Namibia  Exploration Safaris

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SPIRIT OF THE NAMIB
10 nights/11 days - US$3850 per person in high season/$3769 per person in low season
($220 single supplement)

Combination Wilderness Safaris Vintage camp, Discoverer Camp, lodge overnight and serviced dome tent camping in private concession areas and campsites.

The route followed on this Exploration aims to track and reveal the elusive wildlife of the desert and the life-rich, the rugged Atlantic Coast and the immense moving dune fields of the Namib Desert. Surprisingly, the seemingly barren desert comes to life with an amazing plethora of plants and animals that have ingeniously adapted to their harsh surroundings. There is also an excellent opportunity to find the largest of mammals surviving here – the desert-adapted black rhino and elephant.

This old-style serviced camping safari recreates a sense of adventure for the traveller seeking an authentic African experience. Adventurer Explorations camps consist of serviced spacious dome tents, designed to provide comfort in remote wilderness areas. The style of accommodation takes you back to the great days of African exploration. Pure cotton linen bedrolls with duvets on GI stretchers, bedside table with lantern and mini luggage benches complement the atmosphere. Separate toilet and shower ‘bathrooms’ with old-style tin bucket showers, basins and amenities create simple serviced comfort. Adventurer camping brings the guest closer to nature by means of lively camp fires, hurricane lanterns, diverse activities and a warm atmosphere permeating the camp. The entire safari is guided and hosted by a professional and passionate trained guide. To ensure privacy and exclusivity, most areas traversed are private concessions in unspoiled and scenic locations. All campsites are for the use of Wilderness Safaris guests only, while at hotels and lodges you will meet other guests. To maximise travel time, a variety of transport modes that bring out the best of each area is used: flying in private charters (when the travelling experience is not enhanced by road) and cross-country transfers provide both a bird’s-eye view and an in-depth experience of the contrasting landscapes of Namibia.

ITINERARY

Days 1 and 2:  Ongava Homestead, Etosha Region
Transfer by comfortable charter flight to Namibia’s big game country, Etosha. Here, the diverse flora and fauna is experienced in a variety of activities from game walks to game drives and visits to hides both on the property and in the famous Etosha National Park. The Ongava Game Reserve is recognised as the nation’s premier big game private game reserve. Ongava Homestead, situated in the private Ongava Game Reserve, is a renovated old farmhouse, with en-suite bathrooms and a farm kitchen overlooking an active waterhole. Sleeping eight guests complete outdoor barbecue, bar, common dining, kitchen and bathroom facilities present a clean and comfortable base to experience and explore the fascinating countryside. The waterhole is floodlit at night to catch sight of nocturnal visitors, from the timid genet to big game such as white rhino and a host of antelope. Within Etosha you will visit numerous springs and pans, in search of lion, leopard, elephant and black rhino, as well as plains game.

Day 3:  Palmwag Lodge, Palmwag
After an early breakfast, travel to the Palmwag concession. Here, on the concession and in the surrounding areas the desert-adapted elephant and elusive black rhino can be found. The camp consists of 5 Meru-style tents built on individual wooden platforms and offering a great scenic view of the surroundings and also the desert-adapted elephants when they visit the area. The tents are tastefully furnished, with en-suite facilities, solar power and a wonderful atmosphere. Over the course of the next four nights in the enormous wilderness areas of Damaraland and Palmwag your guides expose the sheer magnificence of nature’s survival strategies in this arid environment through walks, tracking and game drives concentrating on a variety of topics from birds to insects, medicinal uses of plants and viewing wildlife. In addition, travel through regions with an exciting array of exposed geological sequences ranging in age from “young” 130 million-year-old igneous shale through to 850 million-year-old schist formations.

Days 4 and 5: Hoanib Camp, Kaokoland
With an early start, the journey continues by road towards the ephemeral river of the Hoanib Valley. Please note that this is a long nature transfer, giving guests a unique opportunity to see some of the most rugged and “hard to get to” areas within Namibia’s remote North West. Here, in an area seemingly parched and desolate, enter one of Namibia’s richest desert wildlife areas. The rugged mountains and canyons of the Hoanib River provide a last refuge for some of the continent’s most unique wildlife; this is the home of the legendary desert elephant and the last free-roaming black rhino population on earth. In fact seventy-five per cent of Namibia’s endemic species inhabit this last bastion of the wild. While here, you have the opportunity to explore this area on game drives and walks. Possibly, you may visit one of the nomadic Himba villages if they are in the region at the time. The Discoverer-styled tented camp close to the Hoanib River is a relaxed haven from which to explore this wild land on foot, or from the comfort of one of the safari vehicles. The camp is powered by solar-powered inverter systems and there are no generators or pumps running whilst guests are in camp. There are 5 guest walk-in hexagonal Meru-style tents with en-suite and flush toilet and bucket shower bathrooms in a separate portion of the tent. Each tent is furnished with all the necessary comforts.

Day 6: Damaraland Camp, Damaraland
Departing early, travel east by road to Sesfontein and end at the award-winning Damaraland Camp situated on the northern face of the Huab River valley and looking south toward the imposing Brandberg Mountain. The camp accommodates guests in 10 comfortable tented rooms with en-suite facilities including flush toilets and showers. The dining room and pub are combined under canvas and an open fire is enjoyed on calm evenings. Early morning mists generated by the clash between the icy Atlantic Ocean and the warm desert air of the Skeleton Coast, drift inland along the river sand canyon, providing sustenance to the flora and fauna of the region. Although wildlife is not concentrated, you are situated where the rare desert-adapted elephant roams, alongside gemsbok (Oryx), springbok, ostrich and other hardy desert animals. Rare succulent plants eke out an existence in this harsh countryside.

Day 7: The Stiltz Lodge, Swakopmund
After an early breakfast, travel to Twyfelfontein where you take a guided walk with local Damara guides to view the San petroglyphs – prehistoric rock etchings. After lunch continue the journey travelling south via Uis en route to Swakopmund. As you get closer to the coast lichen fields are strewn over the gravel plains, one of the most fragile ecosystems on earth. After lunch en route, head for The Stiltz Lodge in the quaint and charming town of Swakopmund, arriving in the late afternoon. Swakopmund, with its unique urban atmosphere that is a vibrant combination of Africa and Europe, is a wonderful town in which to end a safari after the experiences of the northern Namibian bush. The Stiltz, as its name implies, is built on stilts providing breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, the red iron-rich beach dunes and also the Swakopmund River mouth. Each of the 8 minimalist yet elegantly furnished thatched bungalows is linked by wooden walkways to the main restaurant. As the lodge is sited close to the central part of town, this allows for easy access to enjoy the special hospitality, history and cuisine.

Days 8 and 9:  Kulala Adventurer Camp, Sossusvlei
After an early breakfast, drive southwards to Walvis Bay Lagoon. In the protected bay, many flamingos, pelicans and other waterfowl amass. Kayak on the calm waters of the bay and approach seals, dolphins and water birds at a respectable distance. Afterwards, drive inland to the Kulala Adventurer Camp in the private Sossusvlei concession. Enjoy walks in the immense moving sands of the Namib dunes, game drives on the concession and stargazing. Photography of the dunes in the early morning is particularly stunning with rich reds and dark shadows completing the extraordinary vista that is the enormity of the Namib Desert.

Day 10:  Transfer to Windhoek
After breakfast transfer by road, including lunch along the way, to Windhoek and bid farewell to the adventure.

THIS ITINERARY IS AVAILABLE ON FLEXIBLE DATES AND ITINERARIES, FOR TAILOR-MADE SAFARIS FOR SMALL GROUPS OF UP TO 8 GUESTS.

scheduled departure dates 2008
JANUARY 16
FEBRUARY 11, 29
MARCH 22
APRIL 12, 16, 24
MAY 14, 29
JUNE 17, 24
JULY 2, 11, 17
AUGUST 6, 12, 16, 22, 28
SEPTEMBER 13, 26
OCTOBER 10, 14, 21
NOVEMBER 15, 21, 27
DECEMBER 10, 31

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