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This exceptional expedition, starting in the well-known Etosha Park, will drive us in through the northern-west territories at the centre of the most fascinating, wild, remote regions of the Namib Desert.
In this well-researched itinerary, the emphasis is stressed on the natural beauties of the Kunene region inhabited by the Himba herders with their traditional ancestral lifestyle. Further west, you will delight in the marvelous Hartmann’s Valley where we can admire the Kunene River tracing a path between the sandy dunes of the Namib Desert and the Serra Cafema Mountains in Angola.
We will discover the mysterious and austere region of Skeleton Coast where so many seamen perished and which is now forbidden to the public because of its highly sensitive ecosystem.
However, we will touch it briefly thanks to the forgotten gravel roads along our way to Damaraland.
In Damaraland, we will be surrounded by landscapes similar to those of western movie sets where an important animal life remains such as giraffes, mountain zebras, black rhinos, elephants, lions and other predators have all adapted to the harsh life conditions of the Namib Desert.
Further south, we will end our trip on the ocean of Sossusvlei’s ochre dunes ending on the Atlantic’s desolated shores.
This journey is a pure 4X4 expedition; you will mainly bivouac under tents in exceptional natural sites and sometimes appreciate the comfort of nights in exclusive lodges.
Highlights:
- Wildlife celebration that is Etosha Park
- Kunene River and Himba herders from the Kaokoland region
- Splendid northern-west panoramas
- Animal life living in total liberty having adapted to the Desert conditions
- Moon landscapes of the Skeleton Coast
- Ochre dunes of the Namib Desert
EXPEDITION PROGRAM
Day 1: Windhoek – Otjiwarongo
Welcome at the airport with immediate departure for a first stop on our way to Etosha Park. A night in comfortable rooms at Otjibamba Lodge. Dinner at the restaurant.
Day 2: Etosha National Park – Namutoni
We will approach Etosha Park by its eastern side at Namutoni where we will settle our camp. In the afternoon, we will leave for our first photo-safari until the sun sets to discover the animal life of the natural watering holes of this area.
Option overnight in lodges or in bungalows.
Day 3: Etosha National Park – Okaukuejo
Day dedicated to the search and observation of the animal life. From the smallest antelope –namely the damara dik-dik- to the biggest mammal on earth –the elephant- almost all most important African species are present in Etosha. Predators: lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas… are living there but more difficult to observe. A night at Okaukuejo camping. There a special floodlight waterhole provides an interesting opportunity to observe animals that are rarely seen during daytime – among them the black rhino.
Option overnight in lodges or in bungalows.
Day 4: Etosha National Park - Hobatere Lodge
We will cross a restricted area in the western part of the Park, only accessible under special authorization for operators, to search other more reclusive wild animals. In the afternoon, we will leave Etosha to settle in the bush at the very agreeable Hobatere lodge. A nearby waterhole allows animal watching where even lions can show up! Nights in comfortable chalets. Dinner at the restaurant.
Day 5: Ruacana – Kunene River
After a necessary road trip, we will reach Ruacana and the Kunene, Namibia’s natural border with Angola. We will then use a small gravel road along the green riverside. We will settle our camp next to the river in a charming backdrop.
Option overnight in the lodge.
Day 6: Kaokoland region – Epupa Falls
After half a day of gravel road, we will reach the marvelous Epupa Falls. We will settle our camp under the shade of an incredible palm grove. A relaxing afternoon will be dedicated to the visit of Epupa Falls on foot between the different viewpoints of the site.
Option overnight in a lodge
Day 7: Kaokoland region – On the way to Hartmann’s Valley
We will take a beautiful gravel road leading to the centre of the Koakoland. Landscapes crossed are especially impressive: they include some of the world most ancient rocky plateaus, sandy wadis tracing their paths through a mineral universe, herds of springbok and ostriches hardly disturbed by our presence, and from times to time intriguing meetings with Himba to whom we will give a smile and some flour to initiate productive and simple contact before the anxious moment of photography…Tourist activities have considerably disturbed their ancestral way of life, with the arrival of money and alcohol. Therefore, we prefer to wait for an unpredicted visit while having a picnic or a bivouac rather than to artificially force contact. You will certainly meet less Himba people but trust us the quality of the few meetings you do have will be of a much higher value!
Night in bivouac.
Days 8 and 9: Hartmann’s Valley
Due North, we will penetrate the Hartmann’s Valley in direction of the Kunene River. We will discover this endless landscape where red sand dunes and stratified rocks are mixed. At the limit of the Valley, we will admire the Kunene River which curves between Namib sands and Angolan Mountains. Two bivouac nights in this paradisiacal landscape will be just enough to appreciate all the different view point of the Kunene River, the Skeleton Coast and the Serra Cafema Mountains in Angola. A great moment of traveling!
Option beds in the exclusive Serra Cafema Lodge.
Days 10 and 11: Northern Namib Desert – Purros region
We will leave the Hartmann’s Valley on a forgotten gravel road along the Skeleton Coast Park. We will discover landscapes of crescent-shaped dunes (barchans) sometimes visited by herds of oryx and springbok which always seem to be very curious to see us passing. Bush camp. In the afternoon of day 11, we will arrive in Purros: an isolated village lost in the middle of sands inhabited by both Himba and Herrero people. We will settle on the Hoarusib wati banks in a small camp created and used by the local population (showers).
Day 12: Southern Kaokoland
We will row the magnificent gorges of Hoarusib riverbed where we will have every chance to observe our first desert elephants.
The desert elephant is a unique specimen adapted to the very dry conditions of the Namib climate. It is still highly important in the ecosystem. It comes into the dried riverbeds in search of food and water that it generally finds by digging the sand, like many other species. Almost decimated in the 70’s by poaching, the population of elephants is now estimated at more than 600. Head to the North, we will cross a denuded plateau to reach the Hoanib wati riverbed to find elephants and also giraffe, oryx, springbok. We will make our bivouac in the sands of the riverbed.
Day 13: Northern Damaraland
Head on the South, we will direct ourselves towards one of the most remote wild parts of Damaraland. At the centre of eroded tabular massifs underlining the Skeleton Coast, we will be able to observe a diversified animal life which lives in these remote areas: giraffes, oryx, springbok, mountain zebras… If we are lucky there will be a chance to meet the last totally wild black rhinos, loins and elephants still living this arid land outside National Parks.
Bush camp in the middle of the Desert.
Day 14: Damaraland region – Grootberg Lodge
We will continue our progressive search for animal life. In the afternoon, we will settle at Grootberg Lodge which is situated on Grootberg Col and offering a magnificent panorama of the Damaraland and the Valley of Klip River. We will rest in comfortable chalets and spend the night there. Dinner at the restaurant.
Day 15: Southern Damaraland
We will then travel into the Southern Damaraland to reach the Huab riverbed. We will go down the riverbed to observe the abundant animal life always present because of permanent water rising from the wati. We will then drive up to the huge plateau of the Damaraland with its endless spaces frequented by some black rhinos (still difficult to observe), and also mountain zebras, oryx, ostriches and springbok. After passing these ochre yellow, huge plains, we will reach the Ugab riverbed at the east of the Brandberg where we will settle for a bivouac.
Day 16: Atlantic Coast – Swakopmund
On the Western side, we will cross a lunar landscape sprinkled with beautiful Welwitschia Mirabilis – the oldest species of plants on earth-. After traveling along the Skeleton Coast for some kilometers, we will join the seamen’s paradise of Cape Cross, where about 100 000 seals will welcome our arrival in a visual and audio symphony from their colonies on coastal rocks. In the afternoon, we will settle in a small hostel for two nights in the coastal town of Swakopmund which will surprise you by its German character and the people from inland Namibia gathering to escape the heat of their country.
Dinner at the restaurant.
Day 17: Atlantic Coast –Walvis Bay – Swakopmund
After breakfast, we will reach Walvis Bay which is a former South-African enclave reattached to Namibia in 1994. The entire morning will be dedicated to a very interesting excursion by boat to discover the marine, birdlife and animal life of this productive region thanks to the rich Benguela current coming directly from the Antarctic Ocean: these special conditions provide the area with many bird species (Greater or Lesser Flamingos, penguins, pelicans, herons, sandpipers, plovers…) as well as marine mammals (dolphins, seals and sometimes whales). Free afternoon in Swakopmund with an optional flight over the Namib dunes and the seacoast. Not to be missed! Free dinner in town (possibility to delight in some oysters and crayfish).
Night at the hostel.
Day 18: Namib-Naukluft Park – Sesriem
While leaving the ocean, we will enter the large Namib-Naukluft landscapes through the Kuiseb Canyon jagged landscapes. Picnic for lunch on the road. We will reach Sesriem within the afternoon where the highest dunes in the world start. We will settle in camping for the night.
Option - overnight in a lodge.
Day 19: Sossusvlei Dunes – Amani Lodge
Early morning, we will leave to discover the highest dunes in the world lighted by the sun rise. It is a surreal place where dune forms and a panel of orange colors compose a unique symphony sometimes disturbed by the movement of an oryx, an ostrich or a springbok. Return to the camp late morning. After lunch, we will leave the Namib Desert to get closer to the Namibian capital. We will stop for the night at Amani Lodge in comfortable chalets. Dinner at the restaurant.
Day 20: Windhoek – Departure
Free time to visit of the capital city. Transfer to the airport. End of our tour.
Please take note that both Kaokoland and Damaraland regions are wild areas with difficult access. Gravel roads and general conditions of travel are tiring therefore, we advise participants to be in good-health. For security reasons, we are equipped with Satellite communication.
TRANSPORT
We drive through around 3800 km of asphalt and good condition gravel roads aboard 4X4 Land Rover Defender or Toyota Land-Cruiser, all equipped with 12 V fridge, 12 V cigar lighter plug to charge cameras, video cameras etc (if you provide adaptor cables).
Boating cruise (8/10 meters) of half a day at Walvis Bay
LODGING, MEALS AND DRINKS
This 19 night journey is composed of:
-4 nights in comfortable lodges (days 1,4,14 & 19)
-2 nights at the hostel days 16 and 17
-13 nights in bivouac in two man tents (each of us is responsible for the erection of their tent) provided with comfortable mattresses: 6 nights in fixed and equipped campsites with toilets and showers days 2,3,5,6,11 and 18. And 7 nights in wild camp deep in nature days 7,8,9,10,12,13 and 15.
-Please do not hesitate to contact us for optional nights in lodges or in exclusive canvas tents.
This journey is full board except the days at Windhoek and Swakopmund which will be that will be at your own cost and according to your own budget. Dinners at the restaurants in lodges, picnic lunch in the bush are included. Your guide will serve you well cooked fresh meals during camping. Table and extra drinks are at your own cost.
PRICES ON REQUEST
Prices include:
- welcome and transfer from the airport by your host
- transport in 4X4 vehicles + petrol
- a Francophone guide
- meals & lodging as mentioned above
- excursions and visits as mentioned in the program as well as park entrance fees
- 15% VAT
- Satellite connection (prices of communication not included)
Prices exclude:
- International Air flight ticket
- table and extra drinks
- tips and personal expenses
- cancellation insurance, repatriation and lost luggage’s cost
- the optional activities at Swakopmund day 17
Do not hesitate to contact us, we will be glad to adapt this journey to your budget on request.
Tour 1 Tour 2 Tour 3 Tour 4 Tour 5