22 Merensky Street, Windhoek, NAMIBIA
Tel: +264 61 300558, Fax: +264 61 220989, info@wanderzonetours.com
14 Days Namibia Culture and Nature Safari| more camping>>
OVERVIEW
The 14 day Culture & Nature Safari is a perfect way to see the classic highlights of Namibia but to also get down to the grass roots of Namibian Culture.
The first section of the itinerary will take you sightseeing, travelling to the worlds highest sand dunes at Sesriem & Sossusvlei and then to Swakopmund on the Skeleton Coast. From here we will enter Namibias most beautiful desert region, Damaraland, where we will visit Namibias highest mountain, the Brandberg and the ancient Bushman rock engravings at Twyfelfontien. From here we spend time at a Himba village before travelling deep into Kaokoland, the home of the Himba where our (Cultural Lesson)really starts. We camp on the banks of the mighty Kunene River, one of the few permanent water courses in Namibia, where we can meet some of the locals. From here we make our way slowly back south, visiting and staying with more and different communities through out Owamboland.
After meeting the Bushmen at Treesleeper and Ombili we are Into Etosha National Park for the Big Game experience before returning to the Capital city.
Guaranteed departures on selected Fridays of the year. There are no minimum numbers and no single supplements and the price is virtually fully inclusive of everything you will need whilst travelling with us. The style is limited participation, assisted camping with the participation limited to only helping with the tents. Collection time is between 08:30 & 09:00 from anywhere within the Windhoek city limits.
Guaranteed departures on selected Fridays of the year. There are no minimum numbers and no single supplements and the price is virtually fully inclusive of everything you will need whilst travelling with us. The style is limited participation, assisted camping with the participation limited to only helping with the tents. Collection time is between 08:30 & 09:00 from anywhere within the Windhoek city limits.
Two of the world natural wonders, the Okavango Delta and the mighty Victoria Falls can also be included by combining this trip with our 8 day Delta and Falls Safari.
- No minimum numbers and maximum group size is 16 travelers
- Transport for up to 8 people will be in a minibus or a Land Cruiser. For more than 8 a specially converted safari truck will be used
- Itinerary is assisted comfortable camping with participation limited to only helping
with the tents
Guaranteed departures on selected Fridays of the year.
- Travel and fuel
- English speaking professional guide
- 3 meals a day
- Tap drinking water
- Tea and coffee in camp
- Camping equipments and gears
- Camping fees and park fees
- Pick up & dropping off in Windhoek
Safari excludes:
- Sleeping Bags
- Personal Travel Insurance
- Alcoholic beverages
- Soft drinks
Destination: Windhoek, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Brandberg, Damaraland, Oase Village, Kamanjab, Damaraland, Kunene River Lodge, Kaokoland, Owamboland, Treesleeper Camp, San Project and Etosha - Namutoni, Etosha - Namutoni, Windhoek.
Price per person: N$10,400.00 single supplement: N$940.00
Safari Tour Details
Day 1
We leave Windhoek and straight away join the small desert roads that connect the whole of rural Namibia. Windhoek is in a mountain valley and we have to climb out, first over the Eros Mountains and then the Khomas Hochland Range.
The mountain passes are spectacular, we pass by several desert homesteads and we often see wild game along the road. As we come through the mountains we drop down from the central plateau by way of the impressive Remhoogte Pass and emerge to find grassy desert savanna.
We stop at Solitaire, Namibia's second smallest town, for afternoon tea, then cross some open grass savannah and farmlands before the terrain begins to give way to the immense red sand dune desert of the Namib.
We aim to arrive at Sesriem during the late afternoon and we have time to drive out to one of the nearby dunes to watch the colours on distant mountains to the east, glow and change.
Driving time: approx. 5hrs (350 km)
Day 2
A pre dawn start is essential this morning as we want to catch the soft light of the sunrise on the desert. After driving into the heart of the dune field, we reach Sossusvlei itself by walking the last 5 km through the dunes.
The walk is like nothing else, in the cool of the morning, with soft sunlight just beginning to play over the dunes creating a sharp light and shadow contrast across the whole desert.
Ancient mineral pans, stunted camel thorn trees and the chance of seeing a gemsbok or maybe an ostrich make the photo opportunities perfect.
We spend the morning in and around Sossusvlei, also visiting dune 45, and as the day wears on we return to Sesriem for lunch to escape the heat of the afternoon. As the day cools off in the late afternoon we will take a short excursion to the Sesriem Canyon.
Day 3
An early start today, we are heading north-west to the seaside town of Swakopmund located on the Skeleton Coast. Leaving the dune fields far behind us we are soon back into the mountain desert.
We cross the Tropic of Capricorn and traverse both the Gaub and the Kuiseb passes, driving down to the dry river bed at the bottom of the canyon before climbing up the other side, watching the spectacular desert landscape unfold before us.
From the mountains we cross the desolate Namib gravel plains before reaching the coastal sand dunes at the port town of Walvis Bay. We will stop to see the ocean and there will be time to see the flamingos and other bird life in the Walvis Bay lagoon before continuing the short drive into Swakopmund.
Dinner tonight is for the clients own account in a local restaurant.
Driving time approx: 5 hrs. (350km)
Day 4
Leaving town we head north, following the rugged Skeleton Coast to the small town of Henties Bay. After a short stop here, we continue on to the Cape Cross Reserve. Here there can be as many as 100 000 Cape Fur Seals basking on the rocks and cavorting in the "boiling" Atlantic waters.
We turn east and inland from here heading into one of the most beautiful desert areas in Namibia, Damaraland, home to the elusive desert elephant and rare black rhino.
Our destination is the Brandberg, Namibia's highest mountain, (2573 m), an ancient Bushman spiritual site and tonight we sleep under the shadow of this giant granite monolith.
Driving time: approx. 5 hrs (300 km)
Day 5
We leave early and head the Khorixas and then on to the small town of Kamanjab where we will make a short stop before continuing on to find the Himba Tribesmen at Oase. Oase is the only traditionally functioning Himba community outside the far north Kaokoland region of Namibia These tribes-people have migrated here, lifestyle and customs intact, and are following their traditional way-of-life in their village on a farm. Oase Village is located about 15 to 20 km outside Kamanjab, the exact location of the site varies as the Himba occasionally roam to a new location.
During the afternoon we will be invited into Oase Village and will meet with the locals. We will have a specialist guide for the time we are there, who will be able to translate for us and will introduce us to this (alternative lifestyle). We will learn about marriage customs, traditional food and the mysteries of the local religion, (Holy Fire).
Driving time: approx. 5hrs. (300km).
Day 6
We cross the mountains into the far northern region of Kaokoland, the home of the Himba. The Himba people are, in fact, part of the Herero Clan, sharing a common language and heritage.
The original people were, and still to some extent are, nomadic pastoralists, settling in one area only long enough to harvest a crop before herding their cattle and families to literally, greener pastures. They arrived in Namibia as late as the 1920's and continued their almost Stone-Age existence in the far northern regions until late into the 20th Century.
Globalisation has caught up with most traditional ways of life and the Himba are no exception. Today in Kaokoland the unlimited space that Africa used to boast is no longer available for nomadic people and the villages in the region are pretty much permanent. Many of the younger generations have migrated for the last time but this time to the cities and not to a new "kraal". The Kaokoland Himba of today still retain many of their traditional ways, ways that are being adapted to fit in with 21st Century living.
We travel to the main center of Kaokoland, the small town of Opuwo and after a short stop here, we start the final northern leg of our safari to the Kunene River. We will visit several villages along the way, asking permission to enter and offering gifts of food for the whole community to show appreciation for the hospitality we hope to receive.
The Kunene is a welcome sight after long desert driving, and we tonight sleep in a lodge, right on the banks of the river, looking over to Angola on the far bank.
Driving time: approx. 4 hrs (250 km)
Day 7
We spend a whole day in this rare wetland of the Namib Desert. There will be the opportunity to visit more Himba communities but there is also the chance to "chill-out" in the shade beside the river and re-charge.
For the energetic there are various optional activities available. These include white water rafting on the Kunene, hiking trails or mountain biking in the foothills surrounding the Kunene River Valley.
(N.B. All extra activities and excursions are subject to availability and are made at the clients' own risk and expense).
Day 8
We stay with the Kunene for the first part of the day, following the river road up-stream to the huge hydro-electric dam at Ruacana, a joint industrial project between Angola and Namibia and the source of much of Namibia electrical power. In times of high water the sluice gates at the dam are opened to create an impressive waterfall. A short stop in Ruacana and then we pick up the main road into Owamboland traveling through the heart of the most populated area of Namibia.
We will stop to see the famous hollow baobab tree in the Ombalantu community. The town is located at an old and long abandoned South African military base but the baobab in question has had a much longer history than that. Previously used as a house, a prison and a church and we can only imagine what the trunk would have to say if only it could talk.
Our destination is Olukonda Village, located off the main road and in the heart of rural Owamboland. We will make camp nearby a small church and we will visit the local community in the afternoon.
Driving time approx. 3hrs. (300km)
Day 9
Before leaving Olukonda we will visit the church where there is a craft project and we will also make time to visit a traditional, (museum) Owambo show village. Created to preserve the traditions of the Owambo people and to allow visitors to see how people lived, (and are indeed living), but avoiding the intrusive nature of modern day anthropology.
From here it is only a short drive to Okangororosa village where we are invited to spend the night with the local community. We plan to spend the afternoon with the local Headman and in the late afternoon, meeting some of the other villagers and assisting with the daily task of herding the cattle in for the night.
We have direct contact not only with the people but with their everyday way of life and we have the chance to compare our own lifestyle, (quality bathrooms for example), with the lifestyle of the people living in rural Namibia.
Day 10
After making our goodbyes at Omaheke, we continue south west, staying on the main tar road. Passing through still more communities but heading out of Owamboland and into the south eastern corner of the Kavango region.
Treesleeper camp is located just outside Tsintsabis and is an active bushman community project.
It is home to the Hei//omn Bushmen, the former inhabitants of Etosha and its surroundings, and the !Kung Bushmen. The biggest attraction at Treesleeper Camp is the (Historic Living Village) where you have the opportunity to get acquainted with the traditional and contemporary life of the Bushmen.
Tonight we will be treated to traditional entertainment by the community members. In ancient times the Bushman used the simple act of singing and dancing for many purposes. There were spiritual reasons, as a form of prayer to the Bushman God Mantis, practical reasons, ensuring the next days hunt was properly sanctioned by the spirits of their ancestors. It was a form of celebration, a marriage or to welcome the rains but also, more simply, singing and dancing was just plain good fun.
Even today everybody gets excited at the prospect of a dance and we will be able to join in the celebration as an honoree member of the Treesleeper Clan.
Driving time approx. 4hrs. (300km)
Day 11
First stop this morning will be to visit a local community of Bushman or San people. Before Namibian independence in 1990, the Namibian people were engaged in a liberation struggle with South Africa.
During this time Namibia had a large South African military presence and the South African army incorporated local Bushmen into their ranks because of their natural talent for tracking.
When the South African army withdrew, the local Bushmen trackers remained behind and were in danger of becoming displaced people, being so long away from their own villages. The local farming community in the Ombili area invited the Bushmen to stay and make their homes. Over the last 15 years or so a thriving bushman community has developed.
The Bushmen at Ombili are not living the traditional hunter gatherer lifestyle, that harsh but romanticized way of life has disappeared for ever, but the language and many of the customs remain alive.
We make a stop at Ombili and we have the chance to meet the local inhabitants and learn something of their ancient and modern culture.
Continuing on to Namutoni camp in Etosha National Park, we aim to arrive in time for lunch, giving us time to relax before heading out into the park during the cool of the late afternoon for our first game drive.
Driving time approx. 2hrs. (200km)
Day 12
It is up before dawn to go straight out on an early morning game drive. We visit some of the numerous waterholes in the area hoping to catch some of Etosha's big game out for an early morning drink. The game drives around the Namutoni area are some of the best in the park.
We cover several different types of terrain this morning, from wooded areas to open savannah and in the rainy season, wetland. Back to Namutoni in the late morning and after lunch there is time once again to relax during the heat of the day.
We take a shorter game drive in the late afternoon, often driving out to one of the waterholes popular with game and waiting for the animals to come to us.
Day 13
A full day's game driving. We again leave early to enjoy the cool morning air. We game drive our way through Etosha to Halali camp, situated in the middle of the park.
Along the way we visit several waterholes and are afforded splendid views of the massive Etosha Pan. The game viewing is usually excellent and we have the chance to tick off a few new species that are not normally seen on the Namutoni side of the park.
We stop at Halali for a rest and a leisurely lunch. There is also time to visit the Halali waterhole and to make use of the swimming pool and bar facilities before continuing on our way and game driving down to our camp in the Okaukuejo region.
After your evening meal there are still more chances to see Etosha's big game at Okaukuejos floodlit waterhole, situated on the boundary of our camp and easily reachable on foot.
Okaukuejo is famous for its waterhole, which has been described as one of the "best game viewing opportunities in Southern Africa". Situated on the doorstep of our accommodation, black rhino, elephant, lion and numerous species of antelope are often seen.
Day 14
We have time for a short, final game drive this morning before leaving Etosha and beginning our journey south. We are travelling on the main road, passing through towns and rural areas and we will make time to make a stop in the small town of Okahandja.
Okahandja is the home of Namibia's largest wood carving market. The stalls are operated on a local co-operative basis and are one of the best places to shop for truly Namibian souvenirs.
We are due back into the city around 16:00 and you will be dropped off at your accommodation on our return.
Driving time approx. 6hrs. (450km).
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