Private Nambian Flying Safari
Description
Activities: Wildlife viewing, birdwatching, safaris, learn about conservation, night wildlife viewing, scenic flights, climb sand dunes
Who is it for?
Travellers looking for that elevated experience – in every sense of the word – against the backdrop of one of the most striking destinations on Earth.
What is it?
Designed to give you the chance to experience Namibia your own way, this 7-day fly-in and private guided safari is unwavering in its ability to awe. Featuring opportunities to experience this magnificent destination from a bird’s eye view, flying over deserted mining camps, desert-locked shipwrecks and seal colonies, it includes your own naturalist safari guide and – among others – experiences at Twyfelfontein, Etosha National Park, Windhoek, and even a remote Himba settlement.
Highlights: Scenic flight over Great Sand Sea, visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Twyfelfontein, visit Etosha National Park, visit the Big Cat research center, learn about conservation, visit some of the worlds highest sand dunes, visit remote Himba settlement, night game viewing,visit Africat Foundation
Season: January to October fly-in safari in Namibia, private excursions on request
Included: All excursions and activities mentioned in itinerary, all transportation in safari vehicles, airport transfers between hotel – Windhoek International Airport and hotel on the first and last day of the safari, all meals mentioned in itinerary, Experienced English speaking naturalist guide, National Park and other entrance fees
Not Included: Voluntary tips, meals not mentioned in itinerary, extra beverages, international flights, personal items, pre and post accommodation in Windhoek
Price per person: US$3270 per person in the low season (March-May), US$3578 in high season (June-December) *Rates subject to change without prior notice due to circumstances beyond our control e.g. fuel increases, currency fluctuation etc.
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Day by Day Itinerary
This morning you will be collected from your guest house or hotel of choice in Windhoek and taken to Windhoek International Airport for your scheduled light aircraft flight to Kulala Desert Lodge.
Please note: The departure flight from Windhoek International Airport to Sossusvlei departs at 14h35, so if arriving on the first day of this safari, please allow for sufficient time to make this connection (an hour should suffice).
The flight will take you over the central highlands of Namibia before descending after the escarpment and on over Namib Desert to land at the Geluk airstrip situated in the Kulala Wilderness Reserve. Upon arrival at the Geluk airstrip you will be met by your local guide who will transfer you to Kulala Desert Lodge with time to settle in. The afternoon can be spent enjoying many of the activities offered by Kulala Desert Lodge.
Kulala Wilderness Reserve: The private 37,000ha Kulala Wilderness Reserve lies at the gateway to Namibia’s Sand Sea with its towering red dunes. Desert-adapted wildlife such as ostrich, springbok and gemsbok eke out an existence and are sparsely distributed here. Smaller creatures such as bat-eared fox and aardwolf can be seen at night in the cool desert air, and one bird, the aptly named dune lark, has its entire global distribution limited to the area, so dependent is it on the area’s characteristic sands.
Kulala Desert Lodge: Kulala Desert Lodge offers one of closest views of the Sossusvlei dune corridor, as well providing magnificent views of mountainous scenery and vast open plains. The camp comprises 23 thatched and canvas “kulalas” (including 3 family units) with en-suite bathrooms and verandas. Each unit is built on a wooden platform to catch the cooling breezes and has a deck on the flat rooftop where bedrolls are placed for guests to sleep under the stars. The main area, with northern African-inspired décor, has a lounge, dining area, plunge pool, and wrap-around veranda overlooking the Namib Desert. Activities on offer include morning tours to Sossusvlei, scenic nature walks and drives to view the desert’s fascinating flora and fauna. At extra cost, it is also possible to experience the area in a hot air balloon and eco-sensitive guided quad biking excursions.
Overnight at Kulala Desert Lodge
Meals: Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
This morning you will rise early for a magical excursion with your local guide into the Namib Naukluft National Park, entering the Park gates at sunrise to capture the dunes whilst the light is soft and shadows accentuate their towering shapes and curves. This area boasts some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world. Your local guide will give you an insight on the formation of the Namib Desert and its myriad of fascinating creatures and plants that have adapted to survive these harsh environs. Once you have explored the dune fields to your heart’s content you can enjoy a relaxed picnic breakfast in the shade of a camel thorn tree. Return to Kulala Desert Lodge in the early afternoon for a late lunch. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure (from experience, this is usually welcomed after an exhilarating morning in the dunes) or can be spent on another guided activity within the Kulala Wilderness Reserve as offered by the lodge which is generally an excursion to view Sesriem Canyon.
Sossusvlei: This most frequently visited section of the massive 50,000km² Namib Naukluft National Park has become known as Sossusvlei, famous for its towering apricot coloured sand dunes which can be penetrated by following the Tsauchab River valley. Sossusvlei itself is actually a clay pan set amidst these star shaped dunes which stand up to 300m above the surrounding plains, ranking them among the tallest dunes on earth. The deathly white clay pan contrasts against the orange sands and forms the endpoint of the ephemeral Tsauchab River, within the interior of the Great Sand Sea. The river course rises south of the Naukluft Mountains in the Great Escarpment. It penetrates the sand sea for some 55km before it finally peters out at Sossusvlei, about the same distance from the Atlantic Ocean. Until the encroaching dunes blocked its course around 60,000 years ago, the Tsauchab River once reached the sea; as ephemeral rivers still do in the northern half of the Namib. Sand-locked pans to the west show where the river previously flowed to before dunes shifted its endpoint to where it currently gathers at Sossusvlei. Roughly once a decade rainfall over the catchment area is sufficient to bring the river down in flood and fill the pan. On such occasions the mirror images of dunes and camel thorn trees around the pan are reflected in the water. Sossusvlei is the biggest of four pans in the vicinity. Another, famous for its gnarled and ghostly camel thorn trees, is Deadvlei which can be reached on foot over 1km of sand. Deadvlei’s striking camel thorn trees; dead for want of water, still stand erect as they once grew. They survived until about 900 years ago when the sand sea finally blocked the river from occasionally flooding the pan.
Sesriem Canyon: Sesriem Canyon has evolved through centuries of erosion by the Tsauchab River which has incised a narrow gorge about 1.5km long and 30m deep into the surrounding conglomerates, exposing the varying layers of sedimentation deposited over millions of years. The shaded cool depths of the canyon allow pools of water to gather during the rainy season and remain for much of the year round. These pools were a vital source of water for early settlers who drew water for their livestock by knotting six (SES) lengths of rawhide thongs (riems) together, hence the canyon and surrounding area became known as Sesriem.
Overnight at Kulala Desert Lodge
Meals: Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
Afterwards, you continue north to reach the Doro !Nawas Airstrip where you will be met by your private Ultimate Safaris naturalist guide who will accompany you for the remainder of your safari. You will then be transferred from the airstrip to Camp Kipwe (approximately 30 minute drive) in time for lunch.The rest of the afternoon can be spent on a guided excursion to visit the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein (a World Heritage Site) and the interesting geological sites of the Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes or just exploring the local area around the lodge. You will return to the camp before sunset with time to freshen up before dinner. We would recommend pre-dinner drinks on Kipwe’s sundowner rock, a short stroll from the camp, for stunning views of the surroundings at sunset.Twyfelfontein: Strewn over a hillside amongst flat-topped mountains of red sandstone, Twyfelfontein’s boulders and slabs of red sandstone hold some 2,500 prehistoric engravings that depict wildlife, animal spoor and abstract motifs. It is perhaps the largest and finest collection of petroglyphs in Africa. The engravings show animals such as elephant, giraffe, kudu, lion, rhinoceros, springbok, zebra and ostrich that once used to drink from a fountain at the bottom of the hill. In some cases footprints were engraved instead of hooves or paws. The abstract motifs feature mainly circles. Stone tools and other artifacts found at Twyfelfontein suggest that hunter-gatherers occupied the site over a period of perhaps 7,000 years. These days a local guide accompanies visitors to showcase the rock art. The engravings lie along two circular routes, one an hour’s climb and the other 40 minutes longer. Twyfelfontein is one of Namibia’s key National Monuments and has recently become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Burnt Mountain: A rounded hill located a few kilometers from Twyfelfontein and the Organ Pipes, known as the Burnt Mountain, seems to catch fire again at sunrise and sunset. Its fantastic range of colours at dawn and dusk are due to a chemical reaction that took place roughly 125 million years ago when molten lava penetrated organic shale and limestone deposits, resulting in contact metamorphism. In ordinary sunlight it is a dull black. Blackened rubble lies to one side like cinders from the original fire.Organ Pipes: The Organ Pipes are another geological curiosity in the area consisting of a mass of perpendicular dolerite columns that intruded the surrounding rocks also about 125 million years ago and have since been exposed in a ravine due to river erosion.Camp Kipwe: Camp Kipwe is ideally located a short drive from the local attractions in the area. The Camp is nestled amongst an outcrop of giant granite boulders a stone’s throw away from the ephemeral Aba Huab riverbed where desert adapted elephants often traverse. Each comfortable thatched bungalow is simply but tastefully furnished with en-suite open-air bathroom. In the centre of the camp lies a large alfresco dining area, bar, lounge and reception with an inviting fireplace nearby to relax beside in the evenings. A refreshing swimming pool and sunset lookout with lovely views also complement the Camp.Overnight at Camp Kipwe
Meals: Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
After an early breakfast you will be treated to an exciting 4×4 excursion along the ephemeral Aba Huab River valley to explore this remarkable region and to search for game, especially the elusive desert adapted elephants if they are in the area. Damaraland is home to a variety of desert adapted wildlife and hidden desert treasures. You will normally then return to camp for lunch and a well-deserved siesta.
Your guide will arrange to fit in a visit to Twyfelfontein and other nearby attractions at a suitable time in the afternoon if this appeals and you haven’t already been there the previous day, or you can go out with your guide and take a walk into the local area around Camp. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can stay in to relax and enjoy some well-deserved leisure time in the comforts of the camp.
Desert Adapted Elephant: In habitats with sufficient vegetation and water an adult elephant consumes as much as 300 kg of roughage and 230 liters of water every day of its life. Consider what a herd of them would eat and drink in a week or a month or a year. Finding an African elephant in a desert? Well, yes, and not only elephant, but other large mammals as well, such as black rhinoceros and giraffe. Their ranges extend from river catchments in northern Kaokoveld as far south as the northern Namib. Apart from the Kunene River, seven river courses northwards from the Ugab provide them with possible routes across the desert, right to the Skeleton Coast. The biggest are the Hoarusib, the Hoanib, the Huab and the Ugab Rivers. Desert adapted elephant in Kaokoland and the Namib walk further for water and fodder than any other elephant in Africa. The distances between waterholes and feeding grounds can be as great as 68 km. The typical home range of a family herd is larger than 2,000 km², or eight times as big as ranges in central Africa where rainfall is much higher. They walk and feed at night and rest during the day. To meet their nutritional and bulk requirements they browse on no fewer than 74 of the 103 plant species that grow in their range. Not a separate species or even a subspecies, they are an ecotype unique to Namibia in Africa south of the equator, behaviorally adapted to hyper-arid conditions. Elephant in Mali on the southwestern fringe of the Sahara Desert are the only others known to survive in similar conditions.
Overnight at Camp Kipwe
Meals: Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
This morning you will have an early departure from Camp Kipwe as you make your way north deeper into the heart of Damaraland. En route you will visit an extremely remote Himba village, only known to a few people (Ultimate Safaris being one of them). Your guide’s presence and contacts with the local community will ensure you will be welcomed as a ‘friend of a friend’ and that you will be able to spend considerable time there learning about these fascinating nomadic pastoralists. There has been virtually no modern influence on these communities, which makes for a fascinating cultural exchange. You will then continue on your journey, having a picnic lunch en route, and you will arrive at the Anderson’s Camp on the southern border of Etosha in the late afternoon. This should leave some time to spare after settling in when you can relax at the camp’s floodlit waterhole whilst contemplating the fascinating impressions of the day.
The Himba: The Himba, Tjimba and other Herero people who inhabit Namibia’s remote north-western Kunene Region are loosely referred to as the Kaokovelders. Basically Herero in terms of origin, language and culture, they are semi-nomadic pastoralists who tend to tend from one watering place to another. They seldom leave their home areas and maintain, even in their own, on which other cultures have made little impression. For many centuries they have lived a relatively isolated existence and were not involved to any noteworthy extent in the long struggle for pasturelands between the Nama and the Herero.
The largest group of Kaokovelders is the Himba, semi-nomads who live in scattered settlements throughout the Kunene Region. They are a tall, slender and statuesque people, characterized especially by their proud yet friendly bearing. The women especially are noted for their unusual sculptural beauty, enhanced by intricate hairstyles and traditional adornments. They rub their bodies with red ochre and fat, a treatment that protects their skins against the harsh desert climate. The homes of the Himba of Kaokoland are simple, cone-shaped structures of saplings, bound together with palm leaves and plastered with mud and dung. The men build the structures, while the women mix the clay and do the plastering. A fire burns in the headman’s hut day and night, to keep away insects and provide light and heating.
A family may move from one home to another several times a year to seek grazing for their goats and cattle. Men, women and children wear body adornments made from iron and shell beads. A Himba woman spends as much as three hours a day on her appearance. First she bathes, then she anoints herself with her own individually prepared mixture which not only protects her skin from the harsh desert sun but also keeps insects away and prevents her hair from falling out. She uses another mixture of butter fat, fresh herbs and black coals to rub on her hair, and ‘steams’ her clothes regularly over the permanent fire. Men, women and children adorn themselves with necklaces, bracelets, anklets and belts made from iron and shell beads. With their unusual and striking designs, these items have gained a commercial value and are being produced on a small scale for the urban market. Sculptural headrests in particular are sought-after items
Andersson’s Camp: Located just 4.5 km from Etosha National Park’s Andersson Gate, Andersson’s Camp takes its name from Charles Andersson, the Swedish explorer who first ‘discovered’ the Etosha Pan with Sir Francis Galton in 1851. Set against a backdrop of the low Ondundozonanandana Mountains, Andersson’s Camp is located within the private Ongava Game Reserve which borders onto Etosha National Park. The Ongava Game Reserve is typified by white calcrete soils, rocky outcrops and scrub-covered plains which support a rich variety of game such as giraffe, lion, rhino and various antelope species. The Camp overlooks a waterhole where guests can enjoy the interaction of wildlife coming and going throughout the day and night.
This former farmstead has been tastefully rebuilt to modern-day standards. The design and construction of Andersson’s Camp was guided primarily by the principles of environmental sustainability – reduce, reuse, recycle. The old farmhouse now forms the main dining, bar and swimming pool area of Andersson’s Camp, with guest tents radiating outwards into the secluded Mopane woodlands typical of the region. Tents are constructed using a clever mix of calcrete stone cladding, canvas and wood, with double-door entrances and a small verandah that is an extension of the elevated wooden decks on which the tents are raised. The open-air en-suite bathrooms continue the unique design. Andersson’s Camp’s close proximity to Etosha National Park is ideal for game drive excursions into Etosha to take in the array of game found there.
Overnight at Andersson’s Camp
Meals: Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
Today you will be treated to an exciting morning guided game drive into the Etosha National Park, to see more of the wide variety of game and bird species that are to be found there before returning to Andersson’s Camp for a late lunch. There is then time to relax by the refreshing swimming pool before you head out again for an afternoon game drive before exiting the park before sunset.
Alternatively, you can opt to spend the whole day out in the park and either take lunch by the waterhole at the Okaukuejo restcamp or have a picnic while watching game at a particularly productive waterhole in the area. Once you are back, the rest of the evening can be spent game viewing at the camp’s floodlit waterhole while enjoying dinner, and afterwards.
Etosha National Park: Etosha National Park, translated as the ‘Place of Mirages’, Land of Dry Water’ or the ‘Great White Place’, covers 22,270 km², of which over 5,000 km² is made up of saline depressions or ‘pans’. The largest of these pans, the Etosha Pan, can be classified as a saline desert in its own right. The Etosha Pan lies in the Owambo Basin, on the north-western edge of the Namibian Kalahari Desert. Until three million years ago it formed part of a huge, shallow lake that was reduced to a complex of salt pans when the major river that fed it, the Kunene, changed course and began to flow to the Atlantic instead. If the lake existed today, it would be the third largest in the world. Etosha Pan is the largest of the pans at 4,760 km² in extent.
Overnight at Andersson’s Camp
Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
After breakfast this morning you will make your way south from the Etosha National Park through the small towns of Outjo and Otjiwarongo before stopping at the Okonjima Day Centre. You will arrive in time for lunch before embarking on an exciting and informative game drive and tour of the centre. Here you will learn about the function and vision of the AfriCat Foundation and will also get to meet some of the Foundation’s special carnivore ambassadors. After the excursion and freshening up, the journey continues further south to arrive back in Windhoek in the late afternoon, just as the sun is setting. Upon your arrival in Windhoek you will be transferred to your accommodation establishment of choice, or out to the Windhoek International Airport (transfer to be booked additionally) if flying out in the evening – departure flights must be no earlier than 21h00 to allow sufficient time for the visit to the AfriCat Foundation and the journey back to Windhoek, or a final night in Windhoek can be arranged at additional cost if required. A final night in Windhoek is highly recommended!
AfriCat Foundation: Okonjima is home to the AfriCat Foundation, a wildlife sanctuary founded in 1991 that is dedicated to creating conservation awareness, preserving habitat, promoting environmental educational research and supporting animal welfare. Their main focus is Africa’s big cats, especially injured or captured leopard and cheetah. AfriCat runs the largest cheetah and leopard rescue and release programme in the world. In the last 17 years over 1 000 of these predators have been rescued with over 85 % being released back into the wild. Close encounters with leopard and cheetah are an unforgettable highlight. Activities for lodge guests include leopard tracking by vehicle, a visit to the cheetah welfare project, large carnivore tracking on foot including cheetahs, wild dogs and spotted hyenas, participation in the fun bushman trail and various self-guided walking trails.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch (most drinks included)
NOTE (OPTIONAL EXTENSION):
You have the option to extend your safari for an additional night or two at Okonjima, staying at their delightful Luxury Bush Camp. This affords you the opportunity to get a more in-depth insight into the work being done by the AfriCat Foundation as well as getting to see more of cheetah, leopard and other big cats in the wild.
Costs for this extension would be as follows (includes the transfer back to Windhoek at the end):
1 Night Extension:US$496
2 Night Extension:US$840
*** End of Services ***
Explore Tours
Activities: Wildlife viewing, birdwatching, safaris, learn about conservation, night wildlife viewing, scenic flights, climb sand dunes
Who is it for?
Travellers looking for that elevated experience – in every sense of the word – against the backdrop of one of the most striking destinations on Earth.
What is it?
Designed to give you the chance to experience Namibia your own way, this 7-day fly-in and private guided safari is unwavering in its ability to awe. Featuring opportunities to experience this magnificent destination from a bird’s eye view, flying over deserted mining camps, desert-locked shipwrecks and seal colonies, it includes your own naturalist safari guide and – among others – experiences at Twyfelfontein, Etosha National Park, Windhoek, and even a remote Himba settlement.
Highlights: Scenic flight over Great Sand Sea, visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Twyfelfontein, visit Etosha National Park, visit the Big Cat research center, learn about conservation, visit some of the worlds highest sand dunes, visit remote Himba settlement, night game viewing,visit Africat Foundation
Season: January to October fly-in safari in Namibia, private excursions on request
Included: All excursions and activities mentioned in itinerary, all transportation in safari vehicles, airport transfers between hotel – Windhoek International Airport and hotel on the first and last day of the safari, all meals mentioned in itinerary, Experienced English speaking naturalist guide, National Park and other entrance fees
Not Included: Voluntary tips, meals not mentioned in itinerary, extra beverages, international flights, personal items, pre and post accommodation in Windhoek
Price per person: US$3270 per person in the low season (March-May), US$3578 in high season (June-December) *Rates subject to change without prior notice due to circumstances beyond our control e.g. fuel increases, currency fluctuation etc.
Included/Exclude
Tour Amenities
Tour Plan
This morning you will be collected from your guest house or hotel of choice in Windhoek and taken to Windhoek International Airport for your scheduled light aircraft flight to Kulala Desert Lodge.
Please note: The departure flight from Windhoek International Airport to Sossusvlei departs at 14h35, so if arriving on the first day of this safari, please allow for sufficient time to make this connection (an hour should suffice).
The flight will take you over the central highlands of Namibia before descending after the escarpment and on over Namib Desert to land at the Geluk airstrip situated in the Kulala Wilderness Reserve. Upon arrival at the Geluk airstrip you will be met by your local guide who will transfer you to Kulala Desert Lodge with time to settle in. The afternoon can be spent enjoying many of the activities offered by Kulala Desert Lodge.
Kulala Wilderness Reserve: The private 37,000ha Kulala Wilderness Reserve lies at the gateway to Namibia’s Sand Sea with its towering red dunes. Desert-adapted wildlife such as ostrich, springbok and gemsbok eke out an existence and are sparsely distributed here. Smaller creatures such as bat-eared fox and aardwolf can be seen at night in the cool desert air, and one bird, the aptly named dune lark, has its entire global distribution limited to the area, so dependent is it on the area’s characteristic sands.
Kulala Desert Lodge: Kulala Desert Lodge offers one of closest views of the Sossusvlei dune corridor, as well providing magnificent views of mountainous scenery and vast open plains. The camp comprises 23 thatched and canvas “kulalas” (including 3 family units) with en-suite bathrooms and verandas. Each unit is built on a wooden platform to catch the cooling breezes and has a deck on the flat rooftop where bedrolls are placed for guests to sleep under the stars. The main area, with northern African-inspired décor, has a lounge, dining area, plunge pool, and wrap-around veranda overlooking the Namib Desert. Activities on offer include morning tours to Sossusvlei, scenic nature walks and drives to view the desert’s fascinating flora and fauna. At extra cost, it is also possible to experience the area in a hot air balloon and eco-sensitive guided quad biking excursions.
Overnight at Kulala Desert Lodge
Meals: Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
This morning you will rise early for a magical excursion with your local guide into the Namib Naukluft National Park, entering the Park gates at sunrise to capture the dunes whilst the light is soft and shadows accentuate their towering shapes and curves. This area boasts some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world. Your local guide will give you an insight on the formation of the Namib Desert and its myriad of fascinating creatures and plants that have adapted to survive these harsh environs. Once you have explored the dune fields to your heart’s content you can enjoy a relaxed picnic breakfast in the shade of a camel thorn tree. Return to Kulala Desert Lodge in the early afternoon for a late lunch. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure (from experience, this is usually welcomed after an exhilarating morning in the dunes) or can be spent on another guided activity within the Kulala Wilderness Reserve as offered by the lodge which is generally an excursion to view Sesriem Canyon.
Sossusvlei: This most frequently visited section of the massive 50,000km² Namib Naukluft National Park has become known as Sossusvlei, famous for its towering apricot coloured sand dunes which can be penetrated by following the Tsauchab River valley. Sossusvlei itself is actually a clay pan set amidst these star shaped dunes which stand up to 300m above the surrounding plains, ranking them among the tallest dunes on earth. The deathly white clay pan contrasts against the orange sands and forms the endpoint of the ephemeral Tsauchab River, within the interior of the Great Sand Sea. The river course rises south of the Naukluft Mountains in the Great Escarpment. It penetrates the sand sea for some 55km before it finally peters out at Sossusvlei, about the same distance from the Atlantic Ocean. Until the encroaching dunes blocked its course around 60,000 years ago, the Tsauchab River once reached the sea; as ephemeral rivers still do in the northern half of the Namib. Sand-locked pans to the west show where the river previously flowed to before dunes shifted its endpoint to where it currently gathers at Sossusvlei. Roughly once a decade rainfall over the catchment area is sufficient to bring the river down in flood and fill the pan. On such occasions the mirror images of dunes and camel thorn trees around the pan are reflected in the water. Sossusvlei is the biggest of four pans in the vicinity. Another, famous for its gnarled and ghostly camel thorn trees, is Deadvlei which can be reached on foot over 1km of sand. Deadvlei’s striking camel thorn trees; dead for want of water, still stand erect as they once grew. They survived until about 900 years ago when the sand sea finally blocked the river from occasionally flooding the pan.
Sesriem Canyon: Sesriem Canyon has evolved through centuries of erosion by the Tsauchab River which has incised a narrow gorge about 1.5km long and 30m deep into the surrounding conglomerates, exposing the varying layers of sedimentation deposited over millions of years. The shaded cool depths of the canyon allow pools of water to gather during the rainy season and remain for much of the year round. These pools were a vital source of water for early settlers who drew water for their livestock by knotting six (SES) lengths of rawhide thongs (riems) together, hence the canyon and surrounding area became known as Sesriem.
Overnight at Kulala Desert Lodge
Meals: Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
Afterwards, you continue north to reach the Doro !Nawas Airstrip where you will be met by your private Ultimate Safaris naturalist guide who will accompany you for the remainder of your safari. You will then be transferred from the airstrip to Camp Kipwe (approximately 30 minute drive) in time for lunch.The rest of the afternoon can be spent on a guided excursion to visit the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein (a World Heritage Site) and the interesting geological sites of the Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes or just exploring the local area around the lodge. You will return to the camp before sunset with time to freshen up before dinner. We would recommend pre-dinner drinks on Kipwe’s sundowner rock, a short stroll from the camp, for stunning views of the surroundings at sunset.Twyfelfontein: Strewn over a hillside amongst flat-topped mountains of red sandstone, Twyfelfontein’s boulders and slabs of red sandstone hold some 2,500 prehistoric engravings that depict wildlife, animal spoor and abstract motifs. It is perhaps the largest and finest collection of petroglyphs in Africa. The engravings show animals such as elephant, giraffe, kudu, lion, rhinoceros, springbok, zebra and ostrich that once used to drink from a fountain at the bottom of the hill. In some cases footprints were engraved instead of hooves or paws. The abstract motifs feature mainly circles. Stone tools and other artifacts found at Twyfelfontein suggest that hunter-gatherers occupied the site over a period of perhaps 7,000 years. These days a local guide accompanies visitors to showcase the rock art. The engravings lie along two circular routes, one an hour’s climb and the other 40 minutes longer. Twyfelfontein is one of Namibia’s key National Monuments and has recently become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Burnt Mountain: A rounded hill located a few kilometers from Twyfelfontein and the Organ Pipes, known as the Burnt Mountain, seems to catch fire again at sunrise and sunset. Its fantastic range of colours at dawn and dusk are due to a chemical reaction that took place roughly 125 million years ago when molten lava penetrated organic shale and limestone deposits, resulting in contact metamorphism. In ordinary sunlight it is a dull black. Blackened rubble lies to one side like cinders from the original fire.Organ Pipes: The Organ Pipes are another geological curiosity in the area consisting of a mass of perpendicular dolerite columns that intruded the surrounding rocks also about 125 million years ago and have since been exposed in a ravine due to river erosion.Camp Kipwe: Camp Kipwe is ideally located a short drive from the local attractions in the area. The Camp is nestled amongst an outcrop of giant granite boulders a stone’s throw away from the ephemeral Aba Huab riverbed where desert adapted elephants often traverse. Each comfortable thatched bungalow is simply but tastefully furnished with en-suite open-air bathroom. In the centre of the camp lies a large alfresco dining area, bar, lounge and reception with an inviting fireplace nearby to relax beside in the evenings. A refreshing swimming pool and sunset lookout with lovely views also complement the Camp.Overnight at Camp Kipwe
Meals: Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
After an early breakfast you will be treated to an exciting 4×4 excursion along the ephemeral Aba Huab River valley to explore this remarkable region and to search for game, especially the elusive desert adapted elephants if they are in the area. Damaraland is home to a variety of desert adapted wildlife and hidden desert treasures. You will normally then return to camp for lunch and a well-deserved siesta.
Your guide will arrange to fit in a visit to Twyfelfontein and other nearby attractions at a suitable time in the afternoon if this appeals and you haven’t already been there the previous day, or you can go out with your guide and take a walk into the local area around Camp. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can stay in to relax and enjoy some well-deserved leisure time in the comforts of the camp.
Desert Adapted Elephant: In habitats with sufficient vegetation and water an adult elephant consumes as much as 300 kg of roughage and 230 liters of water every day of its life. Consider what a herd of them would eat and drink in a week or a month or a year. Finding an African elephant in a desert? Well, yes, and not only elephant, but other large mammals as well, such as black rhinoceros and giraffe. Their ranges extend from river catchments in northern Kaokoveld as far south as the northern Namib. Apart from the Kunene River, seven river courses northwards from the Ugab provide them with possible routes across the desert, right to the Skeleton Coast. The biggest are the Hoarusib, the Hoanib, the Huab and the Ugab Rivers. Desert adapted elephant in Kaokoland and the Namib walk further for water and fodder than any other elephant in Africa. The distances between waterholes and feeding grounds can be as great as 68 km. The typical home range of a family herd is larger than 2,000 km², or eight times as big as ranges in central Africa where rainfall is much higher. They walk and feed at night and rest during the day. To meet their nutritional and bulk requirements they browse on no fewer than 74 of the 103 plant species that grow in their range. Not a separate species or even a subspecies, they are an ecotype unique to Namibia in Africa south of the equator, behaviorally adapted to hyper-arid conditions. Elephant in Mali on the southwestern fringe of the Sahara Desert are the only others known to survive in similar conditions.
Overnight at Camp Kipwe
Meals: Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
This morning you will have an early departure from Camp Kipwe as you make your way north deeper into the heart of Damaraland. En route you will visit an extremely remote Himba village, only known to a few people (Ultimate Safaris being one of them). Your guide’s presence and contacts with the local community will ensure you will be welcomed as a ‘friend of a friend’ and that you will be able to spend considerable time there learning about these fascinating nomadic pastoralists. There has been virtually no modern influence on these communities, which makes for a fascinating cultural exchange. You will then continue on your journey, having a picnic lunch en route, and you will arrive at the Anderson’s Camp on the southern border of Etosha in the late afternoon. This should leave some time to spare after settling in when you can relax at the camp’s floodlit waterhole whilst contemplating the fascinating impressions of the day.
The Himba: The Himba, Tjimba and other Herero people who inhabit Namibia’s remote north-western Kunene Region are loosely referred to as the Kaokovelders. Basically Herero in terms of origin, language and culture, they are semi-nomadic pastoralists who tend to tend from one watering place to another. They seldom leave their home areas and maintain, even in their own, on which other cultures have made little impression. For many centuries they have lived a relatively isolated existence and were not involved to any noteworthy extent in the long struggle for pasturelands between the Nama and the Herero.
The largest group of Kaokovelders is the Himba, semi-nomads who live in scattered settlements throughout the Kunene Region. They are a tall, slender and statuesque people, characterized especially by their proud yet friendly bearing. The women especially are noted for their unusual sculptural beauty, enhanced by intricate hairstyles and traditional adornments. They rub their bodies with red ochre and fat, a treatment that protects their skins against the harsh desert climate. The homes of the Himba of Kaokoland are simple, cone-shaped structures of saplings, bound together with palm leaves and plastered with mud and dung. The men build the structures, while the women mix the clay and do the plastering. A fire burns in the headman’s hut day and night, to keep away insects and provide light and heating.
A family may move from one home to another several times a year to seek grazing for their goats and cattle. Men, women and children wear body adornments made from iron and shell beads. A Himba woman spends as much as three hours a day on her appearance. First she bathes, then she anoints herself with her own individually prepared mixture which not only protects her skin from the harsh desert sun but also keeps insects away and prevents her hair from falling out. She uses another mixture of butter fat, fresh herbs and black coals to rub on her hair, and ‘steams’ her clothes regularly over the permanent fire. Men, women and children adorn themselves with necklaces, bracelets, anklets and belts made from iron and shell beads. With their unusual and striking designs, these items have gained a commercial value and are being produced on a small scale for the urban market. Sculptural headrests in particular are sought-after items
Andersson’s Camp: Located just 4.5 km from Etosha National Park’s Andersson Gate, Andersson’s Camp takes its name from Charles Andersson, the Swedish explorer who first ‘discovered’ the Etosha Pan with Sir Francis Galton in 1851. Set against a backdrop of the low Ondundozonanandana Mountains, Andersson’s Camp is located within the private Ongava Game Reserve which borders onto Etosha National Park. The Ongava Game Reserve is typified by white calcrete soils, rocky outcrops and scrub-covered plains which support a rich variety of game such as giraffe, lion, rhino and various antelope species. The Camp overlooks a waterhole where guests can enjoy the interaction of wildlife coming and going throughout the day and night.
This former farmstead has been tastefully rebuilt to modern-day standards. The design and construction of Andersson’s Camp was guided primarily by the principles of environmental sustainability – reduce, reuse, recycle. The old farmhouse now forms the main dining, bar and swimming pool area of Andersson’s Camp, with guest tents radiating outwards into the secluded Mopane woodlands typical of the region. Tents are constructed using a clever mix of calcrete stone cladding, canvas and wood, with double-door entrances and a small verandah that is an extension of the elevated wooden decks on which the tents are raised. The open-air en-suite bathrooms continue the unique design. Andersson’s Camp’s close proximity to Etosha National Park is ideal for game drive excursions into Etosha to take in the array of game found there.
Overnight at Andersson’s Camp
Meals: Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
Today you will be treated to an exciting morning guided game drive into the Etosha National Park, to see more of the wide variety of game and bird species that are to be found there before returning to Andersson’s Camp for a late lunch. There is then time to relax by the refreshing swimming pool before you head out again for an afternoon game drive before exiting the park before sunset.
Alternatively, you can opt to spend the whole day out in the park and either take lunch by the waterhole at the Okaukuejo restcamp or have a picnic while watching game at a particularly productive waterhole in the area. Once you are back, the rest of the evening can be spent game viewing at the camp’s floodlit waterhole while enjoying dinner, and afterwards.
Etosha National Park: Etosha National Park, translated as the ‘Place of Mirages’, Land of Dry Water’ or the ‘Great White Place’, covers 22,270 km², of which over 5,000 km² is made up of saline depressions or ‘pans’. The largest of these pans, the Etosha Pan, can be classified as a saline desert in its own right. The Etosha Pan lies in the Owambo Basin, on the north-western edge of the Namibian Kalahari Desert. Until three million years ago it formed part of a huge, shallow lake that was reduced to a complex of salt pans when the major river that fed it, the Kunene, changed course and began to flow to the Atlantic instead. If the lake existed today, it would be the third largest in the world. Etosha Pan is the largest of the pans at 4,760 km² in extent.
Overnight at Andersson’s Camp
Fully Inclusive (most drinks included)
After breakfast this morning you will make your way south from the Etosha National Park through the small towns of Outjo and Otjiwarongo before stopping at the Okonjima Day Centre. You will arrive in time for lunch before embarking on an exciting and informative game drive and tour of the centre. Here you will learn about the function and vision of the AfriCat Foundation and will also get to meet some of the Foundation’s special carnivore ambassadors. After the excursion and freshening up, the journey continues further south to arrive back in Windhoek in the late afternoon, just as the sun is setting. Upon your arrival in Windhoek you will be transferred to your accommodation establishment of choice, or out to the Windhoek International Airport (transfer to be booked additionally) if flying out in the evening – departure flights must be no earlier than 21h00 to allow sufficient time for the visit to the AfriCat Foundation and the journey back to Windhoek, or a final night in Windhoek can be arranged at additional cost if required. A final night in Windhoek is highly recommended!
AfriCat Foundation: Okonjima is home to the AfriCat Foundation, a wildlife sanctuary founded in 1991 that is dedicated to creating conservation awareness, preserving habitat, promoting environmental educational research and supporting animal welfare. Their main focus is Africa’s big cats, especially injured or captured leopard and cheetah. AfriCat runs the largest cheetah and leopard rescue and release programme in the world. In the last 17 years over 1 000 of these predators have been rescued with over 85 % being released back into the wild. Close encounters with leopard and cheetah are an unforgettable highlight. Activities for lodge guests include leopard tracking by vehicle, a visit to the cheetah welfare project, large carnivore tracking on foot including cheetahs, wild dogs and spotted hyenas, participation in the fun bushman trail and various self-guided walking trails.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch (most drinks included)
NOTE (OPTIONAL EXTENSION):
You have the option to extend your safari for an additional night or two at Okonjima, staying at their delightful Luxury Bush Camp. This affords you the opportunity to get a more in-depth insight into the work being done by the AfriCat Foundation as well as getting to see more of cheetah, leopard and other big cats in the wild.
Costs for this extension would be as follows (includes the transfer back to Windhoek at the end):
1 Night Extension:US$496
2 Night Extension:US$840
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