African Wildlife Safaris and more

A FAR OFF PLACE

Namibia's Spectacular Deserts and Wildlife Parks
16-Day, Air-Inclusive Holidays. Participation Limited to 12 Passengers.

Day 1, Depart U.S.A. or Canada

Your journey to the African hinterlands begins as you depart on your overseas flight.

Day 2, Johannesburg, South Africa

You are welcomed on arrival in Johannesburg, a boom town built on the gold mined from beneath its streets. Transfer to your elegant hotel amid the boutiques and cafes of suburban Rosebank. Grace (Rosebank) Hotel

Day 3, Windhoek, Namibia

Depart by air to Windhoek, Namibia, nestled amid three mountain ranges at 5400 feet. Transfer to your atmospheric hotel within a converted hilltop castle, and enjoy a welcome dinner tonight with sweeping views of the city. Hotel Heinitzburg (B,D)

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Days 4-5, Sossusvlei Dunes

A classic image of Namibia awaits you today: the towering, orange-red dunes of Sossusvlei. Soaring to 1000 feet, the spectacular ridges dwarf the visitor and provide a challenging habitat for clattering tok-tokkie beetles, translucent geckos, sidewinders and other subtle, specialized wildlife. Depart early to savor the rich, changing hues and shadows of the crests bathed by morning light. Enjoy a picnic lunch in this phenomenal setting. Then continue to your lodge, an ideal base for exploring the dunes and joining such optional activities as hot-air ballooning or game-viewing drives in search of mountain zebra, klipspringer, hyrax, springbok and black eagles. Sossusvlei Wilderness Lodge (Daily: B,L,D)

Days 6-7, Swakopmund

Depart with a picnic lunch to the resort of Swakopmund and your landmark hotel. Thursday tour the Bay, with its squawking flocks of flamingos and seabirds, and travel inland to the desert to see dune fields and 1000-year-old welwitschia plants. Between outings, explore Swakopmund's German landmarks, craft shops and cafes. Swakopmund Hotel (Daily: B,L,D)

Days 8-9, Damaraland

Set out through the infamous Skeleton Coast to the otherworldly terrain of Damaraland, home of rare desert rhinos and elephants and the Himba culture who maintain their nomadic lifestyle untouched by modern times. For two nights, you will be among the very few to explore this area's rugged scenery, wildlife, and great concentrations of ancient rock engravings, the Twyfelfontein. Your lodge is spectacularly set on the banks of the normally dry Huab River, and offers nature walks, game-drives, swimming in a spring-fed pool, and evening campfires. Though large game sightings are sporadic, your guides bring the desert to life by explaining the lives of ancient plants and insects found nowhere else in the world, and taking you to unusual finds amid what appears to be total desolation. Huab Lodge (Daily: B,L,D)

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Days 10-11, Etosha National Park - Ongava Private Reserve

Depart to Namibia's quintessential safari park, Etosha, one of Africa's most abundant and varied wildlife habitats. Your first experience of Etosha's splendor is from Ongava Reserve on the park's southern edge. Your stay here features safaris into Etosha, plus activities not permitted within the park such as bush walks and night drives. Accommodations are in charming chalets built around an African boma, located amid rich concentrations of waterholes and vegetation, with an ongoing procession of elephants, black rhinos, antelopes and birds. Ongava Main Lodge (Daily: B,L,D)

Day 12, Etosha National Park - Mushara

Travel across the heartlands and hinterlands of Etosha on a remarkable drive to your lodge just outside the park's eastern gate. The tenacity of life is rarely so well illustrated as it is around Etosha's desolate salt pan and surrounding waterholes, where animals vie for grasses and gather in huge numbers around life-giving waters. Game-view all the way to your atmospheric lodge amid a scenic stand of acacia, mopane, and mushara trees. Mushara Lodge (B,L,D)

Days 13-14, Okonjima Private Reserve

Depart southward to one of Africa's most innovative private nature reserves, Okonjima, dedicated to the conservation of cheetah. Here nature's swiftest species can be viewed up close and in good numbers, in addition to leopard, baboons, and other species drawn to a small waterhole on site. Accommodations are in a farmhouse amid rolling hills and a unique Bushman trail which your hosts, the Hanssens, happily share with guests. This afternoon enjoy a game-drive and cheetah visit. Okonjima Guest Farm (Daily: B,L,D)

Day 15, Windhoek - Depart

Depart the desert and return to Windhoek, arriving in time for your afternoon flight to Johannesburg. Here your journey draws to a close as you connect with your return flight to the U.S.A. or Canada. (B)

Day 16, U.S.A. or Canada

Arrive in the U.S.A. or Canada and connect with your flight home.

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Your Safari Cost Includes:

Roundtrip economy-class airline ticket from U.S.A. to Johannesburg; and 2 intra-African flights Johannesburg/Windhoek/ Johannesburg (air-inclusive safaris only).

Daily game-viewing at all safari destinations.

Complimentary airport transfers in Africa, whether or not you choose to arrive on group flights.

Luxury hotel, lodge and camp accommodations per the itinerary.

Three meals per day on safari; meals in Windhoek as indicated in the itinerary. (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner in itinerary.)

First-class safari and sightseeing transportation.

Professional driver/guides, all experts in the wildlife and culture of the areas visited.

Handling of 1 piece of luggage per person.

All park entry fees, hotel taxes and service charges.

Expert planning assistance and pre-tour materials, including detailed travel tips, flight bag, travel wallet, tags and other amenities.

Guaranteed departures, guaranteed prices, and limited group size of no more than 12 guests per tour.

Not included: International airport taxes; passport and visa fees and medical charges for inoculations; excess baggage or shipping charges; travel insurance; items of a personal nature such as laundry, beverages, telephone/fax charges, gratuities.
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