Windhoek, Namibia’s capital nestles among rolling hills, bounded by the Eros Mountains in the east, the Auas Mountains to the south and the Khomas Hochland in the west. It is a meeting place between Africa and Europe, the modern and the old. In the capital’s main street, well-preserved German colonial buildings are in sharp contrast with modern architectural styles, while Herero women in their traditional Victorian dresses mingle with executives dressed in the latest fashions. Centrally located within Namibia, Windhoek is an excellent starting point for an adventurous holiday for many visitors to the country and an ideal base from where to explore the rest of the country.

Departing Windhoek after breakfast we head north to Onguma Fort in the eastern section of Etosha National Park in our specially modified safari vehicle. Time is spent over the next 2 days exploring the diversity of the park on game drives, accompanied by zebra, giraffe, lion and a variety of antelope and birds.

Etosha National Park, translated as the ‘Place of Mirages’, Land of Dry Water’ or the ‘Great White Place’, covers 22,270km², of which over 5,000km² is made up of saline depressions or pans. The largest of these pans, the Etosha Pan, can be classified as a saline desert in its own right. The Etosha Pan lies in the Owambo Basin, on the north-western edge of the Namibian Kalahari Desert. Until three million years ago it formed part of a huge, shallow lake that was reduced to a complex of salt pans when the major river that fed it, the Kunene, changed course and began to flow to the Atlantic instead. If the lake existed today, it would be the third largest in the world. Etosha Pan is the largest of the pans at 4,760km² in extent. It is nowadays filled with water only when sufficient rain falls to the north in Angola, inducing floods to flow southward along the Cuvelai drainage system.

Today is spent game-viewing in the Etosha National Park from your private safari vehicle. We make our way through the breadth of the National Park, stopping at selected waterholes to observe the game gathered there along the way, and then leaving the park through the southern Anderssons Gate to arrive at Ongava Lodge in the mid to late afternoon. The rest of the afternoon can be spent relaxing at the lodge, which is usually welcome after a long day of game driving.

Today after breakfast we set off on our journey to the Damaraland region where you will spend the next 3 nights at Onduli Ridge. The Damaraland is typified by displays of colour, magnificent table topped mountains, rock formations and bizarre looking vegetation. The present day landscape has been formed by the erosion of wind, water and geological forces which have formed rolling hills, dunes, gravel plains and ancient river terraces. It is the variety and loneliness of the area as well as the scenic splendour which will astound you, giving you an authentic understanding of the word ‘wilderness’.

Here we will head out for scenic nature drives or walks to explore this vast and astounding ecosystem searching for the special desert adapted elephant, elusive black rhino and giraffe. We’ll also visit the nearby geological site of Twyfelfontein, a world heritage site which hold some 2500 prehistoric engravings. We’ll also have an option to visit Doro’s crater where we can hike to the top of the crater rim while a leisurely e-bike ride in the afternoon will ensure little souls sleep restfully  under the stars if you choose to roll your bed out onto your deck.

The drive today takes you south past Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg which peaks at 2,573 m above sea level and west to meet the coast at Henties Bay. You then continue south to the coastal town of Swakopmund where you can enjoy the pleasant seaside location and cooler coastal air for two nights.  There will be time this afternoon to wander around town and along the waterfront on foot if appeals, before heading off for dinner at the popular Tug Restaurant by the jetty which specializes in fresh Namibian seafood. Swakopmund is a charming family friendly destination, offering a choice of things to see and do including camel rides, collecting seashells on the coast and go shopping at colourful craft markets. The ocean however is quite rough and the sea quite cold, so Swakopmund is not a traditional seaside resort but offers plenty of adventure for the entire family.  The peculiar little Swakopmund museum is well worth a visit, exhibiting some curious artifacts.

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 good hotels, shops, restaurants, museums, craft centres, galleries and cafés. Swakopmund had its beginnings as a landing station in 1892 when the Imperial Navy erected beacons on the site. Settlers followed and attempts to create a harbour town by constructing a concrete Mole and then iron jetty failed.  The advent of World War 1 halted developments and the town sank into decline until half a century later when infrastructures 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 the time spent in the desert.

The fascinating drive today takes you south-east through awesome and ever-changing desert landscapes via the impressive Gaub and Kuiseb canyons to meet the dunes at the settlement of Solitaire. A picnic lunch will be had en route and you will continue to Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, where you will spend your final two nights of your safari. Arrival should be in the mid to late afternoon with enough time to acquaint yourself with the surrounding and enjoy a hot shower before dinner.

This morning, after breakfast you will depart for Windhoek, having a picnic lunch en route. You arrive in Windhoek in the late afternoon to spend the last night of your safari at the Galton House. You enjoy a farewell dinner this evening at the guesthouse with your guide, reminiscing about the adventures just passed.