Wild Frontiers

Day 1: Windhoek - Central Highlands
After an early morning arrival in Windhoek you will be met by our representative and transferred to the rental office to pick up your 4WD vehicle. You will head north, towards Okonjima, home to the pioneering AfriCat Foundation, a conservation charity dedicated to the research and rehabilitation of Namibia's threatened populations of big cats. Join one of the foundation's game-viewing vehicles this afternoon, to spend some time tracking leopards in the wild. This evening there is then an opportunity to head to the nocturnal hide, to hopefully enjoy some of the park's 'nightlife'. (L,D)

Day 2: Central Highands - Etosha
Before leaving Okonjima this morning, you will pay a visit to AfriCat's Cheetah Project, a chance to learn something more of the remarkable work being done by the foundation. You'll then head towards Etosha, Africa's largest salt pan and Namibia's most famous protected reserve. In the late afternoon you will arrive on the eastern edge of the park. (B,D)

Day 3: Etosha
This morning you join an experienced English speaking guide on a four hour game drive through Etosha's rich landscapes. Covering over 12,500 square miles, the park is one of southern Africa's most expansive game reserves, boasting an incredible diversity of wildlife that includes some 340 species of birds and over 100 species of animals. Returning to the lodge after the game drive, the afternoon is then free to relax and enjoy the facilities this lovely camp. (B,D)

Day 4: Etosha
Driving yourself through Etosha today affords the ideal opportunity to take in the park's incredible diversity at your own pace. You will have plenty of time to explore the network of watering holes and looped drives that branch off from the main road, searching out more of the park's abundance of game. Overnight in an ideally located rest camp near to the park gates, where you can spend the evening observing the incredible wildlife which regularly visits the camp's water hole. (B)

Day 5: Etosha - Damaraland
Today's drive provides you with a wonderful journey of contrasts, through a landscape of rich red soil towards the distant mountains of Damaraland before passing giant granite outcrops as you climb towards the Grootberg Pass and probably one of the best views in the area. The mountain pass is the gateway into some of the most pristine wilderness that Namibia has to offer and, once you have settled into your small and friendly tented camp, you will have an opportunity this afternoon to explore some of it on foot with a guided walk. (B,L,D)

Day 6: Damarland
A full day here to make the most of this incredible setting. In spite of its apparently barren appearance, this region is rich in animal and plant life, as another walk in the cool of the early morning will doubtless reveal. After lunch you can take a guided game drive searching out some of the bigger game that share these boulder strewn valleys. You may be lucky enough to spot rare desert elephants or black rhino, or perhaps an ever-watchful cheetah tracking the herds of Oryx that thrive in these harsh desert environments. (B,L,D)

Day 7: Damaraland
After an early morning activity, it's a short drive south through the beautiful mountain scenery of Southern Damaraland to your next lodge. This afternoon you can then make your way to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Twyfelfontein, which boasts one of the largest concentrations of ancient rock art in Namibia. (B,D)

Day 8: Damaraland - Swakupmond
Today presents you with a long, but incredibly picturesque journey, as you drive towards Namibia's dramatic west coast. Crossing the gravel flats, the retreating mountains fade in the shimmering haze as you enter the dry desert of the sun bleached Skeleton Coast. The seal colony at Cape Cross will probably assail your nostrils long before you see it. The largest colony of fur seals in the world, Cape Cross is home to between 80-100,000 seals, a spectacular (if somewhat pungent) experience. From here it is then an easy drive on to the interesting town of Swakupmond, where you will be staying in a charming guesthouse within walking distance of the centre. (B)

Day 9: Swakupmond
This morning you will make your own way to nearby Walvis Bay for your 4 hour shared marine boat trip from the harbour . This affords a chance to see more of the diverse wildlife that call these waters home including large seal colonies , pods of dolphins which swim alongside the boat and an incredible array of birds. Lunch is included, after which you will be free to enjoy a little more of Swakopmund's unique charms. The town has an excellent museum and some interesting craft markets, and for those looking to get the adrenalin buzzing, there's quad biking, sand boarding and sky diving on offer. (B,L)

Day 10: Swakupmond - Sossusvlei
Leaving the impressive coastal dunes of Swakupmond behind this morning, you continue the drive south, heading across the flat, sandy plains and into the towering red dunes of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The town of Solitaire provides a convenient spot to refresh and refuel (try a piece of their famous Apple Strudel) before completing the journey to the Desert Homestead - a personal favourite of ours - located 32 kilometres south-east of Sossusvlei. (B,D)

Day 11: Sossusvlei
In the early morning you will leave the lodge for a guided excursion of the famed Sossusvlei Dunes. The park entrance at Sesriem opens at sunrise and from here it is a picturesque drive on to Sossuvlei, passing some of the highest sand dunes anywhere on earth. The scenery is truly majestic in the constantly shifting light of the early morning and at Sossusvlei you are presented with a landscape like nothing on earth. You can climb to the top of the nearby dunes and take your breakfast in the shade of an acacia tree, before returning by 4x4 to the lodge by way of Sesriem Canyon. In the evening, take a fabulous sunset guided ride on horseback across the Namib Desert - a specialty of the lodge. (B,D)

Day 12: Sossusvlei - Windhoek
After a leisurely morning you will depart the lodge and head back to Windhoek. Leaving the dunes of the Namib Desert behind, you will travel through the Naukluft Mountains back the airport to drop off you rental vehicle where your tour will end. (B)