Namibia Northern Odyssey

Today you will be transferred to the coastal town of Swakopmund, and upon arrival in the afternoon you will check in at your hotel. With palm-lined streets and seaside promenades, Swakopmund is a popular holiday destination in Namibia. For the international guest, the town is a bohemian mix of German architecture and African rhythms, a laid back attitude with adrenalin activities. It is colourful, it is vibrant, but most of all, it is pure fun.

Hansa Hotel is located in the very center of the charming little town of Swakopmund, and is a timelessly classical building dating from 1905.

Swakopmund

2 nights at Hansa Hotel

Swakopmund is often referred to as the playground of Namibia, and it has numerous activities to offer visitors during your day of leisure here. Embrace the relaxed pace of this idyllic coastal town whilst enjoying coffee and freshly baked pastries in one of the many cafes. Alternatively explore the rugged, sweltering desert on a day tour, or view this awesome environment from the air on a scenic flight. Find your inner child and push adrenaline to its limits with extreme adventures such as skydiving over the desert or quad biking and sand boarding on the dunes. Take time to get the feel of this quaint town with its historic buildings, museums, shopping arcades and beach bar that has transformed into its own personality by the vibrant use of colour and the bohemian lifestyle.

Leaving the coast behind this morning, you make your way towards Damaraland. The journey takes you through the mining village of Uis and past the Brandberg, Namibia's highest mountain, just shy of 2,600m. You then continue further into Damaraland, one of the least populated and most geologically diverse areas in Africa. This harsh, rocky environment is home to the elusive desert elephant, the black rhino and free-roaming antelope species. Arrival at the lodge will be in the afternoon, with the remainder of the day at leisure to soak up the atmosphere of the lodge.

Damaraland

2 nights at Ondjamba Hills

Enjoy an early morning scenic nature drive through the wilderness area of the Otjimboyo Concession as you make your way towards the Brandberg, Namibia's highest mountain. This is the best time to capture the perfect light of sunrise and catch the last mist engulfing the mountain. You then continue down into the dry Ugab riverbed, which you follow back towards the camp. Stopping under one of the majestic camelthorn trees you enjoy a light picnic lunch. On your drive along the meandering river you might encounter the elusive desert elephant that roam the dry riverbeds of the Damaraland, feeding on the nutritious pods of the trees lining the riverbanks. Arriving back at the camp you have enough time left to enjoy the scenery or follow one of the walking trails.

During the cooler hours of the morning you start your adventure filled day in the company of a local Damara guide, who takes you to Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO heritage site where Bushman communities engraved and painted over 2,500 pictures some 6.000 years ago!.After a visit to the nearby Living Museum of the Damara, you proceed to the Petrified Forest - a geological phenomenon depicting the creation and metamorphosis of wood into stone amongst some of the oldest landmasses on Earth. Here you also see the Welwitschia mirabilis plant - the oldest living desert plant on Earth.

Your onward journey takes you to the wildlife heaven of Namibia - the Etosha National Park. You check into your lodge located on the border of the Etosha National Park and can unwind after the adventure filled day alongside the pool.

Etosha National Park

2 nights at Eldorado Lodge and Camping

Today is devoted purely to the abundant wildlife found in the Etosha National Park, which surrounds a parched salt desert known as the Etosha Pan. The Park is home to 4 of the Big Five - elephant, lion, leopard and rhino. The Park was proclaimed as Namibia's first conservation area in 1907 by the then Governor, von Lindequist. Despite the size of the Etosha National Park, only the southern edge of the pan is accessible to visitors. Game viewing in the Park is largely focussed around the waterholes, some of which are spring fed and some supplied from a borehole, ideal places to sit and watch over 114 different game species, or for an avid birder, in excess of 340 bird species. Popular game species such as giraffe, blue wildebeest, plains and mountain zebra, hyena, lion, leopard, antelopes such as kudu, oryx, eland, as well as some of the endangered species such as black rhino, cheetah and the black-faced impala are all found here. An extensive network of roads link over 30 waterholes allowing visitors the opportunity of an extensive game viewing safari over the stretch of the Park as each different area will provide different encounters.

Today your guide again takes you on another game drive into Etosha. You may encounter animal species we have not seen the previous day and look forward to any new surprises at the different waterholes visited. Later in the afternoon you will travel to your final lodge, where you can relax for the rest of the day.

Etosha National Park

1 night at La Rochelle Lodge

After breakfast you will travel back through the centre of the country to the capital Windhoek. Time permitting, you may stop at the famous wood carvers market in Okahandja or the craft market in the main street in Windhoek to pick up some souvenirs. Windhoek is a cosmopolitan melting pot of European architecture and African culture, with a variety of good restaurants to choose from. On arrival, you will be dropped off at your accommodation of choice, or transferred to the airport for your outward flight.