Namibia Epic Safari

Day 1  Windhoek      
Welcome to Namibia! Enjoy an included transfer upon your arrival at Windhoek Airport to your hotel, nestled on the grounds of the Am Weinberg Estate, in the center of the city. Enjoy a welcome reception dinner tonight at your intimate hotel.

Day 2  Windoek to Namib Desert      
Enjoy a flight to the Namib Rand Nature Reserve, established to help protect and conserve the unique ecology and wildlife of the southwest Namib Desert. Spend two nights deep inside this private reserve at your luxury lodge where thatched-roof chalets feature unique star-gazing rooms that open to the sky. After lunch at the lodge, join a Bushman guide for a walk into the Namib Desert, hearing stories about desert life, both for the people who live here and the hardy insects and wildlife that survive in the desert plains; its resilient wildlife include oryx, bat-eared foxes, Burchell's zebras, and loads of lizards. Enjoy one of Africa's amazing sunsets before dinner at the lodge. Be sure to gaze up at the spectacular night sky; the reserve is Africa's first designated International Dark Sky Reserve and has been recognized as one of the least light-polluted and naturally darkest places on Earth.

Day 3  Namib Desert        
Visit the spectacular red-tinted dunes of Sossusvlei this morning; the dunes are among the highest in the world, reaching a height of almost 1,300 feet. View them as you explore the region with an expert guide, stopping for an opportunity to climb 1,066-foot Big Daddy and a walk through the salt-and-clay pan known as Deadvlei, inhabited by fascinating fossilized trees. This afternoon, join us for an ATV excursion on the dunes around your lodge that you'll not soon forget; as an alternative, safari jeep rides will be available for exploring the area.

Day 4  Namib Desert to Swakopmund      
After breakfast, enjoy a flightseeing excursion over the massive dunes of the Namib Desert and Sossusvlei, void of human intervention with the exception of its long-abandoned diamond mines. Continue soaring over the coastline, viewing an endless expanse of pristine beaches favored by the locals – seals and flamingoes! Touch down at Swakopmund for lunch and an afternoon at leisure at your hotel, steps from artisan shops and a craft market. Enjoy dinner tonight at your beachfront hotel.

Day 5  Swakopmund      
Drive down to the coast this morning for a choice of excursions; you can kayak amidst playful seals or take a scenic catamaran cruise in Walvis Bay. Rich with marine life, the bay is home to thousands of Cape Fur seals, bottlenose dolphins, flamingoes and pelicans, many of which you may spot today out at sea. Enjoy a seafood barbecue on the beach before returning to Swakopmund.

Day 6  Swakopmund to Etosha NP      
Fly to Hoanib Valley this morning, one of the best places to see desert-adapted elephant, giraffe, lion, rhino, mountain zebra, and oryx. Located deep in northwestern Namibia, the area is a panorama of towering mountains, sand dunes, and huge expanses of desert, scattered with unique wildlife and nomadic Himba settlements. It's also one of Namibia's most remote and wild environments. Have lunch at Hoanib Valley Exploration Camp, your intimate safari home for the next two nights, followed by an afternoon game drive. Your expert tracking guide will help you spot elephants, elusive desert lions, zebra, kudo and perhaps even a rare black rhino. Dine at the camp tonight on freshly prepared fare.

Day 7  Etosha NP      
Visit a tribal village where indigenous Himba people live according to the traditions of their ancestors; Himba women are known for their use of red otjiize, a blend of red ochre and butterfat, to beautify their bodies and hair. Meet the resident women and children during your visit; the men traditionally spend their days herding cattle. Return to your camp for lunch and afternoon game drive, enjoying the unsurpassed serenity of your surroundings.

Day 8  Etosha NP      
A morning flight brings you to Ongava Private Game Reserve on the border of Etosha National Park for a three-night stay in thatched en-suite chalets at a luxury lodge perched on a hilltop in the heart of the reserve. Your lodge features an amazing watering hole and a concrete blind – a partially underground, windowed enclosure that is close to the watering hole – enabling up-close wildlife viewing day and night. Enjoy a sunset game drive in the reserve before dinner tonight at your leisure.

Day 9  Etosha NP to Zannier Reserve      
Etosha National Park is a haven for wildlife, boasting the continent's largest concentration of black rhino and other large mammals in abundance, including elephant, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, wildebeest, kudu, oryx, eland and hartebeest. Spend a full day in the park, viewing the animals on a game drive in special safari vehicles and enjoy a picnic lunch. Return to your lodge mid-afternoon for time at leisure. Dine as you wish at the lodge tonight.

Day 10  Zannier Reserve        
Wake up early for a morning game drive in the reserve, looking for black-faced impala, lions, white and black rhinos, and more with your expert safari guide, and stop at the Ongava Research Center to learn about the ongoing studies on the flora, fauna and environmental changes of the region. After lunch, embark on an afternoon game drive and then look for rhino on a guided walking safari, conditions permitting. Join us for a traditional sundowner in the bush, before dinner tonight at your lodge. The sunsets are magnificent.

Day 11  Zannier Reserve to Windhoek
Enjoy a final game drive this morning on the grounds of the wildlife-rich Ongava Reserve, before heading to the airstrip for a flight to Windhoek for an overnight stay on the Am Weinberg Estate. Join us tonight for a farewell reception and dinner.

Day 12   Windhoek
Your tour ends today in Windhoek