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This Namibian safari has it all: game viewing in Etosha National Park, tracking the unique
desert-adapted rhino, ancient Bushman rock art and recently discovered petrified forests, towering
sand dunes, and sea kayaking in the bird-filled Walvis Bay lagoon. Taking the road less travelled
through a few of Namibia's private reserves, escorted by some of the country's most informative and engaging
guides, you will experience aspects of this remote wilderness seldom seen by others. Your evenings will be
divided between starlit nights under canvas, in comfortable Adventurer and Discoverer camps, and rooms in
some of Namibia's best hotels and guesthouses.
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Acacia Safari Summary:
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| Day 1 |
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Flight to Namibia |
| Day 2 |
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Windhoek, guesthouse |
| Day 3 & 4 |
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Etosha National Park, lodge on Ongava reserve |
| Day 5 |
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Palmwag, lodge |
| Day 6 & 7 |
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Hoanib, discoverer camp |
| Day 8 |
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Damaraland, tented camp |
| Day 9 |
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Swakopmund, hotel |
| Day 10 & 11 |
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Namib-Naukluft Park, adventurer camp |
| Day 12 |
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Windhoek, guesthouse |
| Day 13 |
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Flight to London |
| Day 14 |
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Arrive in London |
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DETAILED ITINERARY:
Day 1 - Flight to Namibia
Scheduled overnight flight from London to Windhoek, via Johannesburg, with South African Airways.
Day 2 - Windhoek
On arrival in Windhoek, you are met and driven to a comfortable guesthouse: the perfect place to relax after your
flight. We have not included dinner this evening; there are many good restaurants to choose from in the city or,
alternatively, you can dine at the guesthouse. Our Namibian safari team is easily contactable if you have any
queries.
Day 3 & 4 - Etosha National Park
You are met at your guesthouse after breakfast and transferred to Eros Airport for a flight by light aircraft to
the private Ongava Game Reserve, adjacent to Etosha's southwestern boundary, where you spend two nights.
Etosha National Park covers about 22,000 km2 and is one of Africa's top game areas. Morning safari activities
usually focus on 4WD explorations of the park, often visiting the waterholes along the southern perimeter of the
enormous Etosha Pan. In the afternoon and evening the focus shifts to the Ongava Reserve. Here, as well as game
drives, you can go on walking safaris or night drives - walking safaris are not possible within the park. All the
drives use open 4WDs, so expect unrestricted views of the superb game.
The game viewing doesn't end when the sun sets and the night drive is over. The lodge floodlights its own
waterhole at night, and, as well as the antelope that drink here, it is possible to see some of the more elusive
nocturnal animals, such as genets, honey badgers and even leopard.
Day 5 - Palmwag lodge
After an early start, you head westwards by road through northern Damaraland and into the immense Palmwag
Reserve. En route you stop to visit Twyfelfontein, a seemingly simple valley that hides an amazing natural
gallery of ancient Bushman rock art. These petroglyphs provide a wonderful introduction to those stone-age
peoples and the diversity of game that roamed this area in bygone years.
The Palmwag Reserve in Namibia, covering 4,047 km2, is a private reserve; it features a number of freshwater
springs that support strong populations of game, including elephant, the rare Hartmann's mountain zebra, giraffe,
oryx, springbok and kudu. Predators including lion, cheetah, leopard, brown and spotted hyena are occasionally
seen here too.
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The speciality of the area is its growing population of rare desert-adapted black rhino, the largest
concentration in the world outside a national park. The rhino here are monitored and protected by the Save the
Rhino Trust and you spend some of your time tracking these magnificent animals with your guide.
The camp consists of five large walk-in tents, built on individual, wooden platforms and offering great views
out over the surrounding mountains and vast, open landscape.
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Day 6 & 7 - Hoanib Discoverer Camp
Heading for the Discoverer camp in the Hoanib river valley, you drive to the north-western edge of the
Palmwag Reserve. Here, the mountains open out and the surroundings become increasingly parched and desolate.
This, however, is one of Namibia's richest desert wildlife areas. Abundant tree growth on the banks of the
dry Hoanib River provides shade to a variety of game, as well as being a healthy diet for the desert-adapted
elephant. You can explore this unique ecosystem on game drives, night drives and walking safaris; the latter
offering the chance of getting close to the desert-adapted rhino on foot.
Day 8 - Damaraland Camp
Leaving the Palmwag Reserve, you travel south into Damaraland, arriving in the late afternoon at the
excellent, tented, Damaraland Camp. There should be time for a guided walk up a nearby mountain for the
energetic; a chance to kick back and absorb the stark beauty of the sandstone mountains and plateaus for the
relaxed; and a welcome sundowner drink around the campfire for everyone.
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 a welcome touch on calm evenings. A feature of the camp is its unique rock pool.
Day 9 - Swakopmund
As you drive south-west from Damaraland Camp towards the coast, you cross the Huab riverbed and skirt
Brandberg, Namibia's highest mountain and the world's second-largest monolith after Ayers Rock (Uluru). Then
you drive through the small town of Uis, once a bustling community but much quieter since its tin mine closed
down a few years ago. Semi-precious stones are available here. Approaching the Skeleton Coast, you now enter
one of the most fragile ecosystems on Earth, where unusual plants and lichens are sustained solely by the sea
mists.
Following the infamous Skeleton Coast, you head for the charming coastal town of Swakopmund and your
accommodation at the Stiltz Lodge - which, as its name implies, is built on stilts. At the mouth of the
Swakopmund River, it provides breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the desert on the
other. Each of the elegantly furnished thatched bungalows is linked to the main area by boardwalks. Here,
your afternoon is free to relax or to explore the town's cafés, curio markets and other attractions. Dinner
is at your own expense; ask your guide to recommend his/her favourite local restaurant or sample the
succulent fresh seafood.
Day 10 - Namib-Naukluft Park
After breakfast, you drive south along the coast to the town of Walvis Bay. Spend the morning kayaking
through the calm waters of the Walvis Bay Lagoon to see the Atlantic Ocean's rich marine life up close.
Favourite sightings are always the playful Cape fur seals and the rare heaviside dolphins.
Back on dry land and leaving the coast behind, you travel south-east, crossing endless flat gravel plains and
journeying through the dark, craggy Kuiseb canyon, before reaching your Adventurer camp on the Kulala
Wilderness Reserve.
Camp is set up on the banks of the Tsauchab River under large camelthorn trees, providing generous shade in
an area called the pro Namib. In front of camp you can see the first red moving sand dune: a wonderful
backdrop to the emerald green of the acacia trees.
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Day 11 - Namib-Naukluft Park
A drive deep into the Namib's Great Dune Field makes your early wake-up call worthwhile. Following the sandy
bed of the ephemeral Tsauchab River, you'll reach Sossusvlei, where the river's course is finally swallowed
into a great mass of apricot dunes, towering up to 300 metres high. Arriving here while the morning light is
soft shows you one of Namibia's most photogenic landscapes; it's totally magical. Those with the energy to
climb a dune are rewarded with a stunning view from the top. In the afternoon, with your guide, you look more
closely at the Kulala Reserve's unique fauna and flora, before indulging in a spot of southern hemisphere
stargazing.
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Day 12 - Windhoek
Driving back to Windhoek, you pass through yet more stunning scenery as the road climbs up and over the
Khomas Hochland escarpment. You arrive at your guesthouse in mid-afternoon. Dinner is at your own expense so
you can choose between the city's restaurants and the guesthouse for your farewell meal.
Day 13 - Flight to London
After time free in Windhoek, you are collected from your guesthouse and driven to the airport in time to
depart on your scheduled flight to London and the end of your safari in Namibia.
Day 14 - Arrive in London
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Departures:
Cost is per person sharing, departing and returning UK
There is a single supplement of £175.
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| 20/03/08 - 02/04/08 | £2884 | | 14/04/08 - 27/04/08 | £2786 | | 27/05/08 - 09/06/08 | £2786 | | 15/06/08 - 28/06/08 | £2786 | | 22/06/08 - 05/07/08 | £2786 | | 30/06/08 - 13/07/08 | £2847 | | 15/07/08 - 28/07/08 | £2847 | | 10/08/08 - 23/08/08 | £3062 | | 20/08/08 - 02/09/08 | £2949 | | 26/08/08 - 08/09/08 | £2949 | | 11/09/08 - 24/09/08 | £2949 | | 24/09/08 - 07/10/08 | £2949 | | 08/10/08 - 21/10/08 | £2949 | | 12/10/08 - 25/10/08 | £2949 | | 13/11/08 - 26/11/08 | £2884 | | 19/11/08 - 02/12/08 | £2884 | | 25/11/08 - 08/12/08 | £2884 | | 29/12/08 - 11/01/08 | £2847 |
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This itinerary can be downloaded from our Downloads Page
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