Namibia is an effortlessly gorgeous country. One aspect of the nation that many internationals experience firsthand are the vast distances between destinations. One of the most effective ways to see a good amount of Namibia’s famous geographical locations is by air. Fly in Safaris give you more Namibia in less time. All fly ins are booked on a fully inclusive basis, ensuring all meals and activities are catered for. The only thing you have to got to be concerned about, and rightly so is that your camera is fully charged.
Specifically designed for the adventurer at heart and the explorer in spirit, over the next 9 days you’ll find yourself in some of the most epic untouched swathes of wilderness on the planet, the highly experienced and elite fly/guide team at Skeleton Coast Safaris will take you by air to the highest sand dunes on earth at Sossusvlei, the depths of Damaraland, the uncompromising Skeleton Coast and the banks of the Kunene River where you will spend three nights journeying between Kuidas Camp, Leylandsrift Camp and the Kunene River Camp. 4×4 excursions and expertly guided excursions on the ground round off this once in a lifetime experience after which you’ll head to the Namib Desert for a two night stay on the NamibRand Private reserve on another high-quality excursion, this time with Tok Tokkie Trails as you take in the sights and sounds of the oldest desert in the world.
Trip Highlights
- Soar over Namibia on a fly-in Safari with Namibia’s best Pilot Guides
- Soar over the Namib Sand Sea
- Climb the worlds highest sand dunes at Sossusvlei with Skeleton Coast Safaris
- Fly to Damaraland and view Ephemeral River systems by air
- Stay at Kuidas Camp
- Fly to the remote north west and stay at Leylandsdrift Camp
- Fly to the border area between Namibia and Angola and stay at the Kunene River Camp
- Fly to the Namib Rand Nature Reserve
- Hike through the Namib Desert with an experienced trails team
- Experience the Oldest Desert in the world with a twist
Trip Summary
Day 1 – Arrival in Windhoek
Upon arrival at the Windhoek International Airport or Eros Regional Airport you are met by a representative of Essence lifestyle who will transfer you to our head office. Here you will have time to kick, back, relax and take in your new surroundings. An Essence Lifestyle representative will run through your exciting fly in safari in detail and will provide you with your travel documents as well as an accompanying surprise from us. After your briefing you will be transferred to your accommodation, if you are not staying at Essence Lifestyle.
Destination: Windhoek
Stay: Essence Lifestyle Windhoek
Type: Boutique Guesthouse
Basis: Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 2 – Windhoek to Sossusvlei, overnight at Kuidas Camp
You rise early this morning and are transferred to Eros Regional Airport at 06:00 for your flight to Sossusvlei in the Namib Naukluft Park with your pilot guide which departs at 07:00.
you will fly over the Khomas Hochland and the Naukluft Mountains down the 1000m escarpment to Sossusvlei. You will land at Sesriem from where you’ll head into the heart of the Namib Sand Sea by vehicle. After exploring the dunes to your hearts content (take note that some of the dunes including the most famous one, aptly named “Big Daddy” is over 300 meters tall and thus a fair degree of physical fitness will be required). You return to the aircraft and fly along the coast via Conception Bay towards Swakopmund. The flight includes an aerial view of the famous Eduard Bohlen shipwreck at Conception Bay. After landing and refuelling at Swakopmund, you will continue with a low-level flight north along the Skeleton Coast past the seal colony at Cape Cross for a light picnic lunch near the beach. Thereafter you fly east, over the desert, to the Ugab formations–a nearly lifeless ‘moon landscape’ of numerous black ridges that stand out in stark contrast to the white desert floor–before landing at the Skeleton Coast Safaris Kuidas camp in the Huab River Valley, where you will be spending tonight.
Destination: Huab River Valley
Stay: Skeleton Coast Safaris – Kuidas Camp
Type: Intimate explorer camp
Basis: Fully Inclusive – All Meals and activities with a Skeleton Coast Safaris pilot guide and vehicle.
Day 3 – Kuidas Camp to Leylandsdrift Camp
After breakfast this morning you’ll depart by Land Rover to explore the colourful red lava and yellow sandstone of the Huab River environs. Marvel at the ecological aspects of this awe-inspiring area with its wide diversity of flora and fauna. This includes the Welwitschia Mirabilis, a plant so resilient you would think it was made of aerospace material years beyond human technological development. You will have a delectable lunch at Kuidas camp before flying along the coast to Terrace Bay in the Skeleton Coast Park. The most prominent shipwrecks along this part of the coast are the Montrose and Henrietta. At the coast you access the roaring dunes by Land Rover, which always proves to be an adrenaline pumping experience. In addition, you will visit the beach with its profusion of multi-coloured pebbles consisting of agate, lava, granite and quartz. Interesting to see are old bleached whale bones scattered along the beach above the high tide mark. You will then return to the aircraft and continue north to Leylandsdrift camp nestled in the Hoarusib Valley in the Kunene Region, where you’ll spend tonight.
Destination: Hoarusib Valley
Stay: Schoemans Skeleton Coast Safaris – Leylandsdrift Camp
Type: Intimate explorer camp
Basis: Fully Inclusive – All Meals and activities with a Skeleton Coast Safaris pilot guide and vehicle.
Day 4 – Leylandsdrift Camp to Kunene River Camp
After breakfast this morning you will embark on a scenic drive along the Hoarusib Valley to visit a settlement of the nomadic Himba people. If today is your lucky day you might be lucky enough to come across the desert-dwelling elephant who frequent this valley. From here you continue north along the Skeleton Coast by aircraft to the Kunene River which forms a geographical border with Angola. The Kaiu Maru shipwreck and pieces from old sailing vessels lie scattered along this part of the coast. From the airfield we take a scenic drive by Land Rover to a scenic lunch site. After lunch you continue through the mountains and dunes of the Hartmann Valley – which extends to the Kunene River, reaching the Kunene River camp in the late afternoon.
Destination: Hartmann’s Valley and Kunene River
Stay: Schoemans Skeleton Coast Safaris – Kunene River Camp
Type: Intimate explorer camp
Basis: Fully Inclusive – All Meals and activities with a Skeleton Coast Safaris pilot guide and vehicle.
Day 5 – Kunene River Camp to Windhoek
This morning you rise early for a trip on the Kunene River as it flows through scenic desert landscape, observing bird life and possibly some crocodiles. Birds vary from aquatic species on the perennial waters, to endemic desert varieties and those that inhabit dense riverine vegetation. After lunch at the camp, you’ll fly back to Eros regional airport in the heart Windhoek, arriving in the late afternoon. An Essence lifestyle representative will collect you and transfer you to Essence Lifestyle where you will spend tonight. After what should have been a breathtaking last 4 days in the hands of the amazing team at Skeleton Coast Safaris you have the opportunity to rest, relax and get ready for the next experience, a trip to the vast, desolate and epic Namib Rand Nature reserve.
Destination: Windhoek
Stay: Essence Lifestyle
Type: Boutique Hotel
Basis: Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 6 – Windhoek to Tok- Tokkie Trails
After breakfast this morning you are transferred to Eros Airport for your scheduled flight to Wolwedans Airstrip, you are now in the middle of the oldest desert on the planet and a place almost indescribable in its vastness and its beauty. You will be transferred from the airstrip to Tok Tokkie Trails where you will spend the following two days wandering through the scenic copper dunes and pitch-black skies of the Namib Rand Nature reserve. Your luggage will be transferred to the overnight camp by vehicle. The trails start with a visit of the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust, a non-profit, donor sponsored trust, which aims to develop environmentally responsible citizens of Namibia. A short scenic drive takes you to the starting point of the Tok Tokkie Trail. Today, you will walk over a slope strewn with mmysterious “fairy circles” and over rolling sand dunes to the first overnight camp. The dunes are not the massive ones you encountered earlier at Sossusvlei, but small, vegetated dunes that have a unique beauty of their own. At camp, you relax with a sundowner before dinner. If the sky is clear and moonless, you will quickly understand why NamibRand Nature Reserve is one of the few International Dark Sky Reserves in the world.
Destination: Namib Rand Nature Reserve
Stay: Tok – Tokkie Trails
Type: Outdoor Sleep out
Basis: Fully Inclusive – All Meals, Local drinks and activities with a lodge guide and vehicle on a shared basis.
Day 7 – Tok – Tokkie Trails
Early morning tea or coffee is served before sunrise followed by a light breakfast so that you can set off in the cool of the early morning. The highlights of the walk are the breath-taking views of the dunes and plains as well as the “coming alive” of the desert as the guide allows you to feel, smell, taste and see the oldest living desert in the world. You walk over a mountain saddle before descending gently to a dry riverbed. During the course of the day your guide will explain some wonders of the Namib to you – how the fascinating desert flora survives, how insect and reptile life adapts to the harsh environment and how mammals can survive here without water. Birding is surprisingly good and you may be lucky enough to see one of Namib endemics, the dune lark. Larger animals you might come across include bat-eared fox, oryx, springbok and ostrich. As we realize that our survival depends on the water that has been deposited for us, this will probably heighten our admiration for the plants and animals that dwell here. For lunch you will stop at a shady spot where you can enjoy the treats prepared by our chefs and fill up your water bottles. There is plenty of time to relax, have a siesta and reflect on all you have seen. As the heat recedes you start walking again up and over the dunes to your second overnight spot. A sundowner and a delicious dinner after a long and enjoyable day are in order.
Destination: Namib Rand Nature Reserve
Stay: Tok – Tokkie Trails
Type: Outdoor Sleep out
Basis: Fully Inclusive – All Meals, Local drinks and activities with a lodge guide and vehicle on a shared basis.
Day 8 – Tok Tokkie Trails to Windhoek
Once again you are woken in the soft light shortly before sunrise. Coffee and breakfast are served before you set off through the dune field. The soft and rolling dunes are interspersed by camel thorn trees, which provide welcome shade for a rest. Today’s walk is easy and you arrive at Tok Tokkie farmhouse at approximately 11:30. You will then be transferred to the Wolwedans Airstrip for your flight back to Windhoek Regional Airport where a representative of Essence lifestyle will be on hand to transfer you to Essence Lifestyle for your final night in Namibia.
Destination: Windhoek
Stay: Essence Lifestyle Windhoek (Or Similar)
Type: Boutique Guesthouse
Basis: Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Day 9 – Depart
After breakfast this morning and depending on the time of your international flight, you are transferred to the Hosea Kutako International Airport in time for your international departure flight. We hope to see you soon!
Depart
Includes
- All transfers stated above
- All accommodation stated above
- All meals, drinks and activities with Skeleton Coast Safaris
- All private flights stated above
- Scenic flight between Sossusvlei and Swakopmund
- All meals and activities at Kuidas Camp
- All meals and activities whilst at Leylandsdrift Camp
- All meals, drinks and activities at Kunene River Camp
- All meals, drinks and activities while on Tok – Tokkie Trails Sleep Out
- Tourism levies, VAT, Park Entry fees, & community conservation contributions
- 24 – hour ground support
Excludes
- International flights
- Personal travel insurance
- Visas and visa applications
- Staff gratuities
