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Southern Africa: Kruger and Namibia
16 days, Johannesburg to Windhoek
Itinerary
Day 1Johannesburg
Arrive at any time. Transfer to hotel. Enjoy a traditional South African braai (barbecue) welcome dinner.
If you are interested in spending more time in Johannesburg, it is recommended to book pre-accommodation to enjoy the sights of the city at your own leisure.
Arrival Transfer
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting
The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, your CEO will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.
Your Foodie Moment: Traditional South Africa Braai (Barbecue)
Enjoy a spread of grilled meats, vegetables, homemade salads, and the opportunity to taste some of the South African flavours after your welcome meeting.
Meals included:
DinnerDay 2Johannesburg/Greater Kruger Area
Enjoy a scenic drive along the famed Panorama Route with stops at Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, and God's Window. Continue to our tented camp located near the Kruger National Park and this evening enjoy a delicious South African dinner in the boma.
Today is a very long driving day; however, we will make many stops along the way at sites along the Panorama Route.
Panorama Route Scenic Drive
Enjoy a scenic drive along the famed Panorama Route. You’ll see magnificent mountains, panoramic passes, valleys, and waterfalls. There will also be stops at Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, and God's Window.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 3Kruger National Park
Enjoy a full-day wildlife safari drive through Kruger National Park in an open vehicle. Take in views of the abundant wildlife including elephants, lions, and giraffe. In the late afternoon, return to the lodge where you can relax on the deck with views of the surrounding area.
At over 19,000 sq km (7,500 sq mi), South Africa’s Kruger National Park is one of the largest and most impressive animal reserves in the world. With 147 species, Kruger has more species of large mammals than any other park on the continent.
Kruger National Park Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive - Full day
Hop in a 4x4 safari vehicle and get yourself one step closer to the surrounding nature. Be ready to spot elephants, giraffes, hippos, lions, zebras, and many other species in this impressive South African national park.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 4Greater Kruger Area/Karongwe Private Game Reserve
Continue on to a private nature reserve in the Greater Kruger area. This afternoon, meet with a researcher from the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Cheetah Metapopulation Project who will share fascinating information about their efforts to protect cheetahs and other carnivores. After, the researcher will join us on our evening wildlife safari drive.
For the next two days, enjoy ranger-led morning and evening wildlife safari drives in an open safari vehicle in Karongwe Nature Reserve. Search for buffaloes, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos – Africa's famed Big Five. With over 9,000 hectares (22,240 acres) of supreme African bushveld, Karongwe Private Game Reserve is home to many creatures, and our safari drives provide several opportunities for wildlife viewing.
We use various accommodations within the reserve (the location is based on availability). During your time here, you will either stay in lodge rooms or very comfortable permanent tents (both of equal quality and with similar amenities).
Wildlife safari drives are conducted with qualified wildlife rangers and local expert trackers who will share their vast experience of the African bush.
On some occasions, if space is unavailable, we may need to change accommodations or even use a different private reserve. In such a case, be assured we will choose other lodges or comfort camps (of equal quality) within the Greater Kruger area.
Carnivore Conservation Experience
Meet with a researcher from the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Cheetah Metapopulation Project where a member of the team will give a talk about cheetahs in South Africa and the important research CMP is doing. After a discussion on conservation within parks and reserves in South Africa, you will then be accompanied by the researcher on a wildlife safari drive to give you more insight into cheetahs and other carnivores.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 5Karongwe Private Game Reserve
Enjoy early morning and afternoon safari drives with our local guides, searching for buffaloes, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos – Africa's famed "big five". In our down time, relax at the camp, take a walk around the grounds, or enjoy a cool drink on the deck.
Wake up before the sun (around 5am) and sip your morning coffee before heading out on a morning wildlife safari drive. Return to the lodge for a bite to eat and some leisure time. Converse on the deck, walk the grounds and gardens, and enjoy high tea. Following tea, it's time for a late afternoon safari drive.
Karongwe Private Reserve Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive
Jump into a safari 4x4 and keep your eyes open for fantastic wildlife encounters. Wildlife safari drives are conducted with qualified wildlife rangers and local expert trackers; both will share their vast experience of the African bush.
Free Time
Relax and enjoy some down time between wildlife safari drives.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 6Karongwe Private Game Reserve/Johannesburg
After one last wildlife safari drive, head back to the city. In the evening, enjoy dinner at our local guest house.
Karongwe Private Reserve Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive
Jump into a safari 4x4 and keep your eyes open for fantastic wildlife encounters. Wildlife safari drives are conducted with qualified wildlife rangers and local expert trackers; both will share their vast experience of the African bush.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 7Johannesburg/Windhoek
Fly to Windhoek and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy free time to explore the Namibian capital this afternoon.
Plane
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Optional Activities - Day 7 HideShow
Optional Welcome Meeting for Travellers on Combos
You may be a seasoned pro at group travel by now, but there will likely be some new travellers joining the group. Sit in on the welcome meeting to meet the newest members of your group and learn about the next leg of your tour.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 8Windhoek/Sesriem
Leave the Namibian capital behind and travel to Sesriem. Enter the breathtaking Namib-Naukluft National Park searching for the creatures that call this land home. Arrive at our lodge and unwind by the pool as the sun casts a fiery glow over the desert landscape.
Take in the desert scenery around Sesriem and Sossusvlei and keep an eye out for wildlife as you pass by towering dunes and camel thorn trees.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 9Sesriem
Head out into one of Africa’s largest national parks and explore the Namib desert, the oldest desert in the world. Take pictures of camel thorn trees against the backdrop of massive dunes and visit the Sesriem Canyon.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
4x4
Roads? Where this rough-and-ready vehicle's going, we don't need roads.
Sossusvlei Dunes Visit
This area is famous for its high, red sand dunes. This clay and salt pan is surrounded by the dunes, making it a spectacularly beautiful sight with a remote and isolated feel.
Sesriem Canyon Visit
Enjoy a short stop at Sesriem Canyon, a small canyon typical of the area. The Tsauchab River flows through the canyon every five to ten years, and this creates the nearby salt and clay pan of Sossusvlei.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 10Sesriem/Swakopmund
Pass through desert landscapes as the group travels towards the coastal city of Swakopmund and search for wildlife along the way. Embark on a 4x4 drive through the desert with a local and learn how the bushmen survived in this harsh environment.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Living Desert Tour
Hop into a 4x4 vehicle and set out into the desert. An expert guide will point out signs of animal life and emphasize survival in the harsh desert landscape for both humans and animals.
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 11Swakopmund
Take advantage of a free morning in Swakopmund and opt for a scenic flight over the Namib desert. Tour the Mondesa township with a local guide and visit the local market to learn about traditional foods. Then, visit an arts and crafts shop to speak with the locals and search for a special piece to take home. Tonight enjoy dinner at a family-run establishment.
Explore the town's unique mix of German and African culture and opt to visit curio shops, the museum and restaurants. Optional activities include sandboarding, or if you're feeling brave, skydiving.
Free Time
Enjoy a free morning in the historic coastal town of Swakopmund.
Mondesa Township Walk
Visit the community of Mondesa Township with an expert resident guide. Learn about its daily life, history and traditions through an immersive experience with the welcoming people that live here. Visit its lively market for an introduction to traditional foods like wild spinach, mopane worms, and dried kapenta fish. Also visit an arts-and-crafts shop that helps train the township’s youth in traditional crafts. Drop by a shebeen (tavern) to enjoy a favourite drink, and meet some local residents. Finally, continue on to a nearby family run establishment for dinner and local entertainment.
Optional Activities - Day 11 HideShow
Swakopmund Skydiving
Buckle up your harness, practice your exit, then take a plane up and over the dunes of the Namib Desert. Take a deep breath, leap out and freefall with an instructor before he opens the parachute. Admire the view over the dunes as you descend and land safely back on the ground. Wow!
Skeleton Coast Scenic Flight
4800NAD per personTake in amazing views of bird life, shipwrecks, and one of the largest seal colonies in the world over the northern coastline. On the way back, see Namibia's highest mountain, Damaraland, and the picturesque Spitzkoppe rock formations from above.
Forbidden Coast Scenic Flight
4600NAD per personFly over the moon landscape, the Kuiseb river bed, and the fabulous dune formations to Conception Bay. This aerial view gives you great views of the seal colonies, flamingos, and shipwrecks below.
Sandboarding in the Namib Desert
700NAD per personHead out into the desert, grab a board, and surf the sand dunes. Choose to lie down headfirst, or stand up, surfer-style.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 12Swakopmund/Palmwag
View some of Africa’s largest concentrations of petroglyphs in Twyfelfontein, which also happens to be Namibia’s first UNESCO World Heritage site. End today’s journey at our lodge in the Palmwag nature reserve.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Prehistoric Rock Engravings Guided Tour
Step back in time to see prehistoric rock engravings made during the early Stone Age. Their exact origin is uncertain, but these works depicting animals and hunters are probably the work of Bushmen or Nama artists estimated to have lived near Twyfelfontein at least 5,000 years ago. Marvel at the more than 2,500 rock carvings and paintings and understand why this is Namibia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 13Palmwag/Etosha National Park Area
Relax and unwind this morning at the lodge or opt to go on a guided walk into the reserve searching for desert-adapted creatures. Then, travel to Etosha National Park and settle into the lodge located just outside this wildlife sanctuary.
Free Time
Enjoy a free morning at the lodge, and opt for a safari walk or drive.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 14Etosha National Park Area
Etosha is home to some of the largest populations of lions, elephants, and other endangered species, which you will be able to search for on a full-day safari into the park. Eat lunch at one of the rest areas and take a swim to cool off before hopping back in the vehicle to continue looking for the wildlife that Africa is famous for.
After the vast desert, Etosha National Park offers a contrast of wide open grasslands, a massive salt pan that covers 4731km² and tall camel thorn trees intermixed with Mopani trees. Because of the park's diverse vegetation and natural waterholes, a lot of wildlife flocks here and the chances of observing elephants, lions, giraffes, and antelope are high. Depending on the season you could see flamingos in the salt pans and other migratory birds.
Etosha Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive
Set off in an open 4x4 safari vehicle with a naturalist guide in search of the stunning wildlife in the park. Wildlife often come to the many watering holes to drink, so keep your eyes peeled for many animals on the move.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 15Etosha National Park Area/Windhoek
Today, embark on a visit to the Cheetah Conservation Fund for a tour of the facility to learn about the conservation and outreach work being done to protect this magnificent animal. Enjoy a drive through the grounds to see some of the rehabilitated cheetahs before travelling back to Windhoek for your final night.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Cheetah Conservation Experience
The Cheetah Conservation Fund is a global field research and education facility founded by Dr. Laurie Marker. Tour the centre and learn about the important conservation and community outreach work they perform as one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild. One of the program’s researchers will give us a lecture before we head out on a cheetah drive to view some of these incredible creatures up close in their natural habitat. Conclude the experience by sitting down as a group for lunch on the veranda that overlooks the magnificent Waterberg Plateau.
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 16Windhoek
Depart at any time.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.