Campfires, Namibia & Beyond ([thisyear]-[nextyear])

Welcome to Namibia! After that long flight, enjoy the smile of your private driver-guide, who is waiting for you at Windhoek International Airport. Don’t hesitate to ask him any questions you want, before being driven to your lodge on the heights of the Capital.

Let your mind wander as your gaze travels over the pre-Namib landscapes and its crumpled reliefs, your guide-driver takes you to the gates of the Namib Naukluft park. The Namib forms one of the oldest and most arid deserts in the world, and covers more than 15% of the country on the Atlantic coast. It nevertheless extends over 2000 km, along the coast of South Africa, on the Angolan border. The accumulation of sand and the formation of dunes spans between 40 and 15 million years.
Enjoy a flexible conclusion to the day by going on a quick hike with your guide to learn about the flora and animals! In the center of this vast area, the fauna freely migrates, including springboks, oryx, ostriches, and other desert-adapted birds like auricous vultures and sandgrouse. Possibility of horseback riding (outside the park) or a visit to the Sesriem Canyon.

Morning in Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei with your guide, with a very early start. You will hike in the heart of Sossuvlei, which is located 60 km from the Sesriem Canyon, inside the Namib Naukluft Park. The dunes rise more than 375 meters above the Tsauchab River which flows from east to west to die in the desert a few kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean.
You will be amazed by the palettes of ochre colors and the undulating shapes of the dunes of Sossusvlei. We encourage you to climb to the top of these giant piles of sand, before enjoying a well-deserved breakfast in the shade of the acacias, at the foot of Sossusvlei. Later in the day, you will be surprised by the hidden water source at the bottom of the Sesriem gorges.

In the morning, crossing the gypsum plains and impressive gorges of the Central Namib, you may have the opportunity to see, in the distance, ostriches, oryx or even Hartman’s zebras. You discover hyper-arid expanses, bordered by a vigorous ocean: a radical change of atmosphere!
Swakopmund is a small town on the ocean, bordered to the south by the Swakop wadi and the coastal dunes. We will visit the craft center “COSDEF”, where Namibians offer training and apprenticeships for leather and fabric work. There are very beautiful, original items and sometimes temporary exhibitions.

Did you know that the Atlantic in Namibia was home to so many sea lions? You will observe them this morning from a catamaran. In the afternoon, free time in the disconcerting “seaside” city of Swakopmund, founded by the German commander Curt Von Francois in 1892. The aim was to create a port competing with that of Walvis Bay (held by the English) in order to put into service a naval line between Hamburg and Namibia from 1899. This was to facilitate supplies from Germany and support the colonization of the region.
Morning on the Atlantic Ocean by boat, looking for sea lions, dolphins, pelicans, cormorants and possibly the rare “Mola Mola” fish. This sea trip allows you to discover the aquatic life of the coast in the best possible conditions, on a comfortable and spacious boat, generally a catamaran with a maximum capacity of 25 people.

Departure with your guide who will drive on the beautiful tracks of the south of the Kunene region, cultivating history and respect for the environment. You will sleep in a bivouac for an immersion under the stars and the nature of Damaraland.
At the end of the day or the next morning, excursion to the Himba village of Otjikondero. This village has the role of an orphanage and hosts a small bush school. You will visit the village with your guide. The huts of the Himba village are made of pieces of wood covered with a kind of mud composed of earth and dried cow dung. This is an opportunity to discover the region.

In the morning, safari with your guide and 4×4 in the Huab wadi depending on the season, this activity may have been done the day before). The adventure continues on the virgin and secret lands of Damaraland, home to the elusive desert elephant, the unique black rhinoceros and a large number of antelope species. From the Huab valley to the Himba village, you will be lulled between history and landscapes, enough to really disconnect! In the middle of the day, quick visit to the rock engraving site of Twyfelfontein.
At the end of the day or the next morning, excursion to the Himba village of Otjikondero. This village has the role of an orphanage and hosts a small bush school. You will visit the village with your guide. The huts of the Himba village are made of pieces of wood covered with a kind of mud composed of earth and dried cow dung. This is an opportunity to discover the region.

After a delicious private breakfast in your villa worthy of a film set, it is in the Etosha animal park that your journey continues with your guide-driver for the next 3 days. We give you enough time to observe the animals, and allow photo enthusiasts equip themselves with their equipment and patience to capture the unusual encounters with wildlife.
You will be able to observe groups of springboks, zebras, but also rarer species such as black-faced impalas (endemic to Namibia) or dik diks, the smallest antelope in Africa. The interactions between animals around watering holes are often magical in Etosha, where you may cross paths with a leopard or a group of lionesses hunting!

Can you guess the silhouette of a kudu hidden behind the foliage? Why does the giraffe look so worried when it needs to drink at the watering hole? Open all your senses and enjoy the anecdotes that your guide will be sure to share with you.
Crossing the Etosha National Park with your guide and private vehicle you will discover the abundant fauna that you can observe on the “pan” or around the many water points of the reserve. Your guide will be able to give you information on the species encountered.

The dream of the unique photo shot is still there, and fortunately, you still have many opportunities to contemplate the animals thanks to the expertise of your guide.
Today, feast your eyes on a wildlife safari in the park. Created in 1907, Etosha is home to 114 species of mammals and more than 340 species of birds. This park is one of the largest animal reserves in the world, so take advantage of it and do not put your binoculars away for too long. You will never get tired of looking out over the horizon in hopes of spotting a cat hiding beneath an acacia or a herd of elephants casually ambling across the massive salt lake that gave the park its name.

Day of driving towards the north-east. Your guide will show you the marula trees, whose fruits produce a delicious local alcohol beverage. We reach the region of Popa falls and Mahangu in the Caprivi strip, a narrow projection of Namibia towards the east for about 450 km, between Botswana to the south, and Angola and Zambia to the north. Caprivi is bordered by the great rivers of Okavango, Kwando (which will become the Chobe) and Zambezi.

Use your free day to visit Buffalo Park and the Mahango Reserve, where you can see new, more “aquatic” species that are not seen in Etosha. The Okavango River’s reserves are home to 430 different kinds of birds, buffalo, hippos, sable antelopes, and, of course, cute tiny grivet monkeys!
A tiny portion of the Okavango River is protected by the about 30,000-hectare Mahango reserve, which is located very near the Botswana border. Numerous types of wildlife can be found there, including crocodiles, hippopotamuses, sable antelopes, cats, and aquatic antelopes like the uncommon sitatunga or pukus. Dense forests and expansive savannah plains alternate close to the Okavango’s banks.

A leisurely day of discovery. Our 4×4 takes us along narrow tracks on sandy or flooded land, depending on the season. Here, the vegetation really recreates the atmosphere of the Moremi reserve in Botswana, with in particular the Jackal’s Berry and “sausage trees”!
After the track, it is pleasant to relax on the banks of the river. The more active may prefer to leave in 4×4, to go on a safari in the surroundings. Depending on the season and the water level, you will observe the winged fauna, the hippos but also often buffalo, elephants, kudus, lechwes and even the rare black antelopes.

Departure to Katima Mulilo then the Ngoma border, to reach Botswana in the middle of the day. Your Namibian guide will have to leave for Namibia and you will then be taken care of by a Botswana specialist guide and his camp assistant/translator, to quickly settle into the heart of Chobe Park.
The adventure continues with your cameras, to search in 4×4 for the felines of the Chobe River Front! Did you know that there are more than 40,000 elephants in the Chobe Park? And that the sandy banks of the Chobe River offer a unique spectacle where the largest crocodiles in Africa rub shoulders with the pukus, aquatic antelopes with surprising agility in the water?

Discovery day in 4×4 in the national park! Attentive to the slightest movement, listening to your guide, you still hope today to fill up on unique situations. In Chobe, you will find the largest gatherings of elephants and predators in all of Africa.
You will search for herds of buffalo, elephants, lions, and leopards throughout the morning and evening. Hippos, crocodiles, and numerous aquatic antelopes (such as reedbuck, waterbuck, pukus, etc.) can be found in the park. A sight to remember.

Morning transfer to the Kazungula border, just 30 km from your bivouac site. Your Botswana driver-guide will drop you off at the border and you will be picked up by a transfer agent. Once settled in the guesthouse, you will no longer have a private guide but you can easily walk to the Victoria Falls Park or take a taxi (payable locally) that the lodge will organize for you on request.
In the park (entrance fee 30 USD pp, to be paid on site), you can walk on small forest paths leading above the abyss, under the sea spray acting as an invigorating shower and revealing splendid rainbows. Look for the bushbuck hiding in the heart of this lush vegetation! The park is accessible on foot from the Victoria Falls Hotel and the Ilala lodge. Other hotels offer transfers.

Transfer (included) to Victoria Falls airport to take your international flight. Thank you and have a good trip!