Fly-in Safaris
8-Day Etosha, Damaraland, Spitzkoppe, Coast & Sossusvlei Highlights Self-Drive Safari
Details:
This is an exceptional itinerary which includes great wildlife viewing, archaeology, history, nature and simply great fun! It is designed in a way which affords you some of the highlights and most popular areas in Namibia as well as other exceptional areas, like the breath-taking Spitzkoppe. This is ideal for travellers hoping to experience what is unique to Namibia.
Departures:
Any day of the week.
Price:
Starting from as low as N$24,900 pp sharing.
Includes:
- Accommodation as specified in this itinerary and subject to availability at the time of reservation
- Meals as indicated on this itinerary
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- All vehicle insurance – tyres and glass
- Etosha National Park entrance & park fees
- Sossusvlei National Park entrance and park fees
- Roadbooks & Maps
- Administration fees
Excludes:
- International flights
- Regional and Domestic flights
- Fuel
- GPS
- Insurance for lost luggage, cancellation, medical repatriation, visas…
- Extra activities not displaying in this itinerary or marked by the symbol “Not Incl.”
- Drinks, tips, curios etc…
Itinerary Details
Day 1: Windhoek to Etosha National Park - 434km (270miles) - ±4H45min
You can leave for the famous Etosha National Park early this morning. Game viewing and bird watching are the two major activities available at Etosha National Park. The Park has over 700km of game-viewing roads with adequately spaced toilet facilities and viewing platforms. You will not have too much time to make any lengthy stops on route as you will be in transit for most of the way.
Etosha first gained official park status in 1907, when Governor von Lindequist of the German Colonial Government proclaimed it Game Reserve no. 2. During the same year, 3,406 sq km (1,315 sq miles) were cut off from the Etosha portion and sectioned into farms, an area which became known as the Gagarus block.
While considerably reduced from previous years, it is still larger than the Serengeti and comparable in size to the Kruger National Park, a vast conservation area by any standards.
Day 2: Etosha National Park
You can get fully acquainted with the routes, waterholes and unique vegetation of the park today, and see what it has on offer for you as we recommend setting off early on an early for your game drive today.
One of todays’ highlights should be an excursion to the massive white mineral pan, which gives the park its name. Etosha means ‘Great White Place’ and the pan which covers 25% percent of the park, forms part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed roughly 1000 million years ago. The dusty white pan is a depression of salt and clay today and occasionally fills up during heavy rains.
Halali, one of the younger camps in the Etosha National Park is a great stopover for lunch and some rest. You are welcome to utilize the bar and pool facilities here before continuing your afternoon game drive.
Day 3: Etosha National Park to Damaraland – 344km (214miles) - ±4H35min
Today’s journey takes you to the heart of Damaraland. You’ll have a long, but lovely drive through the stunning Grootberg mountainous area and the beautiful granite boulders and sandstone features in the Damaraland area, before you reach the lodge. Damaraland is sub-divided in different conservancies, which are areas where human beings and wildlife are able to co-exist peacefully, and therefore this area is also home to the Desert-Adapted Elephants.
You can set out to view the Twyfelfontein archaeological site. A massive open air gallery with more than 2000 unique rock engravings was declared as National Museum during 1952 and approved as World Heritage Site by UNESCO during 2007.
Day 4: Damaraland to Spitzkoppe – 236km (147miles) - ±3H45min
Your journey today leads you to the Spitzkoppe, one of the most photographed mountain motifs of Namibia. This inselberg surmounts its surrounding by 700 metres with an overall height of 1728 m above sea level. Due to its distinctive form, which can be spotted from a great distance the Spitzkoppe is often called the “Matterhorn” of Namibia. Actually the Spitzkoppe consists of two separate mountains: The large Spitzkoppe, which is 1728 m high and the small Spitzkoppe, which has a height of 1584 metres. Further west we also find the so-called Pontok Mountains.
For hikers and mountaineers the Spitzkoppe is a paradise. Beginners can practice nicely here and for professionals the ascent of the peak is a real challenge as it is difficult. The first ascent of the challenging west side was in 1946 and up to today only 600 roped parties have succeeded to reach the peak.
Day 5: Spitzkoppe to Swakopmund – 152km (94miles) - ±2H30min
You can sleep in this morning as you do not need to head off to the cosy town of Swakopmund until check out times. The city’s German origins are quite pronounced in beautiful old German colonial buildings throughout the city. Swakopmund is like a German North Sea town with an African flair. The first European explorers of the area, Dutchmen Sebastian van Reenen and Pieter Pienaar described the area in 1793 as one with plush vegetation, elephants and rhinos. Nowadays however, the area can be described as ocean on one side and desert on the other, with some shrubs as the only natural vegetation. Close to a century after the Dutch exploration, the area was a colony of the German Empire, and was chosen as a second port for German Southwest Africa after Luderitz.
Upon arrival in Swakopmund, lunch at one of the wonderful seaside restaurants is a must. You can enjoy some downtime this afternoon or opt for some of the array of activities on offer here.
Day 6: Swakopmund to Sesriem – 375km (233miles) - ±5H30min
You’ll have one of the longest drives of your tour today, via the Kuiseb and Gaub Mountain passes, and over the gravel plains of the Namib Desert, and continuing to the Sesriem area. A short coffee stop to enjoy the views comes highly recommended after traverse the Tropic of Capricorn.
You’ll reach Solitaire, and thereafter enjoy a scenic drive through the stunning Namib Naukluft mountains on route to your destination of Sesriem, the gateway to the Sossusvlei National Park famous for hosting some of the world’s highest and oldest sand dunes.
The dunes of Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert, are often referred to as the highest dunes in the world. Various arguments are laid out to support this claim, but all miss the point, which is that Sossusvlei is surely one of the most spectacular sights in Namibia and the world.
The Sossusvlei area lies within the greater Namib Naukluft National Park, which is said to be the seventh largest national park in the world. At over 49,000sq km (18,000sq mi), the park roughly covers the same area as the combined size of states New Hampshire and Vermont in USA.
Day 7: Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
It is a pre-dawn start for you today as you’ll head into the dunes to try and catch a beautiful sunrise amongst the rolling dunes.
You’ll head to the famous area known as ‘Deadvlei’, which is a clay pan branded by its dark, dead camelthorn trees characterized by their contract against the white pan floor. You will also have the opportunity of climbing ‘Big Daddy’, one of the world’s highest climbable dunes at 316m (1,036ft).
Your excursions in the Sossusvlei area will not be done until the late morning when you can slowly make your way back to the lodge to enjoy the coolness alongside the swimming pool. However, a visit to the Sesriem Canyon comes highly recommended.
Dinner, will be at your lodge this evening!
Day 8: Sesriem to Windhoek – 333km (207miles) - ±4H45min
You’ve come to the end of your safari today and have a relatively long journey back to Windhoek, with optional quick stops for lunch and an enriching coffee experience in the small town of Klein-Aub!
You may also consider a hot air ballooning activity over the dune fields this morning before heading back to the city.
Programme Overview
| Day | Location | Accommodation | Food |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Etosha National Park | Lodge★★★ | D |
| Day 2 | Etosha National Park | Lodge★★★ | HB |
| Day 3 | Damaraland | Lodge★★★ | HB |
| Day 4 | Spitzkoppe | Cabins★★ | SC |
| Day 5 | Swakopmund | Lodge★★★ | B |
| Day 6 | Sesriem/Sossusvlei | Lodge★★★ | HB |
| Day 7 | Sesriem/Sossusvlei | Lodge★★★ | HB |
| Day 8 | Windhoek | – | B |
B – Breakfast
L – Lunch
D – Dinner
SC – Self Catering
FB – Full Board (All meals)
FB+ – Full Board Plus (All meals & Activities)
HB – Half Board (Breakfast & Dinner)
HB+ – Half Board Plus (Dinner, Breakfast & Activities)
Price Per Person
Per Person Sharing: N$ 24,900
Single Supplement: +N$ 5,600
Solo travellers and groups welcomed
Prices Effective From:
Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2026
