The Great Namibia Journey - Central and Northern Namibia - this 13-day cross-country safari provides a fantastic insight into the stunning landscapes and atmosphere of this remarkable land. Group size is limited to eight guests traveling by vehicle and plane, staying in camps, lodges and hotels. All meals and activities are included. Price £2950 per person
Namibia is a land of stunning landscapes, endless skies, barren deserts, rugged mountains and spectacular wildlife – and the Great Namibian Journey encompasses it all. This cross-section explores the dunes of Sossusvlei and the Namib Desert, the stark beauty of the Skeleton Coast, amazing marine life just off Swakopmund and the game-filled savannah of Etosha.
The activities provide a surprising range of differing impressions, from scenic flights up the Skeleton Coast, dolphin cruises with private beach lunch, to hiking and cycling in Damaraland, quad biking in the Namib’s great dunes and interacting with traditional Himba people.
Group size is limited to eight guests and all meals are included. Accommodation includes most nights in comfortable tented camps as well as hotels.
Guides: The entire safari is guided and hosted by professional trained guides, who share their in-depth knowledge to present unsurpassed seamless safari experiences.
Exclusive experience: Most areas in which we travel are private concessions, and many camps are private and for the use of Discovery Safari guests only. These areas are not open to the public, hence total privacy is guaranteed except at the Sossusvlei itself, Swakopmund and direct environs.
Routes: To maximise guests’ travel time, a variety of travel modes that bring out the best of each area is used: flying in private charters and overland transfers, provide both a bird’s-eye view and an in-depth experience of the contrasting landscapes of Namibia.
Day 1 & 2: Kulala Wilderness Camp, Sossusvlei
From Windhoek, travel to Kulala Wilderness Camp, enjoying awesome views of the mountains and the desert floor – on a clear day you can see the fog banks of the Skeleton Coast. En route, we enjoy a lunch in a private area overlooking the Khomas Hochland escarpment onto sweeping vistas below.
Impressions include experiencing the early morning light on the sea of vivid orange dunes of Sossusvlei, some as high as 300 metres. Afternoon activities include nature walks, drives to scenic viewpoints and marvelling at the unique Namib fauna and flora in the private Kulala Wilderness Reserve.
Day 3 & 4: Hansa Hotel, Swakopmund
Explore the ice-blue Atlantic coast, from the port towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund to its incredible marine mammals. Kayak or sail through the calm waters of Walvis Bay to see Cape fur seals and rare Heaviside’s dolphins up close. This activity is rounded off with a private seafood lunch, finally relaxing at the exclusive Hansa Hotel.
Days 5: Damaraland Camp, Damaraland
Travel up the legendary Skeleton Coast (named for the numerous shipwrecks the treacherous shores have claimed over the years) via the Cape Cross seal colony with thousands of breeding Cape fur seals, massive Messum Crater and Brandberg – the second largest monolith on earth. Damaraland embodies stark desert beauty and a sense of isolation. Activities include explorations on foot, by bike or 4x4 vehicle, viewing springbok, oryx and ostrich, and tracking the unique desert-adapted elephant.
Days 6 & 7: Palmwag Rhino Camp, Damaraland
Palmwag Rhino Camp is situated in the 1-million-acre private Palmwag Reserve in Damaraland in north-west Namibia, between Etosha and the Skeleton Coast - few places on the planet can offer this level of privacy and wilderness experience. This desert reserve has a number of fresh water springs that support healthy populations of animals including desert-adapted black rhino and elephant as well as large populations of the rare Hartmann's mountain zebra, giraffe, oryx, springbok and kudu. The predator population is the largest outside the Etosha National Park with over 100 lion, cheetah, leopard, brown and spotted hyena.
Palmwag Rhino Camp accommodates 16 guests in 8 large East African-styled "Meru" tents each with an en-suite bathroom comprising hand basin, flush toilet and a classic bucket shower that is filled with hot water whenever needed. Lights are powered by solar panels and the tented dining room offers uninterrupted views of the desert and mountains. Welwitschia plants (ancient desert adapted plants) dot the plain in front of the camp. Activities include rhino tracking on foot or by vehicle as well as day and night nature drives. Guests often enjoy full day outings, with a picnic lunch, on the reserve.
Palmwag Rhino Camp is a joint venture between Wilderness Safaris and the "Save the Rhino Trust" - a non-profit conservation organisation that has been working in this area for 20 years. A portion of every guest's revenue goes to the Trust.
Days 8 & 9: Ongava Tented Camp, Etosha National Park
Experience the pinnacle of wildlife viewing at Etosha National Park – but from the privacy of an exclusive bush camp situated on an extensive private game reserve. Activities include wildlife day and night drives, walks and hides. Within Etosha visit numerous perennial springs and pans, encountering lion, leopard, elephant and black rhino as well as plains game.
Days 10, 11 & 12: Skeleton Coast Camp, Skeleton Coast National Park
Enjoy a breathtaking scenic flight over dramatic desert landscapes to the exclusive Skeleton Coast Research Camp situated in a private concession in the Skeleton Coast Park. This is one of the most inhospitable but hauntingly beautiful places on the planet: desolate and uninhabited. It has everything from roaring sand dunes, windswept plains, towering canyons, saltpans to seal colonies, and shipwrecks. Full-day explorations in 4x4 Land Rovers will take all these in, picnicking on the way. Included are cultural visits to the remote villages of the Himba people.
The Skeleton Coast is a place for true Africa lovers - not first timers who are looking for the Big Five, it is for those who appreciate the extraordinary beauty and diversity of the desert. In this over-marketed and homogenised world, discerning travelers seek adventure, solitude and pristine beauty. If you answer to the description of ‘Africa connoisseur’ Wilderness Safaris' Skeleton Coast Camp is the place to be. Nothing can prepare you for the silence of the Skeleton Coast.
Day 13: Charter flight to Windhoek
Say farewell to the adventure as we return by air charter to Windhoek.
Departure Dates 2008 : 07 January 2008, 02 February 2008, 20 February 2008, 13 March 2008, 03 April 2008, 07 April 2008, 15 April 2008, 05 May 2008, 20 May 2008, 08 June 2008, 15 June 2008, 23 June 2008, 02 July 2008, 08 July 2008, 28 July 2008, 03 August 2008, 07 August 2008, 13 August 2008, 19 August 2008, 04 September 2008, 17 September 2008, 01 October 2008, 05 October 2008, 12 October 2008, 06 November 2008, 12 November 2008, 18 November 2008, 01 December 2008, 22 December 2008.
Single Supplement: £470 per person
This itinerary includes: Accommodation (based on 2 people sharing), Transport by vehicle and plane, all meals and drinks (except premium brands), national park fees, laundry (except at Hansa Hotel and Skeleton Coast)and services of our guide, Game drives and wildlife activities
This itinerary excludes: visas, personal travel insurance, excursions not related to the safari, international flights, airport departure taxes, gratuities and items of a personal nature.