Namibia

Tour members from across Canada fly overnight to Africa.

We arrive in Windhoek, the capital and largest city of Namibia. Upon arrival, we will transfer to our deluxe hotel, conveniently located in the city center. Windhoek, nestled in a basin within the central highlands, is a vibrant yet small city with excellent shopping and historic sites just minutes away. Tonight, enjoy a generous buffet dinner at the hotel.

Windhoek Hilton (2 nights) 

This morning, we will enjoy a city tour, including a visit to the National Museum of Namibia in Alte Feste. After a free afternoon for independent exploration and shopping, we will reconvene for our welcome dinner.

Travel across Southern Namibia, a vast, arid region with landscapes ranging from the desolate Namib in the west to the rolling Kalahari dunes in the east. Despite its starkness, this enchanting terrain, with its fascinating geological features, will captivate us. Upon arriving in Sesriem, we will witness the beginnings of the vast sand sea of the Namib Desert, with dunes rising a thousand feet and the sands of Sossusvlei stretching over 50 km to the sea. Depart from our lodge in the late afternoon on a leisurely drive on the lodge's private reserve. Watch the shadows lengthen as your guide takes you out to a panoramic location where sundowner drinks will be served as you relax and watch the spectacular sunset. The inner tranquility that a desert sunset imparts while you sit amongst nature is really something special. We will spend the next two nights at our exceptional half-tented lodge.  

Soussusvlei Lodge (2 nights) 

After breakfast, we depart in 4x4 vehicles, navigating the inhospitable terrain of the dune sea along a gravel road flanked by spectacular sand dunes. Witness the dunes' colour transformation as the sun rises. Explore the vlei, a greyish-white clay pan surrounded by towering orange sand dunes. On our return to the hotel, we'll visit Sesriem Canyon, where the Tsauchab River has exposed millions of years of geological history. Optional scenic flights over the Namib Desert can be arranged at an extra cost.

Travel via the Kuiseb Canyon, a wild landscape crisscrossed by a maze of dry riverbeds, to the coast where the desert meets the ocean. Visit Swakopmund, known for its distinctive German colonial atmosphere. Discover the city's charms and German heritage through its historic buildings from the early 1900s, including the Swakopmund railway station (1901) and Hohenzollernhaus (1906) with its high mansard roof, elaborate mouldings, and statue of Atlas.

The Hansa Hotel (2 nights)

A short scenic drive will bring us to Walvis Bay, nestled on a sheltered lagoon between the Atlantic Ocean and the golden-yellow dunes of the Namib. From the waterfront, embark on a marine cruise through the harbour and lagoon, with possible sightings of dolphins, seals, whales, sunfish, and abundant birdlife. After disembarking at the Lighthouse Jetty, board 4x4 vehicles for a beach and dune adventure to Sandwich Harbour, including a picnic lunch in the dunes (weather permitting). We return to our hotel in the late afternoon. Tonight, consider enjoying some local seafood. 

Learn more about the Namib as we follow the fascinating Welwitschia Drive, discovering its geology, lichens, and unique plants. View the ‘moon landscape’ before travelling north along the desolate Skeleton Coast, known for its treacherous foggy shores that have claimed many ships. Heading inland, traverse the Erongo region, characterized by colourful volcanic landscapes, ancient rock art, and unusual geological phenomena. Visit the Damara Living Museum to experience traditional Damara culture, a unique form that exists nowhere else in Namibia or the world. 

Twyfelfontein Lodge (2 nights)

This morning, explore some of Africa's finest prehistoric rock art at Twyfelfontein, featuring paintings and engravings dating back 5,000 years. This treasure trove, left by Stone Age artists, is one of the richest collections in Africa. Our journey through this stunning landscape includes opportunities to stretch our legs, examine interesting stones, plants, bugs, and other creatures, and photograph the amazing scenery. Visit the Organ Pipes, a mass of basalt slabs in a ravine carved by a river; Burnt Mountain, a small inselberg and national monument since 1956; and the Petrified Forest, with enormous fossilized tree trunks and welwitschia plants, reputed to live over 1,000 years. This afternoon, we'll search for desert elephant herds on an Aba-Huab River safari.

Today, our drive takes us into the heart of northern Namibia, where we will encounter fascinating rock formations, vibrant colours, and unique plants, birds, and other wildlife. Our guide will bring to life the natural and human history of this remote and otherworldly region. A highlight of the day is a visit to a Himba village, where we will observe the semi-nomadic lifestyle of this local tribe and see how they maintain their traditions in such a harsh environment.

Etosha Village (1 night) 

Discover the best Namibian game viewing in Etosha National Park, known as "the great white place of dry water." The Etosha Pan is a vast depression where water gathers and evaporates, creating salty plains that attract zebra, springbok, blue wildebeest, and their predators. Large game abounds, and the sky is ablaze with birds. We will spend the day driving through the park, stopping at rest camps to enjoy the wildlife. Our destination is a lodge with comfortable rooms, two pools, a spa, tennis courts, and a games room.

Mokuti Game Lodge (2 nights)

Today, enjoy an early morning game drive in specially designed 4x4 open vehicles into Etosha National Park to search for wildlife. During the heat of the day, relax at the lodge, where you can enjoy the pool or take a walk in the private reserve. Late this afternoon, set out once again into the park in 4x4 safari vehicles to seek out both wildlife and birdlife. 

We journey to the picturesque private reserve south of Otjiwarongo, spanning 16,000 hectares and serving as the home of the Africat Foundation. Dedicated to conserving and protecting threatened cheetahs, leopards, and other wild carnivores of Namibia, the reserve boasts a substantial population of these majestic cats in their natural habitat. Later this afternoon, we'll embark on a 4x4 game drive, utilizing radio tracking to locate leopards and other big cats.

Okonjima Plains Camp (2 nights)

Enjoy a full day in the reserve with morning and evening excursions. In the morning, we'll visit the AfriCat Carnivore Care Centre, where various big cats are treated and rehabilitated for reintroduction into the wild. Later this evening, at the nocturnal hide, we may observe nocturnal wildlife such as porcupines, honey badgers, caracals, and more. 

On our way to Windhoek, we'll make a stop in Okahandja, renowned for its vast outdoor woodcarvers market. Arriving in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, in the early afternoon, you'll have the remainder of the day to explore at your leisure. Our resort hotel boasts a picturesque setting surrounded by a golf course, spacious gardens, and an inviting outdoor swimming pool. 

Windhoek Country Club (1 night)  

As our adventure comes to an end, we transfer to the airport to catch our return flights to Canada.

We arrive in Canada and transfer to our home cities, as we bid farewell to our fellow travellers, carrying with us cherished memories of our Namibian odyssey.