NEW AFRICAN FRONTIERS NAMIBIA 9 DAY – NAMIBIAN PANORAMA SAFARI TYPE: DURATION: Fly-In Safari 9 Days / 8 Nights ROUTING HIGHLIGHTS: Windhoek - Namib Naukluft Park – NamibRand Nature Reserve – Sossusvlei – Swakopmund Etosha National Park – Onguma Private Game Reserve - Windhoek Guests on this Fly-In Safari will be treated to the highlights of a classical Namibian Safari, including the diversity of the Namib Desert with its towering dunes at Sossusvlei, mountainous terrain and grassy plains, the desolation of the southern Skeleton Coast, Namibia’s premier coastal holiday town of Swakopmund, and the game rich Etosha National Park. ITINERARY: Day 1 Windhoek On arrival at the Windhoek International Airport you will be welcomed by a company representative and transferred to Namibia’s capital city, Windhoek. Windhoek is often described as a city with a “continental” atmosphere due to its architecture (historical buildings dating back to the German colonial rule), cuisine, culture, dress and educational institutions. Windhoek portrays the colour, sounds and tempo of a modern African city with its displays of African drums and woodcarvings on the pavements, which contrast with the elegant shops offering sophisticated Swakara garments and Namibian gemstones. Sidewalk cafes offering Namibian style breakfasts (Fruhschoppen) which can be enjoyed with a glass of sparkling wine or locally brewed draught beer. In addition to steak houses and coffee bars serving snacks, the city has a wide range of a la carte restaurants offering German, French, Taiwanese, Portuguese, Italian, African and Chinese cuisine. Accommodation: Heinitzburg Hotel Dinner this evening can either be at the hotels luxurious Leo’s Restaurant or at a local restaurant. When Count von Schwerin commissioned the castle Heinitzburg for his fiancé, Margarethe von Heintz in 1914, love was his inspiration, elegance was his achievement. Today his inspiration has been preserved and complimented to combine luxury and charm. All of the rooms feature the most magnificent views of Windhoek and surrounding Khomas Hochland Mountains. A full continental breakfast is served in a choice of settings. Outdoors in the garden café overlooking the city and Khomas Hochland or indoors in the richly finished Aschernborn Room located in the old castle. Centrally located, the Hotel Heinitzburg is a short 2-minute drive from the city centre. All the rooms are en-suite with air conditioning, television, telephone and a mini bar. A swimming pool is also on the premises. Day 2, Day 3 & Day 4 Namib Naukluft Park – NamibRand Nature Reserve - Sossusvlei After a leisurely breakfast you will be met by a company representative and transferred to the local Windhoek, Eros Airport and assisted onto your charter flight. Departure by light aircraft for your charter flight on route to the Namib Desert and the Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge. The Namibia - Fly-In Safari Namibian Panorama NEW AFRICAN FRONTIERS Email: Info@NewAfricanFrontiers.com Website: www.NewAfricanFrontiers.com 1 NEW AFRICAN FRONTIERS NAMIBIA approximate flying time is 1 hour 15 min. Midday arrival at the Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge with some time at leisure after lunch. Accommodation: Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge While in the area activities include an early morning excursion in safari vehicles to the Namib Naukluft Park to the famed Namib Sand Sea and to the magnificent Sossusvlei dunes. Departure is before dawn to appreciate the breathtaking desert colours as the sun rises. Once in the desert optional excursions are conducted on foot to photograph the dune landscape and the desert ecology or to climb some of the highest known dunes in the world. A light breakfast is served under the spreading Camel Thorn acacia trees (Acacia eriloba) before returning to the lodge by midday. Afternoon activities conducted on the Namib Rand Nature Reserve include nature drive excursions in safari vehicles, guided walking safaris or a thrilling drive over the dunes in ATV’s (All Terrain Vehicles). The Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge is set at the foot of ancient mountains spanning the northern reaches of the Namib Rand Nature Reserve and overlooks an expansive grassy plain, leading into an undulating sea of red sand dunes. Accommodation is in luxury air-conditioned desert villas, constructed from the natural mountain rock, each with en-suite bathrooms. The raised bedroom leads down to the lounge and out onto the private covered patio and sun patio. A snug fireplace for those cold winter nights completes your desert hide-away. The main lodge, with its breathtaking views features an elegant lounge, dining room, reference library, cocktail bar, expansive veranda and upstairs viewing deck with a computerized stargazing telescope. Explore this precious sanctuary on scenic drives in open safari vehicles, all terrain vehicles or on foot, participating in day excursions to the nearby Sossusvlei or enjoy an optional hot air balloon flight. The essence of the experience lies in the ever changing colours and majestic hues of the desert by day, in the billion stars bedazzling its endless night skies – the arid immensity and the grandeur of it all cannot but touch your soul and be etched into your mind forever. An optional extra ballooning safari can be reserved to provide an unforgettable sunrise over the Namib Desert. Day 5 & Day 6 Swakopmund After a leisurely breakfast continue via private charter flight crossing the Namib Sand Sea on route to the coastal town of Swakopmund. This route includes a scenic flight along the “Skeleton Coast” viewing the “Edward Bohlen (1909)” and “Shaunee (1976)” shipwrecks and the Sandwich Harbour wetland. On arrival in Swakopmund you will be met by a company representative and transferred to your local hotel. The following two days will be spent in Namibia’s premier coastal resort town, Swakopmund. Founded in 1892 during the period of German colonial rule it served as the territory’s main harbour for years. Today this quaint town nestled between desert and ocean is enhanced by lush green lawns, palm trees and carefully tended gardens. There is a good selection of restaurants and coffee shops selling traditional German cakes and pastries. Accommodation: Swakopmund Hotel The Swakopmund Hotel is a four-star luxury establishment built in and around the impeccably restored historical station building at Swakopmund. This stylish up market hotel complex is undoubtedly Swakopmund’s most splendid facility. From the light and airy hotel foyer to the 90 spacious bedroom units and two Presidential Suites, all with en-suite facilities. Guests are hosted in luxurious surroundings with a winning combination of the friendly hospitality for which Namibia is renowned. Namibia - Fly-In Safari Namibian Panorama NEW AFRICAN FRONTIERS Email: Info@NewAfricanFrontiers.com Website: www.NewAfricanFrontiers.com 2 NEW AFRICAN FRONTIERS NAMIBIA While in Swakopmund a guided half-day excursion will be conducted onto the gravel plains of the Namib Naukluft Park. This area is renowned for its diversity in landscapes, including the “Moon Landscape” formation and “Lichen Fields” and Namibia’s prehistoric plant species, the Welwitschia mirabilis. Day 7 Etosha National Park – Onguma Game Reserve After a leisurely breakfast continue via private charter flight on route towards the eastern boundary of the Etosha National Park. Midday arrival at the lodge. Accommodation: Onguma Tented Camp Situated on the eastern side of Etosha Park and bordering Fisher’s pan, Onguma Game Reserve will afford you the opportunity of experiencing Africa in all her beauty and diversity. The reserve covers an area of 20 000ha and incorporates ecological substrata such as savannah, bushveld, omuramba and dry pan. Age-old and well-worn migration routes, once used by elephant and buffalo wander through Onguma’s three dry riverbeds. Onguma reserve boasts over thirty different animal species. Plains game roam freely and predators although not easy to spot are nevertheless common residents of the area. Onguma also became part of an innovative custodianship project relating to the black rhino. Six black rhino were darted in Etosha National park and shipped to the reserve. Here they are protected and monitored. The joyful news is that the first calf was born on Onguma in October 2002. More than 300 bird species can be viewed at Onguma. The reserve boasts the biggest breeding colony of white-backed vultures in Namibia. During the summer months Onguma becomes a bird-watchers paradise with thousands of species migrating to wetlands created by the seasonal rains and ephemeral river systems. This part of Namibia has been identified as one of the key bird watching sites in Southern Africa. Day 8 Etosha National Park – Onguma Game Reserve The day is spent exploring Etosha National Park, one of the world's pre-eminent wildlife areas. At the turn of the century the governor of then German South West Africa proclaimed an area of nearly 100000 square kilometres as a game reserve - until modern times, the largest reserve on earth. Present day Etosha National Park was pared down due to political considerations in the 1960's and is now a modest but still very impressive 23175 square kilometres in extent. A vast area on Namibia's central plateau, a haven for 93 mammal species and 340 bird species, the park's focal point is the Etosha Pan - a flat saline desert, 130 km long by 50km at its widest in the eastern sector of the park. The Pan itself is believed to have originated over 12 million years ago as a shallow lake fed by the Kunene River. Subsequent climatic and tectonic changes have since lowered the water level so that the pan only holds water for a brief period each year - it teems with flamingos and pelicans in the summer. The saline and mineral residues together with moisture from perennial springs attract an immense number and variety of game and birds from mid March into November just before the new wet season starts. Etosha is known for its endemic species of impala, the black faced variety and is said to have the tallest elephants in Africa, measuring up to 4m at the shoulder. The park is also well recognised as being one of the last wild sanctuaries of the endangered black rhino. Overnight: Onguma Tented Camp Day 9 Windhoek After a leisurely breakfast you will be transferred to the airfield for your return charter flight to the Windhoek International Airport where you will connect with your regional or international scheduled departure. Namibia - Fly-In Safari Namibian Panorama NEW AFRICAN FRONTIERS Email: Info@NewAfricanFrontiers.com Website: www.NewAfricanFrontiers.com 3 NEW AFRICAN FRONTIERS NAMIBIA TOUR SUMMARY: DAYS 1 2, 3, 4 5 & 6 ACCOMMODATION Heinitzburg Hotel Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge Swakopmund Hotel REGION DAILY ACTIVITIES & HIGHLIGHTS Windhoek Windhoek City Tour Shopping Namib Naukluft Park – NamibRand Private Nature Reserve Scenic Flight over the Khomas Hochland Sunset Nature Drive & Lodge Activities Ballooning over the Namib Desert Sesriem & Sossusvlei Excursion Namib Desert Nature Drives Quad Bike Dune Excursions Astronomy Skeleton Coast Swakopmund Scenic Flight over Conception Bay & Namib Naukluft Desert Excursion Various Action Adventure Activities Marine Cruises Birding Game Drives & Lodge Activities Etosha National Park Game Drive Birding Nature Walks 7 & 8 Onguma Tented Camp Etosha National Park – Onguma Private Game Reserve 9 Return to Windhoek Windhoek Namibia - Fly-In Safari Namibian Panorama NEW AFRICAN FRONTIERS Email: Info@NewAfricanFrontiers.com Website: www.NewAfricanFrontiers.com 4