The 7-day Highlights of Namibia Budget Lodge Safari is an affordable 4x4 safari to the Namib Naukluft Park, Swakopmund, and the Etosha National Park, starting and ending in Windhoek.
Highlights on this budget-friendly private Namibia Safari include:
Experience the best of Namibia's wildlife, coast, and deserts in comfort, on this affordable lodge safari!
The Highlights of Namibia Budget Lodge Safari departs from Windhoek in the morning heading to the famous Namib Naukluft Park, which covers 50 000 km² of rugged mountains, gravel plains and desert. Your safari guide will collect you from your pre-tour accommodation in Windhoek at 8:00 am on day one.
The Namib-Naukluft reserve is the biggest game reserve in Namibia and one of the largest wilderness parks in Africa. The next two nights are spent on a guest farm located near the Namib‐Naukluft Park, about halfway between Solitaire and Sesriem. Settle in and enjoy a serene sunset over the surrounding desert landscape of gravel plains, dunes, rugged mountains and dry riverbeds.
Today starts with a pre-dawn departure for the Namib Desert. First, we head to the entrance gates of Sossusvlei, famous for its towering sand dunes, considered the highest in the world.
Along the way, we stop to take photographs of the scenic sunrise over the red-orange Sossusvlei Dunes. Next, we climb up the sand dunes for superb views up and down the Tsaucab River Canyon, which forms a valley between the tall sand dunes. Breakfast and coffee await you at the bottom of the dune in this beautiful desert setting.
A short drive after breakfast brings us to the starting point for our two-hour walk into the striking Hiddenvlei area of Sossusvlei. The stark pans have dry clay beds dotted with gnarled dead trees amid the ochre dunes - surreal landscapes that stay etched in the mind's eye.
Then it is off to Sesriem Canyon pausing for lunch at Sesriem camp first. Next, we visit Sesriem Canyon, a gorge about a kilometre long and around 30 meters deep. Formed by the Tsauchab River about two million years ago this deep canyon reveals distinct sedimentary layers and features several muddy pools. After our walk in the unique Sesriem Canyon, we head back to our guest farm on the edge of the Namib‐Naukluft Park.
Today we head towards the coastal town of Swakopmund.
Along the way, we visit Walvis Bay Lagoon, one of the most important wetlands on the west coast of Southern Africa and an international Ramsar bird sanctuary. The lagoon is famous for its large population of flamingos, as well as being home to a variety of other bird species. We continue our scenic five-hour drive south travelling via the Kuiseb Canyon, where two German geologists and their dog lived for over two years during World War II.
Here we will spend two nights, exploring the lively town and participating in optional adventure activities. Enjoy lunch and dinner at local coffee shops and restaurants in Swakopmund (own expense).
Today is free for you to explore the popular seaside destination of Swakopmund at your leisure or to take part in the various optional activities available in and around Swakopmund.
Adventure activities include sandboarding, desert flights, skydiving, quad biking, dolphin cruises and more. Swakopmund, where European and African influences meet, is located on the Atlantic coast and surrounded by desert. If you prefer sightseeing to adventure activities you can go shopping or visit the art galleries, sights, museums or the aquarium in Swakopmund.
On day five of this Highlights of Namibia Budget Lodge Safari, we travel to the World famous Etosha National Park, in northwestern Namibia.
Our last two nights are spent in Etosha Park at either Okaukuejo or Halali camp, depending on animal movements.
Both of these rest camps offer tourist facilities, including a restaurant, a basic shop and a swimming pool. The Etosha Camps also feature waterholes that are floodlit, offering 24-hour game viewing. Elephant and black rhinoceros visit the waterholes on a daily basis in the dry winter season, with a variety of other wild animals, such as leopard and lion, also frequenting these watering spots, as well as nocturnal animals.
Etosha National Park, one of Africa's top game reserves, is dominated by a vast salt pan. Etosha Park is named after this dry lakebed, with the name meaning 'great white place of dry water'. Etosha is home to 340 bird species and over 100 mammal species, notably the endangered cheetah and black rhino, as well as black-faced impala, tsessebe, roan antelope and gemsbok.
We venture into this 22 270 km² Namibian game reserve on leisurely early morning and late afternoon game drives, taking in the wide-open expanse of the Etosha Pan. The flat green surface of this dry lakebed stretches out under the hot African sun, offering spectacular stark scenery and glimpses of ostriches amongst the shimmering mirages.
In the afternoon we return to our Etosha Camp and relax around the pool or enjoy some game viewing at the watering hole. This evening dinner can be enjoyed at the camp's restaurant (own expense).
Enjoy a relaxed start, we take a game viewing drive on our way to one of the Etosha National Park gates, leaving the game reserve behind and making our way back to Windhoek via the craft Town of Okahandja. This scenic drive offers spectacular views of the surrounding valleys.
We arrive in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, in the afternoon where the Highlights of Namibia Budget Lodge Safari comes to an end.
This tour does take children.
Private safaris are available for families travelling with younger children.
Please contact African Budget Safaris for information regarding private tours and quotations.
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