6 DAY WILDLIFE & DUNES SAFARI EXPLORER

DAY1: HALALI, ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

You depart from Windhoek at 08h00. You will stop briefly at Otjiwarongo and enjoy a light lunch pack before entering Etosha National Park through the Anderson Gate. Enjoy a game drive across the park visiting waterholes looking for predators as well as zebra, giraffe, elephant, and rhino.

Arriving at your accommodation just before sunset located inside Etosha National Park. We strongly recommend a visit to the Moringa waterhole after dinner, a popular place for elephant and black rhino to hang out in the evenings.

DAY 2: ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

We rise for a pre-sunrise snack with tea/coffee and then game drive until mid-morning when we return to camp for breakfast before heading out for another game drive visiting many waterholes and drive back to Halali for a picnic lunch.

After lunch, we visit the mighty Etosha Pan (the largest salt pan in Namibia) before game driving across the park in our quest to find the big 4 as well as all the plains game.

We arrive at Okaukuejo late afternoon and leave the park prior to sunset, visiting one last waterhole to worship another African sunset. Accommodation is twin-share permanent tents with en-suite bathroom facilities located just outside the park. Dinner is prepared by your guide over the campfire where you can compare photos and stories of the animals seen today and another early night is recommended. 

DAY 3: HOTEL A LA MER, SWAKOPMUND

Early morning breakfast before departing from our lodge at 07h40 for our drive via the communal lands of Damaraland where we see the communal farmers in this arid region.

We stop at the Ugab River bridge to visit with the beautiful Herero ladies who sell their small art and craft items to support their families. We lunch in the shadow of the Brandberg Mountain and have a short visit with a Himba group who have moved into this area to sell their jewelry and other items (dependent on Himba tribespeople).

After lunch, we head directly through the Namib Desert and stop at the latest shipwreck on the Skeleton Coast before arriving late afternoon in Swakopmund. We recommend exploring this seaside town on foot this afternoon and perhaps visiting the jetty for sundowners overlooking the cold Atlantic Ocean. Your guide will be happy to recommend a good restaurant for your evening meal (own expense). 

DAY 4: SOSSUSVLEI LODGE

This morning after breakfast we highly recommend a visit to the Museum or Aquarium (optional and unguided) and for the adrenaline junkies, a 2-hour sandboarding experience in the dunes should get your pulse racing. Departure from Swakopmund at 12h00 noon.

Driving through the Namib Desert via the Kuiseb Pass and Solitaire we arrive at our camp late afternoon and have a chance to relax and enjoy the views before taking a short walk for sunset looking over the Naukluft mountain range. Pool and bar available and dinner is prepared by your guide. 
 

DAY 5: SOSSUSVLEI

Dawn departure from camp to arrive at the park gate for sunrise. We drive down an ancient river bed surrounded by towering dunes to the 2x4 parking (around 55kms) and take a 4x4 shuttle into the Sossusvlei area to appreciate the beauty of this place in the early morning light and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the region. We explore this unique area on foot before heading into Dead Vlei with its large expanse of bleached cracked clay and skeletal camel thorn trees, contrasting with a backdrop of huge dunes with their ever-changing colors.

You can either walk or take the 4x4 shuttle back to our vehicle. As we drive back to our accommodation we will stop at the famous Dune 45 and climb this dune if we wish or just wander around the base. We return to Sesriem and visit the nearby Sesriem Canyon, one of the few permanent water sources before arriving back at our lodge late afternoon to watch the sunset over this spectacular desert. 

DAY 6: DEPARTURE

Early morning breakfast before heading to Solitaire where we join a local guide to observe cheetahs currently in captivity with the hope to re-introduce them into a large reserve. We return to Windhoek via the Naukluft Mountains and Rehoboth.

On arrival in Windhoek, mid-afternoon, you will be dropped at the International Airport for your onward flight.