3 nights at a lodge in the Namib Desert.
Namib Desert:
Vast plains of sand swept silence await all who journey to the world’s oldest desert; a landscape believed to date as far back as 80 million years. It is here in the aridity of the Namib Desert where you may be privileged enough to experience the creative imagination of nature herself. Mighty ridges curvaceous rise to form some of the world’s most majestic shaped dunes and heights peaks.
Essentially a vast sea of sand, the Namib Desert embodies the isolation, solitude and tranquillity of a barren wilderness. As the African sun rises from beneath the horizon, it shades the desert in the romantic tones of a soft yellowish-gold glow, fading into orange hues before hints of pinks, purples and deep reds reveal the full extent of its mysterious splendour.
Among the striking beauty of this vast, remote and vacant desert hides some remarkable and unique sites not to be passed by.
The Namib Naukluft Park is a scenic wonderland. Although not teeming with the presence of Africa’s Big Five, it is home to the astonishing adaptability of many desert creatures.
Boasting the highest dunes in the world, Sossusvlei is a land of shifting sands and sculptural beauty. Visit Dead Vlei and walk between the ghostly appearance of dead camel thorn trees which jut out from an apocalyptic bone-dry encrusted lake, back dropped by the apricot tones of huge sand dunes.
2 nights in a hotel or guesthouse in Swakopmund.
Swakopmund and Walvis Bay:
“Combine the fascinating atmosphere of Germany’s tiny town, Bremen, add a dash of African adventure, the arid solitude of the world’s oldest desert and the icy surf of the Atlantic Ocean, and you will surely end up with the surreal town of Swakopmund.
This is where desert dunes slope down to mean ocean waves; and between these two stark contrasts lays the eclectic European influenced town of Swakop, as it is more affectionately known. It is here where you will discover the bohemian flair of sidewalk cafes, its resort-like appeal resonating from the seaside promenade and the historical grace of German architecture that lines the streets, all neatly packaged between the desert sand’s deep shades of beige and the ocean’s shimmer of crystal blue.
What would Swakopmund be without the excitement and extremes of a truly African escapade? Becoming increasingly popular as one of Africa’s most popular adventure centers, both Swakopmund and the nearby town of Walvis Bay are both jam packed with adrenaline pumping activities.
Between these two interesting towns, adrenaline junkies may have a hard time leaving; everything is on offer, from quad biking, tandem sky diving, to paragliding off of some of the world’s highest dunes and even ocean kayaking.”
3 nights at a lodge in the Damaraland.
Damaraland and Waterberg:
“Enter a world of grand contrasts, mysterious and unsurpassed magnificence; a land that embodies nature’s unique splendour draped in the rustic tones of burnt browns, towering oranges and rocky reds; a land swept by ever-changing winds, carving ancient rock into peculiar formations that tickle the imagination of man; enter Damaraland and explore all that is scenic and majestic.
Damaraland’s vast panoramic plains are an inspiration to all that visit its land, a distinctive wildness where time dissolves and nature reigns supreme throughout the arid Namibian Eden.
Rising from vast plains of barren vistas is the rocky heights of Brandberg Mountain. This mountain range is Namibia’s highest and is most famously known for the mind baffling rock painting known as White Lady. If ancient rock art tickles your interests, then you’ll be happy to learn that Damaraland is home to the world’s largest open air collection of rock paintings and rock engravings situated at Twyfelfontein, a Cultural World Heritage Site according to UNESCO. Within the confines of Twyfelfontein, Burnt Mountains shimmers and borrows the tones of the suns fiery intensity as it fades into shades of glowing purples when rays of African sun reach the rocky outcrop as it sets beneath the horizon.
Close by you will find the Waterberg Plateau Park, a protected area that provides sanctuary to Namibia’s most endangered animals. Within the park, a huge reddish-brown cliff soars towards the African sky and plateaus after 300 meters. This is Waterberg Plateau, where leopards roam freely between the unique growth of flora and ancient rock art.
3 nights at a lodge in the Etosha Game Reserve region.
Etosha Pan:
“World renowned and known to be Namibia’s greatest and most scenic wildlife sanctuary, the Etosha National Park is an arid wonderland that far exceeds the expectations of its visitors. It is here where dust demons dance across a vast flat depression, as it gleams a blinding silvery-white and covers newly a quarter of Etosha National Park’s surface.
Believed to be an inland lake some 12 million years ago, all that remain now is the cracked clay pans of a shimmer and glisten muddy layer which distorts the African sun’s fiery rays, casting a myriad of mirages and deceiving the eyes of the onlooker. Though deprived of water for most of the year, the Etosha Pans become a shallow green-blue algae pool after the refreshing showers arrive during the rainy season, attracting a prolific number of flamingos, pelicans and other waders.
Game is prolific in Etosha National Park, boasting more than 114 species of animals, including Africa’s much sought after; the Big Five. The splendor of Etosha does not revolve around the number of wildlife that roam these plans, but around the ease at which animals are seen throughout the day and night.
With more than 40 waterholes scattered along 800km; spotting prowling lions, nocturnal leopards, trotting elephants, herds of zebra and many endemic antelope boils down to patience. Let’s not forget that Etosha National Park is a magnificent sanctuary to all bird lovers too. The park attracts well over 340 varieties of bird, many of which are only found within the park and its surrounding areas.
There is no doubt that Etosha National Park is the ideal area to discover, whenever a Namibian safari is on the mind of the exploring traveller.”
