Super-Scenic Namibian Wildlife Safari Deluxe
Tour Introduction
This high quality, part fly-in, part self-drive itinerary reveals multiple stunning vistas of Namibia’s immense beauty from both ground level and above, while providing luxury accommodation and excellent guiding. Be truly awed by the sheer scale of this harsh, parched wilderness and the intricate, almost surreal patterns, colours and shapes visible from your bird’s eye viewpoint. Adding to that lofty perspective, it is even more difficult to comprehend how the desert adapted elephants, lions, black rhinos, springbok, ostriches and other animals and plants survive in those arid conditions when viewed from the ground. This extraordinarily varied itinerary is mind-blowing in all its facets and provides a truly privileged insight into this unique destination.
Full Itinerary
Arrive in Windhoek. Met by your guide and enjoy a city tour. Transfer to the hotel later in the day.
Staying at The Olive Exclusive Boutique Hotel. Includes All Meals.
Transfer to the airport and board charter flight to the private NamibRand Nature Reserve. Afternoon excursion in the stunning NamibRand dunes to discover the geography and wildlife of the huge reserve. The mighty dunes and open vistas provide an unforgettable scenic experience as well as plenty of photographic opportunities.
Staying at Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Morning excursion to Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. These two natural clay pans offer sensational natural wonders with outstanding photographic opportunities. The moon-like landscape includes sand dunes over 300 metres high and trees over 500 years old. After lunch return to the lodge via the Sesriem Canyon. Optional excursions from the lodge: quad biking, horse riding, guided nature walks and sundowner drive.
Staying at Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. Includes All Meals.
Today, drive to Geluk airstrip and take what promises to be the most stunningly beautiful scenic flight of your life over the Namib Desert sand sea to the coast, with shipwrecks, abandoned diamond mines and seal colonies, to Swakopmund. Stop for refuelling, then fly over ever-changing geological patterns to the Desert Rhino Camp. Afternoon game drives or walks in the Palmwag Concession.
Staying at Desert Rhino Camp. Includes All Meals.
Full day of guided excursions in the 450,000 hectare Palmwag Concession. The reserve is mainly an area of rocky hills and a desert home to a stable population of the endangered black rhino, which has specially adapted to the challenging desert conditions. Spend time tracking the rhino, including the opportunity to approach on foot.
Staying at Desert Rhino Camp. Includes All Meals.
Scenic drive from the lodge to Palmwag entrance gate. Pick up your hire car and self-drive into dramatic Damaraland to your next lodge, maybe en route stopping at the Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings (World Heritage Site). Spend the afternoon searching for desert-adapted elephants in the ephemeral riverbeds.
Staying at Mowani Mountain Camp. Includes All Meals.
Morning in Damaraland to look for elephant herds in the Aba-Huab River. Afternoon excursions could include a nature drive or walk or simply relax and enjoy your stunning surroundings. Hot air ballooning can be arranged at an additional charge.
Staying at Mowani Mountain Camp. Includes All Meals.
Today drive to Ongava Private Game Reserve, perhaps via the Petrified Forest. Afternoon game drives in the Ongava Private Game Reserve. The private reserve covers an area of 30,000 hectares and is home to a wide diversity of antelope species such as gemsbok, kudu, springbok, eland, red hartebeest, and mountain and Burchell’s zebra, giraffe, lion and a population of both black and white rhinos.
Staying at Ongava Tented Camp. Includes All Meals.
Day of safari activities in Ongava and Etosha National Park. The Etosha pan is a large saltpan formed by wind action and supports a great diversity of flora and fauna. The park is known for its large concentrations of game, particularly around waterhole, and the attractive endemic race of black-faced impala and important population of black and white rhino.
Staying at Ongava Tented Camp. Includes All Meals.
Independent full day game drive across Etosha National Park to the eastern gate.
Staying at Onguma Tented Camp. Includes All Meals.
Today, drive to Okonjima Nature Reserve, stopping at Lake Otjikoto en route. In the afternoon there will be activities run by the AfriCat project that could include visits to the cheetah and leopard rehabilitation centres, or tracking the cats and other wildlife of the reserve.
Staying at Okonjima Bush Camp. Includes All Meals.
Morning and afternoon with the AfriCat team, tracking leopard, cheetah, wild dog and hyena and guided walking of trails.
Staying at Okonjima Bush Camp. Includes All Meals.
There will be the chance for a pre-breakfast AfriCat activity, then after breakfast return to Windhoek. Connect with your international flight home.
Includes In-flight Meals.
Tour Accommodation
The Olive Exclusive
Overview
The Olive Exclusive (not to be confused with the Olive Grove Hotel next door) is a welcoming boutique hotel situated close to Windhoek’s city centre in the quiet, peaceful suburb of Eros. Nestled amidst an olive tree plantation, this relatively new, luxurious hotel provides exclusive detached suite accommodation with beautiful views over the olive trees towards the Windhoek Mountains. Guests have access to a sparkling communal pool, bar and restaurant.
All suites have their own lounge area and dining room, giving guests the option of dining in their own room or joining other guests in the main restaurant. The en suite rooms offer all the added luxuries of satellite TV, iPod music system, fully-stocked mini-bar, premier wine selection, direct-dial telephone, air-conditioner, hair dryer, wall-mounted safe, personal computer, complimentary wireless internet access, goose down duvets, 100% cotton linen and contemporary style in abundance.
The overall feel is one of indulgent luxury, while still retaining an ambience of simplicity and elegance.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Restaurant, swimming pool, massage service, lounge and bar, free Wi-Fi, laundry service, TV, room safe and mini bar.
Sossusvlei Desert Lodge
Overview
The Sossusvlei Desert Lodge is one of the top lodges in the country providing its guests with the ultimate in desert luxury. The lodge sits in an ideal location for exploration next to the NamibRand Nature Reserve, the world’s oldest desert. One of the highlights of a stay at this lodge is the incredible view of the night sky, which can be enjoyed and interpreted with help of the oft-resident astronomer.
The lodge offers just 10 intimate, air conditioned, spacious chalets built and decorated with neutral coloured stone, paintwork and decor. The chalets provide private bathrooms offering both indoor and outdoor showers with elegant glass doors. Each chalet has an open plan design with a double bed that can be changed to a twin if desired. Above the beds is a skylight enabling guests to fall asleep under the stars if the wish. Downstairs is a living area with comfortable seating, well-stocked mini bar and CD player. Outside there is a terrace with sun loungers and a personal telescope for the avid stargazer.
The main reception building also houses the restaurant, bar and upstairs lounge. The restaurant serves delicious a la carte meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner and changes its menu every seven days. Upstairs is a communal lounge with plenty of seating, satellite TV and library and outside terrace with powerful computer-controlled telescope. Just down from the main building is a small but inviting pool fed by an underground spring, great for relaxing in the heat of the day. The lodge has created a small waterhole visited by antelope, birds and occasionally foxes or jackals.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Private bathroom, restaurant, lounge, bar, swimming pool, library, satellite TV, air-conditioning, CD player, mini-bar and telescopes.
Local Wildlife
The impressive desert landscape is the main attraction of a visit but gemsbok, springbok, kudu and Hartmann’s mountain zebra, are commonly seen. Although many other mammals such as cape fox, black-backed jackal, brown hyena and leopard are present in the mountains they are rarely seen. Birds include ostrich, Ruppell’s korahan, Karoo scrub robin and vultures. Desert adapted reptiles such as geckos, sand snakes and side-winding vipers also occur in the region and many interesting insects such as scorpions and beetles can be spotted at night.
Optional Activities
Stargazing, nature walks, scenic drives, quad biking, visit to a waterfall and excursions in the Sossusvlei dunes.
Desert Rhino Camp
Overview
One of our top Namibia favourites, Desert Rhino Camp is a wonderfully remote camp committed to conserving highly endangered, desert adapted black rhinos. The camp is remotely located in the private, 450,000-hectare, arid and rocky Palmwag Concession. There are eight raised Meru-style canvas tents with private verandahs looking across the valley to the Etendeka Mountains. Each walk-in tent has a private bathroom, comfortable bed with mosquito net and simple furnishings.
The main tented dining and lounge area is elevated with visibility at the sides providing panoramic views. There is a small swimming pool, outside sun deck and fire pit where evening meals are taken.
Set in a remote part of Damaraland, the camp is ideally situated for exploration on game drives and nature walks, with the tracking of desert adapted black rhino on foot the highlight of any stay. The flora is also of interest, especially the abundance of welwitschia mirabilis, officially a tree but having no trunk, which grows directly out of the ground and is the national plant of Namibia.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Dining room, lounge, bar, swimming pool,
Local Wildlife
Desert adapted black rhino tracking is the most exciting wildlife activity. The rhino can be reliably tracked due to the knowledge of the local guides. Guests usually walk from the vehicle and watch the rhino on foot, adding extra frisson to the occasion. Other wildlife in the area includes giraffe, gemsbok, Hartmann’s mountain zebra, steenbok, elephant, lion, cheetah and bat-eared fox. The bird life is surprisingly good with Ruppell’s bustard, ostrich and various birds of prey being common sightings.
Optional Activities
Game drives, walks and rhino tracking.
Mowani Mountain Camp
Overview
Mowani Mountain Camp is a traditional African safari style property with just 12 luxury tented rooms spread across a rocky outcrop providing stunning views across the plains of Damaraland. The camp is in the south of the great Damaraland region between the Ugab and the Huab rivers and is the luxury sister property of Camp Kipwe. It is perfectly suited to honeymooners and other couples who might be on second honeymoons.
There are two choices of tented rooms: the Superior View Rooms (as the name suggests) have outstanding panoramic views of the dramatic desert landscape and are positioned on the edge of the camp giving plenty of privacy. Standard Rooms lack the sensational views being more centrally positioned yet are skilfully built around the huge granite boulders. In addition, two suites are available: the Mini Suite with a/c living area and satellite TV, and the Mountain Suite with additional butler service, a/c living room, private dining, CD music centre and bar.
All the tents have private bathrooms and smart colonial décor with lavish furniture, tea and coffee making facilities, safety deposit box, and large comfortable twin beds with mosquito netting.
At the heart of the camp is a beautiful thatched dome building with an elegant dining room and lounge, and just below is a small but inviting swimming pool nestled between ancient rocks complete with sun loungers and extensive views.
The camp has a communal camp fire for evening drinks and discussions, and there is a beautiful rock a little further away designated as a sundowner spot for those looking for extra privacy.
Activities include game drives and nature walks and the local population of desert-adapted elephants can often be tracked down.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Private bathrooms, dining room, lounge, swimming pool, cable TV, safety deposit box and laundry service.
Local Wildlife
The wildlife in the area occurs in low densities but springbok, besia oryx, Hartmann’s mountain zebra, black-backed jackal, birds and rhino are present.
Optional Activities
Longer excursions to see the rock art at Twyfelfontein, the geology at Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes are also available.
Ongava Tented Camp
Overview
Ongava Tented Camp is an elegant, intimate lodge set amidst a wildlife-rich patch of mopane woodland in the Ongava Private Game Reserve adjoining Etosha National Park.
Accommodation is in 8 large and neutral coloured Meru-style tents with comfortable beds and private bathrooms including an outdoor shower. There is a private outdoor decking area for each tent with seating for relaxing and watching wildlife coming and going from the nearby waterhole.
The main building is an attractive stone, canvas and thatch construction with well-stocked bar, sitting and dining area. There is a communal decking area with sun loungers and small swimming pool overlooking the waterhole, where a selection of herbivores including kudu, zebra, giraffe, waterbuck, springbok and even white rhino come to quench their thirst. Lions also appear from time to time.
The camp can accommodate 16 people and there is a separate tent for families that sleeps an additional four. Activities at the camp include game drives and walks in Ongava Game Reserve and within the nearby Etosha National Park. Tracking of white rhino on foot with guides is one of the more exhilarating experiences. There is a motion sensitive camera set up at the waterhole to allow visitors to see what wildlife has visited during the night.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Private bathrooms, outdoor showers, ceiling fans, swimming pool.
Local Wildlife
The Ongava Private Game Reserve is one of the few places in Africa where guests can reliably see both black and white rhinos. The Ongava Reserve and nearby Etosha National Park are home to 114 species of mammal including lion, leopard, African wildcat, spotted hyena, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, honey badger, elephant, springbok, kudu, Damara dik dik and the elegant black faced impala. All of 340 bird species occur in the area including 14 Namibian endemics, and there are reptiles such as Etosha agamas and the rare Anchieta's dwarf python.
Optional Activities
Game drives and walks, rhino tracking and evening sundowner drives, during which snacks and drinks are served.
Okonjima Bush & Plains Camps
Overview
The delightful accommodation at Okonjima Bush Camp consists of luxury thatched chalets, spaced widely apart for privacy in the tranquil bush surroundings, plus a main “lapa” area in the form of a camelthorn pod where meals and drinks are taken and activities commence. Each exclusive en-suite chalet is completely private and the green canvas ‘walls’ can be rolled up to give you a 180-degree view so you can watch life in the bush going on around you whilst you lie in bed and relax in total comfort.
The accommodation at the larger Plains Camp consists of 14 Standard en suite terraced rooms and 10 new View Rooms that are set further apart: all rooms overlook the savannah. Two of the View Rooms and four of the Standard Rooms can combine to make a family unit. Each unit has a verandah, a wheelchair-friendly ramp, two double beds, desk, chair, mini bar, coffee/tea facilities, ceiling fans, twin basins, twin showers, safe and internal telephone. The main building, the Barn, contains the restaurant, pool, shop and lounge.
Okonjima is home to the AfriCat Foundation, a wildlife sanctuary founded in 1991 that is dedicated to creating conservation awareness, preserving habitat, promoting environmental educational research and supporting animal welfare. Their main focus is Africa’s big cats, especially injured or captured leopards and cheetahs.
AfriCat runs the largest cheetah and leopard rescue and release programme in the world. In the last 17 years over 1000 of these predators have been rescued with over 85% being released back into the wild. Close encounters with leopard and cheetah are an unforgettable highlight here. Activities include leopard tracking by vehicle, a visit to the cheetah welfare project and a visit to the night hide where nocturnal animals such as porcupine, caracal, honey badger, eagle owl and even leopard may be seen.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Bush Camp: 8 luxury thatched chalets; 1 luxury honeymoon suite (two double beds next to each other). Plains Camp: 14 Standard en suite rooms and 10 new View Rooms. Other facilities include restaurant, bar, boutique shop, swimming pool,
Local Wildlife
Rehabilitated and wild carnivores - in particular cheetah and leopard - can be tracked in the reserve. Spotted hyena, African wild dog, lions and commoner plains herbivores such as impala, springbok, zebra and wildebeest. There is a hide overlooking a floodlit area where cape porcupines and honey badgers are frequently seen and caracal and leopard are also possible.
Optional Activities
Visits to the big cat rehabilitation and welfare centre, visit nearby REST (rare and endangered species trust), night excursion, tracking of wild big cats and other wildlife and bird walks.
Onguma Tented Camp
Overview
Ideal for romantics desiring the safari experience under canvas, Onguma Tented Camp offers seven luxuriously appointed safari tents, each overlooking the wonderfully active waterhole. In the local Herero language, Onguma means ‘the place you won’t want to leave’, and with its tents offering the ultimate in safari chic it certainly lives up to its name.
Textures such as stone, suede, linen and steel create a setting that is sleek and modern but also inherently of the earth. Inspired by a photograph of an Oryx on Etosha’s Fisher’s Pan, the interior echoes the colours of its natural surrounds. Grey, charcoal, black, white, and creams, together with a touch of muted or unexpectedly bright green, adds sophistication and earthiness to the atmosphere.
An atmosphere of elegant dining prevails, complimented by the daily activities taking place around the watering hole, approximately 60 meters away. The surrounding nature lends itself to long lazy afternoons, spent relaxing on the sofas in the lounge, watching the animals go. And when things heat up, all that is required is a gentle stroll to the rim flow pool. Sit and relax in the flowing waters while enjoying an ice cold cooler.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Each tent features an indoor and outdoor shower, bath, twin vanity area, minibar, safe, fans and mosquito nets.
Local Wildlife
Situated on the eastern side of Etosha, bordering Fisher's Pan, Onguma Game Reserve is one of Namibia's best kept secrets! Here you will be afforded the opportunity of experiencing Africa in all her beauty and diversity. Onguma Game Reserve has more than 34,000 hectares of protected land and wildlife.
Onguma nature reserve boasts over thirty different animal species consisting of plains game including kudu, giraffe, eland, oryx, hartebeest, zebra, impala and many more roam freely as well as predators such as lion, cheetah, leopard, being common residents of the area.
The latest addition to the already abundant wildlife at Onguma Game Reserve is a family of black rhinos! More than 300 bird species can also be viewed at Onguma Game Reserve. During the Namibian summer months the nature reserve becomes a bird-watcher's paradise with thousands of species migrating to the wetlands created by the seasonal rains and ephemeral river systems.
Optional Activities
Game drives in the nearby Etosha national park or sunset drives in Onguma park. Interpretative bush walks are also on offer with the lodge’s experienced naturalist guides.
Agama River Camp
Overview
The Agama River Camp is situated 32km from Solitaire and has just 10 bungalows within view of the rugged Naukluft Mountains.
Accommodation is in private air-conditioned bungalows decorated with warm African colours. They are equipped with a large living area, patio, private bathroom, two extra-large twin beds, a wall mounted desk, cupboard and a ceiling fan. Each bungalow also has rooftop access where another bed is available for those who wish to sleep under the stars.
The communal building at the lodge has a restaurant, well stocked bar, lounge and free Wi-Fi is available here. Outside is a terraced patio and swimming pool with sun loungers.
The lodge also provides a traditional camping ground with small safari tents and dining and bathroom facilities.
Activities at the lodge are undertaken on a self-organised basis and there are trails to explore and longer hikes in the Naukluft Mountains. The camp is just under an hour’s drive from the entrance to Sossusvlei.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
Private bathrooms, dining room, lounge, swimming pool, free Wi-Fi, ceiling fan and air conditioning.
Route Map
Departure Dates
Travel Information
Are International Flights Included?
No. Please contact us for a quote if required.
Flight Info:
Fly from London to Windhoek
Best Visited:
January to January
Are you ATOL Registered?
Yes. This means we are legally able to book your international flights in conjunction with your ground arrangements so you can book with us with complete confidence. Read more about our ATOL license here.
Alan Godwin
Area Specialist
If you are averse to self-drive, we can arrange for a qualified driver/guide to accompany you for the latter part of the tour from Day 7 (at extra cost).
If you have any questions regarding this Tour, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
This was our second visit to Namibia in just over 12 months, with Reef and Rainforest and our seventh consecutive wildlife trip with them. I think that speaks for itself. This year we were particularly keen to try and observe some desert adapted Lions. The Lions found in ‘The Namib Desert’ are genetically identical to those found in the rest of Southern Africa but have adapted to live in one of the harshest environments on earth. They number around 150 and have a huge range, and are rarely seen. They came to prominence in the outstanding documentary film ‘Vanishing Kings’. The best chance of observing members of this subset of Lions is during a stay at Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, although sightings cannot be guaranteed and weeks can pass by without any success. Therefore a stay at this camp was at the heart of our itinerary and we were very lucky to spend time with a Lioness and her niece who had killed an Oryx in the conservancy. The camp itself is absolutely outstanding in every respect and the location is just spectacular.
Visitors should be aware that this is not ‘The Serengeti’ and that the wildlife is quite thin on the ground. However you would have to be very unlucky not to see Elephant, Giraffe and several other species. Whilst we were out in the desert we were lucky to bump in to Dr P. Stander who has dedicated the whole of his adult life to the conservation of The Desert Lion, what a thrill. The day trip out to the coast was pretty special as well.
The rest of the itinerary worked very well and we were very pleased to have three full days in Etosha N.P. where we recorded 25 mammal species, including 32 individual Lions, observed the aftermath of 4 zebra kills, 11 Rhinoceros (both Black & White), an African Wildcat and the rarely seen in Etosha, elusive Leopard.
So a big thank you to ALL at Reef and Rainforest, another highly successful trip, you certainly delivered again.
