DAY 1: Sunday 16th November 2025
JOURNEY
- Arrival into Windhoek International Airport under own arrangements
- Private road transfer to hotel
ACCOMMODATION
- Galton House
- 5x Luxury Rooms
- 1 night
INCLUSIONS
- Breakfast
WHAT TO EXPECT
Situated in Namibia’s central highlands, Windhoek, the capital, is an attractive city surrounded by clusters of hills and the impressive Auas and Eros Mountains. The height above sea level of 1650 metres is only slightly less than that of Johannesburg, South Africa. The climate is typical of a semi-desert country with hot days and cool nights. Tree-lined Independence Avenue with its fountains and walkways provides a pleasant ambience of tranquillity and leisure to the heart of the city, with its continental-style sidewalk cafes and beer gardens. Zoo Park in mid-city, adds to the relaxed atmosphere with its lawns, spreading trees, shrubs and flowers.
Old buildings, which lend a singular charm to the city, include the historic seat of Government, known as the Tintenpalast, which means the Palace of Ink, and the Christuskirche, which provides the city with a striking landmark. Street vendors spread their wares on the pavements, reflecting Namibia’s cultural heritage, in the form of woodcarvings, basketry and pottery.
Named after the famous explorer Sir Francis Galton, Galton House has a warm, relaxed, but efficient style that creates a very welcoming atmosphere. A mere ten-minute drive from the centre of town and perched on the edge of Windhoek’s northernmost affluent suburb of Eros, guests staying here will be ensured of peace and tranquillity. The hotel’s nine luxurious rooms are decorated in muted, natural tones with simple yet stylish furnishings. All rooms have private bathrooms with rain showers, air conditioning, and Wi-Fi, and guests have use of the lounge and bar, an outdoor terrace with loungers and a swimming pool. From the indoor and outdoor restaurant, lunches are served à la carte, while in the evening there is a set menu, with delicious dishes made from the freshest of local ingredients.
DAYS 2 AND 3: Monday 17th & Tuesday 18th November
JOURNEY
- Meet private guide and vehicle who will accompany you for the next 12 days
- Private road transfer to lodge
ACCOMMODATION
- Dead Valley Lodge
- 5x Luxury Tented Chalets
- 2 nights
INCLUSIONS
- Meals, activities with your private guide as detailed, including an excursion into Sossusvlei
WHAT TO EXPECT
The 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. Affording dramatic views out over the surrounding desert landscape, Dead Valley Lodge is ideally located to discover the dunes of Sossusvlei; the lodge’s unique location within the national park allows guests early access to the dunes, an hour before sunrise and a late exit an hour after sunset.
One of only two properties within the park, Dead Valley Lodge accommodates guests in just 20 luxury tented chalets each with an en-suite bathroom, bedroom area with climate control and a private verandah. The sprawling main area makes the most of the spectacular location with open sides and vast picture windows, so whether you are relaxing in the bar, enjoying delicious Namibian inspired cuisine in the restaurant or cooling off in the pool you can enjoy views across the desert to the Elim Dune.
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.
Roughly once a decade rainfall over the catchment area is sufficient to bring the river down in flood and fill the pan attracting a number and variety of aquatic birds. Even in the dry season oryx, springbok and ostriches can be seen wandering over the pan, feeding on the sparse vegetation along the watercourses. This is a singularly beautiful wild and romantic spot, surrounded by dunes that extend as far as the eye can see.
Another area, 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.
On the morning of Day 4 you will 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 can enjoy a relaxed picnic brunch in the shade of a camel thorn tree.
In the afternoon you will depart with your guide for the Sesriem Canyon.
The canyon, which is around 1.5 km long and 30 meters deep, has evolved through centuries of erosion by the Tsauchab River, exposing 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.
On the morning of Day 3 you will explore the remarkable sights of the Namib Desert with your guide.
In the afternoon you will depart on a shared excursion to the Elim Dune. Located just 5km from Dead Valley Lodge, you will make your way to the dune on foot, taking the opportunity to look more closely at the flora and fauna which survive in this arid environment. Often referred to as the sunset dune, Elim will be the perfect place to sit back and absorb the beauty of your surroundings as the sun begins to fall below the horizon.
DAY 4: Wednesday 19th November
JOURNEY
- Privately guided road transfer to Swakopmund
ACCOMMODATION
- The Delight
- 5x Rooms
- 1 night
INCLUSIONS
- All meals
WHAT TO EXPECT
Swakopmund resembles a small, German town nestled between the desert and the sea, and is a perfect example of German colonial architecture blending with good hotels, restaurants, museums and coffee shops.
The elaborate Railway building built in 1901 (now a hotel and casino) is worth seeing and there are various arts and crafts centres if you wish to visit them. Although the sea is normally cold for swimming there are pleasant beaches and the cooler climate is refreshing.
The Delight is a lovely modern hotel, conveniently located in the centre of Swakopmund. Within a few minutes from the hotel you can walk to beaches, cafés, restaurants, lively pubs, and a variety of interesting shops and markets in the town. The 54 spacious rooms are all attractively and colourfully designed, have en-suite bathrooms, airconditioning, flat-screen television, safe, mini-bar, and free Wi-Fi. Tasty breakfasts are served every morning and there is a sociable bar and lounge area.
DAYS 5 TO 7: Thursday 20th – Saturday 22nd November
JOURNEY
- Privately guided road transfer to Damaraland
ACCOMMODATION
- Onduli Ridge
- 5x Suites
- 3 nights
INCLUSIONS
- All meals, local drinks and private activities with your guide inlcuding tracking desert adapted elephant and rhino and visits to Twyfelfontein and other points of geologiocal interest.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Damaraland with the rugged beauty of its landscape is a region of rolling plains and distant mountain ranges. Unusual geological features, a wealth of rock paintings and engravings and populations of desertadapted elephant and black rhino combine to form the unique attraction of Damaraland.
In this one area you can see much of the essence of Namibia by vehicle and you can also enjoy excellent walking trails which run down dry riverbeds to small oases before turning up into the hill country, coming across fascinating desert adapted wildlife, birds and vegetation as you go.
Nestling at the base of two granite outcrops connected by a ridge that provides panoramic views over the surrounding area, Onduli Ridge is a brand-new camp within Damaraland.
There is a good sized swimming pool and lounge area where you can relax in between activities. Every part of the camp has been carefully considered to maximise the views of the extraordinary landscape.
Guests are accommodated in six beautifully decorated luxury suites with natural ventilation and partial open-air bathrooms designed especially for comfort and convenience. Comfortably secluded in your own private hide-away, your king-size bed can be rolled out on to your private deck for a night under a star filled sky.
Wildlife viewing concentrates on the game found in the river bed and along the valleys that sometimes fill with flood water in the rainy season. There are no large concentrations of wildlife but this arid environment is home to desert adapted elephant, gemsbok, springbok and a variety of other species including occasional glimpses of the endangered black rhino whilst predator populations of lion and leopard are steadily increasing. Birdlife is excellent with several Namibian endemics such as Monteiro’s hornbill and Rupell’s Korhaan.
Equally fascinating are the Bushman’s rock engravings at Twyfelfontein, featuring engravings and paintings of creatures dating back to prehistoric times. Strewn over a hillside amongst flattopped mountains of red sandstone, Twyfelfontein’s boulders and slabs of red sandstone hold some 2,500 prehistoric engravings that depict wildlife, animal spoor and abstract motifs. It is perhaps the largest and finest collection of petroglyphs in Africa. Stone tools and other artifacts found at Twyfelfontein suggest that hunter-gatherers occupied the site over a period of perhaps 7,000 years. These days a local guide accompanies visitors to showcase the rock art. Twyfelfontein is one of Namibia’s key National Monuments and has recently become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A rounded hill located a few kilometres from Twyfelfontein, known as the Burnt Mountain, seems to catch fire again at sunrise and sunset. The fantastic range of colours at dawn and dusk is due to a chemical reaction that took place roughly 125 million years ago when molten lava penetrated organic shale and limestone deposits, resulting in contact metamorphism. In ordinary sunlight it is a dull black. Blackened rubble lies to one side like cinders from the original fire.
The Organ Pipes are another geological curiosity in the area consisting of a mass of perpendicular dolerite columns that intruded the surrounding rocks also about 125 million years ago and have since been exposed in a ravine due to river erosion.
You can also visit the pre-historic Petrified Forest where you will find huge trees that turned to stone some 250 million years ago. Broken into segments but aligned, they are clearly recognizable as fallen trees, some as long as 30 m and 6 m in diameter, complete with wood grain and growth rings. It is the biggest accumulation of petrified logs in southern Africa. Floodwaters uprooted the trees elsewhere and carried them to their present position towards the end of an ice age on the Gondwana super continent. The trees were species of early cone bearing plants which flourished between 200 and 300 million years ago.
DAYS 8 AND 9: Sunday 23rd & Monday 24th November
JOURNEY
- Privately guided road transfer from Damaraland to Ongava Private Reserve
ACCOMMODATION
- Ongava Lodge
- 6x Suites
- 2 nights
INCLUSIONS
- Meals and activities: game drives in the national park with your private guide, shared game drives on the reserve with a lodge guide, guided nature walks, rhino approaching and hide-visits.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Ongava Lodge is situated on the 66,000-acre Ongava Private Game Reserve recognised as the nation’s premier big game private game reserve. Combined with easy access to the extraordinary Etosha National Park on its northern boundary, Ongava provides the quintessential Namibian safari experience. For over 30 years, what was former cattle ranches has been converted into a prolific and protected wildlife destination, renowned for its conversation initiatives and ground-breaking research
The reserve is now home to several lion prides, as well as elephants, giraffe, and several species of antelope including the rare black-faced impala. Perhaps the most important species here, and an attraction for all visitors, are black and white rhino, after one of the most successful relocation and reintroduction projects in Africa. The rhino population is not only protected but growing and more understood, with major genetics studies revealing fascinating information about how these creates live, adapt and thrive.
The Etosha National Park itself covers 22,270km squared of countryside ranging from dense bush to large open plains where herds of animals roam free. The heart of the park is the Etosha Pan – a gigantic shallow depression in the ground – dry, flat and silvery white for most of the year. Traditionally it is known as the place of mirages, although the name Etosha is said to mean “great white place”.
A wide range of African game species are represented in the park, including several rare and endangered species such as black rhino. Lions may be seen in the park, cheetah and leopard also occur, although sightings are rare. Elephant are often to be met in the central regions during the dry season while springbok, giraffe and zebra are well represented everywhere and kudu – one of the most magnificent of all antelopes – are plentiful in the area around Namutoni. The birdlife too is fascinating with over 340 recorded species including several desert species such as ruppel’s parrot and pygmy falcon, and it is an excellent region for raptor spotting. Iconic flamingos also call the area home and can be found on the pans in vast flocks when water is present.
There are four fabulous properties on the Ongava reserve, each offering something slightly different in style but with a high level of comfort, service and guiding. Built from local materials in traditional fashion, they blend tastefully into the surrounding landscape, allowing visitors to feel at one with nature.
Ongava Lodge consists of fourteen very comfortable rock and thatch chalets, each with airconditioning, en-suite bathrooms and balconies, which command fine views across the reserve from the top of the Ondundozonanandana Hills.
Game viewing by open 4×4 vehicles by day and at night, and on foot, is done in the company of highly trained rangers, and rhino approaching can also be done on the private reserve. Between safaris you can return to Ongava to enjoy the views and dip in the pool whilst meals are served in the main dining room area under thatch with a view over the lodge’s waterhole often teeming with wildlife. This makes it the perfect place to relax and enjoy wildlife without setting foot out of the lodge.
DAYS 10 AND 11: Tuesday 25th & Wednesday 26th November
JOURNEY
- Privately guided game drive transfer to Onguma Private Reserve
ACCOMMODATION
- Onguma The Fort
- 5x Bush Suites
- 2 nights
INCLUSIONS
- Meals, soft drinks, local beers, wines and spirits, and shared activities: game drives and sundowners on the Onguma reserve
WHAT TO EXPECT
Onguma is a private 34,000-hectare wildlife reserve in the eastern part of Etosha. More than 200km of internal fences have gradually been removed to create a natural environment for the wildlife. Guests have exclusive access to this reserve and can also venture into the main National Park. Onguma has a variety of accommodation including two tented camps, a tree-top camp and The Fort, each providing a different style of accommodation and atmosphere.
The Etosha National Park covers 22,270km² of countryside ranging from dense bush to large open plains where herds of animals roam free. The heart of the park is the Etosha Pan – a gigantic shallow depression in the ground – dry, flat and silvery white for most of the year. Traditionally it is known as the place of mirages, although the name Etosha is said to mean “great white place”.
A wide range of African game species are represented in the park, including several rare and endangered species such as black rhino which were relocated to the safety of the park in the 1970s and are now one of the few growing populations in Africa.
Lions may be seen in the park, cheetah and leopard also occur but sightings are rare. Elephant are often to be met in the central regions during the dry season and visitors may watch them drinking at a waterhole. Springbok, giraffe and zebra are well represented everywhere and kudu – one of the most magnificent of all antelopes, are plentiful in the area around Namutoni.
The birdlife too is fascinating with several desert species such as ruppel’s parrot and pygmy falcon, and it is an excellent region for raptor spotting.
The dry winter months of May to November see the largest gatherings of wildlife around diminishing waterholes though, during the summer months from January to March, sporadic rainfall renews the vegetation, encourages animals to drop their young and can sometimes fill parts of the Etosha saltpan with water, bringing numerous migrant birds including pelicans and flamingos.
The Fort is one of the most unusual and stylishly comfortable lodges in Etosha. Inspired by the architecture of the nearby Namutoni Fort (built when Namibia was a German colony), The Fort accommodates guests in twelve very attractive suites, set about fifty yards apart, each with airconditioning, elegantly furnished bedroom, ensuite bathroom incorporating an outside shower, and outside an area of private wooden decking which leads to a larger decked relaxation area where there is also a pool.
The Fort has its own restaurant for exclusive use of residents and a lounge and library so there are plenty of places to relax between safaris. The game viewing is conducted in open four-wheel drive vehicles with highly experienced guides, both on the large private reserve and in the main Etosha National Park.
DAY 12: Thursday 27th November
JOURNEY
- Privately guided road transfer from Onguma
- Private Reserve to Okonjima Reserve
ACCOMMODATION
- Okonjima Bush Camp
- 5x Luxury Chalets
- 1 night
INCLUSIONS
- All meals and one afternoon shared leopard
- tracking activity with lodge guide and vehicle.
- Additional activities available at extra cost.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Okonjima is the original home of the Hanssen Family, reconstructed as a Lodge in 1992. It is based around two and a half hours drive, or a forty-five minute light aircraft flight, north of Windhoek and is also the home of the Africat project. For generations, the Hanssen Family had been avid cattle farmers until the need for solutions to increasing livestock losses and post-independence interest in Namibia as a tourist destination, changed the face of Okonjima, as well as that of Carnivore Conservation. With the family still at the helm, Okonjima now encompasses a dedicated team and a variety of accommodation facilities, offering guests a truly Namibian stay.
Established in 1991, The Africat Foundation began as a sanctuary for cheetah and leopard rescued from irate, livestock farmers. Africat is a non-profit making organisation dedicated to the protection and long-term conservation of all large carnivores in Namibia and has since become renowned for much-needed Environmental Education, Carnivore Research and Animal Welfare.
Because The Africat Foundation is based at Okonjima it provides a mutually beneficial relationship which allows for interested visitors to experience, first hand, the works of the project, gaining valuable insight into carnivore conservation and, at the same time, creating the platform for donating much-needed funds.
Leopard and cheetah are often seen as a threat or nuisance by Namibian farmers who often shoot, trap or poison them. Staff from Okonjima visit farmers throughout the country when they learn that a leopard or a cheetah is causing a “problem” and work with the farmer to rescue and relocate the animal, or if it has been injured, they take it to their headquarters and nurse it back to health. This veterinary and education project has led to literally hundreds of these beautiful cats being protected. At any time, several dozen are located on the Okonjima Reserve and you will have a unique opportunity to see them and learn of the work of the project.
The luxury bush camp is situated on the edge of a wilderness area, 3km from the main lodge. Each of the nine chalets includes en-suite facilities and double/twin beds and enjoys complete privacy. Each one is constructed with a combination of earthy, ochre walls and khaki-green canvas under a thatched roof. The canvas front may be rolled up for a spectacular view. There is a honeymoon suite for that little extra privacy and luxury. The camp also has a secluded swimming pool, an attractive dining lodge and bar providing very comfortable accommodation and facilities.
DAY 13: Friday 28th November
JOURNEY
- Privately guided road transfer to Windhoek International Airport
- Continue with onward travel arrangements
PRICING INFORMATION
The price of this itinerary (subject to availability) on the basis that you book directly with us, departing in November 2025 and travelling as a party of 10 adults is: US$16,286 per person (sharing)
Single Supplement – US$2,260 per person
Inclusions:
- Accommodation as detailed
- Meals and drinks as listed
- Warren Samuels Private Guide for 12 days
- Game viewing activities as listed
- Private vehicle and Namibian expert naturalist driver/guide for 12 days
- Pre-payable park/concession fees
Exclusions:
- International flights
- Any items not detailed in the travel itinerary
- Tips
Notes:
- Inclusions are subject to change at the discretion of the property.
- All the photos contained in this itinerary are illustrative of the lodges, transport and sights you will see on your holiday. Please note however that we cannot guarantee that you will see all the animals and birds shown as these are wild creatures and not under our control. Equally where specific food or drink, or furniture/furnishings are shown, these may not be identical to those you will experience. Please note inclusions are subject to change at the discretion of the property.
- If flights have been included within your booking then unless provisionally held for you, these are subject to change and any increases in fares at the time of booking will be passed on. Similarly, if booking a trip inclusive of flights more than 11 months in advance we will try to give as accurate an indicative cost as possible, but exact flight costs will need to be obtained once flight fares become available and as such, any variance will be reflected in your final balance.
- Check the brochure for information on visas, passports and vaccinations.
