Rates 2022/23 - 15 Days Namibia Highlights Accommodated Safari

Once your flight lands, our guide from Blue Crane Safaris will pick you up from the airport which is about 42 km outside of Windhoek. You will be dropped off at your accommodation in Windhoek after a brief meet and greet. Tonight's dinner is not included, but you can ask your guide or the  reception to book you a table at the two restaurants near the hotel.

You will be collected between 08:00 and 08:45 from Windhoek. We will travel south to the Kalahari desert.

The Kalahari is a fossil desert, not a true desert as it receives too much rain. Its enchanting landscape is made up of small red dunes, golden grass and deep blue skies. It stretches across 7 countries, including Namibia, South Africa and Botswana.

Our lodge is strategically situated in the center of the Kalahari in an area peppered with Camelthorn trees. It is built with thatch and blessed with a staggering stone pool which attracts the occasional Oryx. Accommodation is in rondavel-style thatched huts which look out over the captivating landscape of the desert. The ambience is enhanced with indigenous décor and home to a fine collection of San artefacts.

 Later in the day  you will enjoy a sundowner on the the Kalahari dunes.

This morning we continue southwards to Namibia's Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world.
On arrival in the early afternoon, we will drive to the main viewpoint where you will lay eyes upon one of nature' most wonderful spectacles. 

Far below, the river sparkles in the sunlight and it is hard to imagine how many millennia it took for the forces of nature to carve out such a magnificent vista. The canyon is 160km long and reaches a depth of 550m. We will visit the Canyon again in the morning.

The beautiful Canyon Lodge is situated on the 520 km2, privately owned Gondwana Canyon Park. It is only 20kms from the main viewpoint and is built from natural materials, including local stone and thatch. It features a restaurant, outdoor swimming pool, bar and garden. A 2-4 hour hiking trail can be enjoyed in the morning or as a sundowner walk. End off the day with a drink while watching the sun go down.

After an early start and breakfast we will head for Lüderitz on Namibia's south coast. On the way, we will look out for the wild horses of the Namib. These beautiful, feral horses roam the sparsely vegetated plains of the Namib Desert in small groups, having somehow adapted to the harsh environment. Their origins are a mystery although several theories exist.

We aim to arrive in Lüderitz during the late afternoon. This charming town is sandwiched between the sands of the Namib and the wild South Atlantic. It is renowned for its old world charm and distinctly German colonial architecture and is home to a wide variety of aquatic birds. Large numbers of flamingos, cormorants and seagulls inhabit the shallow lagoon here. We will learn more about its history and the south in general.

Dinner will be at our award-winning accommodation, the Lüderitz Nest Hotel.

Just before we leave Lüderitz we will visit the famous ghost town of Kolmanskop. This once rich mining village was slowly abandoned after World War II as its diamond-field began to deplete. You will learn about the history of the town and how the first diamond was found by a railway worker.

Our guided tour will then proceed into the Namib Desert, stopping for lunch at Aus.

The amazing Desert Homestead Lodge enjoys panoramic views over wide open plains, where cheetahs are occasionally observed roaming through the grass. 

We make an early start so as to catch the soft light of sunrise over the desert. In the cool of the morning we take a walk through the desert with a good chance of seeing gemsbok, springbok and ostrich.

We spend the morning in and around Sossusvlei. Lunch will be at Sesriem Camp. This iconic landscape is made up of white plains and red dunes which tower majestically against a deep blue sky and are among the highest in the world. We will visit the picturesque Dead Vlei. This white clay pan lies between towering orange dunes and is dotted with the skeletal remains of hundreds of dead camelthorn trees, making it a striking vista and photographer's dream. We will stop at the famous Dune 45, a beautiful star dune which reaches over 170 metres in height. Those who feel fit enough to climb the dune will be rewarded with breathtaking views of the surrounding Namibian desert.

As the day cools down we will enjoy a short excursion to Sesriem Canyon before heading back to our lodge.

Namibia is a land of contrasts. Today we will move from desert to sea, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn and traversing the Gaub and Kuiseb passes. As we climb out the dry river bed at the bottom of Kuiseb Canyon, a spectacular desert landscape unfolds before us. We will stop over in Walvis Bay to visit the lagoon. The Walvis Bay lagoon is is one of the richest and most important wetlands in southern Africa. It is home to many water birds including Great and Lesser flamingos, Damara terns, pelicans and avocets. We will also visit the salt works.

We continue to Swakopmund along the scenic coastal road, with dunes on one side and the cold Atlantic on the other. Dinner will be at a local restaurant.

Swakopmund is a charming seaside town characterized by German colonial architecture, palm-lined streets, great restaurants, plenty of shops and beautiful beaches. Today, you will be free to explore. The town offers plenty to do including a good museum and aquarium. Various optional activities can also be arranged. These include a boat tour (with oysters and champagne), scenic flights and micro-light flights over the desert, fishing trips (either from the beach or a boat), desert tours, quad-biking in the desert, sandboarding and skydiving. Your guide will discuss all your options and offer to make pre-bookings. Note that all extra activities in Swakopmund are subject to availability and at the client's own expense. The Dolphin & Seal Cruise is included in the tour. 
Dinner will be enjoyed at a different restaurant in Swakopmund on the client's own account.

Today we continue to Damaraland along the Skeleton Coast. We will stop at the vast seal colony at Cape Cross, north of Swakopmund. Here you are able to get up close to thousands of wild Cape fur seals and observe them in their natural environment.

We continue to the small town of Uis. Uis is an old mining town and one of the best places to buy semi-precious stones for which Namibia is famous. Here rough amethyst, tourmaline and other stones can be found at bargain prices.

We pass by the Brandberg, the highest mountain in Namibia, and visit the Twyfelfontein UNESCO World Heritage Site which features one of the largest and most important concentrations of rock art in Africa. Visitors can view about 2500 Stone Age rock engravings at 17 rock art sites. There are an additional 13 sites displaying rock paintings.

We arrive at our lodge in time for sunset.

We will travel on to Palmwag. Palmwag Lodge is situated in the Palmwag Concession in northern Damaraland. This part of the world is blessed with table mountains and spectacular scenery. Abundant wildlife such as mountain zebra, kudu, springbok, giraffe, lion, desert adapted elephant, the endangered black rhino and many other species occur here.

This morning you will search for desert elephants. Damaraland is the ideal place for desert-adapted elephant and many rhinos and elephants move around the Palmwag concession area. With luck on our side, we will spot them. The animals here are specially adapted to the harsh desert conditions.

Today we drive into the desert mountains of Damaraland, one of the last true wildernesses of southern Africa and home to the Himba people. During the morning or just after lunch, we will visit the Otjikandero Himba Village. The Himba are one of the last tribes in Africa living strictly within their tradition. There will be a special guide for our time there, who will translate for us and introduce us to the Ovahimba people. We will learn about their marriage customs, traditional food and also visit the “holy fire”.

We will continue to our private lodge just outside the south gate of the Etosha National Park. Etosha Safari Lodge is set on a hillock overlooking sprawling mopane woodland. The chalets each have their own private verandah with panoramic views. The main area offers a spacious deck, dining area, bar, lounge and three swimming pools.

If time allows, we will enjoy an afternoon game drive inside the park and return just before sunset.

Today we will spend most of the day game driving. We will visit a number of waterholes and make a stop at the Etosha Pan, the “place of dry water”. The Pan is an extensive flat depression of about 5,000 km2. This great, white expanse is a place of shimmering mirages, and being able to see large herds of game in this setting makes Etosha a unique experience in Africa. We may stop at Halali middle camp to have lunch before we continue our game drive back to our lodge. The game viewing is usually excellent with close views of springboks, zebras, impalas, giraffes, gemsboks and plenty of birds. If we are lucky we may also have some close encounters with elephants and lions. In the evening we may enjoy a glass of wine and experience a fabulous dinner at our lodge.

Today we head south towards Okonjima. The lodge is home to the AfriCat Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the long-term conservation of Namibia's large carnivores, notably cheetahs and leopards.

We will visit the Africat Project area and meet some of the cheetahs or accompany our guides as they monitor the progress of the cheetahs in the Tusk Rehabilitation camp. Okonjima is home to over forty cheetahs, many of whom were separated from their mothers before they learnt how to survive on their own. The Rehabilitation Camp gives these cheetahs the opportunity to learn survival skills, such as hunting, in a closely monitored environment. Successful cheetahs are relocated to parks and game farms. Over 250 species of birds are found in the area, including Namibian endemics such as Carps Black Tit, Hartlaub's Francolin, and the Damara Rock Runner. The abundance of animals, birdlife and spectacular scenery make Okonjima a photographer's dream.

This morning after breakfast we will depart back to Windhoek through the small town of Okahandja with the biggest craft market in Namibia. We stop to explore the market and perhaps buy some souvenirs before heading back to Windhoek. The local community operates the stalls on a co-operative basis and the market is a good place to do last minute shopping for truly Namibian souvenirs. The aim is to arrive back in the city in just in time for your flight. At the airport guide will assist you in checking in for your flight. Here he will greet you and hope to see you guys again in the future.