Classic Namibia Under Canvas

Upon arrival in Windhoek, you will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel for you overnight. With its lingering heritage of German architecture, activities and atmosphere, Windhoek is a city that can be visited throughout the year. The day is spent at leisure. You will be met by your guide at the hotel reception for a safari briefing around 6:00 p.m.

We depart Windhoek after breakfast, arriving at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in time for lunch.  We visit the education center where we can learn about the history of the cheetahs.  After lunch, we join the staff for the feeding of the cheetash that stay in the center and then continue on to our overnight lodging.  

Etosha National Park is one of the most important reserves and game sanctuaries in Africa. Your exclusive camp is set up on a private concession from where you will enjoy early morning and late afternoon game drives, visiting the famous Etosha Pan and numerous water holes.

Tonight is spent at one of the Park's rest camps, in the comfort of en-suite bungalows. The floodlit water hole at the camp offers an amazing spectacle with an array of animals visiting throughout the night.

An early morning drive takes you to your exclusive camp at Damaraland. En route, visit a Himba village. The Himbas are a semi-nomadic tribe, who live in scattered settlements throughout the region. They are characterized by their proud yet friendly stature and the women are noted for their unusual beauty, enhanced by intricate hairstyles and traditional dress.  A few hours are spent learning more about these fascinating people. The changing colors of the surrounding landscapes are enjoyed on a guided sunset walk with explanations of the unique flora and geology of the area. The following morning, visit the Twyfelfontein area with walks to view the rock engravings, the volcanic Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes, an unusual geological formation made up of numerous dolomite columns.  In the afternoon we drive along the river seeking the unique desert adapted elephants, stopping at Welwitshia Hill for a sundowner on our way back to camp.  The unusual prehistoric Welwitschia plant, a dwarf-tree flourishing on the moisture of the Atlantic Coast. Its life-span is estimated at more than 1,000 years old. 

Traveling through Damaraland you’ll reach the coast. Swakopmund, with its German colonial atmosphere, is the principal coastal resort of Namibia. Time is spent at leisure to enjoy the charm of this old town or to undertake one of the many optional activities on offer (scenic flights, hot air ballooning, etc. - own expense). Morning marine boat cruise included, where a variety of bird species can be seen, and seals are fed by hand. There is also the chance to see two dolphin species and the leatherback turtles that inhabit the Namibian coast. Overnight at the Hotel Eberwein, or similar.

Drive via Kuiseb River en route to your camp on the edge of the Namib Desert. The following morning is an early departure for Sossusvlei, stopping in the dune belt to enjoy the changing colors of the world’s highest sand dunes. The morning is spent walking amongst the dunes of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. En-route back to camp, enjoy a short hike through the Sesriem Canyon and experience sunset in the dunes surrounding the camp.

Climbing through the mountains of the Namib Naukluft Park, you will arrive in Windhoek in the early afternoon, around 2:00 p.m. and will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.