DAY 1
Depart on your scheduled flight to Windhoek, capital of Namibia.
DAY 2
Arrival in Namibia. Meet your guide and take an orientation tour of Windhoek before driving north to the Okonjima main camp, home of the famous AfriCat foundation, which researches, rescues and rehabilitates Cheetahs, Leopards etc. Stay here for two nights. En route you will have the chance to visit the Kavango Woodcarvers’ Market. The traditional woodcarvers have been plying their trade for centuries, and this is the ideal opportunity to pick up some very special souvenirs of your visit. Dinner at the camp this evening.
DAY 3
Full day at Okonjima. Opportunity to take a guided game drive to track the leopards and take the Bushmans Trail to learn about the art of the traditional San people.
DAY 4
After breakfast you embark on your journey north to Etosha, visiting Lake Otjikoto along the way. Despite its small diameter it is extraordinarily deep. Late afternoon you will have the first game drive in Etosha National Park, before checking into your lodge just outside the park for a two night stay.
DAY 5
A full day of game drives in Etosha National Park, one of the finest game reserves in the whole of southern Africa. The park is dominated by Etosha Pan, a salt pan with a distinctive green colour, and is home to a huge variety of mammals, including cheetah, zebra, elephant, giraffe, rhino and lion, as well as over 300 species of birds. Dinner at the lodge this evening.
DAY 6
Depart Etosha and drive via Outjo and Khorixas to Twyfelfontein Lodge, arriving late afternoon for an overnight stay. Dinner at the lodge this evening.
DAY 7
You will have the chance to explore the area famed for its collection of prehistoric rock paintings and engravings, and ancient abstract artefacts. You will also see the geographical features formed around 120 million years ago, such as Organ pipes and Burnt Mountain. Continue to Uis, a small town that was a centre for tin mining. You will then reach the coastal town of Swakopmund, formerly an important port and now Namibia’s top resort. Remainder of the afternoon free. The next two nights are spent at the Rossmund Hotel or similar.
DAY 8
Drive to the nearby town of Walvis Bay for a morning cruise, a highlight of the holiday. Your boat takes you to Bird Island and across the lagoon to where inquisitive seals play amid the moored Russian trawlers. Cruise on to Pelican Point, accompanied by dolphins, to the seal colony. You will also spot a variety of birds, such as gannets, petrel oystercatchers and even the Jackass Penguin. Afternoon free with optional activities.
DAY 9
Depart Walvis Bay for the drive to Namib Naukluft Park. Part of the park is arid desert – an eerie yet beautiful place of shifting dunes and stunted plants. Transfer to the Sossusvlei Lodge or Desert Homestead for a two night stay. Dinner at the lodge this evening.
DAY 10
This morning you will take a drive to the famous dunes at Sossusvlei. You will see Sesriem Canyon, formed over millions of years by the Tsauchab River. Afternoon free with optional ‘sundowner’ drive. Dinner at the lodge this evening.
DAY 11
Leave Sossusvlei and return to Windhoek to connect with your return flight to the UK.
DAY 12
Arrival in the UK.