Fly to Sossusvlei

Flight:   Windhoek – Sossusvlei              1 hour & 10 minutes

• You will be met on arrival by our representative to hand over your travel documents
• Meet your pilot and check in for your flight and briefing before taking to the Namibian skies
• Private charter flight from Windhoek to Sossusvlei flying over the Namib Naukluft Mountain Range
• Road transfer to the lodge on arrival
• 1 x Sundowner drive included for the day of arrival
• Wake up early for breakfast (Day 2) and then head to the entrance to Sossusvlei, the Sesriem Gate
• Spend the whole day in the beautiful Sossusvlei area, exploring the highlights with the lodge guide: Sossusvlei, Dead Vlei, Dune 45, Big Daddy, Elim Dune and the Sesriem Canyon
• Return to the lodge for lunch (optional extra) and spend the remainder of the day at your own leisure

Dinner and overnight at Desert Homestead Lodge (Standard), Little Kulala Lodge (Superior) or Hoodia Desert Lodge (Luxury)

Sossusvlei

The sand dunes of Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert are often referred to as the highest dunes in the world. Various arguments are laid out to support this claim, but all miss the point, which is that Sossusvlei is surely one of the most spectacular sights in Namibia. Located in the Namib Naukluft park, the largest conservation area in Africa, and fourth largest in the world – the sand dunes at Sossusvlei are just one excellent reason to visit Namibia.

The best time to view Sossusvlei is close to sunrise and sunset; the colours are strong and constantly changing, allowing for wonderful photographic opportunities. The midday heat is intense and best spent in the shade.

‘Vlei’ is the Afrikaans word for a shallow depression filled with water (well, a depression that might sometimes be filled with water!), and the name ‘Sossusvlei’ should strictly only be applied to the pan that lies at the place where the dunes close in, preventing the waters of the Tsauchab River from flowing any further – that is, on the rare occasions that the river does flow as far as this. During exceptional rainy seasons, Sossusvlei may fill with water, causing Namibians to flock there to witness the grand sight, but normally it is bone dry. This particular ‘vlei’ is actually a more-or-less circular, hard-surfaced depression that is almost entirely surrounded by sharp-edged dunes, beyond which lies a formidable sea of rolling sand, stretching in unbroken immensity all the way to the coast. However, the name ‘Sossusvlei’ nowdays applies to the whole area – an area that encompasses the great plain of the Tsauchab River together with the red dunes that march along like giant sentinels to south and north of the plain.

The second attraction of the area is Sesriem Canyon, which is only a few kilometres from the campsite, the entrance gate, and main Nature Conservation office. The canyon derives its name from the fact that early Afrikaner trekkers had to use six (‘ses’) leather thongs (a thong is a ‘riem’) so that their buckets could reach the water far below. The canyon begins as an almost imperceptible but nevertheless deep cleft in level, stony ground, and then widens until it finally flattens out onto the plain. Because it is so deep and sheltered, it often holds water well into the dry season – an invigorating sight in such a barren and stark environment.

Climbing to the top of Big Mama, as it is known to the locals, is well worth every bead of sweat. Catch your breath, take a drink and try to avoid camera shake before capturing some unique moments in your life. From the top you can see Naravlei; so-called because of the countless cucumber-like melons growing around the edge of the pan. The Nara plant is a vital source of nourishment for many desert creatures, including man. Cessna Pan is to the east and the rocky ridges of Witberg have proved to be a valuable landmark for adventurers over the years. Dead Vlei is at the foot of Big Mama. Its’ dead camelthorn trees, some over 800 years old, stand helplessly as photographers worldwide attempt to capture that unique, ageless desert shot. Out of view from the 2×4 car park, tucked behind a dune, is Hiddenvlei. Many species of bird shelter here on both dead and live camelthorn trees. For most of the year all 3 vleis are little more than huge hollows in the ground with no water whatsoever.

The belief that nothing could survive in temperatures that surpass 40ºC during the day and fall to below freezing at night is a real one. Water is scarce but life still manages to exist under the sand. Tiny tracks at the base of Sossusvlei’s dunes give the game away. A fine example is the toktokkie beetle, one of over 200 species of tenebrionid living in the Namib Desert. Whilst under the surface they communicate between sexes by tapping their abdomens on the ground. The shovel-snouted lizard is another sub-sand survivor, a reptile that has the ability to store water in its body. Other desert-dwelling creatures drink droplets of the desert’s periodic fog or lick minute tear-drops of water trickling down rocks and plants. Others simply burrow a channel in the sand, an action that will allow them to accumulate moisture such as Grant’s golden mole. This amazing little rodent spends almost its entire life under the sand and as a result of this evolutionary adaptation, has no need for eyes.

You are more likely to see or be shown larger tracks though. Black-backed jackal, a notorious scavenger, springbok and ostrich tip-toe across the dunes frequently. Gemsbok (oryx) last for weeks without drinking water. Moisture is not allowed to leave the body and therefore they stop sweating. Some unique moments in your life can be small ones as well.

Dinner and overnight at Desert Homestead Lodge (Standard), Little Kulala Lodge (Superior) or Hoodia Desert Lodge (Luxury)

Fly to Swakopmund

Flight:   Sossusvlei – Swakopmund        1 hour & 30 minutes (scenic)

• Road transfer to airstrip for departure flight
• Private charter scenic flight along the Skeleton Coast to Swakopmund

Highlights: Sossusvlei, sand dunes, old diamond mines, shipwrecks, Langewand & Sandwich Harbour

• Road transfer into town on arrival
• The Namibian coastline is generally known as The Skeleton Coast due to the barren areas, ship wrecks and, in days gone by, whale skeletons left on the beach
• 1 x Half Day Sandwich Harbour Tour included (AM or PM depending on the tides)
• Spend the remainder of your stay strolling through town or enjoying optional extra activities as you wish
• Lunches and dinners can be enjoyed at any of the many great cafés or restaurants overlooking the sea

Dinner and overnight at Swakopmund Luxury Suites (Standard) or Strand Hotel (Luxury/Superior)

Swakopmund

Sandwiched between Atlantic rollers and the Namib Desert, Swakopmund is one of those great traveller way stations along the African road. At once Namibia’s adventure capital and a surreal colonial remnant, part destination in its own right and part launch pad for an exploration of the Skeleton Coast and Namib Desert, this is a city with as much personality as it has sea frontage. Like Lüderitz on the south coast, with its half-timbered German architecture, seaside promenades and pervasive Gemütlichkeit (a distinctively German appreciation of comfort and hospitality), Swakopmund, especially out of season, can feel like a holiday town along Germany’s North Sea and Baltic coasts transplanted onto African soil. But the city is also thoroughly African and its multidimensional appeal means that most people end up staying longer than they planned.

Dinner and overnight at Swakopmund Luxury Suites (Standard) or Strand Hotel (Luxury/Superior)

Fly to Damaraland

Flight:   Swakopmund – Damaraland       50 minutes

• Road transfer to Airport for departure flight
• Private charter flight from Swakopmund to Damaraland
• Road transfer to the lodge on arrival
• 2 night package includes:

– All meals

– 1 x Nature drive to search for the desert adapted elephants and other wildlife in the dry riverbed and surrounding areas

– 1 x Guided Twyfelfontein excursion to view the Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings, Organ Pipes and Burnt Mountain

Dinner and overnight at Camp Kipwe (Standard) or Mowani Mountain Camp (Superior/Luxury)

Damaraland

Dinner and overnight at Camp Kipwe (Standard) or Mowani Mountain Camp (Superior/Luxury)

Fly to Etosha National Park

Flight:   Damaraland – Etosha                1 hour & 15 minutes

• Road transfer to airstrip for departure flight
• Private charter flight from Damaraland to Etosha National Park (east)
• Road transfer to the lodge on arrival
• 2 x PM guided game drives included
• 2 x AM guided game drives included
• Etosha is one of Africa’s great game parks. With 114 species of mammal and 340 species of birds you are sure to see a great variety of wildlife on your safari

Dinner and overnight at Mushara Bush Camp (Standard), Onguma The Fort (Superior) or Mushara Outpost (Luxury)

Etosha National Park

Dinner and overnight at Mushara Bush Camp (Standard), Onguma The Fort (Superior) or Mushara Outpost (Luxury)

Fly to Windhoek

Flight:   Etosha – Windhoek                   1 hour & 40 minutes

• After your morning activity as included, you will road transfer to the airstrip for your departure flight.
• Private charter flight from Etosha to Windhoek International Airport. Keeping in mind that you need to be at the airport 2 hours prior to your international departure flight time.

End of Tour