7 Day Northern Namibia and Skeleton Coast Camping Safari, From $1250

Day 1 – Mount Etjo Game Reserve

We meet all together for brief pre-departure talk, then stop briefly at the Okahandja Wood carving markets. Woodcarvers from all over Namibia, who practise their ancient skill, come here to sell their goods. This is the perfect opportunity to practise your haggling skills all while supporting the local community.

Our next stop is Mount Etjo Game Reserve, who’s mission has been to make significant contributions to conservation, at the same time trying to ensure the survival of Namibia’s black and white Rhino`s in their natural habitat. We aim to arrive at camp before lunch, giving us ample time to set up camp and enjoy lunch before we join the afternoon activity. This afternoon you have a game drive on the reserve looking for some of the rhinos that were saved by the hard work of Mount Etjo Rhino Trust . We end our afternoon game drive on the reserve while enjoying a Namibian sunset.

Day 2 – Etosha National Park

We depart from camp after a leisurely breakfast and stop briefly at Otjiwarongo, a small town north of Mount Etjo to gather some fresh supplies, before continuing on to Etosha National Park, one of Southern Africa’s premier wildlife areas.

Upon entering the gate, we start our search for wildlife. We enjoy a short game drive through to Okaukuejo, where we set up our camp and enjoy a delicious lunch, before heading out on an afternoon game drive. Etosha is unlike any other, and our game drives take us from waterhole to waterhole in search of predators as well as plains game, birds and if we are lucky, even reptiles. We return to camp just before sunset, and whilst dinner is cooking, we have the chance to visit the excellent floodlit waterhole where rhino, elephant, giraffe, lion and hyena are frequent visitors. Dinner is prepared by our guide over an open fire.

Day 3 – Etosha national park

We start our first game drive at sunrise, to catch many of the predators still active, visiting various waterholes, making our way across the park, where we enjoy breakfast at one of the (fenced) picnic spots within the park. We make our way across the park to Halali, the central camp, where we can take a dip in the pool, visit the waterhole and enjoy lunch.

After lunch we continue our journey arriving at the Etosha Pan “great white place” where we can get out of the vehicle and experience this 4500 sq km “saline desert” before continuing our game drive back to Okaukuejo to look for the Big 4. We arrive at camp by sunset and can enjoy our last night camping in Etosha, and a visit to the waterhole after dinner is highly recommended.

Day 4 – Palmwag Campsite, Kunene Region

Another early start where we can take in a spectacular sunrise whilst having breakfast and enjoy a final game drive as we exit the park.

After a short drive we arrive at the Otjikandero Himba Village. The Himba people are one of the last tribes in Namibia who still embrace their traditional culture and customs and during a guided tour around the village we will have the chance to not only gain an in-depth insight into the Himba way of life, but to get to know the Himba people to share a little of our own culture with them.

After our visit to the Himba village we continue to the Palmwag Campsite. Here we set up camp and have a leisurely afternoon watching the sunset and hopefully spot a Desert Elephant. Dinner is prepared by our guide over an open fire.

Day 5 – Cape Cross on the Skeleton Coast

Today our adventure takes us all the way to the Atlantic Ocean and our final destination at Cape Cross. We travel westwards through to the Skeleton Coast, where we enter the Skeleton Coast National Park. The coast line itself is a very hostile but fascinating area known for its numerous shipwrecks over the years, all victims of the thick fog, unpredictable currents and rough seas.

We arrive at Cape Cross mid-afternoon where we can set up camp and set up camp for the night. Here we can experience the climate of the coastline in full glory. We can then enjoy our first sunset over the Atlantic Ocean before returning to camp where dinner is prepared by our guide over an open fire.

Day 6 – Swakopmund on the Skeleton Coast

We pack up camp, enjoy a hearty cooked breakfast and then take a short walk to the Cape Cross Seal Reserve. The reserve is home to one of the world’s largest breeding colony of Cape fur seals and during breeding season (November-December) up to a 200000+ seals can be spotted basking on the beach, certainly a sight and smell to behold.

After our visit to the seal colony, we continue travelling along the coast stopping to view the Zeila Shipwreck, one of the latest victims of the Skeleton Coast from as recent as 2007.

We arrive in Swakopmund early afternoon and have plenty of time to explore this quaint little town on foot, or join one of the optional activities on offer from skydiving to quad biking and more. Dinner tonight is at own expense in one of Swakopmund’s excellent restaurants and our guide will be happy to make recommendations or bookings depending on what we feel like.

Day 7 – Windhoek

We depart Swakopmund around 10am this morning and head south through to Walvis Bay where we visit the famous Walvis Bay Lagoon. The lagoon is a well known feeding site to a collection of water birds, most impressively the greater and lesser known flamingos.

From Walvis bay, we start the journey back to Windhoek. As we travel back we will see the Spitzkoppe in the distance, Namibia’s very own matterhorn. Spitzkoppe is home to a population of Damara people that make their living from the small-scale mining of semi-precious stones. Time permitting, we can stop at their small crystal market and have the chance to learn more about how they mine, and what treasures can be found in the mountain. We arrive back in Windhoek late afternoon and you will be dropped at your accommodation.