Windhoek – Damaraland – Etosha Pan

Windhoek

Arrival at Hosea Kutako International Airport and welcome by our tour guide. We then proceed to Windhoek, followed by a city tour.

The city tour of Windhoek includes the following sights: the Christ Church, the Alte Feste (Old Fortress) and the gardens of the Seat of Parliament, also known as the ‚Ink Palace‘. We also drive along Windhoek’s “boulevard”, Independence Avenue (formerly Kaiserstrasse). Windhoek is the largest city in the country with a population of almost 320,000 and is the political, economic and cultural centre. The city lies at an altitude of 1650 metres, nestled between the Auas Mountains in the south, the Eros Mountains in the northeast and the Khomas Hochland in the west.

For dinner, the rustic Joe’s Beerhouse Restaurant awaits you (not included, own account).

Bed and breakfast – Safari Court Hotel (Classic Luxury Room)

Travel distance: 45.7 km

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Windhoek to the Sesriem Region

Our Namibia tour begins with a drive to the southwest of Namibia via Rehoboth and Maltahöhe, until we reach the elegant Desert Hills Lodge in the Namib Desert region.

Long and narrow, the Namib stretches over 1900 km, from South Africa’s Cape Province up to Angola. It is considered one of the oldest deserts on earth. Two perennial rivers cut through the Namib, with the Kunene forming the northern border and the Orange the southern border. In the driest areas, it extends up to 200 km inland.

Arrival and check-in in the early afternoon, followed by a nature tour with sundowners at the lodge.

Dinner, bed and breakfast – Desert Hills Lodge (standard room)

Travel distance: 305.4 km

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Sossusvlei to Swakopmund

We rise early and depart before dawn, bound for the red dunes of Sossusvlei. Many variations of colours can be seen in the beautiful dune landscape, emerging further as the sun rises higher in the sky and we will have many opportunities to take some unique photos.
We enjoy our breakfast at Sossusvlei in the form of breakfast packs.

Sossusvlei is a large clay depression surrounded by dunes, some of which are over 300 metres high. Most of the time the depression is dried out, but in good rainy years when there is enough water in the Tsauchab River, it reaches the dunes and creates a lake. From the highest dunes you have an almost unreal view over the Namib Desert dune sea.

On our way back out of the Park we visit the Sesriem Canyon.

The gorge of the Sesriem Canyon is particularly impressive. Here, the Tsauchab River has carved a bed up to 30 metres deep through layers of boulders that were deposited here 15 to 18 million years ago during a wetter phase of the Namib. The formation of the canyon itself dates back 2 to 4 million years.

Towards midday we continue on through the endless scree of the Namib Desert, via the Ghaub Pass and the Kuiseb Pass to Swakopmund. From Walvis Bay, the coastal road leads along a unique and beautful route: on the left the sea, and on the right the dunes. We arrive in Swakopmund in the late afternoon and enjoy a short orientation drive.

The small, pretty coastal town of Swakopmund has many beautiful buildings from the German colonial period. You will see the Hohenzollernhaus, the Woermann Tower, the Jetty, the pier with the lighthouse and the naval monument as well as other Art Nouveau buildings. Many inhabitants speak German and numerous promenades, palm avenues and parks give the small coastal town a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. Enjoy a walk along the kilometre-long, secluded Atlantic beach or stroll through the woodcarvers’ market near the lighthouse. Optionally and time-permitting, you could visit the interesting local history museum, the maritime museum or the Crystal Gallery.

Bed and breakfast – Strand Hotel (standard room)

Travel distance: 354.7 km

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Swakopmund to Twyfelfontein

Today we depart from the coast and drive into Damaraland, characterised by rocky and rugged landscapes, bizarre rock formations and centuries-old rock painting and engravings. We view some of these images at Twyfelfontein.

Twyfelfontein is one of the largest collections of rock carvings in Africa. They were carefully carved into the slabs of rock that litter the slopes of the flat mountain. The highlight is the “Dancing Kudu”, surrounded by numerous geometric patterns. Twyfelfontein was declared a World Heritage Site in 2007.
Damaraland and the Kaokoveld in the arid northwest of Namibia form parts of the mosaic of ethnically diverse regions that make this country so varied and interesting. Until recently, Damaraland was a remote region and many of the people living here have hardly changed over the centuries. It is an area of stark contrasts: high mountains, grasslands and steppe.

Dinner, bed and breakfast – Twfyfelfontein Lodge (standard room)

Travel distance: 331.9 km

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Twyfelfontein to Etosha East

Today we head towards the Etosha National Park. On the way we stop and visit a Himba village.

The Himba have remained largely untouched by the developments of the 20th century. They wear traditional clothing that the Hereros also used to have – aprons and cloaks made of leather and copper and iron jewellery. As they have done for centuries, the Himba build pontoks plastered with cattle dung and mud, the low cattle huts, and pay special reverence to their cattle herds, but especially to the ‘ancestral bull’.

Oncce inside Etosha, we drive right across the park from west to east, to Mokuti Etosha Lodge which is situated not far outside the entrance to Etosha National Park.

Dinner, bed and breakfast – Mokuti Etosha Lodge (standard room)

Travel distance: 576.8 km

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Etosha National Park

Exciting game viewing is on the agenda today. We drive across the Etosha National Park and stop at various waterholes to observe animals (from the tour vehicle).

Etosha National Park in northern Namibia is one of the most beautiful nature reserves in Africa. As early as 1907, Governor von Lindequist declared Etosha a nature reserve on an area five times larger than today’s national park. The current size of Etosha National Park is 22 270 square kilometres. The national park is home to large herds of springbok, impala, zebra and wildebeest, as well as elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, cheetahs and black rhinos, and various species of birds and reptiles.

Before sunset we leave the park through the well-known “Von Lindequist Gate”, the eastern park exit, and drive to Mokuti Etosha Lodge not far away.

Dinner, bed and breakfast – Mokuti Etosha Lodge (standard room)

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Etosha – Okapuka Ranch

We leave Etosha Park and drive via Tsumeb, Otjiwarongo and Okahandja to our last accommodation. In the afternoon we join a sunset nature drive at Okapuka Ranch. Finally, we enjoy our last evening in the African bush.

Dinner, bed and breakfast – Okapuka Ranch

Travel distance: 500.1 km

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