Flights inclusive package ex London = from £4500 pp                                   

Without flights                                       =           $5300 pp

                         Requires min 2 Guests               Dates : July to Oct 2012

Requires min 2 guests July - Oct 2012

This extensive 6 Nights - 7 Days Luxury safari takes in the very best highlights of this amazingly diverse and interesting country. Including the cultural and natural history of Namibia. You will be privately guided throughout by an experienced and knowledgable guide, travelling between a selection of luxury lodges and camps in a well fitted 4x4. Highlights – Sossusvlei dunes and the oldest desert in the world; coastal town of Swakopmund; Etosha National Park for game viewing; AfriCat Foundation – premier conservation programme.

Day 1 & 2: Sossus Dune Lodge - full board

After breakfast your guide will collect you from your accommodation and drive through the desert to the magnicent Namib Naukluft Park. Sossus Dune Lodge is the only lodge situated within this National Park. Built in an environmentally sensitive manner, primarily from wood, canvas and thatch, in an attractive ‘afro-village’ style, the lodge offers guests an evocative and life changing experience. Since it is situated within the park, guests benefit from being able to reach Sossusvlei before sunrise, and stay until after sunset, and on their return after an exhilarating day, relax in the tranquillity and splendour of the Namib Desert, under the spectacular African sky.  The following day your guide will drive you in the early morning to the Sossusvlei dunes, in time to watch the sun rise over the red sand dunes – a truly unforgettable experience. You may choose to head up a dune close to Sossusvlei then walk to Dead Vlei with its large expanse of bleached cracked clay and skeletal camel thorn trees scattered around, contrasting with a backdrop of huge orange-red dunes that make for superb photographic opportunities. After this we’ll return to the lodge for a swim and this afternoon explore the nearby Sesriem Canyon on foot. Sossusvlei is reputed to have some of the highest dunes in the world and is certainly part of one of the oldest deserts. This is an excellent location for photography. Overnight based in twin share room with en-suite facilities on full board basis (BLD)

Day 3: Villa Margherita, Swakopmund 

This morning you may choose to join an optional activity such as hot air ballooning.  You will be collected and driven to the take off point and at sunrise take off for an hour’s flight, who knows where the wind will take you – possibly along the mountain range or over the sand dune sea.  After landing you will enjoy a delicious champagne breakfast before being dropped off at the lodge.  From here we drive north crossing the Kuiseb Canyon and onward through the desert with its endless vistas across the plains. We can stop at Walvis Bay to visit the lagoon – a protected RAMSAR site to see flamingos, pelicans and the endemic Damara tern, you can also make a short stop at the salt works, one of the major export industries in the country before heading up the coastline to Swakopmund and relax or you may wish to join in an optional activity.  Swakopmund is a bustling little town and is the main coastal town in Namibia.  The architecture is interesting – many of the houses and buildings are of a colonial style and offer a good selection of shops, restaurants, and cafes.  Overnight in Villa Margherita, one of the oldest and most beautiful houses in Swakopmund, that has been lovingly restored.  Each individually styled room has a touch of class and elegance along with spacious en-suite facilities and lounge.  Bed and Breakfast basis though additional meals can be served upon request (B)

Day 4: Ongava Lodge 

Drive to Ongava today, Ongava borders Etosha along this fence line where we will stay at Ongava Lodge tonight. Highlights are the game drives into Etosha and the night drives, walks and hides on the private reserve. Ongava Game Lodge is situated along the southern boundary of Etosha National Park in the privately owned Ongava Game Reserve. Accommodation here comprises 10 air-conditioned rock and thatch chalets, each with air-conditioning, bathroom en-suite and private balcony overlooking the expansive plains of the Ongava Game Reserve. Meals of the highest order are served in Ongava's spacious thatched lapa with its comfortable lounge area, convivial bar and magnificent views. Ongava offers daily game drives in open-sided vehicles and walking trails (with armed guide), as well as excursions into the Etosha National Park. Game drives normally leave in the early morning and late afternoon, ideal times for game viewing. Dusk and night drives offer an opportunity of experiencing nature after dark. An ecologically aware ranger will guide you on an informative tour of the reserve, helping you discover some of the fascinating indigenous elements of the bushveld. A number of safe and secure hides are also available for guests wishing to spend time on close-up wildlife viewing or photography. Game on the reserve includes elephant, lion, rhino, various kinds of buck and a multitude of bird species. Activities include game drives into the Okaukuejo area of Etosha where Lion, Elephant, Cheetah, Gemsbok, Springbok, and Hartebeest can be seen at many of the waterholes in the park. In addition, night drives and walks are offered on the private reserve. Ongava has resident White Rhino, and Etosha has Black Rhino, allowing guests staying at Ongava the opportunity to see both species. On the first afternoon you can enjoy a game drive on the Ongava Reserve (activity included) and the following day your Chameleon guide will take you into Etosha for a full days game drive to drive across the park (BLD) 

Day 5: Onguma Luxury Tented Camp Etosha National Park

Today we will game drive across this premier park, one of the largest and best reserves in Africa. With translations such as “Great, White Place”, “Place of Mirages” and “Land of Dry Water”, its no wonder Etosha has a certain mystery around it. The Etosha Pan, a vast shallow depression of around 110km from east to west and 60km from south to north is likely to be the remains of a large inland lake that flowed from the Angolan highlands. Etosha is the largest of the pans, 4 760 km. There are over 115 mammals in the park including endangered species such as cheetah and black rhino, as well as elephant, lion, leopard, hyena, giraffe and a whole host of plains game. In conjunction there’s 340 species of bird recorded including uncommon members of hawk and vulture. We’ll be based just outside the park by the Von Lindequist Gate. Onguma is on a private reserve adjacent to Etosha and shares Fischers Pan. Onguma translates to “the place you don’t want to leave” and this camp certainly lives up to its name. The main building and seven tents provide private, exclusive accommodation. Each of the tents has a fantastic view, designed with attention to detail, has both an indoor and outdoor shower, bath, separate toilet and outside a private sitting area. This camp blends natural elegance and style and offers some of the best service available in the country (BLD)

Day 6: Okonjima Bush Camp – 1 night accommodation

We head onward to Okonjima, home of the AfriCat Foundation and one of the most famous conservation programmes in Namibia. The AfriCat Foundation is based here and is devoted to the conservation of predators, specifically cheetah and leopard with the aim to ease the conflict that arises between humans and carnivores. A large part of their work is in animal welfare – rehabilitating and relocation animals, which have been causing problems in their home territory, and providing refuge and veterinary care for injured or orphaned animals. This afternoon you join an activity where you will have close encounters with large predators such as cheetah and leopard and get some excellent photo opportunities. Overnight in the Bush Camp, in a twin bedded rooms with en-suite facilities on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis and 2 activities. A thatched lapa offers a bar, lounge, and dining area along with the reception and the swimming pool and self guided walks are close by (BLD)

Day 7: Flight

This morning you may feel like joining another self guided walk, before enjoying brunch and our return to Windhoek where you will be dropped at the airport by your guide.

Notes: Includes meals through out except at Villa Mahereta which is B & B.