This 8 day safari will take to you to three of Namibia’s must see natural wonders. We will visit the Namib Desert and Sossusvlei which is home to some of the highest sand dunes in the world. Then we move onto Swakopmund – where the desert and the coast come together. We will then make our way up along the Skeleton Coast and turn inland into the dramatic and scenic Damaraland. And then last but not least we will move onto Etosha which is one of Africa’s best game viewing destinations.
DAY 1: Sossusvlei and the Namib Desert
After breakfast and meeting your guide for the safari you will depart for Sossusvlei. We will drive through the Khomas Hochland and down the escarpment via one of the scenic mountain passes into the Namib Desert. This journey will take about 4 hours, depending on the number of stops for photographs. After lunch and settling in at the lodge we will depart for a late afternoon scenic nature drive or an excursion to Sesriem Canyon. Dinner and accommodation will be at one of the best lodges in the area perfectly situated to explore the surrounding desert and its attractions.
DAY 2: Sossusvlei and Swakopmund
After an early breakfast and coffee, we will depart for a morning excursion to Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. We will stop at the scenic Dune 45 along the way and spend a couple of hours at both Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. Some of the dunes in the area are a few hundred meters high, but the view from the top for those that dare is one you will never forget. After lunch we will depart for Swakopmund via the Namib Naukluft National Park. We will spend the night at a Guesthouse and dinner will be at one of the top restaurants in Swakopmund. Please note that dinner tonight is not included in the package price, and is for your own account.
DAY 3: Living Desert Adventure, quad-biking and the Walvis Bay lagoon.
After breakfast we will depart for a living desert adventure where we will encounter and learn more about the fascinating wildlife of the Namib Desert. We will look for gecko’s, scorpions, side-winder snakes, lizards and beetles as well as the incredible plant life that survives in this harsh environment.
Once we are back in Swakopmund we enjoy lunch and explore the town before finishing the day with a quad-biking and dune-boarding adventure.
DAY 4: Dolphin and Seal Cruise, Skeleton coast and Damaraland
We will start today with an early morning seal and dolphin cruise on a catamaran in the Walvis Bay lagoon. We will visit the oyster farm, the shipwreck and lighthouse at Pelican Point as well as the seal colony.
Wildlife we might encounter includes Cape Fur Seal, Humpback and Southern-right Whales, Bottlenose and Heaviside Dolphins, Leatherback Turtles and Sun Fish, or Mola-mola to name a few. The birdlife on the lagoon is brilliant and there are always great photographic opportunities especially for pelicans, gulls and cormorants. There is a toilet on-board and refreshments include fresh oysters and champagne
Then we continue our safari northwards along the Skeleton Coast. After visiting a shipwreck we will turn inland towards Damaraland. We will drive past the Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain with the highest peak at 2573 meters. We will be at our lodge in time for a sun-downer drink while we enjoy the view over this beautiful landscape.
Damaraland is famous for its geological rock formations and we will visit the burnt mountain, organ pipes this afternoon. Damaraland is home to the desert adapted elephants and we might be lucky enough to encounter them.
DAY 5-7: Etosha National Park
After breakfast we will depart for Etosha National Park where will spend the next 3 nights. On the way to Etosha we will visit Twyfelfontein where you find thousands of rock engravings and is Namibia’s only world heritage site as well as the petrified forest where we will also find the Namib Desert’s living fossil plant, the Welwitschia mirabilis.
During our visit to Etosha, we will do morning and afternoon game viewing drives, and relax at the pool or camp waterhole between drives.
DAY 8: Departure
After an early morning game drive or a relaxing breakfast we will depart for Windhoek where you will catch your connecting flight or extend your safari to the Caprivi, Vic Falls, Botswana, Zambia or Zimbabwe.
For more information contact the Namibia Vet Safari team at info@namibiavetsafaris.com
