Namibia Desert Discovery by Air

Arrive into the Namibian capital to a warm A&K welcome and transfer to your elegant boutique lodging. The rest of the day is at leisure to relax before the start of your safari adventure

Windhoek nestles amongst rolling hills, bounded by the Eros Mountains in the east, the Auas Mountains to the south and the Khomas Hochland in the west. It is a meeting place between Africa and Europe, the modern and the old. In the main street, well-preserved German colonial buildings sit in sharp contrast with modern architectural structures, while Herero women in their traditional Victorian dress mingle with smartly attired businessmen.

Am Weinberg Boutique Hotel

This morning you are transferred to the airport for your private charter flight north to Ongava Reserve which borders Etosha National Park to the south. Etosha National Park is Namibia’s premier wildlife destination and one of Africa’s largest game reserves. In the dry season large herds of wildlife congregate around the waterholes and the endless plains offer breathtaking vistas.

Arrive at your exclusive safari camp in time for lunch. Perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking a waterhole, Andersons at Ongava is known for its panoramic vistas of the surrounding savannah and its exclusivity.

This afternoon head into the reserve for your first game drive. Spanning 30,000 hectares along the southwest border of Etosha National Park, the reserve is home to a wide variety of wildlife including lion, leopard, giraffe, rhino, Hartmann’s mountain zebra, gemsbok (Oryx), kudu, steenbok and much more. The scenery is captivating with large open plains blending into mopane tree woodland areas and granite outcrops.

Anderssons at Ongava | Meals: BLD

Spend 2 days enjoying day and night drives, visiting hides and walks with experienced guides. Game drives and daytrips into the easily accessible Okaukuejo area of Etosha National Park are rewarding with sightings of lion, elephant, gemsbok, springbok, red hartebeest and white and black rhino. For those who enjoy close wildlife encounters, tracking white rhino on foot is sure to be a highlight.

There is then time to relax by the pool, or in your suite, whilst your evening can be spent game viewing at the camp’s floodlit waterhole while enjoying dinner, and afterwards.

Anderssons at Ongava | Meals: BLD

This morning take off on your private charter flight to Kunene River and your river camp. The Kunene River rises in the Angolan Highlands and abounds with large crocodiles. This area was home to desert adapted elephants until the 1960’s and 70’s when poaching decimated the last remaining population. It is currently part of a conservation project attracting these magnificent animals back to the area.

Arrive at luxurious Okahirongo River Camp at the top of the Marienfluss Valley in time for lunch. Afterwards there is time to relax and enjoy your beautifully appointed room before an afternoon boat excursion along the Kunene River, taking in the distinctive landscape whilst looking out for birdlife and crocodiles. Your return to camp will be just after sunset, in good time to freshen up for dinner.

Okahirongo River Camp | Meals: BLD

Today is filled with exciting and informative guided activities. In the morning you will set off on a scenic nature walk with your guide into the impressive surrounding areas along the Kunene River, returning to camp during the heat of the day for some leisure time. Later this afternoon an exciting activity awaits as you seek out the last nomadic tribe of Namibia, the Himba. Semi-nomadic, the Himba move location with little notice so your search could take a while!

Visiting a Himba settlement, you will learn about the customs and traditions of this very proud nation, and will be given insight into their beliefs, way of life and everyday routine. After time spent amongst them, you will take a scenic drive back to the lodge and pause on a mountain top for a stunning sunset over this breathtaking landscape.

Okahirongo River Camp | Meals: BLD

After an early breakfast this morning you will return to the airstrip to board your private charter flight heading south along the picturesque Marienfluss Valley. Late this afternoon arrive at luxurious Okahirongo Elephant Lodge, perched on a hill above the banks of the ephemeral Hoarusib River.

Okahirongo Elephant Lodge | Meals: BLD

The next two days are spent here in Kaokoland, often described as one of the last truly wild parts of Namibia’s Northwest. This is the only place in the world where elephant, black rhino, lion and other African animals live in a desert environment and there will be many opportunities to seek these animals out. A range of activities is available for you to choose from including scenic drives through the stunning landscape, discovering the local flora and topography; tracking the rare desert elephant and other wildlife; visiting a Himba village; Sundowner cocktails in special unforgettable locations; night walks and star gazing (additional cost).

Okahirongo Elephant Lodge | Meals: BLD

After breakfast, bid farewell to this beautiful lodge and board your private charter flight south to Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. Soar over the awe-inspiring and ever-changing desert landscapes of the Namib en route, allowing you a bird’s eye view (fog permitting) over the dune sea, abandoned mining camps, shipwrecks, Sandwich Harbour and salt pans before you land at Swakopmund Airport to refuel. Your pilot will point out the ‘Eduard Bohlen’, a German cargo ship that ran aground in 1909 on its way from Swakopmund to Cape Town. It is believed that thick fog caused the ship to founder close to Conception Bay. Years after the ship ran aground, the desert began to encroach on the sea and the ship that was once stranded in the ocean slowly became marooned in the desert. The wreck currently sits about 500 metres from the ocean, ensuring that it’s the best-preserved shipwreck along Namibia’s Skeleton Coast and a must see for photographers.

Arrive at Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in time for a guided excursion on the Reserve. Activities include guided nature walks, dune ecology activity, fat-biking and quad bike excursions.

Sossusvlei Desert Lodge | Meals: BLD

This morning rise early for a magical guided lodge excursion into the Namib Naukluft National Park, entering the park gates at sunrise to capture the dunes whilst the light is soft, and shadows accentuate their towering shapes and curves. This area boasts some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world. Your local lodge guide will give you an insight on the formation of the Namib Desert and the fascinating creatures and plants that have adapted to its harsh conditions.

Once you have explored the dune fields you can enjoy a relaxing picnic breakfast under the shade of a camel thorn tree. Return to the lodge in the early afternoon for a late lunch, stopping off to view the cool depths of Sesriem Canyon along the way, should time allow. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure or you may like to enjoy another guided excursion in the reserve.

Sossusvlei Desert Lodge | Meals: BLD

Board your charter flight this morning for Windhoek Airport where you are met and assisted with check-in for your departure flight.

Meals: B