After landing at Windhoek International (Hosea Kutako) Airport, located 40km outside Windhoek, you will be met by a local representative and will then be transferred by road into Windhoek and to Galton House.

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The rest of the day will be at leisure.

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Dinner this evening is for your own account to give you the option to either dine at the Galton House in-house restaurant, or out at one of the restaurants in town.

This morning you will be collected from your hotel. You then depart Windhoek in your safari vehicle with your private guide and drive southwest through the scenic Khomas Hochland highlands before heading down the Great Escarpment into the Namib Desert below, stopping for a picnic lunch at a scenic location along the way. You’ll arrive at Dead Valley Lodge in the mid-afternoon and you will stay here for two nights whilst you explore the remarkable sights of the Namib Desert with your guide.

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If there is still time today, your guide will take you to visit Sesriem Canyon, a nearby geological attraction, or explore Elim Dune. However, if you prefer, you can just relax and soak in the scenic and tranquil surroundings at Dead Valley Lodge.

This morning you will need to rise early for a magical excursion with your guide in the Namib Naukluft National Park, normally setting off before sunrise to capture the dunes whilst the light is soft and shadows accentuate the towering shapes and curves. This area boasts some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world and your guide will give you an insight on the formation of the Namib Desert and its myriad of fascinating creatures and plants that have adapted to survive these harsh environs.

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Once you have explored Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and surrounding dune fields to your heart’s content you can enjoy a relaxed picnic brunch in the shade of a camel thorn tree. You then return to Dead Valley Lodge in the early afternoon in time for a late lunch, with the option to visit Sesriem Canyon afterwards if you haven’t already done so the day before.

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The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure (from experience, this is usually welcomed after an exhilarating morning in the dunes).

The fascinating drive today takes you northwest through awesome and ever changing desert landscapes of the Namib Naukluft National Park, including the impressive Gaub and Kuiseb canyons. You will meet the coast at the port town of Walvis Bay and then continue north to Swakopmund where you can enjoy the pleasant seaside location and cooler coastal air for your next two nights.

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There will be time this afternoon to explore the town and wander along the waterfront on foot, before heading off for dinner at a popular restaurant which specialises in locally harvested seafood.

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OPTIONAL: It is possible to pre-book an optional early morning balloon flight over the Namib Desert at a supplement - pre-booking essential (highly recommended)

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Hot Air Balloon Safari: At sunrise, in the world’s oldest desert, witness a spectacular hot air balloon inflation, and set out on the flight of a lifetime. From the best platform, in the most romantic way, soar with the winds for an hour, over the oceans of sand and mountains, endless vistas of shadows and lights. Your destination? The Sossusvlei dunes or the splendour of the desert. At landing, you come back to earth with an “Out Of Africa” style Champagne breakfast set up in the middle of nowhere. Your pilot will present you with a flight certificate before you take a leisurely nature drive back to the meeting point. It is an experience like no other, the experience of a lifetime. Price: AUD$900 pp (Jan-Jun) AUD$970 pp (Jul-Dec).

After an early breakfast your guide will drive you along the scenic coastal road back south to Walvis Bay for a memorable kayaking adventure within the outer lagoon. After meeting your kayaking guide you will be taken on a short scenic drive to Pelican Point to see its lighthouse and windswept beauty, stopping briefly at the salt works to view the variety of birdlife on your way to the launch point. The kayaking is an ideal way of seeing Cape fur seals, Heaviside and bottlenose dolphins, pelicans, flamingos and a wide variety of other sea birds. If you are lucky, there is also a chance of seeing whales, leatherback turtles and sunfish. During the course of the day the guide will stop and inform you about the environment and light refreshments will be served on the beach before heading back to Walvis Bay.

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Alternatively, you also have the choice to partake instead in a memorable motorised boat seal and dolphin excursion within the outer lagoon and harbour should the kayaking not appeal. Here you should also see Cape fur seals, heaviside and bottlenose dolphins, pelicans, flamingos and a wide variety of other sea birds. Again, if luck is on your side, there is also a chance of seeing whales, leatherback turtles and sunfish. During the course of the excursion snacks will be served along with local sparkling wine and fresh oysters, before you will return to the jetty at roughly midday.

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You then have the opportunity to explore the waterfront area of Walvis Bay further before returning to Swakopmund for an afternoon at leisure at your guesthouse or out in town. Activities such as scenic flights, sandboarding and more can all be booked at an extra cost.

Continuing on your safari today, the road takes you north and east into the wonderful and diverse region of Damaraland. You pass Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg which peaks at 2,573 m above sea level, and take time to view game and absorb the vastness of the scenery along the way. Damaraland is typified by displays of colour, magnificent table topped mountains, rock formations and bizarre-looking vegetation.

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The present day landscape has been formed by the erosion of wind, water and geological forces which have formed rolling hills, dunes, gravel plains and ancient river terraces. It is the variety and loneliness of the area as well as the scenic splendour which will reward and astound you, giving one an authentic understanding of the word 'wilderness'.

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If time allows this afternoon your guide will take you to visit the nearby attractions and geological sites of the pre-historic Twyfelfontein rock engravings (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) - if not there is plenty of time to see them tomorrow.

After an early breakfast you will be treated to an exciting 4x4 excursion along the ephemeral Aba Huab and Huab River valleys to explore this remarkable region and to search for game, including the elusive desert adapted elephants if they are in the area. Damaraland is home to a variety of desert adapted wildlife and hidden desert treasures. As the elephants are mostly active in the mornings you will normally have the best chance to see them then before returning to camp for lunch. However, if all the safari participants agree, you also have the option to take a picnic lunch and stop to enjoy that in the shade of a large Ana tree by the riverbed, ideally while watching a herd of elephant browsing nearby.

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Your guide will arrange to fit in a visit to Twyfelfontein and other nearby attractions at a suitable time if you haven’t already done so the previous day. On return to camp there should be time to take a walk into the local area with your guide if desired, or simply relax and enjoy some well-deserved leisure time.

Today you set off on your journey to the Etosha National Park, entering the park through their southern Anderssons Gate. You enjoy a picnic lunch in the park and visits to various waterholes in the afternoon, before heading on towards tonight’s destination, Etosha Private Heights which is situated on the south western border of the Etosha National Park.

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Nearby Etosha National Park covers 22,270 km2, of which approximately 5,000 km2 is made up of saline depressions or ‘pans’. The largest of these pans, the Etosha Pan, can be classified as a saline desert in its own right. The Etosha Pan lies in the Owambo Basin, on the north-western edge of the Namibian Kalahari Desert. Until three million years ago it formed part of huge, shallow lake that was reduced to a complex of salt pans when the major river that fed it, the Kunene, changed course and began to flow to the Atlantic instead. If the lake existed today, it would be the third largest in the world. Etosha is the largest of the pans at 4,760 km2 in extent. It is nowadays filled with water only when sufficient rain falls to the north in Angola, inducing floods to flow southward along the Cuvelai drainage system. Wildlife that one might see in the greater region includes elephant, lion, giraffe, blue wildebeest, eland, kudu, gemsbok (oryx), zebra, rhino, cheetah, leopard, hyena, honey badger and warthog, as well as the endemic black faced impala.

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Arrival will be in the late afternoon or early evening, with time to freshen up and enjoy the tranquility of the Etosha Heights.

Today you will enjoy an exciting morning guided game drive in an open game viewer with your local ranger on the Etosha Heights Reserve, to see the wide variety of game and bird species that are to be found there before returning to the lodge in time for lunch.

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There is then time to relax by the refreshing swimming pool before you head out on another afternoon game drive on the private game reserve.

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This private reserve, which shares a porous boundary with the park, is renowned for its impressive wildlife, including large herds of elephants, countless zebra, springbok, wildebeest, both black and white rhino, and giraffe. Lion sightings are frequent, adding even more excitement to the experience! Etosha Heights is also home to resident researchers and conservation students, giving guests the chance to learn more about ongoing wildlife studies and conservation efforts.

Your early departure this morning will take you south from Etosha Heights Private Reserve and continue via Outjo, Otjiwarongo and Okahandja to reach to Windhoek in the late afternoon.

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Upon your arrival in Windhoek you will be transferred to your accommodation.

After a nice breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your onward journey home.