Cost and validity
1 November 2020 to 1 October 2021
Price Includes
6 nights’ accommodation (2 nights Kalahari Desert, 2 nights Sossusvlei / Namib Desert, 2 nights Swakopmund / Namib Coast)
6 breakfasts
4 dinners (2 dinners at Africa Safari Lodge, 2 dinners at Desert Hills Lodge)
Air-conditioned vehicle suitable for Namibian terrain plus fuel
Accommodation and meals for your tour guide driver or tour guide and driver
1 sundowner game drive and 1 sunrise game drive in the Kalahari
Namib Naukluft Park, Sossusvlei and Sesriem entry fees
Guided Sossusvlei and Sesriem Canyon excursion
Tourism levy
Porterage
15% VAT
Excluded from Price
Flights
Entrances and optional activities and excursions not specified in the itinerary (rates on request)
Meals not specified in includes
Beverages for own account
Gratuities for guides, drivers, and hospitality staff
Travel insurance
Expenses of a personal nature
Visa fees (where applicable
Airport taxes
What to Bring
Comfortable shoes
Warm jackets
Sunhat and sunglasses
Sun cream
Cameras
Personal belongings
Personal medication
IMPORTANT
Namibia emergency number: +264 81 127 0564
Your English-speaking guide will collect you from your hotel in Windhoek. After a brief sightseeing tour of the capital city’s landmarks such as the turn-of-the-century Tintenpalast and historically significant Christuskirche, you will make your way southwards via Rehoboth and Kalkrand to the Kalahari Desert region. A vast, semi-arid, sandy savannah that covers much of neighbouring Botswana, regions of South Africa and parts of Namibia, the Kalahari Desert is home to a wide range of free-roaming wildlife such as the black-maned Kalahari lion, Oryx, giraffe, warthog and the delightful meerkat. After you check in to Africa Safari Lodge, your accommodation for the next two nights, you will embark on your first game drive. Dinner will be served in the lodge restaurant after you have returned from your Sundowner Game Drive. Afterwards, you can gather around the crackling fire in the Boma with the other guests to chat or simply stargaze.
Recommendations for Day 2
Day 2 sees you rising early for your second game drive. Dawn in the Kalahari is a magical time of day when the desert animals, birds and insects rise with the sun. You can expect to encounter blue wildebeest, zebra, and various antelope species. Breakfast is served after you return from your Sunrise Game Drive. The rest of the day can be spent at your leisure, relaxing by the swimming pool, or walking on one of the trails on the property. If you would like to book another optional Sundowner Game Drive for that evening, please speak to your guide.
After breakfast, you will be taken in an easterly direction via Mariental, Maltahöhe and Sesriem towards the Namib Desert. One of the oldest deserts in the world, the Namib hugs the Atlantic coastline for 1,500 km and some of its dunes climb 300 m into the air and run for 32 km. It is a place of stark beauty and home to some of Namibia’s most iconic sights like Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. After arriving at Desert Hills Lodge and freshening up, do not miss the opportunity to enjoy sundowners overlooking the desert as nothing compares to a Namib Desert sunset. Dinner is served in the on-site lodge restaurant. Dinner is served alfresco in the Boma.
Recommendations for Day 4
On Day 4, you will rise early to depart for Sossusvlei before dawn because the midday heat in the Vlei can become extremely intense. Sossusvlei is a large, salt and clay pan surrounded by towering red dunes that present photographers with spectacular opportunities, especially in the morning when the dunes cast shadows. Other highlights include:
The rest of Day 4 can be spent at your leisure back at the lodge.
The final leg of your 7-Day Southern Kalahari & Namib Desert Explorer Guided Tour begins after breakfast when you make your way through the Namib Naukluft Park and via Solitaire towards the west coast of Namibia. A slice of Moose McGregor’s delicious apple pie at the bakery in the isolated settlement of Solitaire en-route is well worth the stop. Upon arrival in the picturesque coastal town of Swakopmund, check in to Hansa Hotel Swakopmund. The hotel is within walking distance of shops, restaurants, and the beach. You can book an optional city sightseeing tour to take in some of Swakopmund’s German colonial architectural heritage such as the Alte Kaserne, Hohenzollern Haus and the Railway Station or you can explore the area surrounding the hotel on your own on foot. You can return to your hotel for dinner or you can try one of Swakopmund’s many popular restaurants such as the Jetty 1905 Restaurant or the Old Steamer Restaurant.
Recommendations for Day 6
Known as Namibia’s top adventure spots, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay are about 43 km apart from each other. The trip between the two towns is best undertaken in the early morning when the ocean breeze drives cool Atlantic air inland and it transforms into clouds of mist when it butts up against the hot air rising from the Namib Desert dunes. Optional activities in the area include:
Day 7 marks the end of your 7-Day Southern Kalahari & Namib Desert Explorer Guided Tour. After breakfast, it is time to check out and transfer via of Usakos, Karibib, Okahandja and Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport for your outward-bound flight.
PLEASE NOTE
If you wish to spend an extra night in Windhoek on Day 7 to catch an early flight out the following morning, please let us know and we would be more than happy to assist with booking accommodation and airport transfers. Your transfer will drop you off at your hotel in Windhoek en-route to the airport or after dropping the other guests off at the airport, depending on logistics. We are, likewise, happy to assist if you would like to extend your stay in Swakopmund by an extra night.
RECOMMENDATION
If time and budget allow, you can join our Northern Namibia Wildlife Explorer Guided Tour on the morning of Day 7 which departs from Swakopmund after breakfast and includes the following highlights:
Africa Safari Lodge
Located 25 km from Mariental in the heart of Southern Namibia, Africa Safari Lodge offers panoramic views of the surrounding plains. The tastefully decorated, air-conditioned, en-suite chalets with their large, sliding glass doors have a safe, a TV and a tea- and coffee-making facility.
Other facilities include
Desert Hills Lodge
The organic, domed homes of the ancient San are the inspiration for Desert Hills Lodge. Located in the shadow of the mountains that overlook the plains of the Namib Desert, Desert Hills Lodge is 30 km away from the entrance gate to the Namib Naukluft Park. Each secluded desert-facing thatched Chalet has air-conditioning, a minibar, a coffee-making station and an en-suite bathroom.
Other facilities include:
Hansa Hotel Swakopmund
One of Namibia’s oldest hotels, the Hansa Hotel Swakopmund dates back to the early 1900s. Conveniently located within walking distance of the beach, restaurants, famous landmarks and shops, the hotel makes a wonderful home base from which to explore Swakopmund on foot. The Standard Rooms come equipped with air-conditioners, en-suite bathrooms, flatscreen TVs, WiFi, a safe, a minibar and a tea and coffee station.
Other facilities include:
PLEASE NOTE
Accommodation is subject to availability. If we are unable to book accommodation as stated, we will look for a similar alternative and advise you accordingly.
20% pre-payment at time of booking.
Balance to be settled 60 days prior to travel.
Payment to be made in ZAR (South African Rands).
The customer is liable for any bank charges.
Account holder: Africa Focus Tours Namibia (Pty) ltd
Bank: Nedbank Namibia
Account number: 011500012252
Branch code: 96167200
Swift code: NEDSNANX
Cancellations 32 to 22 days prior to travel forfeit 60% of the full booking amount.
Cancellations 21 to 15 days prior to travel forfeit 70% of the full booking amount.
Cancellations 15 to 8 days prior to travel forfeit 80% of the full booking amount.
Cancellations 7 days to NO SHOW forfeit 100% of the full booking amount.
Special cancellation terms may apply for certain products and services.
General Terms
Price quoted per person and includes the cost of accommodation and meals for your guide (and driver where applicable).
Minimum of 2 pax required for tour departure.
Minimum age of children is 8 years old.
Families with children younger than 8 years of age are welcome to request a Private 7-Day Northern Namibia Wildlife Explorer Guided Tour.
Final bookings and rooming lists to be supplied 35 days prior to the commencement date of the tour.
The accommodation mentioned in the itinerary will depend on availability at the time of making the booking. Any alternatives will be of a similar standard and will be within the same region.
This is merely a quotation and not a confirmed booking.
Seek your doctor’s advice with regards to vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis.
Parents travelling with children must provide an unabridged birth certificate which includes details of the child’s father as well as the mother for all travelling children. This applies even when both parents are travelling with their children.
When children are travelling with guardians, these adults are required to produce affidavits from the children’s parents proving permission for the children to travel.
The above applies to foreigners and South Africans travelling to or from South Africa as well as travellers in transit.
Minimum age of children is 8 years of age.
Rates and policies for children under 12 years of age on request.