You will be collected from your accommodation within the Windhoek city limits or the airport by 07.15 and transferred to for a short pre-departure meeting. We are heading west, to the port town of Walvis Bay. Walvis Bay lagoon is renowned for its birdlife, in particular we are here to see the flamingos. We complete the final leg of our journey into Swakopmund and we check into our accommodation at the centrally located Hotel A La Mer.
Swakopmund offers many opportunities to keep us busy. The town centre is small and easily explored on foot, you can do scenic flights over the desert, or, for the more adventurous, perhaps try sky diving or quad biking over and in the Namib dunes. Our guide will discuss all the options with you.
Dinner tonight is for your own account, Swakopmund boasts some truly excellent restaurants.
Driving time: ~4 hours
Lunch & dinner
Today we leave Swakopmund at 11.30 so we have the time to enjoy an optional activity. For the adrenaline junkies, this could be flying down a sand dune head first at 60km/h on a sandboard, exploring the dune field on a quad biking tour or discovering the “old city” of Swakopmund on a fat bike (e-bike option available). Whatever we choose, we depart Swakopmund no later than 11.30 and drive through the Namib Desert via the Kuiseb Pass, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn, stopping briefly in Solitaire and arriving at our camp late afternoon. We set up our tents and enjoy the sunset over the Namib Desert while listening to the barking geckos. There is a pool and bar available, and dinner is prepared by our guide. An early night is recommended.
Driving time: ~5 hours
Sunrise in the Dunes is the game's name this morning, which means a pre-dawn start. Your first stop will be at Dune 45. The best time to photograph the dunes is at sunrise and sunset. After a quick breakfast, you'll carry on for the last few kilometers before entering the ancient Tsauchab Riverbed. The Tsauchab River is ephemeral, it only flows seasonally when there is enough rain, and for the most part, the riverbed is dry. There is a 4×4 shuttle service that will transport you through the sandy terrain of the riverbed. You will visit Dead Vlei, an ancient pan entirely surrounded by sand, strikingly populated with dead, skeletal camelthorn trees. You will have time to explore the area on foot and to climb one of the highest dunes in the world, some towering 300 m above us, the views are breathtaking.
You will drive back to Sesriem for lunch and perhaps a dip in the swimming pool. In the afternoon, you'll take a short excursion to see the Sesriem Canyon.
We have a scenic drive today through ever changing desert scenery, mountains and open grassland. We are continuing our long drive south and our destination is the tiny community of Aus, located in the Aus Mountains above the plains of the Namib Desert.
Our actual destination today is Klein Aus Vista located just outside Aus and just inside the private Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park. We aim to arrive in the early afternoon and set up camp, giving us time to stretch our legs on the unguided hiking trails on the property. The landscape is wide open vistas and we are hoping for a spectacular sunset.
Driving time: ~5 hours
After an early breakfast we make our way from Klein Aus to the ghost town, of Kolmanskop, situated 15km outside of Luderitz. During a diamond boom in 1910 Kolmanskop quickly became one of the richest towns in Africa boasting the southern hemisphere’s first X-ray machine, a bowling alley and luxury housing. As the diamond boom came to an end and the town’s inhabitants abandoned the area Kolmanskop became a ghost town. After our tour we continue our adventure to the small town of Luderitz, situated on the rocky shores of the Atlantic Ocean and well known for its unique and colourful colonial-style buildings. We stop at Diaz Point, the famous site of the Original Diaz Cross and enjoy a picnic lunch. On return to Aus, we keep our eyes peeled for the wild horses of the Namib Desert that roam between Luderitz and Klein Aus. We arrive back at camp late afternoon and can relax before enjoying another incredible sunset over the Aus Mountains. Dinner tonight is prepared by our guide.
Driving time: ~3 hours
We enjoy another early start this morning as we pack up camp and head east. Our first official stop is at the well-known Hell`s Bend viewpoint of the Fish River Canyon. Here we have the opportunity to overlook the second largest canyon in the world. After lunch we continue our adventure heading to our last destination; The Quiver Tree Forest. It is located just north-east of Keetmanshoop and here approximately 250 quiver trees can be found. The forest grew spontaneously and the oldest trees are estimated to be around 200-300 years old. The Quiver tree (Kokerboom in Afrikaans) is also Namibia’s national tree, and the forest was declared a national monument in 1995. The last night on our adventure is spent camping under the stars with meals prepared by our guide. This is an excellent location for photographing the stars should you be an avid photographer (permits are available for night photography of the quiver trees at additional cost).
Driving time: ~2 hours
We head north today and we have the luxury of the main tar road for our whole journey back to Windhoek. After about 80 km from Keetmanshoop, in the distance and off to the west we can see Brukkaros Mountain, a volcano, but quite an unusual, steam-formed one. About 150 km into our long road journey today, we will pass a signpost to a place called Gibeon. In ancient prehistoric times, the area was subjected to a Meteor strike. The meteor, when intact, was thought to measure 4 x 4 x 3 meters and of solid metal. As it entered the earth’s atmosphere the metal began to melt and the meteor fragmented in a huge explosion scattering chunks of molten metal across the countryside. The greatest concentration of meteor material has been found in and around Gibeon.
We stop along the road for a light lunch and aim to be back in Windhoek in the late afternoon.
Driving time: ~5 hours
Note: We recommend that departure flights are not scheduled for today.
