Holiday Itinerary

Depart London.

Arrive Windhoek Airport, we will drive into town for an hour or so to give everyone the chance to change money and pick up any supplies they may need. We will then drive to Arebbush Lodge on the outskirts of the city.

Today we head southwest through the spectacular scenery of the Namib-Naukluft Park Area. This national park, one of the largest in the world, is home to one of the driest and oldest deserts on earth. It contains the finest desert scenery in Africa, if not in the world, with towering jagged rock formations and incredible lunar landscapes, so be prepared for some great photo stops.

Today we have a full day in the Namib Desert and get the opportunity to visit the Sossusvlei dunes, one of the great sights of Africa, either by walk to Hiddenvlei or taking transfer to Deadvlei (optional costs). We get up early and have 1 hour drive to watch the early morning light over the dunes and there is then time to climb some of the highest sand dunes in the world while our leaders cook breakfast. If we're lucky we may see gemsbok or ostrich among the dunes, an irresistibly photogenic scene! We spend a second night on the outskirts of Namib-Naukluft Park Area.

A long, but spectacular drive through Namib-Naukluft Park to Swakopmund, visiting Walvis Bay en route to have lunch and view the flamingos.

All day in and around Swakopmund - a German colonial resort town. There is time to go fishing or laze on the beach, or alternatively just enjoy a cream tea and a seafood dinner along the seafront. You can also go walking among the dunes outside the town, but more exciting than this is the very popular new sport of sand boarding or quad-biking on the dunes (optional). Alternatively there is the opportunity to go dolphin watching or sand skiing.

Drive towards the stark Skeleton Coast, visiting the Seal Colony at Cape Cross. This gives a wonderful opportunity to take some close up shots of the hundreds of seals and sea lions frolicking and fishing in the nearby surf. If the wind is blowing the wrong way it is not always the best place for lunch! We then continue inland to the Brandberg, the highest mountain in Namibia, located in Damaraland.

This morning we drive to Twyfelfontein to view the highest density of Bushmen (San) engravings in Southern Africa. We then take a scenic drive to the Petrified Forest (260 million years old) to see how the wood has been metamorphasised into stone.

This day is spent with a scenic drive to Etosha. We should arrive in time for lunch in Etosha and a game drive to our lodge at Okaukuejo or Halali that has an excellent waterhole for viewing game at night.

Our itinerary allows plenty of time to really enjoy this fabulous game park. Etosha is a huge park of mixed forest and grassland centred around a large salt pan. Etosha is home to a great variety and number of game, which is easy to find as the animals congregate at different times around the waterholes. There are waterholes next to the excellent campsites, and it is not uncommon for us to spend all night watching a gala performance of animals: wildebeest, zebra, impala, springbuck, kudu, elephant, giraffe, lion and even rhino are all common sights here. Take plenty of film, camera memory and lots of patience and you will be rewarded by one of the greatest game spectacles in Southern Africa. Etosha is also a good place for birds, with plenty of water birds on the lakes (when filled with water), and weaverbirds and hornbills in the trees. While in Etosha we move rest camp so you can experince a new area of the park. These camps now offer optional night drives which you can book and pay for on arrival.

We leave Etosha and arrive at the Cheetah Conservation Centre in time for cheetah feeding. You will have the chance to meet the local residents, cheetahs who cannot released back into the wild, and visit the education centre and museum. We then drive to Otjiwarongwe for the night.

This morning we drive to the Waterberg Plateau, a 200 metre high gigantic flat topped plateau with bushveld on top, which is one of the more fertile areas in Namibia, very colourful especially after the rains. Here there are several walking trails, including one leading to a spectacular viewpoint near the top of the plateau for a great view.

A drive of three hours or so brings us back to Windhoek. In the afternoon we transfer to the airport for the flight to London. Those not travelling with the group to London will leave us during the day.

Arrive London.