Arrival at Hosea Kutako International Airport, where you will be met by your guide. Subsequent transfer to your accommodation, Okonjima, home of the AfriCat Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation and protection of Namibian wild cats, in particular leopard and cheetah.
You can partake in tracking leopard activity, the leopard can be viewed frequently, but not guaranteed, or radio-tracked from a game viewing vehicle. This ‘experience’ will take you out into the Okonjima Nature Reserve and will allow you to spend more time with our experienced guides and participate in the research data collection for our long-standing leopard project and newly introduced brown hyaena program. Some of our adult leopards are radio collared which enables the guides to track them with a specialized telemetry device contributing to frequent viewing, giving visitors an opportunity to observe these magnificent predators in their natural habitat and experience the fascinating behavior and interactions between these two species while they compete for food. Although this significantly increases the chance of an excellent sighting, it cannot ever be guaranteed as they are wild free-roaming predators.
Enjoy the opportunity to admire and photograph these predators during the afternoon activity today.
Before we depart today, enjoy another activity at Okonjima. We will depart the lodge via Otjiwarongo, Otavi and Tsumeb and proceed through the Etosha National Park to Etosha King Nehale Lodge.
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.
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.
Enjoy a full day game drive in the Etosha National Park with your guide in the tour vehicle.
From east to west the route leads past Fort Namutoni and Halali Camp Etosha Village just outside the Park.
En-route we will stop at a few more waterholes in search of the Big 5.
Today you will enjoy a full day game drive in the Park once again with your guide in the tour vehicle.
Today’s destination is the Hobatere Lodge located at the western entrance gate to Etosha National Park.
Spend the afternoon at leisure.
The route leads through the wilderness area to the Khowarib Gorge, a narrow gorge in the dry Hoanib River and home to a few Damara and Herero families.
We set up camp at the Khowarib Community Campsite, which sits on the banks of the Khowarib River.
Enjoy the first night of your camping adventure, Namibia’s spectacular scenic beauty and colourful bird- and wildlife as well as the noises of the African nights, whilst sitting around the campfire.
Today we will depart after a hearty bush breakfast. The journey continues to the Hoanib River, a dry riverbed densely overgrown with nutritious acacia trees providing the necessary fodder for the desert adapted elephant.
During a scenic drive today with your guide in the tour vehicle, you will have optimal chances to encounter one of the breeding herds of elephant. The drive takes you through the valleys and side arms of this unique natural paradise.
Today we depart to the private Palmwag Reserve which has a number of fresh water springs that support the animals in the area, which range from the desert adapted black Rhino and elephant, as well as oryx, giraffe and kudu. The Reserve holds the largest predator population outside the Etosha National Park and a diverse flock of Namibian birdlife.
After a last bush breakfast, we make our way to Malansrus Tented Camp.
En route to Swakopmund, we visit Twyfelfontein, which means “doubtful fountain” and resembles a large, open-air art gallery. The rock engravings left by stone-age artists is regarded as one of the richest collections of rock engravings in Africa. South of Twyfelfontein is the Burnt Mountain, a panorama of desolation with coloured rocks contrasting vividly against the grey-black surroundings. The Organ Pipes, a mass of basalt slabs in a ravine gouged out by a river, is another geological curiosity in the area.
Arrival at Swakopmund will be late afternoon.
A dolphin cruise has been booked for you today. You will be picked up at your accommodation and driven to the nearby town of Walvis Bay, from where your boat cruise with Laramon Tours departs. Please ensure that you have had breakfast and are ready to leave Swakopmund by approximately 08h00, as you are requested to be at the check-in at the Walvis Bay Waterfront by approximately 08h45.
The scenic drive from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay takes about 45 minutes. Don’t forget to take a hat, sunscreen and a warm jacket along. After 3 exciting hours the catamaran will dock and your guide will return you to the Guesthouse.
Departing from Swakopmund after breakfast in a southerly direction through the Namib Naukluft Park via the Kuiseb- and Gaub Passes into the low plains of the Namib Desert. Spend the afternoon at leisure.
Very early departure today into the Namib Naukluft Park to witness one of Namibia’s most scenic attractions - the Sossusvlei and the highest dunes of the world. You will visit the nearby Deadvlei, a dried out natural water pan with its dead acacia tree trunks rising to the blue sky. The Sesriem Canyon is another attraction worthwhile seeing en route back to the lodge. A relaxing sundowner on top of the nearby ridge ends off an unforgettable day in the desert.
Return journey via the Remhoogte Pass and Rehoboth to Windhoek. You will still have some time to explore the capital of Namibia, spend the afternoon at leisure.
We have to the end of your safari.
Depending on your departure time, spend the day in Windhoek doing some last-minute shopping on your own account. A road transfer from Villa Violet will take you to Hosea Kutako International Airport in time for check-in on your outbound flight.
Take care of all formalities and bid farewell to Namibia; we wish you a safe journey home.
