Elephant Track Safari

Meet your safari leader at 08:00am for a departure briefing. We then drive through the rolling hills south of Windhoek and drop down the escarpment onto the desert plains to stop at Solitaire for the world’s best apple tart (own expense). This afternoon we travel to our lodge and enjoy the vast open spaces of the Namib desert.

The following day we visit the Namib Nauklauft National Park to witness the amazing landscapes of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. The vleis are clay pans formed by the occasional flooding of the Tsauchab River. Sossusvlei is dotted with ancient Camel Thorn trees (Acacia erioloba) while the trees on Deadvlei are lifeless and stark against the surrounding tall orange sand dunes.

Includes: Entrance fees to Sesriem Canyon and Naukluft National Park. Day 1: Breakfast not included. Day 1: Lunch will be an own expense meal. Day 1: Dinner provided by the lodge. Day 2: Breakfast provide by the lodge. Day 2: L Lunch will be an own expense meal. Day 2: Dinner provided by the lodge.
Overnight: Desert Camp – twin share permanent tents with en suite facilities. Restaurant, swimming pool & bar. WiFi not available.
Distance / Time: 304kms, ± 4½ hours excluding stops for sightseeing & lunch.

Swakopmund lies on the Atlantic coast, and the relative cool sea breezes will be a welcome change from the hot desert days. The town lies at the mouth of the Swakop River which flows infrequently, but forms the northern boundary of the relentlessly northward migrating sand dunes. Optional scenic flights from Swakopmund offer spectacular desert landscapes as they fly along the skeleton coast (own expense).

We head inland to the Tsiseb Conservancy and the Brandberg, a mountainous granite outcrop. Standing at over 2,600m it towers above the surrounding plains and is visible from a great distance. The Tsisab Ravine at the foot of the mountain contains more than 1000 rock shelters and some 45,000 rock paintings including the famous “White Lady”, which is a short 40 minute walk up the ancient watercourse.

Our lodge, situated in the dry Ugab River valley, is ideally situated to explore the area in search of the rare desert elephants and we’ll join a local guide on a 4WD excursion. Being far ranging and elusive, a sighting of the elephants cannot be guaranteed, but with the knowledge of our local guide the day will be fascinating.

Includes: Entrance to Brandberg, walk with local guide to White Lady painting and 4WD excursion with local guide. Day 4: Breakfast provided by the hotel. Day 4: Lunch provided by the lodge. Day 4: Dinner provided by the lodge. Day 5: Breakfast provided by the lodge. Day 5: Picnic lunch provided by the lodge. Day 5: Dinner provided by the lodge.
Overnight: Brandberg White Lady Lodge – twin share chalets with en-suite facilities, bar, restaurant & swimming pool. WiFi not available.
Distance / Time: 227km, ± 2½ hours, excluding stops for sightseeing.

The salt pan in Etosha is the remnants of a large lake that dried up thousands of years ago. This “Great White Place” is 120km wide and forms the central attraction in the National Park. Natural springs and waterholes around the edges provide life giving water that sustains the wildlife in this otherwise arid area.

Elephants coated in the white salt dust from the pan make for extraordinary photos. Our camp is located on the edge of a floodlit waterhole allowing us to get a glimpse of the nocturnal animals that come to drink, including the rare black rhino, lion and possibly leopard. We enjoy the evening sitting at the waterhole in anticipation.

We spend most of today in the Etosha National Park, before moving to our overnight lodge in the Grootfontein district. En route we’ll stop at the Hoba meteorite. At over 60 tons, it is the largest known meteorite on Earth.

Driving north east we enter the Zambezi Region, formally known as the Caprivi Strip. A narrow piece of land annexed to the German South West African colony in 1890, allowing access to the mighty Zambezi River and a trade route to the East coast of Africa and the then German Tanganyika. From our lodge on the banks of the Kavango River, which feeds the Okavango Delta, we have a full day to explore the Mahango Game Reserve on a morning game drive in our tour vehicle, and an afternoon river cruise.

Heading east we cross the Caprivi Strip which separates Angola from Botswana and enter Botswana at the Ngoma Border and drive across the Chobe National Park to the small town of Kasane. Our lodge has views of Chobe River as it flows into the National Park and this river attracts an abundance of wildlife. We settle into our lodge and enjoy a sunset from the viewing deck.

Up early for an exciting open 4WD game drive where we hope to spot some big game including lions, buffalo and possibly the elusive leopard. Later in the afternoon we have the incredible experience on the Chobe River where we head out by boat into the park and get close to the elephants as they quench their thirst. We leave the park as the golden sun slips below the horizon.

The Zambezi River rises in Zambia before flowing through Angola and along the border of Namibia before plunging 100 metres over the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls. The spray billowing up from the gorge creates a lush rainforest that surrounds the falls. With our local guides, we explore the National Park where we walk to the very edge of the falls and marvel at the power of the water that created this wonder.

This classic journey ends at 08:00am at the lodge.