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12 night safari with 9 nights camping and 3
nights in lodges
Price : £1,299.00 per person
based on 2 people traveling, excluding international flights
Price : £865.00 per person
based on 4 people traveling, excluding international flights
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Please Remember, we specialise in
creating private, tailor-made self drive safaris so
we can arrange anything you wish. This
safari is an example of the kind of thing we can organise
and is being run as a special offer from 14th May to 30th June 2008 . You can make any changes
you wish to this itinerary – although some changes, such
as extra lodge stays, will obviously incur extra costs.
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| Day 1 |
Depart London Gatwick North Terminal |
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You
will depart from London Gatwick for your flight to Windhoek
on Air Namibia flight number SW386 at 2130. Please allow
at least two hours to check in. |
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| Day 2 |
The Elegant Guesthouse, Windhoek |
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You arrive in Windhoek at 0930. On arrival you will be met and taken to The Elegant where you will stay in one of the six luxurious double rooms. The Elegant provides a perfect base from which to relax and discover Windhoek. When you have had a rest and feel refreshed, we will take you to our base where you will be briefed on the vehicle, equipment, route and safety issues. This thorough briefing can take up to two hours. You will also be asked to sign the safety affirmation form to confirm that you have read and understood all the contents of the trip book. We will then help direct you to the best places to buy your fresh food stocks and other items you may need. You will have plenty of time to do your fresh food shopping in the afternoon. You will stay here on a bed and breakfast basis. |
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| Day 3 & 4 |
Sesriem campsite, Sossusvlei |
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Leaving Windhoek Mountain Lodge in the morning,
you drive south to Sesriem. You camp near colossal sand dunes
at Sossusvlei in the Namib Naukluft Desert, the world’s oldest
desert. The dunes reach 300m high and extend as far as the
eye can see. They look particularly stunning at dawn and dusk. The
system of pans which fill with water during a good rainy season
attract a variety of aquatic birds. In the dry season,
the dunes are patterned by the progress of the sidewinding
snake, springbok, gemsbok and mountain zebra. The camp has
excellent facilities with hot showers and flush loos and stone
grills to cook on. Here you will be camping in a pre-booked
and paid- for campsite. Allow for a 6 hour
drive. |
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MORE INFORMATION ON SOSSUSVLEI
Situated in the Namib-Naukluft Park, the dunes of Sossusvlei
are one of Namibia’s most spectacular sights. No matter how
many pictures you have seen of these colossal forms, seeing
them with your own eyes is a wonderful experience. Sunrise
and sunset are definitely the best times to see this beautiful
landscape. The dunes look even more magnificent as the enormous
shadows accentuate their troughs and peaks and their amazing
terracotta hues intensify. They are positively mountainous
in their dimensions as they tower several hundred feet above
the valley floor. |
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| Day 5 & 6 |
The Stiltz, Swakopmund |
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Take the long and scenic drive north through the Namib Naukluft Desert to the seaside town of Swakupmond, a quaint oasis town on the Skeleton Coast, which has some great restaurants. You stay at an unusual but very well run lodge called The Stiltz which is located on the outskirts of Swakopmund. Each of the eight en-suite cottages are set up in the air on stilts and overlooking the Atlantic and located right on the beach. The cottages are made of wood and beautifully designed and very comfortable with vibrant colours. It is a short walk to the town centre. You
stay here on a bed and breakfast basis in a pre-booked and
pre-paid room. This stop gives
you a good chance to stock up on fuel and fresh food and provisions. Allow
a 6 hour drive. |
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MORE
INFORMATION ON THE SKELETON COAST
The Skeleton Coast is one of the most inhospitable places
on earth yet amazingly alluring to those eager to experience
first hand its bleak beauty and desolate loneliness. Its
name relates to the many shipwrecks that have occurred along
this part of the coast; where the cold waters of the Atlantic
Ocean meet the warm shores of the Namibian coastline, a dense
fog is formed. This natural phenomenon has been the
downfall of many a sailor over the years and if you visit
the Skeleton Coast today, you will see that there is nothing
to interrupt the smoothness of the rolling dunes except the
occasional trace of a shipwreck, ancient and sand-blown,
left stranded and soon to be swallowed by the shifting sands. The
fear that sailors had of becoming shipwrecked along this
bit of coastline was compounded by the knowledge that if
they did make it ashore, their survival would be virtually
impossible owing to the merciless conditions that would await
them. The name ‘Skeleton Coast’ actually only refers
to the bit of coastline between the rivers Ugab and Kunene
although it has also become a generic term for Namibia’s
entire desert coast. Despite its desert-like conditions,
the Skeleton Coast is home to flourishing populations of
seals, penguins, flamingos, dolphins and brown hyena - an
extraordinary contrast supported by icy cold seas and scorching
hot desert. |
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| Day 7 & 8 |
Brandberg White Lady Camp Damaraland |
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Today, you take the longish drive to Brandberg
- the atmosphere is charming and you camp amongst the acacia
trees, with a lovely contrast between the trees and the towering
russet tones of the Brandberg. It is a very picturesque
place. Hospitable guides offer walks to see the desert elephant
when they are in the area. The camp is well signed off the
main Brandberg road. Here you camp a prebooked and paid campsite. Allow 5 hours drive. |
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| Day 9 |
Okaukeujo Restcamp, Etosha National Park |
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Today you drive into Etosha National Park. The
wide open spaces and the abundant wildlife make a visit to
this park unforgettable. At the heart of the park is the Etosha
Pan, a place of mirages and plumes of sand whipped up by the
wind. It is dry for most of the year but the perennial springs
and waterholes attract great concentrations of birds and game
even during the dry winter months. Birdlife in
Etosha is prolific. Lion are frequently seen but cheetah
and leopard are spotted less often. Elephant, gemsbok,
springbok, kudu, eland, dik dik, giraffe, zebra, hyena and
the elusive honeybadger are all found in Etosha along with
many other species! The camps in Etosha have excellent
facilities with shops, swimming pools and restaurants. You
stay at Okaukuejo Rest Camp, which has a floodlit waterhole
where game comes to drink at night. Black rhino are among its
regular nocturnal visitors. Here you will be camping
in a pre-booked and pre-paid campsite. Allow
for a 6 hour drive. |
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| Day 10 |
Halali Restcamp, Etosha National Park |
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Today you move into Etosha National Park where you camp at Halali Restcamp. |
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MORE
INFORMATION ON ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK
Etosha National Park is probably one of the best game-viewing
regions in the world. Its name (meaning ‘great white place
of dry water’) comes from the Etosha Pan, a vast, flat, saline
desert. When a good rainy season happens, the normally dry
river channels carry water to this gentle depression turning
it into a shallow lagoon. This unusual oasis then becomes
a busy watering hole as it draws in a variety of animals
and, for a few days each year, thousands of flamingos and
pelicans. About 80% of Etosha National Park is covered
by mopane woodland. Scrubby savannah, umbrella thorn acacias
and other trees enjoyed by browsers are also part of Etosha’s
landscape. The park protects over 100 species of mammal,
16 species of reptile and amphibian and an incredible 340
species of bird. As well as elephant, Burchell’s zebra, giraffe,
cheetah, lion and leopard, Etosha is home to the protected
black-faced impala and black rhino. Here you are also likely
to encounter springbok, red hartebeest, blue wildebeest,
gemsbok, eland, kudu, roan, jackals and hyena. The abundant
birdlife includes korhaans, marabou, yellow-billed hornbills,
ostrich, white-backed vultures and the enormous kori bustard,
which can exceed 15kg in weight. |
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| Day 11 & 12 |
Onguma Bush Campsite, West Etosha |
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You travel on through Etosha to spend the night
at Onguma Camp at the eastern end of the park. Situated just
outside the Von Lindequist Gate, East Etosha is the newly renovated
privately owned campsite has all the facilities you could ask
for. There are just 5 sites, each with individual braai
areas, private bathroom and washing area and wonderfully shaded
under the acacia trees. This is a perfect place to base
yourself for a few days away from the madding crowds while
wanting to visit Etosha National Park and you will be given
a key for your bathroom where you can store your belongings
during the day when you are in the park. There is also
a bar, very large swimming pool and restaurant at the neighbouring
Onguma Guest House which you can make full use of and they
will also provide firewood for cooking. Here you will
be staying in a pre-booked and paid for campsite. Allow
for a long game drive. |
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| Day 13 |
Waterberg Plateau |
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Leaving Etosha, you drive south to Waterberg
Plateau. This is a vast wilderness area with distinctive red
sandstone cliffs and is home to a wide variety of wildlife
and birds including the rare cape vulture and sable and roan
antelope. There is a spectacular view from the top of the plateau.
You camp at the base of the plateau in a pretty campsite with
excellent facilities, swimming pool, showers, bar, restaurant,
shop and fuel station. Here you will be staying in
a pre-booked and pre-paid campsite. Allow for
a 4 hour drive
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WATERBERG PLATEAU
Lying part way down the country between the Etosha National
Park and Windhoek is Waterberg Plateau. With near-vertical
sides, this domineering sandstone formation towers some 600
feet above the surrounding landscape. Rainwater filters down
through the plateau’s layers of sandstone until it gets to
a slanting layer of mudstone. Here it forms an aquifer, from
which water escapes via an abundance of springs along the base
of the cliff. The vegetation around these freshwater
springs is lush and has created a habitat, which is the breeding
ground of several game species including white and black rhino,
buffalo, sable and roan antelope. Visitors to the Waterberg
Plateau Park may also come across wild dog, tsessebe, leopard
and cheetah. This region is also a haven for a great
number of birds. Its 200 bird species include both Bradfield’s
and Monteiro’s hornbills as well as rockrunners, the black
eagle and the rare Ruppell’s parrot. |
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| Day 14 |
Depart Windhoek |
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Today, you head back to Windhoek. Here,
you return the Land Rover at a pre-arranged time following
which you will be transferred to the airport to catch the Air
Namibia flight SW385 departing for London Gatwick at
1840. Allow for a 4 hour drive to Windhoek
plus time to hand over the vehicle and a 45 minute transfer
to the airport plus two hours for check in. |
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| Day 15 |
Arrive London Gatwick |
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The cost of the trip includes:
- Airport transfers
- Accommodation in lodges/guest houses as stated in the itinerary
- Accommodation in campsites as stated in the itinerary
- A fully equipped Safari Drive Land Rover for 2 or 4 people
for 13 days (12 nights)
- Loss damage waiver insurance
- Campsite bookings as stated
Safari Drive vehicle prices are inclusive of the following:
- Fully equipped Safari Drive Land Rover (full camp kitchen,
roof tent, beds
- and bedding etc)
- Collision Damage Waiver insurance
- Dried and tinned food ‘starter kit’ (as per food list)
- Detailed daily itinerary, maps and detailed trip manual
- Reservations service
- Full in-country backup
- Approximately 100 litres of fuel (long range diesel tanks)
- Two spare wheels
- First Aid kit
- Refrigeration, water containers and extra fuel can (full)
- Basic tool kit and tow rope
The cost of the trip does not include:
- International Flights
- Extra fuel, food and drinks
- Personal travel insurance
- National Park Fees which are paid at the gate - N$80 per person
per day and N$10 per day/vehicle payable locally.
NATIONAL PARK FEES
- National park entry fees are paid at the gate - N$80 per person
per day payable locally
- National park vehicle entry fees
are also paid at the gate - N$10 per day
Children under 16 years - no charge
The cost of the trip does not include:
- Extra fuel, food
and drinks
- Personal travel insurance
Subject to availability - E&OE
Please contact us as soon as possible if you
are interested in this offer and we will be delighted to provide
you with the full itinerary.
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