THE ROAD TRIP
# 22 DAYS
This trip takes you and yours past all the well known sites and some less known awesome places around Namibia.
Day 1: Arrival in Namibia. Its near impossible to know at this point that your reading this to know at what time of day or night you'll be landing at the airport and if there will be any time left to head on to the first destination. What is a given that you likely will be coming off a set of long flights and possibly some jetlag and or poor sleep on the plane if any at all, therefore day 1 we'll be staying in Windhoek as a recuperation day and if your energy and will permits we can do a city / township tour and possibly a sunset game drive at Okapuka Game Ranch where you get to see white rhinos way up close amongst other things.
Day 2: We make way to Arnhem Caves to hike into the depths of the Earth and see the real lair of Batman. South we go through the Kalahari and its red dunes and Camelthorn trees.
Day 3: Off to the Quiver Tree Forest, Giant's Playground and the Mesosaurus Fossil Camp, after lunch we make way to Fish River Canyon for sunset.
Day 4: Early morning we set off to the Canyon for sunrise and go have breakfast afterward. We hit the road and start traveling West to the small town of Aus where we make lunch. West we go descending into the desert in search of wild horses and find them with some luck. Along the way we make a stop at Garub Train Station, a great place for photos as we continue on to the German colonial coastal town of Luderitz. A sunset drive to Dias Point followed by dinner at Barrels is a nice end to the day.
Day 5: After breakfast we drive 10km outside of town to visit Kolmanskop Ghost Town and learn about the finding of the richest diamond field ever found and the story of a man who went from rags to riches and back to rags. The place is a photographer's wonderland with the town half swallowed by the dunes. The multi pastel coloured interiors of these German colonial buildings is so unique! Afterwards we head North from Aus into the Namib desert to Sesriem inside the Namib-Naukluft National Park.
Day 6: Super early in the morning, under star light, we drive a hour before sunrise into the park to get to Deadvlei before the first sunlight hits the dead trees. Being there super early also allows for those who which to scale out Big Daddy dune the opportunity to do so whilst it is still cool. Later in the day the sand heats up and trust me it can get so hot that if you were barefoot that you'd be stranded in the shade of some small bush. You will be spent by the time we get back to the car to head back to Sesriem. A quick visit to Sesriem Canyon followed by lunch is on the menu. We drive to Hauchabfontein for a dip in the spring which will simply be heavenly after your sand filled morning of exertion. A stay at Hammerstein is happening.
Day 7: A game drive at We Kebi is fantastic with all their rhinos! We head North to Solitaire and on to Namib's Valley of a Thousand Hills. The Namib has many faces, this one is unique.
Day 8: Early morning we drive West to Walvis Bay through the Ghaub and Kuiseb Canyon. We make a turn at the Moon Landscape along the way. In Walvis Bay we hop aboard a specialized 4x4 trip to Sandwich Harbour in the afternoon. Dinner at the Jetti 1904 in its most unique setting, the calamari is so good that it likely will redefine the dish entirely for you^^
Day 9: North we go along the coast, past shipwrecks and Cape Cross seal colony and all the way through the Skeleton Coast National Park where we turn East through amazing landscapes. We stay at Palmwag Lodge where we have a good chance of seeing desert elephants.
Day 11: Further North we go to Epupa Falls, lunch in Opuwo.
Day 12: This is a day of stretching the legs and exploring the cascades and swimming and relaxation.
Day 13: Down we go to West Etosha for a late afternoon game drive. We stay at Kamanjab.
Day 14: This is a all day game drive to central Etosha.
Day 15: We continue on Eastward through East Etosha and stay in the town of Tsumeb
Day 16: Into Bushmenland we go to meet this jovial people and learn about the Bushmen culture.We stay at Roy's Camp.
Day 17: To the Okavango River we go.
Day 18: Finally we drive through to the Kwando River. A sunset boat cruise is on the menu,
Day 19: Mudumu National Park is fantastic, you will get to see some other animals and birds that you dont get to see in Etosha like Letchwe, Bushbuck, Roan Antilope, Sable Antilope, Hippos and possible a super herd of elephants (up to 500 in a herd) on their migration path between the Okavango Delta and Angola. Afterward we head to Ngepi Lodge on our journey back to Windhoek.
Day 20: South we go to the Hoba Meteorite
Day 21: In Otjiwarongo we make a turn at the Crocodile Farm and you go see the Gideon Meteorites in Windhoek and do the city / township tour and sunset drive which we might not have gotten to on day 1.
Day 22: Departure
COST:
1 person U$13242
2 persons U$18146
3 persons U$23050
4 persons U$27954
25% Deposit is required to make a booking. The remainder is due 1 month prior to arrival. To make a booking please send us a mail through the contact form. If you'd like to speak with any of the the people that reviewed, I'll do my best to put you in touch with a few of them. If you prefer to talk over Skype / WhatsApp / Signal / Telegram, id be happy to be of service. Simply write me with your full request.
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
Airport transfers
Top notch lodging
Private Tour with Guide / Driver
4x4 Vehicle
Meals
Activities as mentioned
Permits
Fuel
WHAT'S EXCLUDED:
Flights
Your personal travel and medical insurance.
Beverages other than bottled mineral water.
Expenses of a personal nature.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
I'd recommend visiting Namibia when its not raining which is from April to December, of that period Id say November and December can be on the hot and humid side of things. October is a special month as its when most plants bloom. Middle May to end of July expect sunrise temperatures to reach freezing point. It does warm up fast though once the sun is out during winter for a pleasant 25 Celsius. Summer highs in the interior are around 38 Celsius. The desert can go into the 40s. Its worth mentioning that Namibia has a very dry climate and that the heat is dry and thus is quite tolerable as evaporation of swet will actually cool you off which doesnt happen when its humid. Attention must be given to protecting your skin, the sun does not play with the foolish in Namibia, sunburn typically takes place in as little as 15 minutes if you have no sunblock on. Its not a bad idea to have a long sleeve on and to pack in a decent broad rimmed hat. Namibia lends itself out to dust with the dry climate, its thus important to look after your camera gear as dust spots easily happen on lenses and sensors whilst changing to other lenses. Namibia is well known for particularly amazing astro photography of the Southern hemisphere night sky. Please study up on your astro photography to get the most out of your hobby while your here. Its a must to come with a binocular for animals and birds. A 8x32 is compact and does a great job. If you have a 10x40 then even better. These are private tours, we will try and accommodate any alterations on the fly if possible. This is due to unforeseen circumstances like people getting ill and for when calamity arises. Your safety is our foremost priority.
It is important for me to have you know that I want you to have the best possible time in Namibia. The same standards I set on a trip I guide myself is the same quality i hold my guides to. In a perfect world nothing goes wrong, unfortunately this life isnt perfect and thus you will only know the quality of our work the day that some hick-up happens. I assume your going to have 3 flat tires today even though its super unlikely and instead of only 1 spare I make sure there is a second. I check in at set times with my guides to see if all is well and if i hear nothing from them I assume they have a breakdown in the middle of a area where there is no cellphone signal and Namibia has lots of that going on. That in such event I can send out support from the nearest lodge and workshop and get you underway in double time. I plan for the worst and smile when it happens because I'm already prepared for it.You will only know how good your guide is come the day that things go wrong, naturally we make every effort to reduce the chance that such hick-ups don't happen at all by only making use of vehicles that are well maintained and providing immediate support to my guides while out on the road.
