Serenity of Southern Namibia (High 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 to the majestic beauty of Southern Namibia, The Kalahari Desert. Experience its diverse and stark landscape, rich in plant, animal and bird life. There are over thirty different species of game to be found on this semi-desert savannah.

The Kalahari Desert: In Namibia it forms part of the 2.5 million square meter large Kalahari Basin, one of the largest coherent sand expanses worldwide. The central parts of the Kalahari Basin consists of the Kalahari Savanna also known as the Kalahari Desert. In contrast to the high sand dunes in Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert, the look of the Kalahari is characterized by little grass clumps and red dunes. They are not very high but long and have a sharp crest. Spot African wildlife like Black-maned Kalahari Lion, Oryx, Giraffe, Warthog or little Meerkat (Suricate) on game-drives or just enjoy the silence around you.

This area in Namibia is inhabited by the San people (Namibian bushmen), who used to be hunter-gatherers. They are now surviving by game hunting and collecting edible plants, like berries or desert melons.

After breakfast, drive through the Kalahari region and visit the Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop. The forest was declared a national monument of Namibia and comprises of about 250 specimens of Aloe dichotoma, which the San people used to make quivers. A short stop will be made in Keetmanshoop, with lunch en route. We cotinue with our drive to reach our place of overnight. After check-in we relax for a while then we drive drive to the canyons’ main view poin for sunset viewing.

This morning we travel to the spectacular Fish River Canyon for sunrise viewing. The Fish River Canyon is the largest Canyon in Africa and second largest in the world after the Grand Canyon in USA . It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 160km long, up to 27km wide and in some places 550m deep. After breakfast we depart to the charming coastal town of Lüderitz.

The drive today takes you southwest to Lüderitz area, it has a fine collection of graceful buildings dating back to the German era. Set against the background of black rock and the sparkling blue waters of the bay, this architectural heritage gives Lüderitz its special charm. Our journey continues to Lüderitz and we make a stop in the little town of Aus for lunch in a restaurant. Arrive in Lüderitz town and after check-in the hotel you either relax at the hotel or you take a stroll to experience this remarkable town.

Today you rise early before sunrise to join an optional extra excursion, a trip on the Zeepard which is a catamaran. We take a cruise around Lüderitz bay and if weather permits, to Halifax Island to see the Jackass Penguins and flamingos. If the weather conditions are suitable, we may also see some heavy side dolphins, which are endemic to this part of the Atlantic Ocean.

Straight after the boat trip we will drive out to Kolmanskop, a desert ghost town about 20 km out of Lüderitz. It was built in the 1920’s during the diamond rush and was abandoned when bigger and better diamonds were found further along the coast. The area is still abandoned and the desert has encroached over the entire town, giving an eerie feeling and real meaning to the word “ghost”.

During the middle of the day there is time to explore Lüderitz Town with its traditional German architecture. Later we will take a drive out to Diaz Point to see the bird life, hopefully a few seals, and the stone cross replica, originally erected by the Portuguese mariner Bartholomew Diaz.

You can opt for a full day excursion to Bogenfels and Diamonds (activity on own cost). Join a guided day-tour from Lüderitz southwards through the Sperrgebiet, stopping at ghost towns where desert sands have built up and attempted to reclaim their land, causing roofs to fall in and walls to crumble. The highlight of the tour is Bogenfels, a massive rock arch that straddles the coastline and sea, comparable to a 20-storey building at an impressive height of 55 metres.

After breakfast we depart Lüderitz town to Sesriem Area. Along the route you will experience ever-changing vistas of the desert landscapes driving along the most beautiful district road of Namibia, the D707 (road conditions permitting). Visit Duwiseb Castle, a grand medieval fortress, built in the hills of the semi-arid Southern Namib region. Learn more about the Castle’s fascinating history, before continuing to your lodge, arriving in the early afternoon.

This morning you will need to rise early for a magical excursion with your guide in the Namib Naukluft National Park, normally setting off before sunrise to capture the dunes whilst the light is soft and shadows accentuate the towering shapes and curves. This area boasts some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world and your 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 Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and surrounding dune fields to your heart’s content you then return to a nearby restaurant at Sesriem gate for lunch, with the option to visit Sesriem Canyon after lunch.

Sossusvlei: This most frequently visited section of the massive 50,000 km² Namib Naukluft National Park has become known as Sossusvlei, famous for its towering apricot coloured sand dunes which can be reached by following the Tsauchab River valley. Sossusvlei itself is actually a clay pan set amidst these star shaped dunes which stand up to 300 meters 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 55 km 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 1 km 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 1.5 km long and 30 meters 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.

NOTE: Option to include a sunrise balloon flight before you depart for Windhoek (optional extra at additional cost). Please note that if making use of this offer, it will need to be booked exclusively with Nali Safaris in order to fit in with other timings for this day.

After breakfast or after the hot air balloon excursion, we depart for the city Windhoek via the Remhoogte Pass – although this pass is not as steep as the Spreetshoogte, it offers beautiful scenery, weather condition permits. Expect to arrive in the city at around 13:30, although please note that times may vary.

END OF SAFARI