded Sand Grouse love this waterhole as do Helmeted Guinea Fowl which in turn attracts a number of raptor species
The area north and west of Okaukuejo is an area of wide open plains as far as the eye can see.
The two key waterholes here are Okondeka and Ozonjuiti m'Bari. Okondeka is home to a very large pride of lions that sit hidden amongst the dunes and tussocks which lead to the trickle of water that runs into the salt pan. Sometimes hundreds of plains game can be seen drinking from this vital water source and the scattered bones prove that the lions make the most of this daily occurrence.
You leave Etosha today and head south on the tar road until you reach the gates to Okonjima. The lodge lies a further 24 km into the middle of the mountains and it is here you will spend your last 2 nights searching for some of Africa’s biggest carnivores. Activities in the game reserve include tracking leopard and hyena from an open vehicle with the aid of a telemetry and visiting the Africat Foundation. With its magnificent rooms, excellent cuisine and genuine conservation story, Okonjima is always a highlight of any trip to Namibia.
Africat is a non-profit organisation set up to support conservation through education and to help secure the future of Namibia's endangered carnivores.With opportunities to track leopard in the 54,000 acre reserve and the new Endangered Wildlife Trail. Okonjima gives you chances to see some of Africa's rarely seen animals such as brown hyena, aardwolf, aardvark and pangolin
Whilst staying at the lodge you will be able to actively observe part of this programme and understand how Africat aims to protect and rehabilitate these endangered carnivores.
At the Carnivore Care Centre you will have the opportunity to photograph cheetah in their natural habitat within their large enclosures while your guide explains in detail how the programme works.
Okonjima is not only a luxury lodge and a wonderful place to spend your first 2 nights in Namibia it is also home to the AfriCat Foundation.
You have the opportunity today to enjoy two of Okonjima's activities. Your guide will take you out into the 54,000 acre reserve to look for the ever elusive leopard with the aid of a telemetry. These magnificent cats live wild and free, hunting for themselves in this huge reserve.
This evening you can enjoy an endangered and rare animal trail out in the reserve with your guide. This time you'll be looking for species such as aardvark, aardwolf, pangolin and brown hyena
Your day starts early at Okonjima with a wake up call at 6am in time for coffee and muffins at the lodge before you go out into the reserve in search of the big carnivores that call it home.
You return at around 9.30 - 10am for a hearty breakfast after which you can relax in the main lodge area or return to your room for a rest. Lunch is available for those with a big appetite or you can return to the lodge once more at 3pm for tea, cakes and savouries before you head out once again on your afternoon trail or discuss the evening activity with your guide.
Dinner is served at around 7.30 but Okonjima is a relaxed lodge and the clients always come first so if you are late back from your trail it's never a problem
After an early morning trail you head across country today before heading south.
Your overnight stop is at Etusis Lodge which is 16km off the road in the middle of beautiful mountains. The individual cottages are made of stone and are well spaced out in the peaceful lodge gardens
Etusis is very well known for its stables and riding is a popular activity at the lodge.
The gravel road takes you further south today through the one horse town of Solitaire, famous for its bakery and especially Moose's Apple Crumble, and on to Sesriem and the gates to the Namib National Park.
Your destination is Dead Valley Lodge which is one of only 2 lodges inside the park so from here you are able to leave before dawn to get to the dunes for the sunrise.
At the park gate the guards will take you vehicle details which means you can drive straight on to Sossusvlei for the early morning light and then when you want to leave you can just call into reception to pay your park fees before exiting. The biggest dunes are 70km from the entrance to the park but it is tar road all the way.
Today you have the opportunity to spend a whole day amongst the deep red sand dunes of Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei and if you want to stretch your legs then a walk down Sesriem Canyon with its narrowing sides and rock pools is a great way to end the day.
You have the choice of leaving your vehicle at the 2x2 car park and catching a shuttle vehicle the rest of the way or you can drive the last 6km through the sand if you choose. Your 4x4 is equipped with a compressor so stop at the 2x2 car park and deflate your tyres before driving into the dunes. Reflate them again before you get back on the tar.
After a hearty breakfast you get back on the gravel road this morning as you wend your way back to the capital.
Your journey takes you over high mountain passes with glorious views over Namibia's spectacular desert scenery before retracing your steps once more to Hotel Thule. Here you can relax on your last evening and enjoy a final sun downer on the terrace before heading off to the airport the next morning for your flights home.
Windhoek's famous restaurant "Joe's Beerhouse" is just at the bottom of the hill near your hotel so if you want to visit this well known bar and eatery then it is just a few minutes away. Joe's serve excellent food and is popular with locals and tourists alike so booking is essential
You can enjoy your final morning game drive this morning before your guide drives you back to Maun stopping for a picnic lunch en route.
You will arrive in Maun in time to connect to your homeward flight or you can stay over and fly into the Delta the following day
