| About Us | Contact Us | Photo Gallery | Testimonials | Screen Savers | Home |
|
EcoVitality |
 |
|
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Enjoy the Remarkable
Diversity of Experiences on this Unusual African Safari
"I have seen many other Namibian Safari itineraries
Unlike our two-week
Khaudom
safari, which focuses mainly on wildlife viewing, the Kaokoland safari
offers a remarkable diversity of attractions with stunning
scenery in the Namib desert and Kaokoland wilderness, cultural exchanges
with the Himba Tribe, and historical experiences including visits to the
German resort town of Swakopmund and the largest collection of
prehistoric petroglyphs in southern Africa. Then we take you for
great wildlife encounters at world-famous Etosha Park, Okonjima, and the Kavita
Lion Lodge.
"The animal spotting was incredible! Not only did we see all the major
species, but many times we caught them in circumstances more likely to
be seen on National Geographic than on the average safari. For example,
we watched a 2 month- baby elephant playing in a watering hole and
being helped in and out by the many adults towering over him. And we’ll
never forget tracking some circling vultures and finding a lioness
instructing her two cubs in the etiquette of a fresh kill, including a
post-meal clean up in a nearby watering hole."
We spend several days in Etosha National Park, Africa's largest wildlife park with an amazing number and variety of animals. The wildlife here have become used to 4X4 vehicles and this acclimation enables our guests to take many close-up photographs. Our safaris are among the few tour groups authorized to visit the restricted western-half of Etosha Park for more great animal viewing in drier but still fertile wildlife habitats.
|
Day 1. Friday: Depart on your African eco-safari adventure. Travel from the US to Namibia requires one overnight air flight and an overnight stay in South Africa before connecting to your morning flight to Namibia. The overnight hotel stay in Johannesburg is included in the price, but the international airfares are not. Day 2. Saturday: Arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa, and rejuvenate overnight at the International Airport Holiday Inn Hotel. The Holiday Inn is on the airport grounds, a 3-minute courtesy van ride away from the terminal. Dinner at the Holiday Inn and breakfast the next morning are included in the tour price.Day 3. Sunday: After spending a relaxing evening in Johannesburg, board an early morning flight to Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, where you will be met by your tour guides. The group will drive to Swakopmund, a resort town on the Atlantic coast that has retained its Germanic heritage with historic architecture and fine European food. Along the way, you’ll see the Welwitschias, the world's oldest plants, as well as other unique features of the central Namib desert. Swakopmund is a shopping mecca for great buys on precious and semi-precious gems, finished jewelry and handicrafts created by Namibian artisans. Overnight and dine in luxury at the historic Hansa Hotel, one of Namibia’s highest-rated hotels.Day 4. A day of contrasts. Journey to the Cape Cross seal colony, one of the world's largest colonies of pinnipeds. Then leave the coast and approach the Brandberg, Namibia's highest mountain, where you will see striking desert scenery and unusual desert-adapted plants, on the way to Twyfelfontein in the Damaraland region. View Southern Africa's largest collections of petroglyphs, prehistoric rock engravings, many of them more than 6000 years old and believed to be created by Ju/'hoan (Bushman) hunters. Overnight at the Mowani Mountain Camp, a luxury lodge set in some of Namibia's most rugged country.Day 5. Tuesday: Drive through Damaraland to Fort Sesfontein, the gateway to the Kaokoland desert wilderness, and continue to the Puros community campgrounds maintained by the Himba tribe. You’ll have some chance to view elephants, black rhinos, or even lions adapted to the arid, low-vegetation conditions of the Kaokoland desert. This will be the first chance to meet the Himba people around the Purros area. We will camp out in tents using our equipment and the ablution facilities of the Purros campground, which was set up to provide supplemental income for the local Himba people. The southern night skies will be awesome.
Day 6. Wednesday: Using our 4X4 vehicles, you'll explore deep Kaokoland desert wilderness while viewing the spectacular scenery and the occasional desert-adapted animals. Perhaps you will also spend time with the Himba who tend their livestock on traditional migratory routes. We will do "wild" camping this night in the wilderness to allow you to experience an evening and night gazing at the beautiful, serene southern skies far away from any human habitations.Day 7. Thursday: Be among the few that can view the spectacular, remote Epupa Falls, one of Southern Africa’s most scenic waterfalls. Epupa Falls was created by a tectonic fracture in the desert plateau, and it is the second largest in Southern Africa after Victoria Falls. But very few people have the opportunity to see Epupa Falls, unlike the crowds of tourists at Vic Falls. Your drive to Epupa Falls will proceed through scenic desert terrain and will then follow the Kunene River, which has water year round despite the arid conditions. End at Epupa Camp with beautiful views of river and desert. Day 8. Friday: Visit Himba tribal encampments in the Epupa area and enjoy cultural interactions with the people using a local interpreter. We encourage you to purchase unique Himba handicrafts if you find them interesting. These exchanges help the Himba improve their livelihoods without sacrificing their traditional way of life. Overnight again at the comfortable Epupa Camp.Day 9. Saturday: Experience the Kaokoland desert wilderness for a final day on your way to Kavita Lion Lodge near the western entrance of Etosha National Park. Kavita is a private reserve that is also the home of the Afri-Leo Foundation, our conservation partner, and a sanctuary for lions unable to survive in the wild.
Day 10. Sunday: You have a chance to view eland, rhinos, and often lions while driving through the drier, undeveloped, and restricted western-half of Etosha Park, which only a few registered Namibian guides are authorized to visit. You will be heading east through the Park toward Okaukuejo Camp in central Etosha, where you will overnight in a comfortable bungalow near the illuminated waterhole and camp restaurant.
Day 11. Monday:
You will devote this day to game drives in the vicinity of Okaukeujo camp,
which is among the greatest wildlife venues in
all of Africa. Many of the best wildlife photos in our Namibian PHOTO GALLERY were
taken on game drives in the central region of Etosha Park.
Day 13. Wednesday: You'll drive south to Okonjima, an exceptional luxury resort and predator rehabilitation center. Okonjima also serves as a sanctuary for cheetahs and lions that cannot safely be returned to the wild, and the resort is the home base for the AfriCat Foundation of Namibia. Close-up sightings of resident cheetahs and lions will provide you with excellent wildlife photography options, and there is also a good chance to see leopards. Overnight in luxurious Okonjima cabanas. Day 14. Thursday: Enjoy more Okonjima activities, including game walks in the cheetah enclosure and possible leopard sightings at an enclosed feeding ground. Overnight again at Okonjima Resort. Day 15. Friday: After the morning activities at Okonjima, you will head for Windhoek and the fabulous Heinitzburg Castle Hotel. Along the way you will stop at handicraft and gem markets where you can buy a wide range of distinctive Namibian and African products for yourself or as gifts for relatives and friends. Overnight at the Heinitzburg Castle Hotel, the best in Namibia, and eat dinner at Leo's at the Castle, the highest-rated restaurant in the country. Day 16. Saturday: After breakfast at the Castle, you'll take a short tour of Windhoek and then will have time to shop in the capital's finest handicraft and gem stores. You'll eat a picnic lunch on the road to the airport and will catch your afternoon flight to Johannesburg before the evening flight back to New York or Atlanta. |
HIGHLIGHTS . . . . . Ø Enjoy spectacular scenery, incredible sunsets, and night skies beyond compare in the Kaokoland Desert Wilderness
Ø
Experience stunning Ø Meet the Himba Tribe, the last semi- nomadic livestock herders in Southern Africa Ø Shop and dine in Swakopmund , a town that retains its Germanic heritage from the colonial era
Ø Explore
world-famous Etosha National Park,
Ø Travel
with one of the Ø Visit Okonjima, a luxury resort and rehabilitation center for predators, and also the home of the AfriCat Foundation Ø Visit Kavita Lion Lodge, a luxury resort, sanctuary for lions that cannot survive in the wild, and the home of the Afri-Leo Foundation, our conservation partners
OUR SOMETIMES GUIDE
Pieter Mostert has a B. Sc. in Agriculture and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Wildlife Management. He served for 13 years with the Namibia Dept of Conservation based at Keetmanshoop, the Namib Desert Research Station, Otjiwarongo, as well as Etosha Park and Windhoek. Pieter worked as a Field Officer and a Nature Conservator. He also worked at the Dept.'s Tourism office in Windhoek, the capital, helping visitors to plan trips throughout Namibia. After leaving the Namibian Nature Conservation Dept, Pieter worked for 12 years at the Rossing Foundation, serving as a Conservator and as the Co-ordinator of Namibia's Youth Award Programme. During this time, Pieter also led the Rossing Conservation Trails Program for senior decision-makers, taking VIPs to the Waterberg Plateau Park, the Namib Desert, and to Etosha Park. These visitors included many ambassadors, company officers or directors, and government officials. After leaving the Rossing Foundation, Pieter founded a small tour company and since then he has become a partner with Hobby and Steffi Kreiner in Honeyguide Safaris, the local ecotourism company that is our partner.
Because Peter may have other commitments for the
dates requested, we cannot ensure that he will always be available for
guide service, but we will always provide a first-rate expert guide.
"Namibia is unspoiled, not 'touristy.'
On this tour, I felt guided versus regimented. The guides made us feel
like a family."
"Uunknown apprehensions of
being with animals in the wild with my limited knowledge was assuaged by
my realization of the guides' strengths and use
of common
sense. All was interesting, but not dangerous." |
