The Best of Namibia Part 1

If you are passionate about wide open spaces, feeling free, and enjoying all that nature has to offer, then The Best of Namibia package deal is for you.

This self-drive package starts in Windhoek, and circles through Namibia to end in Windhoek again. A 4x4 rental vehicle is used for the safaris, and you will be staying in various lodges. Meals are included as indicated in the itinerary below:

Day 1: Windhoek to Ondekaremba (Africa Farm Ondekaremba)

After your flight, you will experience the gorgeous scenery and unspoilt nature of Namibia's wide-open spaces. Explore your surroundings with a game drive or a hike and see the abundance of wildlife and birds. The garden at Africa Farm Ondekarema, and the sparkling pool, will give you a chance to cool down and unwind. Meals are served on open-air patios, or in the rustic stone farmhouse.

? Overnight accommodation: Africa Farm Ondekaremba (DBB included)

Day 2: Odenkaremba to Kalahari Anib Lodge (318 kilometres)

Kalahari Anib Lodge is the perfect stopover point between Southern and Northern Namibia, set among the red dunes of the Kalahari Desert and surrounded by lush palm trees. You may be visited by one of the many springbok, gemsbok, and ostriches around the lodge, or you may spot one of the colonies of weaver birds.

Activities available: morning or sundowner game drive, the perfect way to get acquainted with the Kalahari Desert.

? Overnight accommodation: Kalahari Anib Lodge (DBB included)

Day 3: Anib Lodge to Fish River Canyon (Canyon Lodge) (415 kilometres)

Today we journey through the incredible Nama Karoo and see the variety of flora and fauna, as well as the great Fish River Canyon. A canyon 160 kilometres long, 27 kilometres wide, and 550 metres deep, it is perfect for viewing amazing sunsets.

Activities available: sunrise walk, morning hike, trail from the village to the Lodge, and sundowner drive in Gondwana Canyon Park.

? Overnight accommodation: Canyon Lodge (DBB included)

Day 4/5: Canyon Village to Succulent Karoo Desert (Desert Horse Inn) (286 kilometres)

Enjoy breakfast later in the morning, and then we head off to Aus, also known as the realm of the wild horses of the Namib. You may spot the horses roaming off in the distance, or gathering around one of the watering holes. We will also enjoy a day excursion to the harbour town of Lüderitz with its historical buildings, and the ?ghost town' of Kolmanskop where the first diamonds were discovered over 100 years ago.

Activities available: scenic sunset drive.

? Overnight accommodation: Desert Horse Inn (DBB included)

Day 6/7: Desert Horse Inn to Namib Desert (Sossusvlei Lodge) (352 kilometres)

At sunrise, we will enter the Namib-Naukluft Park (to enjoy milder temperatures and the stark dune contrasts). Dune 45, the most photographed dune in the world, provides the more active of us the chance to climb to the upper ridge. We also visit Sesriem Canyon to see how the Tsauchab River has created a narrow gorge over millennia. We will take lunch at a lodge next to the Sesriem Gate; optional light lunches and cold drinks are served on the terrace.

Self-drive activities available: Sossusvlei/Dead Vlei/Dune 45/Big Daddy Dune/Sesriem Canyon

? Overnight accommodation: Sossusvlei Lodge (DBB included)

Day 8/9: Sossusvlei Lodge to Naukluft Park (Hotel Zum Kaiser) (354 kilometres)

Highlights of today include exploring the craggy Kuiseb Canyon, driving along the Swakop riverbed, viewing the Welwitschia Mirabilis (an ancient endemic plant), with our destination being the Atlantic Coast and the charming town of Swakopmund. Here you will see a mixture of colonial ambience and historical architecture, and enjoy some leisure time, or shopping.

Activities available: Desert Moon Landscape, harbour boat cruise, dune quad bike drive.

? Overnight accommodation: Hotel Zum Kaiser (BB included)

Day 10/11: Twyfelfontein (Twyfelfontein Lodge)

Twyfelfontein is known the world over for some of the most well preserved Bushman paintings and rock engravings; this vulnerable and delicate ecosystem has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other sites include fascinating rock formations, the Organ Pipes, Burnt Mountain, Doros Crater, and the Petrified Forest. At Twyfelfontein Lodge, you can enjoy a drink at the bar, a dip in the sparkling pool, and dinner in an open dining room.

Activity available: World Heritage Site visit

? Overnight accommodation: Twyfelfontein Lodge (DBB included)

Day 12: Twyfelfontein to Damaraland (Palmwag Lodge) (109 kilometres)

Palmwag Lodge is one of Namibia's oldest and most popular holiday spots, surrounded by waving palm trees and plentiful wildlife, including zebra, giraffe, oryx, springbok and kudu. The predator population here is the larges outside of the Etosha National Park, and includes lion, cheetah, leopark and hyena.

Activities available: AM/PM game drive (approximately three hours), guided walk, half-day rhino tracking.

? Overnight accommodation: Palmwag Lodge (DBB included)

Day 13/14/15: Palm Lodge to Etosha (Taleni Etosha Village) (351 kilometres)

Today we will visit Etosha National Park, one of the true highlights of a trip to Namibia. Here, you can enjoy game viewing at its absolute best.

? Overnight accommodation: Taleni Etosha Village (DBB included)

Day 16: Etosha Village to Ondekaremba (Ondekaremba Africa Farm) (453 kilometres)

? Overnight accommodation: Ondekaremba Africa Farm (DBB included)

Day 17: Transfer to Hosea Kutako Airport