Ultimate Africa Safari

Day 1: Arrive Windhoek, Namibia

Welcome to Namibia. On arrival at Windhoek Airport, you will be met and transferred to your accommodation. The rest of the afternoon may be spent at leisure.

Windhoek is Namibia’s capital, and is a clean, safe and well-organised city with a colonial legacy that is reflected in its many German eateries and shops, and the widespread use of the German language. Windhoek has an interesting mix of historical and modern architecture. If you have time, a few places worth looking at are the Alte Feste (Old Fort), the 1896 Christuskirche (Christ Church), and the more contemporary Supreme Court.

This evening you will meet your group for your pre-departure meeting.

Days 2-3: Windhoek to Naukluft Mountains and Sossusvlei, Namibia

Travel south towards the Namib Naukluft National Park your river camp. This park contains the oldest desert in the world.

The next morning, visit the world’s highest sand dunes at Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. These dunes can reach heights of over 300m are spectacular and provide for a fantastic photo opportunity. With luck, there may even be water in the vlei (lake). We also stop to view the Sesriem Canyon, which was carved millions of years ago by the Tsauchab River.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Days 4-5: Naukluft National Park to Swakopmund, Namibia

Drive through the Namib Naukluft National Park on the way to Swakopmund. The Namib-Naukluft Desert is an ancient land with an ageless spirit and home to some of the rarest plant and animal species in the world. The wildlife of this harsh landscape include the Oryx, Springbok and Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra. Stop in the small town of Walvis Bay where you may spot a variety of birds including Flamingos in the lagoon. Arrive in Swakopmund in the late afternoon where you will have the rest of the day at leisure.

Set along the spectacular Namibian coastline, the seaside town of Swakopmund is known for its wide open avenues, colonial architecture, and is surrounded by otherworldly desert terrain. Founded in 1892 as the main harbour for German South West Africa, it is a quirky mix of German and Namibian influences, adventure options, laidback atmosphere and cool sea breezes.

On day 5 you have the opportunity to visit a local sustainability centre to explore the ways they preserve energy, water, waste and biodiversity. The rest of the day you can choose an optional activity such as sandboarding, desert tour, township tour, skydiving, scenic flights, fishing, kayaking or a dolphin, seal and whale cruise (optional activities, additional expense). Alternatively just soak up the atmosphere of this little quaint German town and enjoy its beauty and beaches.

Meals included: Breakfast & Lunch (Day 4), Breakfast (Day 5)

Day 6: Swakopmund to Etosha, Namibia

Depart the cool Atlantic coastline and continue the journey towards Namibia’s best-known highlight of the north – Etosha National Park. Your first night is spent at a lodge neighbouring the park, situated on an outcrop of dolomite rocks and overlooking a forest of Mopane and white Seringa trees. Your afternoon can be spent relaxing at the pool or take a leisurely stroll through the natural bush and gardens. Optional game drives are also available (additional expense).

Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner

Days 7-8: Etosha National Park, Namibia

Enter the Etosha National Park for two days of game drives in search of lion, leopard, elephant and rhino as well as cheetah, giraffe, zebra and the numerous types of antelope the park has to offer.

Your evenings are spent at the flood-lit waterholes or viewpoints encountering the park’s various nocturnal animals that come to drink. Etosha was declared a National Park in 1907 and it is home to approx. 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish.

Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 9: Etosha to Okavango River, Namibia

Departing Etosha, travel north to the town of Rundu which borders Angola, on the banks of the Okavango River in northern Namibia.  This town is the capital of the eastern Kavango region and is renowned for its local woodcarvers market and numerous woodcarvers’ huts dotting the side of the road.

Visit the Mbunza Living Museum, a traditional cultural school and communal business for the local Kavango people. Arrive late afternoon at your lodge on the banks of the Okavango River where you can relax by the pool with a sundowner listening to the sounds of mother nature.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10: Okavango River to Caprivi Region, Namibia

This morning there will be time for optional activities such as an early morning boat cruise at the lodge (additional expense) before travelling east to your camp in the western Caprivi region. In the late afternoon you will enjoy a sunset cruise to Popa Falls.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 11: Mahangu National Park, Namibia

In the morning drive to Mahangu, meaning ‘food of the local people’, which is situated next to the Okavango River. Enjoy a morning game drive in the Greater Bwabwata National Park, which extends from the Kavango River in the west to the Kwando River in the east and incorporates the Mahangu Game Reserve. Elephant, roan, kudu and buffalo are amongst the animals likely to be seen as well as prolific birdlife. In the afternoon return to your lodge and spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 12: Maun, Botswana

Depart the Caprivi region and travel south to Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve. The name Maun is derived from the San word “maung”, which means “the place of short reeds”. The afternoon is yours to spend at leisure.

Meals included: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 13: Maun to Greater Moremi Reserve, Botswana

From nearby Mokoro Station, todays adventure begins in dug-out canoes through the thick vegetation of the Okavango Delta discovering a variety of birds and wildlife. Unlike other deltas the Okavango River flows inland to the Kalahari Desert and without ever reaching the coast creates an inland delta. After this spectacular excursion, make your way to a safari camp in the Greater Moremi region. Once settled in, enjoy dinner and go on a night drive to spot nocturnal animals in this private concession.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 14: Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana

Spend the day on game drives in an open 4×4 vehicle exploring the Moremi Game Reserve. This large area is renowned for its concentration of mammals, it is not unusual to see many different types of wildlife during just one game drive. Depending on the time of the year you may see different species, the best time is the end of the dry season or spring from August to November. During this season, for the best game viewing possible extra driving may be required due to the animals migrating closer to the river. In the summer, birdlife can also be viewed in abundance with exceptional sightings of wildfowl and raptors.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 15: Greater Moremi to Nata, Botswana

Leave the bush behind and travel east towards the Makgadikgadi Pans, once a large river fed lake, however the pans are now saline and empty. In the afternoon visit Nata Bird Sanctuary for a magnificent view over the Sowa pan, part of the Greater Makgadikgadi Pans. (Note: a visit to the pans is subject to road conditions, water levels and time constraints).

Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner

Days 16-17: Nata to Chobe National Park, Botswana

Head north to Kasane, the gateway to the Chobe National Park. Chobe is the second largest national park in Botswana and covers 10,566 square km with one of the greatest concentrations of elephant in Africa. The afternoon is at leisure to partake in a number of optional activities or to relax by the pool.

The next day you enjoy a morning game drive in Chobe National Park, with the hope of spotting big game up close and also the possibility of an encounter with one of the large predators. In the afternoon you take a cruise on the Chobe River, one of the best ways to view the animals as they come to drink.

Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner each day

Days 18-19: Chobe to Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

Cross the border into Zimbabwe and onto Hwange National Park where you will spend the next two nights. Hwange is one of Africa’s finest havens for wildlife and is home to vast herds of elephant, buffalo, and zebra as well as a large  concentration of giraffe. It is also home to many predators and endangered species plus varied birdlife. A full day game drive in the park is included on the second day.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner each day

Day 20: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Continuing our trip, travel northwards to Victoria Falls. Take a tour of the mighty Victoria Falls, known by the local Kololo tribe as Mosi oa Tunya- “the Smoke that thunders”. The rest of the day may be spent at leisure or partaking in one of the many optional activities on offer such as a scenic flight, zipline, horse safari, bridge swing, rafting, hike and village tour or canopy tour (optional activities, additional expense). In the afternoon take a relaxing sunset cruise on the mighty Zambezi River.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 21: Depart Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Today your African safari comes to an end, you will be transferred to Victoria Falls Airport for your departure flight.

Meals included: Breakfast

Looking to explore other parts of Africa? We have a selection suggested of Africa Vacation Adventures:

Africa Group Safari Tours:

Wild Botswana & Zimbabwe – 11 Days
Botswana & Zimbabwe Highlights – 15 Days
South Africa Garden Route – 8 Days
The Spectacular South – 15 Days
Africa Overland Safari – 20 Days
Best of South Africa – 20 Days
Wild Tanzania – 7 Days
The Great Migration – 15 Days
Wild Uganda Gorilla Adventure – 11 Days

Africa Camping Safaris

Heart of Africa – 13 Days
Africa Explorer – 13 Days
Kilimanjaro Trek & Wildlife Safari – 11 Days

Africa Tailormade Vacations

Madagascar Beaches & Lemurs – 8 Days
Cape Town & Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve – 7 Days
Cape Town & Kruger – 7 Days
Zimbabwe Victoria Falls & Hwange – 6 Days

Africa Road Trips

South Africa Garden Route Road Trip – 6 Days