11 DAYS - WINDHOEK - KALAHARI

Reception and assistance at the international airport.
Vehicle Rental: SUV for 2 or 4 Pax, Minibus 4 Pax or more.
After a briefing with one of Dunas Safaris’ representatives you will depart towards the Waterberg Region.
Okonjima Nature Reserve
Halfway between Windhoek and Etosha lies the well-known Okonjima Nature Reserve. The 22 000 ha Nature Reserve is surrounded by 96 km of fence and was finally completed in 2010. Okonjima is home to AFRICAT, a Carnivore Conservation, which gives the captive carnivores a second chance to be released back into the wild and to take the time it needs, to become a completely independent hunter - in a protected area right in the middle of commercial farmland! Also in the Reserve is a 2000 ha 'safe' zone around Plains Camp, Bush Camp, Bush Suite, the Omboroko Campsite as well as the PAWS Environmental Education Centre.
 
Join the afternoon game drive - Included

Overnight: Okonjima Plains Camp
Not only is Okonjima a luxury lodge, but it is also home to The AfriCat Foundation, a non-profit organisation, committed to long-term conservation of Namibia's large carnivores, especially cheetahs and leopards. A visit to Okonjima will give you an opportunity to witness some of AfriCat's work. The NEW, Plains Camp design honours the Okonjima cattle-farming history. In the early 1920’s, Okonjima became a cattle farm and was bought by Val (VJ) & Rose Hanssen in 1970. They were well-established Brahman breeders and continued to farm cattle until the need for solutions to increasing livestock losses became pertinent and post-independence interest in Namibia as a tourist destination, escalated. In 1993, the herds of Brahman and Jersey cattle were sold, changing the face of Okonjima as well as that of Carnivore Conservation! STANDARD ROOMS: Each of the 14 Standard Rooms enjoy a view across the Okonjima grass plains! VIEW ROOMS: The 10 exclusive and spacious View Rooms, all have a view across the Okonjima grass plains! The OKONJIMA activities include tracking rehabilitated carnivores on foot; visiting the AfriCat Carnivore Care & Information Centre; tracking leopards from a game–viewing vehicle. OKONJIMA also offers a guided Bushman Trail. Birding and Game drives are offered on request and if guests stay longer than 2 days.
Included: Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Join the early morning game drive with the professional guides at the lodge, when you return visit the cheetah foundation before enjoying a delicious breakfast at the lodge.
Depart towards the Etosha National Park
Etosha National Park
The Etosha National Park is Namibia's premiere game viewing experience, situated in the northwest of Namibia and is an area well known for its wildlife. Vegetation ranges from dense bush to open plains attracting a diversity of wildlife. In the heart of the park, is The Etosha Pan - a shallow depression that covers an area of 5000sq kilometres. Dry and shimmering for most of the year, the pans fill up with water after good rains to a depth which is seldom deeper than 1m. In the dry season wildlife is attracted to perennial springs and waterholes that makes for excellent game viewing.

Overnight: Taleni Etosha Village

Luxury at Etosha National Park near Okaukuejo. Situated only 2km from the Andersson Gate to Etosha National Park, Etosha Village uniquely combines comfort, style and exquisite cuisine. 40 Luxury individual canvas suites are constructed on wooden decks and offer a fully air-conditioned bedroom with a unique semi-open en-suite bathroom. Two small children (under 12) can be accommodated with their parents on a convertible bunk berth. All units are also equipped for self-caterers, complete with an open-air kitchenette, fridge, kettle and an outside seating area with barbeque. Facilities include a unique open-plan bar with big screen television, 2 sparkling pools plus a kiddie pool, a restaurant with delectable cuisine as well as a fully stocked utility and curio shop. Explore Namibia’s animal kingdom with guided excursions to Etosha National Park. Experience spectacular sunsets during Sundowner Drives on the private reserve and discover the magic of the famous star-studded skies with a Stargazing session. Let the team whisk you away to an enchanted venue in the Mopane Forest for a magnificent Bush Dinner Experience for your special function or private dinner.

Included: Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Day free to visit the park in your own vehicle.
 
Included: Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

After breakfast enter the park and head towards the Galton gate enjoying the day as a full safari day.
Overnight: Dolomite Camp
Dolomite Camp consists of a spacious reception, lounge, bar and restaurant area with a walkway leading to thatched, en-suite chalets nestled amongst the rocky outcrops, which provide privacy with dramatic and panoramic landscape views. The camp’s interiors are designed to harmonize the natural surroundings, characterized by weathered dolomite rock formations, Mopane, Moringa trees and savannah woodland. With no fewer than 15 waterholes in the surrounding areas, Dolomite Camp presents great wildlife viewing opportunities. Specially arranged game drives, operated by knowledgeable guides, take you to parts of the park previously only known to conservationists.

After breakfast head towards the Galton Gate and exit the park, you will have a long travel day in order to visit all the attractions of the area.
Damaraland
Huge, untamed and ruggedly beautiful Damaraland is an exceptionally scenic landscape of open plains and spectacular rock formations. The major attractions are Spitzkoppe, the Brandberg, Twyfelfontein, Vingerklip and the Petrified Forest.
 
Overnight: Palmwag Lodge
Palmwag Lodge & Campsite is situated in the Palmwag Concession next to one of the tributaries of the ephemeral Uniab River in north western Damaraland / Kunene region. The lodge and campsite is nestled between huge Makalani palms and Mopane trees. Palmwag Lodge is situated 500 meters north of the veterinary control gate on the C 43 to Sesfontein. From Kamanjab you can reach Palmwag Lodge on the C 40, 120 kilometres away, and from Khorixas you can reach Palmwag Lodge on the C 39, 160 kilometres away. Palmwag Lodge is an ideal stop over on the way to the Kaokoland, Etosha and the coast. Palmwag Lodge manages and operates the 582,000-hectare large concession area. Abundant wildlife such as mountain zebra, kudu, springbok, giraffe, lion, desert adapted elephant, the endangered black rhino and many other species occur here. Palmwag Lodge operates a well-maintained gravelled runway for fly in safaris, just a few hundred meters away from the lodge. The runway is 1200 meters long. Coordinates: S 19˚ 52’ 48” E 13˚ 56’ 47”

Included
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Today we travel down the Skeleton Coast taking some time to visit Cape Cross along the way, this biggest seal colony in the world. As we drive up the Skeleton Coast you will have the opportunity to stop and admire a Welwitschia mirabilis, a plant unique to the Namib Desert with some of them being an estimated 1500 years old.
 
Swakopmund
Founded in 1892 as the main harbour for German South West Africa, Swakopmund is often described as being more German than Germany. Now a seaside resort, Swakopmund is the capital of the Skeleton Coast tourism area and has plenty to keep visitors happy. The quirky mix of German and Namibian influences, colonial-era buildings and the cool sea breeze make it very popular.
 
Overnight: Desert Breeze Lodge
Staying at Desert Breeze it will feel like you are part or the Namib Desert. You will be living “in the view” of the oldest desert in the world. Total peace and silence so close to Swakopmund. Surrounded by colourful and very unique architecture contrasting but yet fitting in with the desert landscape will sooth any soul. Big basalt sculptures stand guard over the desert landscape. The luxury bungalows with the creative feeling and friendly staff will make your stay very special. Desert Breeze offers 12, all en-suite, luxury bungalows and one exquisite villa, each with a private sun deck to admire the breath-taking view of the dunes. Expressing sophisticated style and luxury from our accommodation right through to our breakfast facilities, we endeavour to make our guests feel pampered and spoiled. Each bungalow and the villa are equipped with wireless internet, mini bar, coffee and tea making facilities and digital safes. The breakfast facility serves only the freshest of produce for breakfast. Seating is available indoors or on the deck for guest to enjoy the view and peaceful atmosphere. Secure parking as well as laundry facilities are available.
 
Included: Bed & Breakfast

Your second day in Swakopmund, can be arranged to your liking. No activities are included on this day.
We suggest:
• Walvis Bay Lagoon.
• Visit Dune 7.
For the more adventurous, 4x4 bikes & sand boarding (OPTIONAL, seasonal price, to pay at site)
• Panoramic Flight (OPTIONAL)
• Skydiving (OPTIONAL)
We suggest a Dolphin & Seal Cruise. This activity starts at 08h15m and ends with a nice lunch on board the catamaran with fresh oysters and line fish as well as light snacks.
Dolphin & Seal Cruise
• Desert camel rides
• Kayak
 
Included: Bed & Breakfast

Leave the cool ocean breeze and head towards Namibia’s red dessert Sossusvlei
 
Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei is where you will find the iconic red sand dunes of the Namib. The clear blue skies contrast with the giant red sand dunes to make this one of the natural wonders of Africa and a photographer’s heaven. Aside from the attractions at Sossusvlei - Dune 45, Hiddenvlei, Big Daddy and Deadvlei - other attractions in the area include the Sesriem Canyon and Namib-Naukluft National Park, where the mountains of the Namib meet its plains.
Overnight: Sossusvlei Lodge
Situated at the entrance gate to the Namib Naukluft Park, Sossusvlei Lodge offers direct access to the towering red sand dunes, the famous pan of Sossusvlei, the scorched black trees of Dead Vlei and the remarkable depths of the Sesriem Canyon. The 45 individual luxurious accommodation units at Sossusvlei Lodge are carefully laid out to perfectly blend in with the magnificent surrounding natural environment. Each fully air-conditioned unit has a patio, en-suite bathroom with shower and a spacious bedroom under canvas with adobe-style plaster walls to give the visitor a distinctive sense of being close to nature. Experience the true art of Hospitality with the thoughtful touch of attentive staff to contribute to a truly memorable experience. Facilities include a sparkling pool, bar, beer garden and an al fresco terrace where one can enjoy exquisite food, award-winning wines and magnificent views of the floodlit waterhole. The Sossusvlei Lodge Adventure Centre provides a range of activities including Quad-Biking, Guided Excursions, Sun-downer Trips, Hot Air Ballooning, Scenic Flights and much more to explore the area’s natural beauty.
 
Included: Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Day free in Sossusvlei to visit and take part in any of the below activities:
Namib Sky Balloon Safaris
Situated in the heart of the Namib Naukluft Park, Sossusvlei, one of the most fascinating landscapes in Namibia, is a photographer’s dream. Gigantic orange dunes, dramatic shadows, undulating plains and Rocky Mountains create a magical kaleidoscope of colours and shapes. To the east, Namib Rand Nature Reserve vast sandy plains are surrounded by towering granite mountains and rolling dunes. Here, in the oldest desert on the planet, amazingly adapted animals and plants come together to form one of the most visually stunning ecosystems in the world. And truly the best way to experience the heart of the Namib Desert is with a hot air balloon safari. Watching the spectacular sunrise over this magnificent landscape from a silent hot air balloon is the experience of a lifetime, never to be forgotten
At landing, you come back to earth with an “Out Of Africa” style champagne breakfast set up in the middle of nowhere. Your pilot will present you with a flight certificate before you take a leisurely nature drive back to the pick-up point.

Sesriem Canyon
Sesriem Canyon, a deep chasm carved through the rocks by water, is a striking natural feature of the area that is best explored on foot. Stony walls rise up sharply on both sides of the canyon, while birds roost in its crags and lizards dart along the ledges. The canyon’s name was coined when early settlers used it as a water source, using six lengths of leather (‘ses riem – six thongs) tied together to lower buckets into the water at the base of canyon.
 
Dead Vlei
This ancient clay pan was once an oasis, studded with acacias and fed by a river that suddenly changed course, leaving the earth to dry up along with the trees it previously supported. So dry were the climatic conditions that the trees never decomposed – instead they were entirely leached of moisture so that today, 900 years later, they remain as desiccated, blackened sentinels dotting the pan’s cracked surface. Surrounded by the red-pink dunes of the Namibia Desert, they create a surreal spectacle that is a photographer's dream.

Big Daddy 250m
Sossusvlei’ s highest dune, and indeed one of the highest on the planet, Big Daddy towers above the surrounding desert, measuring well over 300 metres above sea level. It takes around 50 minutes to climb Big Daddy – and the views from the top are spectacular, overlooking Deadvlei with its ancient petrified trees and stretching for miles over the red sands of the Namib. If you plan on hiking to the top, remember to take plenty of water and sun protection.

After breakfast head towards the Kalahari.
 
Kalahari Namibia
The Kalahari is an exceptionally beautiful living desert a large semi-arid sandy savannah draped over a gently rolling inland sea of sand covering most of Botswana and large parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is also the last bastion of the San people with the modern world having enveloped all the other areas they once roamed. Here in Namibia it is typically red sands covered in thin, wispy, mostly golden grass and dotted with acacia trees and wide-ranging wildlife including gemsbok, impala, jackals and cheetah.
 
Overnight: Lapa Lange Game Lodge
An upmarket lodge in the region, perfectly situated a days’ drive from Windhoek (300km), making it an ideal first or last stop and we believe it will be worth your while to come and see what we have to offer. Lapa Lange Game Lodge is a veritable oasis on the edge of the Kalahari, built with natural thatch and poles, together with landscaped rolling lawns and waterholes, creating a warm African welcoming atmosphere. The magnificent main buildings house the reception, curio shop, restaurants, bars and lounges all overlooking the rooms, swimming pool and a floodlit waterhole that hosts over 30 species of game. The floodlit waterhole, game drives and walking trails give your clients access to these rare species.
 
Included: Dinner, Bed & Breakfast

Make sure to leave the lodge with enough time to reach the airport, the trip to Windhoek should take +- 3hours 30 mins.
Return the vehicle upon arrival followed by a transfer to the airport.