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It's hard to find a comfortable holiday which takes in Namibia's many highlights without rushing. We've
worked hard to design this itinerary so that it does just that. There's no camping on this trip; you'll stay
at a mix of comfortable lodges and lovely permanent camps, then use Etosha's simple restcamps for their
superb location. You'll be guided by one of Namibia's more knowledgeable, experienced guides, and have plenty
of time to enjoy the Namib's dunes, Walvis Bay, the dramatic Skeleton Coast,
Damaraland, exclusive access to Etosha's west, and Okonjima's big cats. The one snag is
that we've been able to arrange only very few departures - so book early to reserve your space!
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Moringa 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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Namib-Naukluft Park, lodge |
| Day 5 & 6 |
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Swakopmund, hotel |
| Day 7 |
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Damaraland, lodge |
| Day 8 & 9 |
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Hobatere Lodge, chalets |
| Day 10 & 11 |
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Etosha National Park, chalets |
| Day 12 & 13 |
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Okonjima, lodge |
| Day 14 |
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Flight to London |
| Day 15 |
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Arrive in London |
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DETAILED ITINERARY:
Day 1 - Flight to Namibia
Start your holiday to Namibia with a scheduled overnight flight from London to Windhoek, via Johannesburg,
with South African Airways.
Day 2 - Windhoek
On arrival in Windhoek, you are met and transferred to a comfortable guesthouse. The afternoon is free:
you've time to explore Windhoek or to relax by the pool before an early-evening visit by one of our team who
joins you for a drink, to discuss your trip and answer any queries. Lunch and dinner are at your own expense;
this allows you to choose from among Windhoek's many good restaurants or else dine at your guesthouse.
Day 3 - Namib-Naukluft Park
After breakfast, your guide collects you at 09.00 for the scenic drive over the escarpment and down towards
the dune-fields of the Namib and the first long drive of your Namibian holiday. Your base for the next two
nights is the Namib-Naukluft Lodge on the edge of the desert. Arriving in mid-afternoon, you've time to rest
before taking a sundowner excursion to the nearby 'Marble Mountain'.
The Namib is one of the world's oldest deserts, and throughout this trip your guide introduces you to the
flora and fauna that have specially adapted to life here. There's a sprinkling of large animals, from oryx
and springbok to fleeting ostrich, as well as an abundance of amazing smaller life forms - living rocks,
dancing spiders, sand-diving lizards and fog-basking beetles!
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Day 4 - Namib-Naukluft Park
Use the whole day to explore in and around the Namib-Naukluft National Park with your guide. An early start
takes you deeper into the desert for a spectacular sunrise. You make for Sossusvlei, where many of the dunes
tower over 250m above the Tsauchab Valley. There's much to see by walking around here; the Namib-Naukluft
Park is one of the largest conservation areas in the world, so it covers an amazing diversity of landscapes.
You find not only great dune-fields, but also wind-sculpted rock formations, fossil valleys, arid scrub areas
and smooth gravel plains. Visit Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei and climb some of the highest free-standing dunes in
the world before enjoying a delicious brunch under a camelthorn tree.
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Return, via spectacular Sesriem Canyon, to the lodge, where you've time to relax before dinner on the
veranda. If you still have some energy left, you can walk out into the surrounding area, bird watch from the
nearby hide or just settle back with a sundowner to enjoy the sunset.
Day 5 - Swakopmund
After breakfast, you travel north and west. Much of your trip is through contrasting areas of the
Namib-Naukluft National Park. Your route to the coast offers a series of spectacular views as you descend
into the depths of the Gaub and Kuiseb Canyons and climb back out again. Around mid-afternoon, you arrive at
the old, colonial-style Hansa Hotel, one of the best in central Swakopmund, with time to wander around this
pleasant coastal town or take a short siesta.
Your guide knows the restaurants well, so this evening takes you to one of his/her favourites; often the Tug
restaurant by the old jetty. This is your chance to sample the excellent local seafood whilst on holiday in
Namibia.
Day 6 - Swakopmund
This morning you drive south to Walvis Bay, for a dolphin cruise around the outer lagoon. There's a lot to
see in these cold, rich waters, including Cape fur seals, heaviside and bottlenose dolphins, pelicans,
flamingos and a wide variety of sea birds. The trip includes snacks aboard, along with some fresh local
oysters and champagne. You usually head back to Swakopmund around midday for an afternoon at leisure, perhaps
checking out the town's museums, curio markets and other attractions. The day ends with dinner in one of the
many good restaurants.
Day 7 - Damaraland
Leaving Swakopmund early, you travel first along part of the infamous Skeleton Coast. Then you turn inland,
across one of the desert's harshest, flattest areas, before gradually climbing up into the beautiful
mountains of Damaraland. As always, you stop periodically for your guide to show you points of interest, and
to explain the changes of landscapes, flora and fauna that occur as the desert gives way to the relatively
verdant mountains.
You stay in the stunning Mowani Mountain Camp, which has a handful of large walk-in tents dotted amongst the
huge granite boulders of a spectacular kopje. In the afternoon you will visit some of the interesting sites
of southern Damaraland, including the ancient rock art at Twyfelfontein and the 'Organ Pipe' rock formations.
Your guide will be on the lookout for signs of the special desert-adapted game that can be found in this
area.
Day 8 & 9 - Hobatere Lodge
In the morning you head off to one of the country's premier game areas: Hobatere, a private reserve of 320km²
bordering western Etosha. From your base in one of the comfortable bungalows, you explore the reserve with
excellent guides on 4WD game drives, night drives and escorted walking safaris. (As you cannot drive at night
or walk in Etosha National Park, we take advantage of these activities here!) There is a wide variety of big
game, from elephant and giraffe to oryx, eland and springbok. The main predators are lion, leopard, cheetah
and hyena. On night drives you often spot the nocturnal animals including aardvark, aardwolf, genet, Cape fox
and bat-eared fox; whilst walks are great for learning more about tracking and the area's diverse flora.
Hobatere is run by Steve Braine, one of Namibia's leading bird experts; it's a sought-after destination for
ornithologists.
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Day 10 & 11 - Etosha National Park
Today you drive east, through the western gate into Etosha National Park. We have a special permit for this
remote side of the park, from which normal tourist traffic is prohibited. After a long game drive, you stop
for two nights at either Okaukuejo or Halali Rest Camp; here you stay in simple en-suite rooms or bungalows.
(We sometimes use two-bedroomed bungalows, in which bathrooms are shared.) Both restcamps are superbly
located within the national park, making them perfect bases from which to explore.
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Time your days here like the predators: rising early to hunt for animals, resting in the middle of the day,
and then heading out again in the mid-afternoon. After dinner at the camp's restaurant you can slope off with
a drink to watch more game at the floodlit waterhole beside camp.
Day 12 & 13 - Okonjima Lodge
After an early-morning game drive and breakfast, you leave for Okonjima. Here you can enjoy the warm Hanssen
family atmosphere. Okonjima is home to the AfriCat Foundation, which has long been involved with the
conservation of Namibia's big cats, especially its cheetah. You can learn more about the rescue, relocation
and education work of the Foundation, as well as getting close to some of its many big cats. Other
activities available from the lodge include bush walks, bird watching and visits to their night hide - where
honey badgers, porcupines and other small nocturnal animals often appear. The photographic opportunities at
Okonjima can be matchless.
Day 14 - Flight to London
You leave Okonjima on the last day of your Namibian holiday after a morning activity and a delicious brunch.
Upon arrival in Windhoek, you've a short time to freshen up before you are driven to the airport ready for
your scheduled flight to London.
Day 15 - Arrive in London
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Departures:
Cost is per person sharing, departing and returning UK
There is a single supplement of £350.
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| 01/04/09 - 15/04/09 | £3518 | | 05/06/09 - 19/06/09 | £3630 | | 22/07/09 - 05/08/09 | £3826 | | 21/08/09 - 04/09/09 | £3711 | | 23/10/09 - 06/11/09 | £3711 | | | |
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This itinerary can be downloaded from our Downloads Page
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