12-Day Namibia Exploration Tour with Sossusvlei, Etosha and Coast

Hosea Kutako International Airport - River Crossing Lodge

Your shuttle driver will welcome you at Hosea Kutako International Airport and drive you to your destination. River Crossing Lodge offers a serene blend of blissful, undisturbed nature and comfortable modern amenities. The lodge is located on a pristine 6,500-hectare reserve that is home to 19 different species of game, while being only a 5-minute drive from the heart of Windhoek.

After checking in, get ready for a drive through the capital city. We will visit the local street markets, craft markets, and the township of Katutura.

Once you arrive back at the lodge, get ready for a spectacular sunset from the terrace before dinner.

River Crossing Lodge - Jansen Kalahari Guest Farm

Before departure, we take a morning drive through the reserve. The views are superb, the flora varied, and the game abundant. Nineteen different species roam the reserve, including oryx, kudu, giraffe, and wildebeest. Leopard and cheetah are also seen from time to time. The drives last 2-3 hours and include some drinks and snacks.

You will meet your tour guide after your morning tour for a quick briefing.

On arrival at Jansen Kalahari Guest Farm, we will have a relaxing late afternoon and explore the Kalahari Desert.

Optional: A sundowner drive at the property or neighbouring lodge, Bagatelle Game Range, can be arranged in advance.

Jansen Kalahari Guest Farm

We will join a local guide on a bushman walk. The walk takes about an hour and focuses on the beauty of the culture and the knowledge carried from one generation to the next. The ancestors of the hunter-gatherer Sān are thought to have been the first inhabitants of what is now Botswana and South Africa. The historical presence of the San in Botswana is particularly evident in northern Botswana's Tsodilo Hills region.

We have a full day at Bagatelle Game Range, where guests can take part in activities of their choice.

Lunch will be served here.

Jansen Kalahari Guest Farm - Hammerstein Lodge

After breakfast, we continue to Hammerstein Lodge. Hammerstein Lodge offers the opportunity to relax and recharge through its multi-layered approach, garnered from decades in the hospitality business. Hammerstein Lodge is situated between the Nubib and Tsaris mountains. A few kilometres from the lodge is a massive outcrop of granite boulders, including one boulder in particular that looks like a large hammer. It is from this area that Hammerstein got its name.

Optional: Afternoon game drive.

Hammerstein Lodge - Weldevrede Guest Farm

A very early start this morning for our Sossusvlei guided excursion. We aim to leave our lodge well before sunrise to ensure that we are among the first to enter the national park. From Sesriem, we drive further into the desert area, where the early morning light provides excellent opportunities for photography.

Once we arrive at the 4x4 car park, we can then explore this area on foot, with a walk around Dead Vlei and Sossusvlei.

A sundowner walk with your guide.

Weldevrede Guest Farm - Guest House, Swakopmund

Namibia is a country of contrasts. Today we will move from desert to sea. On our way, we will cross the Tropic of Capricorn and traverse the Gaub and Kuiseb passes, driving down to the dry riverbed at the bottom of the Kuiseb Canyon before climbing up the other side and watching the spectacular desert landscape unfold before us.

Having arrived at the coast, we will make a stop in Walvis Bay to enjoy the view of flamingos and other birds in the lagoons.

We overnight in Swakopmund. Swakopmund is a very pleasant seaside town with lots of shops, a good stretch of beach, although the Atlantic is quite cold here, and an open-air curio market. There is also a very good museum, and the Namibian National Marine Aquarium is located in Swakopmund. Alternatively, there are various optional activities that can be arranged.

Guest House, Swakopmund

Explore the town - the rest of the day is free for you to see what Swakopmund has to offer at your leisure. This charming seaside town offers a variety of attractions, including shops, a beautiful stretch of beach, please note that the Atlantic Ocean is quite cold here, an open-air curio market, an excellent museum, and the Namibian National Marine Aquarium.

Alternatively, a wide range of optional activities can be arranged, such as:

• Boat tours with oysters and champagne
• Scenic flights and microlight flights over the desert
• Fishing trips from the beach or by boat
• Quad-biking on the dunes
• Sandboarding
• Skydiving
• Many other adventure activities

Swakopmund - White Lady Lodge

We continue very early after breakfast into Damaraland via the Skeleton Coast. A very popular stopover and must-see attraction is the Zeila India Shipwreck, located south of Henties Bay along the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. The name "Skeleton Coast" comes from the whale and seal bones that once littered the shore due to the whaling industry. In modern times, the coast also harbours the skeletal remains of shipwrecks caused by offshore rocks and fog. More than a thousand vessels of various sizes are abandoned along this coast.

Damaraland is one of the most scenic areas in Namibia, a huge, untamed, ruggedly beautiful region that offers the traveller a more adventurous challenge. On arrival, we will visit the Damara Living Museum. Located close to Twyfelfontein, it is the first traditional Damara project in Namibia and the only one of its kind. The possibility of experiencing traditional Damara culture in this form exists nowhere else in Namibia or in the world.

The lodge offers a free, unforgettable sundowner.

White Lady Lodge - Etosha National Park

After breakfast, we continue our journey to Twyfelfontein heritage site. It is a rocky site situated in the Kunene Region of north-western Namibia. The site contains around 2,000 rock carvings, and it is one of the largest and most important concentrations of rock art in Africa. It was proclaimed a National Monument in 1952. It is thought that as many as 40,000 people a year now visit the site, making it one of the more popular tourist destinations in Namibia.

A visit to the Himba village is expected. You will have time to ask questions, interact, and photograph one of Africa's last remaining nomadic tribes while our guide answers and explains the intricate traditions, customs, and beliefs of the Himba people.

We are expected to reach Etosha National Park in the late afternoon. We will have a relaxing late afternoon at the lodge. An afternoon drive is not guaranteed and depends on arrival time.

Etosha National Park

Today will be devoted to exploring the park and increasing our chances of amazing wildlife sightings. We start with an early morning game drive before breakfast, with breakfast packs provided. A quick stop will be available for breakfast, and from there we will continue our search, driving from waterhole to waterhole, especially in the winter months, as they support a rich diversity of animals.

These waterholes are one of the most unique aspects of Etosha National Park and a major attraction for wildlife photographers and animal behaviour experts, as different species of animals, both predator and prey alike, can often be captured on camera drinking at the same waterhole.

Etosha National Park - Windhoek

End of tour after breakfast. On our way, we will stop for lunch at the biggest craft market area in Namibia, Okahandja.