SPIRIT OF THE NAMIB
10 Nights / 11 Days

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

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 in pristine, wild camping areas. Separate toilet and shower 'bathrooms' with old-style tin bucket showers and 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 (and its simple comforts). Adventurer camps are specifically outfitted to create that wilderness camping feel with a clear emphasis on essential camp comforts and maximum wilderness experience.

Guides: The entire safari is guided and hosted by a professional and passionate trained guide who shares in-depth knowledge to present a seamless, well-rounded experience.

Exclusive experience: To ensure privacy and exclusivity, most areas in which we travel are private concessions in unspoiled and scenic prime locations. All campsites are for the use of Wilderness Safaris guests only, while at hotels and lodges we meet other guests.

Routes: 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 - and in fact thrive. On this journey there is also an excellent opportunity to find even the largest of mammals surviving here - the desert-adapted black rhino and elephant.

Transfers: To maximise guests' 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.

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Full Safari Itinerary

Days 1 & 2: Ongava Homestead, Etosha Region
Transfer by comfortable charter flight to Namibia's big game country: Etosha and its environs. 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 66 000-acre Ongava Game Reserve is recognised as the nation's premier big game private game reserve. Combined with easy access to the extraordinary Etosha Park, Ongava Homestead provides the quintessential Namibian farmhouse experience.

Ongava Homestead, situated in the private Ongava Game Reserve, is a renovated old farmhouse, with shared bathrooms and a farm kitchen overlooking a busy waterhole. Sleeping eight guests, complete with domestic facilities, outdoor barbecue, bar, common dining, kitchen and bathroom facilities present a clean and comfortable base to experience and explore the fascinating countryside. Simple safari furnishings create a wonderful atmosphere in which to make friends and enjoy good company.

The waterhole is floodlit at night to catch sight of nocturnal visitors, from the timid genet to big game such as lion, leopard and a host of antelope. Within Etosha we'll also visit numerous perennial springs and pans, encountering lion, leopard, elephant and black rhino, as well as plains game.

Day 3: Palmwag Lodge, Palmwag
After an early breakfast, we depart westwards by road in the direction of Palmwag concession.

Here, on the concession and in the surrounding areas the desert-adapted elephant and black rhino can be found. Special activities include tracking and searching for these wonderful mammals on foot and by vehicle. The camp consists of 5 meru tents, built on individual, wooden platforms and offering a great scenic view of the surroundings and also the Desert Elephants when they visit the area. Situated about 600 m away from the restaurant and secluded from the rest of Palmwag Lodge, this stop over forms a private experience and feel. The tents are tastefully furnished, with en suite facilities, solar power and a wonderful atmosphere.

Over the course of the next four nights in this enormous wilderness area our 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.

Days 4, 5 & 6: Hoanib Camp, Kaokoland
With an early start, our journey continues by road towards the ephemeral river of the Hoanib Valley. Here, in an area seemingly parched and desolate, we 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 wilderness.

Experience the wilder side of Africa where only the sporadic roar of lion or cackle of hyaena punctuates the silence of the night. The Save the Rhino Trust has been involved with rhino conservation in this area since the early 1980s, with funding from and in partnership with Wilderness Safaris. The Trust is thus able to continue the conservation of this remarkable animal.

Our Discoverer-styled tented camp close to the Hoanib River is a relaxed haven from which we explore this wild land on foot, or from the comfort of one of our 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 necessary comforts and styled with burnt orange interiors, wood and brass, effectively recreating a sense of the early explorers.

Day 7: Damaraland Camp, Damaraland
Departing early, we travel to Twyfelfontein where we take a guided walk via a number of routes with local Damara guides to view the San (Bushman) petroglyphs - prehistoric rock etchings strewn over the rock face. We end the long journey in the early evening at the award-winning Damaraland Camp.

Damaraland Camp accommodates guests in 10 comfortable tented rooms, with en-suite facilities including flush toilets and showers with hot and cold running water. The dining room and pub are combined under canvas, and an open fire is enjoyed on calm evenings. A feature of the camp is its unique natural rock pool. In the late afternoon, we search on foot or vehicle for the black rhino, hoping to have a glimpse of this prehistoric-looking animal that survives today in these desolately beautiful areas.

Day 8: The Stiltz Lodge, Swakopmund
We leave Damaraland Camp and cross over the Huab riverbed. Traveling south we begin finding some Welwitschia plants, we also come across some petrified wood and pass the Gai As spring where we find numerous stone circles made by people who lived here about 500 years ago. Continuing south we cross over the Ugab River and then start heading westwards towards the coast. As we get closer to the coast there are lichen fields strewn over the gravel plains, one of the most fragile ecosystems on Earth.

After relaxing over our packed lunch en route, we make for The Stiltz Lodge in the quaint and charming town of Swakopmund, arriving in the late afternoon. Swakopmund is a wonderful town in which to end a safari after the experiences of the northern Namibian bush, with its unique urban atmosphere that is a vibrant combination of Africa and Europe.

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 9 & 10: Kulala Adventurer Camp, Sossusvlei
After an early breakfast, we drive southwards to Walvis Bay Lagoon. Here in a protected bay, many flamingos, pelicans and other waterfowl amass. On the calm waters of the bay, we experience sea kayaking, a spectacular activity that allows us to approach the waterbirds at a respectable distance and in their habitat, allowing for some unique photographic opportunities of birds flying low over the bay.

We enjoy a seafood lunch served on the beach and afterwards drive inland to the Kulala Adventurer Camp in our private Sossusvlei concession.

Here we enjoy access to the Sossusvlei dunes, for walks in the immense moving sands of the Namib, game drives on our concession and stargazing. Photography in the early morning of the dunes is particularly stunning with rich reds and dark shadows completing the extraordinary vista that is the enormity of the Namib Desert.

Day 11: Transfer to Windhoek

After breakfast we transfer by road, including lunch overlooking the view of the plains nearby, to Windhoek and bid farewell to the adventure.

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

Departure Dates 2007

It is recommended that you arrive in Namibia the day before the
departure date of the safari, we can arrange accommodation in Windhoek for you.

Rates

1st January 2007 to 30th June 2007
Safari costs from £1,840.00 per person sharing

1st July 2007 to 15th November 2007
Safari costs from £1,875.00 per person sharing

16th November 2007 to 20th December 2007
Safari costs from £1,840.00 per person sharing

21st December 2007 to 31st December 2007
Safari costs from £1,875.00 per person sharing

Single Supplement Charge of £105.00

Rates vary due to exchange rate differences with the US Dollar
Please contact us for a confirmed quote.

(Excluding all flights to, from and within Africa)
Safaris subject to availability and prices can change without prior notice.

Please contact us for availability, confirmed rates and booking information.
You can contact us from within the UK on 08707 662 993
International calls on + 44 1995 679 776

E-mail us - holidays@safari-africa.co.uk

Copyright © - Wilderness Safaris & Dana Allen
All photos are copyright protected and used courtesy of the respective lodges

Pictures in this column were taken in Namibia

To make a booking please contact us with the depature date you would like. We will then check availablility for you.

Flights to, from and many within Africa are not included in the cost of the safari, you can check flight prices On-Line by going to our Flights page or by contacting your local travel agent or flight specialist.

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