Northern Namibia Expedition (Low Season) Accommodated Tour

This morning, A Tour Guide from Nali Safaris will collect you from your various accommodation establishments or from the Windhoek International Airport (assuming you land before 08h00). You then depart Windhoek in your safari vehicle with your private guide and head north via Okahandja town for a short visit to a local market, to shop for woodcarvings and curios. The local community operates the stalls on a co-operative basis and the market is a perfect place to do last minute shopping for truly Namibian souvenirs. Another short stop for lunch in the town of Otjiwarongo en-route to Etosha National Park.

You arrive late afternoon in Etosha area just 40 meters outside Etosha National Park at your accommodation of Mokuti Etosha Lodge and you will stay here for one night whilst you explore the remarkable sights of the eastern side of the park with your guide. If there is still time today, your guide will take you to nearby wildlife waterholes to begin your wildlife viewing experience. However, if you prefer, you can just relax and soak in the scenic and tranquil surroundings at the lodge.

Mokuti Etosha Lodge is proud to announce it’s reopening on the 5th of March after a rigorous refurbishment. Not only have we recreated the exterior of the lodge under the theme “Africa Reimagined” but every touchpoint of the guest journey has been optimized and upgraded to offer you the best Safari experience Africa has to offer.

Arriving at Mokuti – a mere 40 meters from the Etosha Gate – is an experience on its own. A new contemporary safari experience greets you and will leave you speechless as you arrive at the Porte Cochere with its uninterrupted view through the lobby to the pool bar. The gardens are magnificent, with cool rippling water features that accompany you as you step out of the lobby to the water lounge. Uninterrupted views and gardens that interact with the living spaces create an inviting, friendly, comfortable and relaxing atmosphere, which sets the tone for your stay at Mokuti Etosha.

This morning you will need to rise early for a magical wildlife encounter’s experience with your guide in the famous Etosha National Park, normally setting off before sunrise with luck on your side, you will observe nocturnal animals in the early mornings. Today you will spend a full day in this world-class game park in your touring vehicle, visiting a number of waterholes to observe the wildlife. Etosha translated, means ‘The place of dry water’ and here we get our first view of the magnificent salt pan.  Etosha National Park is home to 114 different mammal species including zebra, springbok, eland, oryx, kudu, giraffe and the all-important big four: the lion, the leopard, the elephant and black and white rhino.  The wide variety of animals guarantee impressive game viewing.  Etosha is also a bird watchers’ paradise, with more than 340 bird species recorded in the park.

**Memorable Moment: The Etosha Pan is a vast, bare, open expanse of shimmering green and white that covers around 4 800km², almost a quarter of the beautiful Etosha National Park.  At 130 km’s long and up to 50km’s wide in places, it is comfortably the largest salt pan in Africa and is the park’s most distinctive and dramatic feature, visible even from space.**

You then make a lunch stop at Halali Wildlife Resort located in the middle of the park. After lunch you proceed with game viewing on your way to overnight accommodation, Toshari Lodge. The rest of the remainder of the afternoon is at your leisure (from experience, this is usually welcomed after an exhilarating full day game viewing seated in the vehicle).

Today we have two sets of game drives, a morning and afternoon game drive. We spend another day in Etosha’s unique desert landscape searching out for amongst other animals it’s large population of elephants and marvelling at its prolific bird life. Unlike other parks in Africa, where you can spend days looking for animals, Etosha’s charm lies in its ability to bring the animals to you. Just park your car next to one of the many water holes, then wait and watch while a host of animals – lions, elephants, springboks, gemsboks etc. – come not two by two but by the hundreds.

Etosha’ s essence is the vast Etosha Pan, an immense, flat, saline desert that, for a few days each year, is converted by rain into a shallow lagoon teeming with flamingos and pelicans. In contrast, late in the dry season, everything, from the elephants to the once-golden grasslands, seems cast, spectrelike, in Etosha’s white chalky dust. And what wildlife there is! Even if you’ve had a taste of African wildlife watching previously, you are likely to be mesmerized by it here.

We rise early this morning for a day which is sure to prove most memorable. With their intricate hairstyles and traditional adornments, the Himba are one of Namibia’s most distinctive tribes. We spend time with these proud people, learning about their captivating heritage and special way of life. From the small settlement near Kamanjab we then head via Khorixas, the capital of the Damaraland region to arrive at our lodge at mid-afternoon.

The lodge offers 56 beautifully appointed rooms of various layout and sleeping arrangements. Whether travelling alone, as a group, or extended family, our Twin, Double, Triple and Interleading Rooms can accommodate your required sleeping needs. Decorated with natural materials according to the local African theme and rounded off with luxury linen, guests are spoiled with comfort and serenity amidst an arid desert backdrop – a comfortable experience with a lifetime of memories.

Damaraland: The breath-taking mountainous region of Damaraland is home to an assortment of desert-adapted wildlife such as elephant, rhino, zebra and lion, which eke out an existence in this near-barren landscape. A not-to-be-missed attraction is the picturesque Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain, which is home to thousands of ancient rock paintings – most notably the White Lady.

The rocky outcrops of Twyfelfontein feature exceptional Bushmen engravings, which are considered to be some of the best-preserved etchings on the continent. Visit the Petrified Forest, which dates back millions of years and offers a haunting landscape of gigantic fossilised trees.

An early start to see the highlights of Damaraland – one of the last true wilderness areas in Africa. Craggy mountains and table-flat plateaux unfolding towards deep-red kopjes and oft-dry plains: rocks are the key to Damaraland’s scenic beauty. With no permanent rivers, few inhabitants and a smattering of wildlife, this is a place to unwind, to watch and to wonder. We visit the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein, the fascinating geological features such as the Organ Pipes and Burnt Mountain.

Twyfelfontein: A true landmark situated in the heart of one of the world’s most magnificent wilderness regions. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Twyfelfontein in Damaraland is home to one of the largest collections of rock-art engravings found in Southern Africa. Not only did the Khoi-San and tribes of ancient years leave us with a true cultural heritage, but the whole area is characterised by natural wonders such as Doros Crater, Burnt Mountain, Organ Pipes, Petrified Forest and desert-adapted animals – of which the desert-adapted elephant is probably the most well-known species.

After a visit to these geological sites, you depart to the charming coastal town of Swakopmund. The drive today takes you southwest through awesome and ever changing landscapes passing through some small settlement towns of Kamanjab, Uis. You will meet the ocean at the coastal town of Henties Bay and then continue south to Swakopmund where you can enjoy the pleasant seaside location and cooler coastal air for your next two nights. There will be time this afternoon to explore the town and wander along the waterfront on foot, before heading off for dinner at a popular restaurant which specializes in locally harvested seafood.

Swakopmund: Swakopmund resembles a small, German coastal resort nestled between the desert and the sea. It boasts a charming combination of German colonial architecture blended with modern hotels, shops, restaurants, museums, craft centres, galleries and cafés. Swakopmund had its beginnings as a landing station in 1892 when the German Imperial Navy erected beacons on the site. Settlers followed and made attempts to create a harbor town by constructing a concrete Mole and then an iron jetty – which attempts were ultimately unsuccessful.

The advent of World War one halted developments, and the town sank into decline until half a century later when infrastructure improved and an asphalt road opened between Windhoek and Swakopmund. This made reaching the previously isolated town quicker and easier and it prospered once again to become Namibia’s premier resort town. Although the sea is normally cold for swimming there are pleasant beaches and the cooler climate is refreshing after time spent in the desert.

Today is a free day. The idea is to allow time for everybody to do their own thing. Swakopmund is a very pleasant seaside town with lots of shops, a good stretch of beach (although the Atlantic here is quite cold) and an open-air curio market. There is also a very good museum and the Namibian National Marine Aquarium is located in Swakopmund.  Alternatively, there are various optional activities that can be arranged. These include airplane and microlight flights over the desert, scenic drives, fishing trips (both from the beach or in a boat), four-wheel motorcycle (quad bike) trips into the desert and over the sand dunes around Swakopmund, sand boarding trips (also in the dunes), skydiving, surfing, bird-watching and many other activities are available. Your tour guide will discuss all the possible options with you before you reach Swakopmund and will offer to make bookings in advance of your arrival.

In addition to this, book the memorable excursion of the Full Day Shipwreck Sandwich Harbor Excursion (activity on own account). You check in at the office located at Walvis Bay Waterfront at 08h00 for a departure shortly thereafter.  After a short break at the Walvis Bay Lagoon to see masses of flamingos, the drive initially takes us through our exclusive Concession area to the Kuiseb river delta, a dry riverbed where the odd springbok may still be seen.

We proceed on a route through the dunes and along the beach, stopping at various spots along the spectacular Sandwich Harbor lagoon.  We drive southwards on narrow stretches of beach where the majestic dunes of the Namib Desert roll into the sea. We will arrive at the Shawnee ship wreck late morning.  Namibia’s coast’s rough seas, roaring winds and strong ocean currents are primarily responsible for a number of shipwrecks strewn along the Namibian coast.  One of these is the Shawnee, a transport tug that ran aground in mysterious circumstances on 6th February 1976.   Now wedged on a narrow stretch between the ocean and the dunes, it is home to a variety of seabirds and black-backed jackal.

You will be served with lunch on the spectacular beach at the wreck, consisting of a selection of fresh Namibian oysters paired with crisp sparkling wine; meat and fish platters with Namibian beer, an assortment of cool drinks and bottled mineral water. We proceed over some exhilarating dunes and you will experience some of the area’s typical fauna and flora.

Animals which have developed ways to adapt to the desert include the black-backed jackal, fog-basking beetle, dancing spider (‘white lady of the Namib’), golden mole, shovel-snouted lizard, palmato gecko, springbok, oryx, brown hyena and ostrich.  Endemic to the central Namib Desert, the !Nara plant has adapted well to the desert.  Its tap root can reach more than 15m into the ground to reach water resources. Passing a stretch through the Kuiseb Delta, we will be back at the Waterfront at around 17h00. Your tour guide will be waiting to pick you up back to Swakopmund.

After breakfast, you can explore the city of Swakopmund and depending on your airport flight departure location and time, either Walvis Bay International Airport or Hosea Kutako International Airport (own cost) or you are overnighting in Windhoek city, we depart Swakopmund according to such specific timings and we make a short stop in the town of Okahandja to visit a local market, to shop for woodcarvings and curios. The local community operates the stalls on a co-operative basis and the market is a perfect place to do last minute shopping for truly Namibian souvenirs.

We proceed to the capital city Windhoek and you will be dropped off at the accommodation or to the International Airport for your outbound flight.

END OF SAFARI