Wildlife Tours to Namibia NAMIBIA
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*Single room supplement.
Tour Destinations :
- Namib-Naukluft National Park
- Swakopmund
- Skeleton Coast
- Damaraland
- Waterburg Plateau
- Etosha National Park
Tour Summary
Namibia
Enormous sand dunes glowing apricot in the early morning light, the silvery white landscape of the Etosha pan with its wealth of mammals and birds, strange plants uniquely adapted to a harsh desert environment and a great diversity of tribes and cultures are all to be found in the country we know as Namibia. Truly a fascinating land!
Your visit will be at the end of the dry season when maximum numbers of game should have collected at the water holes, the principal source of life-giving water. Many of the plant and bird species you will see are endemic to southern Africa.
Although Namibia (with the exception of Etosha National Park) cannot boast the prolific bird and mammal life of East Africa it is a truly wilderness landscape created in dramatic proportions.
Itinerary
Day 1 : London – Windhoek
Overnight flight from London to Windhoek
Day 2 : Windhoek
You will arrive in the early afternoon and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest after your journey and to look around the town. In the late afternoon a visit can be made to a local wildlife area. Windhoek is situated 1,650m above sea level in the country’s central highlands. The town is a fascinating blend of German, Dutch and English cultures with several indigenous African cultures.
Days 3 : Sesriem
After breakfast you leave Windhoek for the long but varied drive to Sesriem. At Aus the drive leaves the main road towards Helmeringhausen and across an inaccessible dune sea. You continue via the beautiful Neisip Plain and then through barren but beautiful desert scenery between the dunes and the central plateau to Sesriem in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. This park is the largest in the country, covering 50,000km2 (19,500sq. miles).
A service crew will have travelled ahead to the Sesriem area and set up camp. Your accommodation there will be in safari tents with shared showers etc.
Day 4 : Sesriem
Either in the early morning or the late afternoon a visit will be made to the Sossusvlei area. Sossusvlei is a huge dried-up clay pan or depression over which tower the famous sand dunes, some of the highest in the world, reaching a height of 300m and extending as far as one can see. Gemsbok, Springbok and Ostriches are frequently seen here even in the dry season.
You will also visit the Sesriem Gorge where the Tsauchab River has carved out a gorge up to 30m deep in the plain. The shade and shelter of this canyon enable many plants to grow, and even a few large trees. These, and the pools of water in the river bed, attract many species of birds and mammals. In this seemingly inhospitable environment you may therefore see a number of interesting bird species such as Pygmy Falcon and Gymnogene which prey on the Sociable Weaver colonies. There could be Namaqua and Burchell’s Sandgrouse, Double-banded Courser, Chat Flycatcher, Long-billed Lark and Ruppell’s Korhaan. Where vegetation occurs, as in the Sesriem Gorge, the number of small birds and their predators increases. Sightings may include Rosy-faced Lovebird, Red-headed Finches and Grey-backed Finch Lark.
Days 5 and 6 : Kuiseb Canyon/Walvis Bay
After leaving Sesriem you head north-west through the Namib-Naukluft National Park to reach Swakopmund in the late afternoon. Although the journey is a long one, en route there will be time to see the Kuiseb Canyon where the course of the Kuiseb River prevents the northward encroachment of the Namib sand sea. On the drive across these arid plains you may see small groups of Gemsbok, Springbok and Mountain Zebra as well as plants such as the Welwitschia mirabilis – a prehistoric plant uniquely adapted to its desert home. Its only source of moisture is the night-time dew and the fog rolling in from the sea. Driving across the famous moon landscape will provide spectacular photography and end a memorable day.
Day 6 will be spent exploring the Walvis Bay/Sandwich Bay areas. You will visit Walvis Bay wetland, the most important coastal wetland for birds in southern Africa. Here you should find large groups of flamingoes, pelicans and other aquatic birds as well as vast numbers of waders. There will also be the option for you to take a half day pelagic trip.
From Walvis Bay you will travel in four-wheel drive vehicles down the coast to Sandwich Bay. This is a large reed-lined lagoon which is a haven for huge numbers of coastal and freshwater birds. Here resident species such as Blacksmith’s Plover will mix with migrant Marsh, Curlew and Wood Sandpipers whilst the lagoons will provide cover for herons and egrets. There are also many thousands of flamingoes. Cape Cormorant, Lappet-faced Vulture, Red-necked Falcon and Bradfield’s Swift should be seen here.
Day 7 : Skeleton Coast/Damaraland
The day will be spent in a leisurely drive northwards along the coast and into Damaraland to see the Cape Cross Seal Colony. This is the home of between 80,000 and 100,000 Cape Fur Seals. The colony becomes a hive of activity in mid-October when the bulls start to arrive and establish their territories.
The visit will give you the opportunity to experience the sand dunes and gravel plains along this desolate, fog-bound and treacherous coastline It is, nevertheless, a region of great beauty, of wind-blown sand, rocky outcrops and famous lichen fields. The bird life of the coast is prolific. Because of a nutrient-rich ocean large numbers of sea and shore birds are attracted to the area. Overnight at Cape Cross.
Day 8 : Damaraland
You will depart after breakfast heading inland where the scenery changes from flat coastal areas to wide open plains and granite hill formations. The area, commonly known as Damaraland has been the home of the Damara people for over 6000 years. Despite the inhospitable nature of the land, it is home to a variety of animals. Steenbok, Gemsbok and Springbock inhabit the surrounding plains while Klipspringer and Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra are to be found in the more rocky areas. All are dependant on a few perennial springs in the lower reaches of some of the valleys. Birdlife in the area is typical of semi-desert with the possibility of larks, finches, weavers, sandgrouse, chats and doves being present.
Days 9 and 10 : Palmwag
Today you transfer north for a two night stay at Palmwag. The day begins with a visit to the largest known concentration of Stone Age rock engravings and paintings which are to be found in Twyfelfontein and a visit to the Burnt Mountain, the Verbrandeberg, a ridge of hills rising some 200m above the surrounding landscape. In the early morning, the rocks, mostly in shades of red and purple, glow like fire in the rays of the sun – a kaleidoscope of colour.
You will also call in at the Petrified Forest which consists of a number of recumbent and broken fossil tree trunks, some up to 30m long, scattered over the veldt and estimated to be 260 million years old. Welwitschias and other species of drought resistant plant grow among the fossils. Along the way, if they are in the area, we will detour to look for the desert-adapted elephants.
Day 10 is set aside for a full day to explore the beautiful Palmwag area with a morning game drive and an afternoon walk. The area is characterised by wide open plains interspersed with hills and hosting game such as Giraffe, Springbok, Mountain Zebra and, possibly, the desert Elephants.
Days 11, 12, 13 and 14 : Etosha National Park
The best wildlife highlights of this tour come in the later stages. On Day 11, you will head west over the Grootberg mountain to Kamanjab and then on to arrive in the Etosha National Park in the afternoon. Our time here will be divided between two nights in the western section of the Park at Okaukuejo and two nights in the eastern section.
The Etosha National Park brings together a broad cross section of Namibian habitats ranging from semi desert through bush savannah to the seasonal marshes and open water of the Etosha pan. Towards the end of the dry season, the game and much of the bird life gather around the remaining waterholes such as the one at Okaukuejo. Mammals to search for in the park include Greater Kudu, Red Hartebeest, Eland, Gemsbok, Damara Dik-dik, Springbok, Black-faced Impala, Wildebeest, Black-backed Jackal, Lion and Elephant. In the drier areas there will be several species of bustard, hornbill, sandgrouse, francolin, lark, courser, bee-eater, waxbill, weaver, shrike, pipit and longclaw, whilst the muddy fringes and the receding waters will attract herons, egrets, ducks, geese, kingfishers, storks and waders.
Day 15 : Waterburg Plateau Park
You depart from Etosha after breakfast heading south to Tsumeb and Otjiwarongo en route to the Waterburg Plateau Park for an overnight stay. The Plateau rises some 200m above the surrounding bush and is home to a wide variety of birds including Hartlaub’s Francolin, Rock Runner, Ruppell’s Parrot and Black Eagle.
Day 16 : Windhoek and return flight
The homeward journey begins today and you will continue travelling south, arriving in Windhoek in time to connect with your late afternoon/early evening flight to the UK
Day 17 : Arrive in UK
Your overnight flight will arrive in the UK in the early morning.