10-Days Special Namibia Safari

Upon arrival you will be met by your guide at the airport. After you've loaded your belongings into the truck, we’re going to leave for Sossusvlei. We'll stop frequently along the trip to take pictures of the breathtaking scenery. We'll take a break for coffee in the middle of the morning to take in the breathtaking views of Namibia. If there is time, we will pause to have the "famous apple pie" in Solitaire, a must-do Namibian custom. It will take us around 4 to 5 hours to get there, and we'll get to our resort in time to see the stunning sunset. As we talk about the details of tomorrow's early start, we'll partake in a few beverages.

In order to prepare for our trip to Sossusvlei, we shall rise before the sun rises. After a brief cup of coffee or tea, we will wait for the park's entrance gates to open. While admiring the splendor of the sun rising over the incredible red dunes, we will drive for about 30 minutes. Climbing the dunes, sliding down them, or taking a brisk walk to Dead Vlei are all options for the adventurous on this day. There will be plenty of time for you to take in all the sights around Sossusvlei. We'll stop midway through the trip and have a picnic breakfast while taking in the scenery. We'll head back to the resort for lunch and some downtime after a jam-packed morning of activities. Later in the evening we will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

This morning, we can have a leisurely breakfast, and those who are interested can go on an early morning balloon ride. We'll proceed cautiously as we travel to Swakopmund, our next stop. Once more, we'll take a break for coffee along the road and pause to take pictures of the scenery as it constantly changes. For you to understand better the regions we are passing through as we go through the Namib Naukluft Area, our guide will provide further details. After a late afternoon arrival, we will have time to check in before meeting up for sundowner drinks and a delicious dinner at one of the town's numerous top-notch restaurants.

We'll wake up to another Namibian sunrise and drink some coffee before heading out on our journey this morning. You will be picked up for your Living Desert Adventure, a special experience where you can discover more about the smallest species that live in the desert, shortly after breakfast. After lunch, we'll go to Walvis Bay to take in the thousands of water birds that make the Walvis Bay Lagoon their home. You should be back to the hotel by 1:00 pm. After returning to Swakopmund, we'll stop for dinner at one of the local eateries.

Today, we'll continue our journey north along the Skeleton Coast. About a third of Namibia's extensive coastline is protected by this desolate and evocatively named region, one of the planet's most distinctive coastal wildernesses. We'll stop at one of the several shipwrecks along the coast for some dramatic photo opportunities before heading inland to the breathtaking Damaraland. As we pass the Brandberg, one of Namibia's most famous features, the Spitzkoppe will be seen in the distance. This picturesque mountainous region is home to a variety of desert-adapted species, including elephants, rhinos, zebras, and lions, who survive and thrive in this nearly barren setting. We hope to see some of them; that would be a real treat. We'll arrive at our resort in time for a sundowner beverage while admiring the scenery of this untamed yet stunning region.

We'll go gently to Etosha National Park this morning after breakfast. We will stop at Twyfelfontein en route, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of Africa's greatest and most notable concentrations of rock art can be found in the 2,000+ rock petroglyphs, which are said to be 6,000 years old. The majority of the engravings in this collection are of rhinos. Along with drawings of human and animal footprints, the site also features red ochre images of elephants, ostriches, and giraffes. Here, we'll also keep an eye out for the bizarre-looking Welwitschia, a type of living fossil plant native to the Namib Desert. We will arrive late in the afternoon at our lodge on the southwestern edge of Etosha and settle in. We'll get together for some sundowners and a delicious dinner before discussing our plans for tomorrow.

We'll go to the Etosha National Park entrance gate early this morning (the gates open at daybreak), where we'll take our first game drive in our own car. On the trip to Okaukuejo Resort, we will make a few brief stops at various waterholes where we will sit by the waterhole for a while and stretch our legs. Your knowledgeable guide will provide you with further information on each animal you will see and each location you will visit. We can spend the entire day in the park or return to the lodge for lunch. We can also plan a picnic lunch and eat it at one of the park's picnic areas. We will tailor our journey based on the sights.

After an early morning game drive or a leisurely farewell meal together, we will embark for Windhoek. The capital is a 5- to 6-hour trip south.