Southern Africa Camping Safari - 23 Days - South Africa, Namibia, Botswana

*All meals on this tour will be provided and prepared by the guide with the assistance of the clients.

B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner

Itinerary

Tour Dates

Map

Day 1	Flight Prepare for your international flight directly to Cape Town or via Johannesburg (South Africa). Tips on what to bring along: Comfortable walking shoes Sunglasses Hat Sunscreen Camera with extra battery Dress code - mostly khaki Jersey/jacket
Day 2	Airport Hotel Arrive at Cape Town international airport and meet your English speaking guide. You will be transferred to your hotel. Your afternoon is free to rest or explore the town yourself. Dinner will be at a restaurant in town or at the hotel. We stay in the Protea Hotel at the Cape Town Waterfront. [Protea Hotel \| D]
Day 3	Cape Town (±120km) Breakfast at the hotel. Today you will enjoy a full day town tour of Cape Town. You will visit Simon's Town, the Cape of Good Hope and enjoy some wine tasting on the wine route. Cape Town is a coastal city in South Africa. It ranks third among the most populous urban areas in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Durban. It is also the provincial capital of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament it is the legislative capital of the country. The city is famous for its harbour, for its natural setting in the Cape Floristic Region, as well as for such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. It is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. In 2014, Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by both the American New York Times and the British Daily Telegraph. Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was first developed by the Dutch East India Company as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing to East Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. Lunch will be enjoyed at a restaurant and dinner at the hotel. [Protea Hotel \| BLD]
Day 4	Cape Town – Springbok (±520km) After breakfast at the Hotel, we depart for the northern Cape, passing scenic vineyards along the way. Lunch will be on the road. We arrive at our campsite at Springbok in the afternoon. At the right time of year (August to September), the countryside is covered in a stunning blanket of wildflowers. If time permits, we will visit this beautiful spectacle. Dinner will be prepared by the guide with the assistance of the clients. We will spend the night in tents at the campsite. [Campsite \| BLD]
Day 5	Springbok – Augrabies (±300km) Breakfast will be prepared by the guide with the assistance of the clients. We travel towards the east, arriving at our campsite at the Augrabies Falls, where we enjoy a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, we visit the Augrabies Waterfall. When in full flood, the falls provide an awesome sight as the Orange River thunders down the 56m gorge. Dinner is prepared by the guide with the assistance of the clients. [Augrabies campsite \| BLD]
Day 6	Augrabies – Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (±350km) After breakfast we continue our journey towards the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with a quick stopover in Upington. Lunch will be had en route prepared by the guide. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is located in the beautiful Kalahari desert, spanning parts of both Botswana and South Africa. It offers a wide range of wildlife in a majestic setting of low red dunes and unique flora. Wildlife includes herds of wildebeest, gemsbok, springbok and eland and predators including lion, cheetah and leopard. The park is well known for its birds of prey including Martial Eagles, Bateleurs, Tawny Eagles, Lanner Falcons, Secretary Birds, Owls and Vultures. Dinner will be had under an open African sky prepared by the guide with the aid of the clients. [Campsite \| BLD]
Day 7	Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (±80km) After breakfast we will embark on a full day of safari, looking out for the many animals which roam this beautiful, but harsh environment. [Campsite \| BLD]
Day 8	Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Fish River Canyon (±400km) After breakfast we head west into Namibia to the Fish River Canyon. We have lunch en route before arriving at this spectacular natural phenomenon which hides out of sight on the flat dry plateau until you are almost upon it. The canyon is believed to be the second largest in the world, after the Grand Canyon. Its enormous gorge meanders along for a distance of about 160 kilometres. It is up to 550m deep in parts and up to 27km wide. If time permits, we will visit the lookout before we continue towards Ai Ais, where the canyon ends and where sulphurous hot springs form natural pools in the area. We will set up camp here, near to the Fish River. [Campsite \| BLD]
Day 9	Fish River Canyon – Lüderitz (±350km) Today we head towards the Namib desert and coastal town of Lüderitz. Lüderitz is a quaint, harbour town, known for its German colonial architecture. We will visit Diaz Point, just a few kilometres from the town, where the renowned Portuguese explorer, Bartolomeu Dias, erected a stone cross. The rocky coastline and crashing waves of the mighty Atlantic make for a spectacular backdrop and you may spot some seals and penguins. If time allows we will go on a township tour. Dinner will be enjoyed at a restaurant and we will overnight in a hotel. [Hotel \| BLD]
Day 10	Lüderitz – Sesriem (±445km) After breakfast at the hotel, we visit Kolmanskop, the famous ghost town which lies abandoned in the sands of the Namib. It grew out of a diamond rush in early 1900s, but was later abandoned when the diamond-field was exhausted. We have lunch en route and stop over at Garub to see the wild horses. Lunch packs will be had on-route. We arrive and check in at our campsite at Sesriem. Dinner will be prepared by the guide with the aid of the clients. [Sesriem Campsite \| BLD]
Day 11	Sesriem – Sossusvlei – Sesriem (±120km) We wake up early to enjoy tea, coffee and biscuits and a magnificent sunrise over some of the world's highest dunes. We then set off on our journey to Sossusvlei, stopping to have breakfast in the dunes. We will visit the much photographed Dune 45, a stunning star dune which stands over 170 metres. Sossusvlei itself is a large, white, salt and clay pan located in the midst of this ancient, red wilderness and provides wonderful photographic opportunities. Occasionally the pan fills up with water offering a fantastic spectacle as the glassy lake reflects the surrounding dunes. Nearby is Deadvlei, another dry pan which is characterised by the ghostly skeletons of scorched dead trees, some as old as 1000 years, standing scattered across the white expanse. This eerie scene of stark contrasts, makes for stunning photographs. We will visit both pans during the course of the morning. Lunch will be had back at the campsite before visiting Sesriem canyon in the afternoon. The canyon has been shaped over millions of years by the Tsauchab river and is one of the few places in the area that holds water all year round. It is up to 30 metres deep at points and about 1km long with a width of between 1 and 3 metres. The canyon is a fun and interesting place to visit and walk through it narrow passageway viewing the different rock formations and exposed layers along the way. We watch the sunset from Elim Dune before returning to the campsite. [Campsite \| BLD]
Day 12	Sesriem – Swakopmund (±300km) Today we depart for Swakopmund, one of Namibia's charismatic coastal towns. We stop over at Solitaire, famous for its German cake apple tart. We continue our journey, passing by the Gaub pass and Kuiseb river, where two Germans once hid, trying to escape the South Africans. We arrive in Swakopmund and settle into our accommodation. In the afternoon, you are free to try out some of the many activities Swakopmund has to offer (own account). These include: Scenic flights over the Namib dunes and Atlantic ocean in a small Cessna 210 aircraft of 5 passengers. Sandwich Harbour 4x4 Drives on the Namib dunes with a very well experienced off-road driver including champagne and a lovely brunch with a selection of seafood. Quad bike rides in the dunes boasting lovely views of both the sea to the west and the plains on the east. Shopping and exploring the historical German buildings in town. Sand boarding in the dunes. Desert Living Adventure in the dunes looking for small reptiles such as snakes, geckos, lizards and scorpions. Dinner will be on your own account. [Prost Hotel or similar \| BLD]
Day 13	Swakopmund – Spitzkoppe (±260km) We travel north along the beautiful Namibian coastline towards Cape Cross, home to one of the largest breeding colonies of Cape Fur Seals on the planet, with up to 210 000 seals present during November, December. After our visit here, we continue towards the Spitzkoppe. This impressive granite massif rises about 700m above the surrounding plains. Its beauty is found in its many unique and fantastic rock formations. It is a wonderful landscape for walks as one navigates its many nooks and crannies beneath towering rock forms. Look out for the yellow ‘Butter’ trees and ‘Poison’ tree, whose poisonous white juice is used by the San to dip their arrows. We will visit the San paintings at ‘Bushman's Paradise’, situated under an overhanging rock wall. [Campsite (semi-Bivouac) \| BLD]
Day 14	Spitzkoppe – Twyfelfontein (±230km) We leave for the Brandberg, the highest mountain in Namibia at 2573 metres above sea level. We will stop here and walk up to see the famous White Lady painting, part of a group of several paintings found in a cave including other human figures and oryxes. The White Lady is the most detailed and measures about 29.5 x 29cm. There has been a lot of conjecture about her role and the interpretation/meaning of the scene itself. We continue on to Aba Huab campsite where we will set up camp and enjoy dinner prepared on an open fire. [Aba Huab campsite \| BLD]
Day 15	Twyfelfontein (±40km) After breakfast we visit the celebrated rock engravings of Twyfelfontein. Twyfelfontein is the site of one of the largest concentrations of rock petroglyphs (engravings) and rock paintings in Africa. It consists of a spring in a valley flanked by the slopes of a sandstone mountain. The rock art forms an extensive record of ritual practices relating to hunter-gatherer communities in this part of southern Africa over at least 2 millenia. UNESCO approved it as Namibia's first World Heritage Site in 2007. We have lunch on the road (prepared by the guide and with the assistance of the clients). In the afternoon we visit the Damara Living Museum. The Living Museum of the Damara lies close to Twyfelfontein and is the first traditional Damara project in Namibia and the only one of its kind. Here we have the unique opportunity to experience traditional Damara culture. Together with the Bushmen, the Damara belong to one of the oldest nations in Namibia. Their original nation was a mixture of hunter-gatherer culture and herders of cattle, goats and sheep. Although their culture is now largely lost, the museum contributes to its preservation, as well as bringing in an income for the Damara community that built it. [Aba Huab campsite \| BDL]
Day 16	Twyfelfontein – Etosha National Park (±315km) Today we drive through the spectacular Damaraland landscapes towards the Etosha National Park, passing through Khorixas (khori means mustard tree), former capital of the Kunene region. We have a picnic lunch on the road, prepared by the guide with the assistance of the clients. The Etosha National Park spans an area of 22 270 square km, a large part of which is taken up by a vast salt pan. This beautiful barren and often haunting landscape is surprisingly abundant in game, which often congregate around the various waterholes scattered around the park, allowing for some spectacular game viewing. The park is home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds and reptiles, including several threatened and endangered species such as the black rhinocerous. Visitors can expect to see many buck species, elephants, giraffe, rhino and lions. If you are lucky you will see leopard and cheetah. After good rains, the salt pan fills with water attracting a mass of flamingos. More than 340 bird species have been counted in the park. We spend the night in tents at the Okaukuejo campsite inside the park. [Okaukeujo campsite \| BLD]
Day 17	Etosha National Park (Okaukuejo - Namutoni) (±180km) Today will be a full day of safari game viewing allowing plenty of opportunities for good sightings and spectacular photographs of the African wildlife. We will enjoy a picnic lunch on the road. In the late afternoon, we will settle into our camp at Namutoni inside the reserve. For dinner, we will enjoy a barbeque. [Namutoni campsite \| BLD]
Day 18	Etosha National Park (±100km) We have breakfast and depart early (the best time for seeing animals) for another game drive in the park. We stop at the various waterholes along the way. We have a picnic lunch in the park. We enjoy another night at the Namutoni campsite after a barbeque around the fire. [Namutoni campsite \| BLD]
Day 19	Etosha National Park – Divundu (±525km) After breakfast at the campsite, we depart early in the direction of Divundu, passing by Rundu. Lunch will be had en route. We will enjoy dinner at the lodge. [Lodge \| BLD]
Day 20	Divundu – Mahangu National Park – Divundu (±60km) After breakfast, we embark on a game drive in the Mahangu National Park. This small game reserve is abundant in wildlife and offers great opportunities to see four of the big Five – Elephants, Buffalo, Lion and Leopard. More than 300 bird species are found here. Look out for the very large Baobab Trees which are numerous in the park. After lunch at the lodge we will enjoy a boat cruise on the perennial Okavango river where we can look out for crocodiles, hippopotamus, birds and other riverine species. Dinner will be at the lodge. [Lodge \| BLD]
Day 21	Divundu – Camp Chobe (±360km) Breakfast will be enjoyed at the lodge before departing towards the Caprivi region via Katima Mulilo. Lunch will be had en route. We arrive at Camp Chobe which is situated on the Chobe flood plains amongst beautiful mopane woodlands and waterways and host to a wonderful array of wildlife. This Dinner will be enjoyed at the lodge. [Camp Chobe Lodge \| BLD]
Day 22	Camp Chobe – Botswana &ndash Victoria Falls(±150km) We journey via Botswana to the Victoria Falls. Lunch will be en-route. This spectacular waterfall is considered the largest in the world. The thundering waters can be heard from 40 km away while the spray and mist rise to a height of over 400 metres. We visit the falls before having dinner at our hotel. [Rainbow Hotel or similar \| BLD]
Day 23	Victoria Falls – Home After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your connecting flight back home. End of service. Omuhimba Safaris andn its team wish you a very warm return back home! [B]