Grand Tour of Namibia
The Kalahari, Fish River Canyon, the Sossusvlei dunes AfriCat & Etosha
In Brief
| Flight - 1 night. Windhoek - 1 night. Kalahari area - 1 night. Fish River Canyon - 1 night. Luderitz - 1 night. Sossusvlei area - 2 nights. Walvis Bay area - 2 nights. Damaraland - 1 night. Etosha area - 3 nights. Otjiwarongo - 2 nights. Flight - 1 night. |
Day 1 Fly overnight from London Heathrow via Johannesburg to Windhoek.
Day 2 Arrive early afternoon and transfer to the 3-star Protea Hotel Furstenhof in Windhoek for an overnight stay. Afternoon tour of Windhoek including Christuskirche, Alte Feste and the Tintenpalast. In the evening enjoy dinner and wine-tasting at the Castle Hotel Heinitzburg.
Day 3 Drive via Rehoboth, home of the Baster community, to the margins of the Kalahari Desert (5 hrs) for an overnight stay at the 4-star Anib Lodge, near Gochas. Late afternoon nature drive with sundowner.
Day 4 Continue southwards via Quivertree Forest to the Fish River Canyon (5 hrs). Overnight at the 4-star Canon Lodge.
Day 5 Travel to Luderitz (5 hrs) for a short tour. Overnight at the 3-star Protea Hotel Sea-View Zum Sperrgebiet.
Day 6 Visit the ghost town of Kolmanskop with its open-air museum. Continue via Helmeringhausen to the Sossusvlei area (7 hrs) for two nights at the 4-star Namib Desert Lodge.
Day 7 An early morning drive to the gate of the Namib section of the National Park. A 4x4 shuttle transfer takes you the last four kilometres into the actual ‘vlei’. Visit Sesriem Canyon. Return to the lodge in time for an optional sundowner drive to the petrified dunes.
Day 8 Travel north via the spectacular cuttings of the Kuiseb and Gaub canyons, witnessing the everchanging landscapes that transform from the Namib to the Skeleton Coast. Afternoon sightseeing in Swakopmund. Two nights at the 4-star Protea Hotel Pelican Bay in Walvis Bay (the 3-star Long Beach Hotel in 2010).
Day 9 An optional morning cruise on Walvis Bay to view the marine and birdlife including dolphins and seals. Optional afternoon ‘Living Desert’ tour to view the ‘little five’.
Day 10 Travel northwards along the Skeleton Coast to Hentie’s Bay before travelling inland to Damaraland. Visit the Twyfelfontein rock art sites, the fascinating Organ Pipes and Petrified Forest. Overnight at the 3-star Vingerklip Lodge (6 hrs).
Day 11 Continue to the 4-star Etosha Safari Lodge (5 hrs) for overnight.
Day 12 Enter Etosha National Park. Included morning and afternoon game drives by tour vehicle. Alternative of optional afternoon and evening open-vehicle game drives. Spend two nights at one of the rest camps inside the park.
Day 13 Included morning and afternoon game drives by tour vehicle. Alternative of optional morning, afternoon and evening open-vehicle game drives.
Day 14 Travel via Lake Otjikoto and Tsumeb to the 4-star Okonjima Main Camp (5 hrs) for two nights (one night at Okonjima and one night at Okapuka lodge near Windhoek in 2010). Optional afternoon activity.
Day 15 Day at leisure. Optional activities (see introduction).
Day 16 Visit the Kavango woodcarvers market in Okahandja. Transfer to the airport for the overnight return flight to London Heathrow via Johannesburg.
Day 17 Arrive London.
Extension - Cape Town
Stay at the central 3-star Inn on the Square (4-star Townhouse Hotel in 2010) with a tour of Cape Town including Table Mountain and the Castle of the Good Hope and a tour of the Cape Peninsula including Hout Bay, Cape Point and the Good Hope Nature Reserve.
Note: If taking the extension, the flights will be with British Airways from London via Johannesburg to Windhoek, Windhoek to Cape Town and direct from Cape Town to London.
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