Highlights

Windhoek
Kalahari
Sossusvlei
Swakopmund
Damaraland
Etosha National Park

Tour Brief

The Kalahari is the largest sand basin in the world. Almost devoid of rock, it covers an area of 900,000sq km. Contrary to popular belief it is not a desert but a semi-arid savannah biome. Oxide-red dunes and grassy plains dotted with gnarled, stunted acacia trees form an evocative landscape that supports a surprising diversity of wildlife.

The Namib Desert covers the entire Namibian coastline of over 1,500km and sweeps up to 200km inland. At a shade over 20 million years, it is the planet's oldest desert and has an astonishing diversity of landscapes and habitats.

Etosha National Park is unique. Its waterhole culture forces the plains game to drink during the middle of the day when predators are most lethargic; thus it's not uncommon to have a collage of several different species in the same frame. Lions, elephants and several endemic species of antelope and birds - including 46 raptors - add to the game viewing excitment.

Rates from:

Self-drive including double cabin 4x4 hire
US$ 1,390 - camping (includes camping equipment)
US$ 1,870 - mid market
US$ 2,950 - luxury

Guided safari
US$ 2,415 - camping
US$ 3,000 - mid market
US$ 4,690 - luxury

Day 1: Windhoek or Kalahari

Depending on your flight's arrival time, you can either stay one night in Windhoek or drive the three hours on mostly paved roads to the Kalahari.

On the way: Hardap Dam Nature Reserve has nature trails and game drives with black rhino among the wildlife.

When you're there: The lodges offer scenic drives, game viewing activities and nature trails. The sunsets are spectacular and a good excuse for a gin and tonic.

Accommodation options: Windhoek Accommodation or Kalahari Accommodation

Day 2 and 3: Sossusvlei

Breakfast and one last hike or game drive before you go west to Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert and its Great Sand Sea. Arrive in time for a sundowner at your suitably poised lodge or atop the nearby Elim Dune. The drive takes about four hours.

On the way: The drive reveals the transition from Kalahari thornveld to the true desert of the Namib; Lilyveld, a valley 30km north of Maltahöhe, springs into bloom for about a week after good rains; Duiwiseb Castle is an interesting diversion 70km south-west of Maltahöhe.

When you're there: Enter Sossusvlei at sunrise and remember to take plenty of film or memory, sun cream, a hat, walking shoes and water. Explore the world's highest dunes and a sheltered pan with petrified trees that are hundreds of years old; climb the dunes and look out over a sea of sand. Private reserves in the area reveal fascinating flora, fauna and ancient desert landscapes.

Accommodation options: Sossusvlei Accommodation

Day 4 and 5: Swakopmund

A five-hour drive north takes you through the gradual change from mountains and dunes to rolling grass-covered hills with scattered acacia trees. Swakopmund is a quaint resort town by the sea with an obvious German heritage at odds with its bleak surrounds.

On the way: Look out for the endemic Hartmann's mountain zebra as you leave; stop at Solitaire, about 80km from Sesriem for some home-made bread and an ice cold drink; Kuiseb Canyon has some shady picnic spots; you can see springbok and pure-bred wild ostrich across the vast gravel plains of the Namib; the lunar landscape; look out for the welwitschia plant.

When you're there: Visit the Walvis Bay Lagoon - a RAMSAR wetlands site - where thousands of flamingoes, pelicans and numerous waders feed in the nutrient-rich shallows; restaurants, shops and attractions in Swakopmund; spend an extra day making the most of the cool air and refreshing sea.

Among the many organised activities, we recommend a scenic flight over Skeleton Coast; a comfortable and informative boat cruise of Walvis Bay where you meet dolphins, sea lions, pelicans and terns; and quad biking, which is an exciting way to experience the sand dunes.

Accommodation options: Swakopmund Accommodation

Day 6: Damaraland

Destination Damaraland where enormous granite outcrops and dolerite dykes have been carved by ice, wind and rain over aeons. Grassy plains, tree-studded riverbeds and endless open skies add to the grandeur and make this area one of the most scenic in Namibia. The drive to Damaraland takes up to five hours because there is much to see and do along the way.

On the way: Drive along the Skeleton Coast to Cape Cross - the largest breeding cape fur seal colony in the world. The stench of 100,000 seals can be a tad over-powering: take a handkerchief to cover your nose; lunch at Cape Cross Lodge or picnic at some suitably serene and other-worldly spot; stop at the lichen fields and a salt pan that is an excellent birding spot; visit the Twfylefontein rock paintings, the Petrified Forest and the Organ Pipes.

When you're there: Game drives on private reserves in search of the famed desert-adapted elephant, black rhino and giraffe; among other hardy plains herds look out for Hartmann's mountain zebra; spend more time exploring the Twfylefontein rock paintings, the Petrified Forest, Vingerklip and the Organ Pipes; hike up the Brandberg Mountain, Namibia's highest point at 2,573m.

Accommodation options: Damaraland Accommodation

Day 7, 8 and 9: Etosha National Park

The drive to Etosha National Park is a scenic few hours through more of Damaraland's singular beauty. The southern gate is much closer to southern Damaraland and will take about three hours; the eastern gate will take an extra two hour's travelling.

On the way: If you're going east, the world's largest meteorite, Hoba, is on a longish ring road via Grootfontein; the southern route is almost too short to stop, barring a comfort stop at Outjo and a picture of the Ugab Terrace.

When you're there: Etosha has an estimated 250 lions, 300 rhinos, 2,500 giraffes, 6,000 zebras, 20,000 springbok and 2,000 elephants. This on top of a large number of lesser and common plains herds, and abundant birds makes game viewing in Etosha something special. The surrounding lodges all have private reserves with equally impressive wildlife numbers and they offer private game viewing activities into the park.

Accommodation options: Etosha Accommodation

Day 10: Windhoek

You have a long drive ahead of you today: up to six hours if you're travelling from the east and four from the south. The roads are all paved so it's a comfortable ride to arrive in time for your onward flight or a night in Windhoek.

On the way: Okahandja has the largest wood carvers' market in Namibia