It’s hard to imagine how the German colonisers of Namibia coped with the unlimited elbow room, vast deserts and an annual quota of 300 days of sunshine, but that’s exactly what draws travellers nowadays. Wedged between the Kalahari and the chilly South Atlantic Ocean, it’s a land of deserts, seascapes, wildlife reserves, ancient rock art, gentle bush-walking terrain and an exhilarating sense of sheer boundlessness. Somerset Tours & Travel now invites you to join us on our tour to this unique country.
Our tour departs South Africa on 13 April 2023 and flies to Windhoek on SA Airlink. Two nights will be spent at the lodge at Na’an ku se Wildlife Sanctuary where we will be introduced to the charms of Namibia through a host of exciting activities.
From Windhoek, the tour will transfer overland to Sesriem, our base for exploring Sossusvlei and the captivating Namib-Naukluft National Park and dunes for the next two days.
Our next stop on the itinerary is the charming coastal town of Swakopmund. The quirky mix of German and Namibian influences, colonial-era buildings and the cool sea breeze make it very popular. While in Swakopmund for 3 days we’ll visit Walvis Bay lagoon, home to thousands of water birds and have a guided tour through the living desert.
From Swakopmund, the tour continues to Twyfelfontein, in Damaraland. On an easy walk with a local guide, we’ll learn about the White Lady painting in the Brandburg. In 2007, UNESCO approved Twyfelfontein as Namibia’s first World Heritage Site as one of the largest concentrations of rock petroglyphs in Africa. These rock engravings date back between 2 000 to 10 000 years ago and provide wonderful insights into the history of the area and the people that lived there. While in the area we’ll also visit the Organ Pipes rock formations and Petrified Forest, which dates back millions of years and offers a haunting landscape of gigantic fossilized trees.
The tour then continues further north to the Palmwag Conservancy. Palmwag is well-known for its desert elephants but there are many other species and landscapes worth seeing. The Palmwag and Torra Conservancies also offer game-viewing and Rhino Tracking as optional excursions. The community and conservancy benefit directly from income generated through these excursions.
Tall and slender, the proud yet friendly Himba are noted for their unusual beauty, enchanced by intricate hairstyles and decorations. Their skins are rubbed by red ochre and they seem to be forgotten by the rest of the world but this is only as a result of their extreme isolation and conservative way of life. On our way to Etosha, we’ll be visiting Omapha Himba Village to learn more about this extraordinary tribe.
Etosha is the greatest wildlife sanctuary in Namibia and one of Africa’s top safari destinations. Comprising grasslands and woodland savanna and dominated by a giant salt pan, Etosha is home to 114 species of mammals, including four of the Big Five and the world’s largest concentration of black rhino. Here we’ll spend two nights at Okaukuejo on the south-western side of the park and two nights at Mushara Bush Camp in the East.
Okonjima Plains Camp, en route from Mushara, to Windhoek is recognised as one of the premier places to stay to witness carnivores and other endangered specials like aardvark, pangolin and brown hyena. We’ll spend a night here with a leopard tracking experience included.
At the end of our tour we’ll head back to Windhoek where our last night will be spent at the Na’an ku se Lodge and we’ll return to South Africa on 29 April 2023
Lyn Mair will be leading the tour from South Africa and professional, English-speaking local guides will accompany the tour throughout. This will be a unique, unforgettable and very rewarding experience for every member of the group.
Namibia is the soul of Africa, characterised by vast open spaces, breathtaking scenery, colourful tribes and great contrasts – ocean, dunes, mountains and deserts. This vast desert country of salt pans, rugged mountains, rolling dunes, big blue skies and endless vistas that stir the spirit and move the heart.
If you have any queries, or would like to secure your reservation or register your interest in this tour, please do not hesitate to contact me on telephone +27 (0)21 786-2598 or cell +27 (0)83 357 4855 or email info@somersettours.co.za. I look forward to booking your place on this unique tour.