Tour name: Namibian Thirstland Journey Pioneer Safari
Enjoy private camping, desert-chic style, in Namibia’s exclusive wilderness areas, with bush walks and a chance of seeing desert-adapted rhino and elephant.
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Tour Overview
Enjoy private camping, desert-chic style, in Namibia’s exclusive wilderness areas on CC Africa’s exhilarating 14-day Pioneer Safari. Bush walks will reveal many endemic bird species and a chance of seeing desert-adapted rhino and elephant.
Serviced camping safari, suitable for reasonably fit people; involves some hiking and rugged conditions. This safari travels with a maximum of seven guests in an air-conditioned 4x4 safari vehicle, and accompanied by an expert safari guide throughout. All meals – from lunch on day one, to lunch on day fourteen – are included. A reasonable amount of bottled water, local wine, beer and soft drinks are included on camping nights. Airport transfers at the beginning and end of the safari are also included. Window seat guaranteed throughout. The upper age limit for this safari is 70 years, however, guests between the age of 70 and 75 years may be accepted provided that they produce a medical certificate stating that they are fit to travel. Minimum age limit is 12 years.
- Nine nights fully serviced wilderness camping (all meals, local wine, beer, soft drinks and mineral water included) - One bungalow and three hotel overnights (meals included) - Extraordinary game viewing in air-conditioned 4x4 safari vehicles - Guide, chef and one camp/backup staff - Maximum seven guests – guaranteed window seat
- An adventure safari incorporating activities (game-drives/ walks) and culture (ancient and modern) - A mixture of wild camping and camping at exclusive CC Africa safari locations - Views/ landscapes - Peace/ tranquillity – soul food - Vast night skies
Itinerary
Day 1 | Windoek
Upon arrival at Windhoek International airport you will be transferred by road to Olive Grove Guest house for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2 | Waterberg Plateau
After breakfast you will meet your safari guide in the foyer of the Olive Grove Guest House at 08h00. After your guide has briefed you, embark on your safari through Kalahari bush savanna where you will have the chance of seeing several antelope species. Travel off the beaten track towards the Waterberg Plateau, a geological curiosity, supported by walls of steep, red sandstone. Our exclusive campsite is situated in one of the gorges, home to one of Africa’s dwarf antelope species, the Damara Dik-dik. After lunch, enjoy an afternoon walk along the top of the plateau where you may encounter one of Namibia’s endemic bird species, the white tailed shrike.
The Waterberg is one of the few areas in southern Africa where you could encounter four different species of hornbill. The Waterberg Plateau Park was established as a sanctuary for some of Namibia’s endangered mammal species such as the black and white rhino.
Enjoy a sundowner, made special by the sounds of the African bush: baboons settling into a shelter for the night, rock hyrax warning each other against danger and later the haunting call of nightjars and owls. A delicious dinner will be served under the canopy of indigenous trees surrounding our campsite, while getting your first glimpse of the magnificent southern night skies.
Day 3 | Etosha
After breakfast, continue your journey to our exclusive campsite in the private Fischer's Pan Game Reserve bordering on the world renowned Etosha National Park. On route pass through the small town of Tsumeb, a place rich in interesting mining history. Our campsite is adjacent to the eastern edge of Etosha
National Park. During the afternoon, enjoy your first exploratory game-drive into the eastern Namutoni Region of the Etosha National Park – one of the world's great conservation areas. This afternoon, you are most likely to get a good sighting of one of this region’s endemic antelope: the black faced impala.
Day 4 | Etosha
Depart on an early game-drive into Etosha to further explore the eastern side of the park where numerous waterholes and subterranean springs attract an amazing diversity of wildlife.
Excellent game-viewing occurs when prides of lion dominate the water resources. Depending on game sightings and movements, you could spend the day in the Park or return to your camp for a freshly prepared lunch and a siesta.
Day 5 | Etosha
Today’s departure from our private campsite takes us through the Etosha National Park following the southern boundary of the pan, stopping on route for lunch at one of the rest camps. A full day's game-drive will afford you the opportunity to visit several permanent waterholes abundant with game.
Overnight at the Okaukuejo Rest Camp, from where you will have access all evening to a safe viewpoint, at the floodlit waterhole, where black rhino and other nocturnal prowlers are likely to make your game viewing experience worthwhile .
Days 6 and 7 | Damaraland
After breakfast departure from the park continuing in a westerly direction towards the northern Damaraland Region. Stop for lunch in the Kamanjab area, before crossing over the Grootberg Mountain Pass. Watch the scenery changing drastically, as you approach the arid semi desert pro-Namib region.
Once on the Etendeka Consession your days will be spent exploring the ancient volcanic landscape of this truly unique area, searching for hidden waterholes. Nights will be spent in our exclusive expedition camp. This area is home to many uniquely desert adapted flora and fauna species. The desert adapted elephants roam at will, mostly following the linear oases of the ephemeral rivers of the northwest. This is also the refuge of the last population of free ranging black rhino in the world. Your guide will also introduce you to members of Namibia’s semi-nomadic pastural tribe, the Ova- Himba. Kaokoland is home to the Himba; a nomadic tribe with a way of life that has remained unchanged for centuries. They can be seen wandering with their herds of goats and cattle from watering hole to watering hole. Clad only with a loincloth, the Himba's paint their bodies with an ochre-red pigment, which protects their skin from the sun. Here we will visit a traditional Himba homestead far off the beaten track and accessible only by our safari vehicles.
Day 8 | Southern Damaraland
Departing from Etendeka, follow the winding desert road southwards, as it takes you to your campsite amongst the granite boulders of Southern Damaraland. This area between the Ugab and Huab Rivers in Southern Damaraland is a vast and unspoiled wilderness. The area boasts magnificent desert scenery, fascinating geological formations and extensive archaeological sites.
While in the Twyfelfontein area excursions will be conducted to visit the Twyfelfontein Heritage Site Engravings, one of the richest areas of rock engravings and Bushmen (San) paintings in Namibia, and the geological formations of the “Burnt Mountain” and the dolomite columns known as the “Organ Pipes”.
Days 9 and 10 | Swakopmund
Today’s journey continues through ever changing landscapes into the Namib Desert, before continuing along the Atlantic coastline to Cape Cross – home to more than 80 000 Cape Fur Seals – where the Portuguese seafarer Diego Cao became the first European to set foot on Namibian soil in 1486.
No safari in Namibia is complete without a visit to the quaint coastal town of Swakopmund, where the following two nights will be spent at the Intermezzo Guesthouse – conveniently situated near the beach and within walking distance of the museum and shops. Enjoy some of the town's exciting optional activities such as quad biking, camel riding, dune boarding, or an early morning dolphin cruise or sea kayaking from Walvis Bay traveling around Pelican Point.
Days 11 to 13 | Namib Naukluft
Continue to the Namib-Naukluft, Namibia’s largest National Park, which offers a surprising variety of landscapes and ecosystems ranging from Sossusvlei’s monumental sand dunes to vast quartzite gravel plains, and the rugged Naukluft Mountains along the eastern edge of the Desert. Visit the awe-inspiring dunes of Sossuslvei– the highest dunes in the worlds, many of which are in excess of 300m high. Spend the afternoon climbing and exploring these fascinating dunes and pans before leaving the area for our exclusive pristine campsite in the Naukluft Mountains.
Namib Naukluft Mountains
From here, renewed emphasis will be placed on exploring this wilderness area on foot. For the less energetic, the main area of the camp is shaded by two ancient Camelthorn trees supporting a pair of Sociable Weaver nests. Being located on a buffer zone between the Namib dune belt and the Naukluft Mountains, the area supports a rich diversity of desert adapted fauna and flora.
Day 14 | Safari terminates
After a leisurely breakfast, you will return to Windhoek where your safari terminates in the late afternoon.
Our Trusted Partner's Responsible and Sustainable Travel Policy
Care of the land, Care of the wildlife, Care of the people.
andBEYOND is dedicated to these three principles which encapsulate the vision we have for Africa. We believe that our continent’s heritage of wild places, the wildlife living there and the neighbouring communities are amongst Africa’s most precious resources. We also believe that the wisest utilisation of our wild places is through the development of sustainable ecotourism with reciprocal benefits – both for our guests and for the rural communities living in and alongside our rich wildlife heritage.
We aim to ensure that wildlife conservation in the 21st century is pivotal to the development of the custodians of the land - the people of Africa. At the core of this vision is our dedication to continually serve as a model in wise land management, integrating international travellers and rural communities to their mutual benefit, and demonstrating that everyone can participate in the protection of wildlife on a sustainable basis.
One of our flagship South African lodges, Phinda Private Game Reserve, is ongoing testament to andBEYOND's vision. Here we consolidated over 17 000 hectares/42 000 acres of degraded land, ravaged by decades of inappropriate cattle, pineapple, sisal and cotton farming, and restored it to its original wilderness state. More than 2 000 head of game were reintroduced, including the Big Five. And in a very short space of time, our neighbours were benefiting directly from Phinda. This was achieved through employment and community development projects implemented - in consultation with the communities - by CC Africa's Rural Investment Fund, now an independent, non-governmental not-for-profit organisation called the andBEYOND Foundation.
Our guests play a crucial role in helping us to realise our vision for Africa. You are our future ambassadors – the link between Africa and the rest of the world. You are the impetus that drives our dream of advancing the green and wild frontiers of the oldest continent on earth, of helping us to be ongoing custodians of our planet’s endangered species and wild places.
We invite you to experience Africa with andBEYOND and to embrace our dream of a proud, prosperous and protected Africa.
About our Trusted Partner
We are Africa’s leading ecotourism organisation, committed to providing world-class holiday experiences for discerning travellers, and to ongoing investment in sustainable conservation development and community empowerment.
Our ecotourism model recognises that economic development of the areas in which we operate is crucial to the maintenance of bio-diversity. We also recognise that much of Africa’s wildlife heritage and land is influenced or owned by local communities. Our model – successfully implemented throughout our operations in Africa -- links international high net worth, low volume/low impact visitors to these wilderness areas and their resident communities. The resultant revenue tangibly demonstrates the benefits of ecotourism and conservation to the neighbouring residents.
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