Self drive wildlife safari to Namibia
| country: | Namibia |
| departures: | Departures can be arranged anytime throughout the year to suit you |
| price: | From £2150 (14 days) excluding flights. Price based on 2 people sharing a twin/double, includes car hire and all road and light aircraft transfers and all meals as stated on the itinerary |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Amongst the unique rugged landscape of Namibia lives a diverse and special fauna and flora. This tour takes you north from the capital city, Windhoek, to the green national park of Etosha and its awesome salt pan. Etosha boasts a wealth of big game to rival any national park in Africa including elephant, rhino and big cats. In the private reserves bordering the park you can track rhino on foot with guides with years of experience and huge knowledge of these magnificent animals.
The tour takes you on to Damaraland where you will be guided through the dry river beds to encounter the uniquely adapted desert elephants. Smaller than their cousins in the north they also have large feet to spread their weight across the shifting sands. You will continue on to the coast where you will be able to take a boat tour along the Atlantic coast line. The waters are chilled by cold Antartic currents but teem with wildlife including dolphins, cape fur seals and hundreds of flamingoes and huge pelicans that will follow your boat out of port.
For many people the highlight is the visit to Africat at Okunjima. The lodge is based on its own private reserve with extensive bush walks and night viewing of porcupine and hyena from a comfortable hide. By day you can visit the headquarters of the foundation where leopard and cheetah captured by farmers are rehabilitated into the wild. You will be able to participate in tracking radio collared leopard and feeding cheetah as well as sighting other animals being monitored by the foundation such as lion and wild dog.
The tour takes you on to Damaraland where you will be guided through the dry river beds to encounter the uniquely adapted desert elephants. Smaller than their cousins in the north they also have large feet to spread their weight across the shifting sands. You will continue on to the coast where you will be able to take a boat tour along the Atlantic coast line. The waters are chilled by cold Antartic currents but teem with wildlife including dolphins, cape fur seals and hundreds of flamingoes and huge pelicans that will follow your boat out of port.
For many people the highlight is the visit to Africat at Okunjima. The lodge is based on its own private reserve with extensive bush walks and night viewing of porcupine and hyena from a comfortable hide. By day you can visit the headquarters of the foundation where leopard and cheetah captured by farmers are rehabilitated into the wild. You will be able to participate in tracking radio collared leopard and feeding cheetah as well as sighting other animals being monitored by the foundation such as lion and wild dog.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive at Windhoek International Airport and pick up a rental vehicle (based on Nissan X-Trail). Overnight at Olive grove guest house in Windhoek (B&B) |
| Day 2-3: | After breakfast depart for the Namib Rand Nature Reserve. Wolwedans Dune lodge is located in a private reserve amongst the Namib Desert. There are daily game drives in to the dramatic landscape and walking safari is also an option. Overnight Wolwedans (FB). |
| Day 4: | Drive to the Sossusvlei and check into Desert Homestead - a homely lodge located close to one of the highlights of your tour, the dramatic desert landscape of Sossusvlei. This is the ideal location to visit the deep red sands of the Namib and scale the dunes above the infamous Dead Vlei. Overnight Desert Homestead (HB) |
| Day 5-6: | Drive to Swakopmund on the coast - a unique location in Namibia. The town was founded by the German colonists during the period when Namibia was a German protectorate and it retains its Germanic architecture today. An optional boat safari can be taken during day 6. Overnight The Stiltz (B&B) |
| Day 7-8: | After breakfast depart for Damaraland, heading for Mowani Mountain Lodge that is set amongst the mountains and boulders of Damaraland – one of Namibia’s many dramatic landscapes. The lodge is a beautiful silent location with exceptional sunsets and desert walks. An optional desert elephant safari can be taken during day 8. Overnight Mowani Mountain Camp (HB) |
| Day 9: | After breakfast depart for Grootberg Lodge, perched on the rim of the Grootberg Plateau. The Lodge stands sentinel over the Klip River Valley and its 11 rock & thatch chalets gaze out over the gorge, where Black Eagles hunt just below the level of your private deck. Overnight Grootberg (FB) |
| Day 10-11: | Drive to Etosha’s southern edge, bordering Fisher’s Pan, where you find Ongava Safari Camp. Ongava Private Nature Reserve has more than 20,000 hectares of protected land and wildlife. The 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 highlight of any visit however is the white and black rhinos who survive here in abundance with thanks to the conservation work at the lodge. Overnight Ongava (HB) |
| Day 12-13: | Drive south in the direction of Windhoek and stop off at Okonjima - the home of the AfriCat Foundation. The foundation is set on a private reserve where Kudu and Oryx roam amongst the wild cats that the foundation have rescued and reintroduced to the wild. A particular highlight is tracking the radio collared leopard in the reserve with the AfriCat guides. Overnight Okonjima (HB) |
| Day 14: | Drive to International Airport and drop off rental vehicle in time for your international flight home. |
don't leave it too late!
Please note that due to the nature of tailor-made trips to Sub-Saharan Africa we need at least 14 days between time of booking and departure. This time is essential for you to sort out passport, visa and health requirements and for us to make all the necessary holiday arrangements.how this holiday makes a difference
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This tour has been designed to introduce tourists to and support the work of various Namibian wildlife conservation projects. Ongava Lodge is an active particpant in the Save the Rhino Trust (SRT). The SRT has established one of the first Community Based Species Survival (CBSS) Projects for the rhino in Africa, with direct community involvement in the conservation of rhino, and benefits received through conservation and tourism going to the local population. Through an innovative public / private sector partnership by the Namibian Ministry of the Environment and Tourism (MET) black rhino (Diceros bicornis bicornis) are placed under the custodianship of Ongava Game Reserve. The lodge owners commitment to research, conservation and community empowerment in Namibia have earned it the right to host these animals at Ongava, but they remain the property of the state. This effectively expands secure black rhino range within the country, while Ongava is able to show its guests an endangered species and to participate in meaningful conservation programmes.
The AfriCat Foundation is based on the lodge at Okonjima in central Namibia. The foundation plays a crucial role in rehabilitating large carnivores captured on farms across the country. A board of trustees meets four times a year to guide conservation and animal welfare priorities, while the daily running of the organization is handled by the director and a small staff. Almost a quarter of the foundations running costs are covered by tourists including Okonjima in their itinerary. The funding of AfriCat's work is dependent on donations from the public and other large welfare organizations. We will adopt an animal from Africat on your behalf for every booking we take that includes Okunjima. As well as helping the foundation this will provide you with a newsletter and history and progress of your adopted animal for the year after your return from your holiday. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |