Namibia

Starting Price:	$9,439.00
Trip Length:	8 days
Includes airfare allowance from New York

Interests:

Fly-In Safaris
Black Rhino

The Etosha salt pan

Black rhino

Cheetah at Okonjima

Namibian Wildlife Circuit

Description Pricing Itinerary Hotels

For the avid naturalist this eight day fly-in safari covers some of Namibia’s most popular wildlife hotspots. Whether visiting the AfriCat foundation in Okonjima, Etosha National Park, or the Desert Rhino Camp in the Palmwag region, each destination is sure to provide a completely different and unique wildlife experience.

This wildlife circuit begins with a two night stay at the home of the AfriCat Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to conserve and protects threatened cheetah, leopard, and other wild carnivores of Namibia. Here, you will enjoy the many privileges of the Foundation to experience these big cats more intimately than you might anywhere else.

The next leg of the journey will take you into Etosha, Namibia’s oldest national park and most diverse wildlife habitat in the country. Also known as Africa’s largest salt pan, this habitat supports 114 mammal, 340 bird, and 110 reptile species. Lastly, the final two nights will be spent at the Desert Rhino Camp, within the Etendeka Mountains. This habitat is known for supporting the rare and often elusive black rhino, which you will have a chance to track with the camp’s expert guides.

This trip can be customized to fit your individual travel dates and any specific requests you may have. Your travel consultant will prepare a customized itinerary for you. Yampu offers several more Namibian destinations that you may choose to add on to your trip.

Flight weight restrictions: 20 kg soft luggage including camera equipment and hand luggage per person only. Only soft bags will be accepted. No hard suitcases or soft bags with wheels can be transported – they physically will not fit into the aircraft. Weight planning for a male passenger is done using 90 kgs (198 lbs) and a female is 72 kgs (158 lbs). Please be advised: If your client weighs more than the above, there may be aircraft weight limitation issues. Please notify the supplier if this is the case.

This tour includes airfare allowance from New York, on non-holiday dates. You do not need to fly via New York; Yampu will fly you the most direct way to your city of destination. Depending on your travel dates and proximity of travel, we will quote you the most economical surcharge from your city or country of origin.

Day 1

Overnight Flight to Windhoek via Johannesburg.

Day 2

Upon arrival, airport reception and transfer to Okonjima Bush Camp. After afternoon tea and cake you will ‘radio-track’ leopards from game-viewing vehicles. The chance to track collared cats is unique and offers amazing insight into how the cats move in the wild and just how good they are at keeping their cover. During this fascinating activity, you will also encounter a wide range of species that live inside the reserve including zebra, kudu, oryx and smaller antelope like steenbok. These species occur here naturally and there is a careful balance between predator and prey numbers. The reserve offers predators a number of habitats from steep rocky slopes, heavily wooded plains, open grassland and small lakes. Dinner is enjoyed at the camp with a roaring fire for pre and post dinner drinks. After dinner you may view 'nightlife' such as porcupine, honey-badgers and caracal, amongst others at the night hide. Or if you prefer, enjoy a drink by the fire and watch the bats hunting insects in the evening.

Day 3

This morning you have several options. You are welcome to join the Bushman Trail. This is an easy walking trail and is highly informative. You get to learn about the art of making traditional artifacts and how the San people adapt and survive in an unforgiving wilderness environment. Alternatively you can join, on foot, in the radio-tracking of the rehabilitated Spotted Hyaenas on the Large Carnivore Tracking Trail. If you would like some exercise with the tracking, there are a number of self-guided walking trails of up to 8 km, all of which are easy level walking. Okonjima offers great birding opportunities in their diverse habitat. You can try to identify some of the more than 250+ species in the area, including Namibian endemics – Carp’s Black Tit, Hartlaub’s Francolin and the Damara Rock Runner.

For those that are interested in the hands-on aspect of managing this massive reserve and the precious feline population, you can join an AfriCat feeding run. This is a glimpse into the world of the welfare cats who are not hunting for themselves, some are permanent residents rescued from unfortunate situations and some are waiting for their chance to join the feline population inside the reserve. You are able to join the staff as they deliver meat to these cats. The photographic opportunities are excellent as the cats are not collared and are in close proximity to the vehicle.

Lunch is enjoyed at the lodge and you have a few hours to rest in between activities. There is a curio shop with Namibian handicraft at the camp and the friendly staff will make sure you are comfortable. There is also a swimming pool with sun loungers. In the afternoon you visit The Cheetah Project, which offers valuable insight into the welfare work of The AfriCat Foundation. This is a chance to learn more about the science of predator conservation and the history of the foundation itself. The work that AfriCat undertakes is evolving daily and this is the knowledge centre for operational framework and vision.

Day 4

On the morning of departure you are invited to participate on foot in the radio-tracking of the rehabilitated cheetahs on the Cheetah Tracking Trail. You start your drive down into the reserve from the plateau on which the camp is built, the Omboroko Mountains stretch into the distance. Once inside the reserve, your guide will begin a routine of short drives punctuated by radio ‘sweeps’ as he listens for the signals from collared cheetah. Afterwards, return to camp for your air transfer to the Mushara Outpost, outside of Eastern Etosha. Depending on your arrival time, you will have the opportunity to join a game drive into the park in the afternoon. The luxury camp is situated on the border of Etosha and beyond the park gates are the richest concentrations of protected wildlife in Namibia.

If you would rather relax on your first afternoon, the camp has a lovely pool, a game viewing hide and excellent hospitality. The hide at camp overlooks a small waterhole, which attracts various species including the majestic kudu, zebra, oryx, dik dik and steenbok. It is also a good spot for learning about Namibian birds, especially active at the waterhole towards dusk. The evening sees camp lit with lanterns and a roaring fire before inventive Namibian cuisine is served alongside very fine South African wines.

Day 5

The park gates open at 6 a.m. for those that are keen enough for an early start. The open Land Rovers are ideal platforms for watching wildlife and in Etosha you can divide time between the waterholes which are always busy with thirsty animals and the open areas around the great pan itself. If you plan to spend the day inside the park, you can either take a picnic hamper or stop at the small restaurant inside Fort Namutoni, a former German colonial outpost, which has become a tourist attraction. You can stretch your legs, visit the small book store and enjoy lunch in the courtyard of the fort. After lunch, take the trails around the eastern edge of the pan and look for species that frequent the open plains and pan fringe. The gates to Etosha close at sunset and you will be on your way back to camp by then.

Day 6

In the morning, you could take a short drive into Etosha for some final game viewing or simply relax at camp, before taking your air transfer to the Desert Rhino Camp, in the Palmwag region. Depending on your arrival time, you can spend your first afternoon exploring the area on foot or by vehicle with your guide. This is a useful opportunity to familiarize yourself with this beautiful region and learn about the varied wildlife found here. You will not start tracking rhino until the following morning, so this afternoon is about appreciating the general plant and animal life of the area. Nearby freshwater springs support healthy populations of desert elephants, Hartmann’s mountain zebra, giraffe, gemsbok, springbok, kudu, and predators, such as lion, cheetah, leopard, brown and spotted hyena. Birdlife is also prolific and diverse with most of Namibia’s endemic species present. Your evening is spent around the camp fire with a hearty meal and stargazing before bed.

Day 7

Today is all about the black rhino. With the help of the expert guides of the Save the Rhino Trust, you will track these majestic animals by 4x4 and on foot. Throughout the day, you will gain an understanding of the organization’s work, the plight and recent resurgence of the rhino, and the future for the species in the vast Namibian wilderness. Depending on your preference, lunch can either be a picnic in the bush or taken at camp. The amount of time you choose to spend out of camp is also your choice. You can take a full or half day of game viewing. The evening is spent a camp, with a fire, cold drinks and dinner.

Day 8

Transfer back to Windhoek for your flight home or the add-on of your choice.

Okonjima
4-star	Okonjima Main Camp
5-star	Okonjima Bush Camp

Occupancy Type	4-Star	5-star
Double	$9439	$9828
Single	$13528	$13980

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