Flying Safari

Upon arrival in Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, you will board a private charter flight and enjoy the spectacular scenic flight to the NamibRand Nature Reserve.  The special attraction of the reserve is the diversity of landscape.  Virtually all facets of the Namib are represented here, creating a living tapestry of colours and shapes that makes it a visual utopia for artists and photographers.  As well as the incredible scenery the reserve is home to an amazing array of desert adapted flora and fauna, fascinating archeological sites and history not to mention the fairy circles and mesmerising night skies.  Here you will be taken to your boutique desert camp which will be home for the next three nights.  You have the opportunity of climbing some of the highest sand dunes in the world, of ballooning over the desert and going for exhilarating drives in 4x4s, returning after a sundowner enjoyed gazing over stunning desert landscapes.

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airstrip, where you will be met by your pilot who, for the next four days will take you on an adventure around the fascinating and historic landscapes of the Skeleton Coast.  You will experience incredible bird’s-eye views of shipwrecked remains along the coast, diverse and ever-changing geological formations and the refuges of desert-dwelling animals such as the endangered black rhino and desert-adapted elephant.  You are taken on excursions by aircraft and LandRover vehicles, and introduced to the scenic and ecological aspects of the environment with its wide diversity of flora and fauna.  Each night you will stay in a different camp along the route.  Accommodation is authentic and simple, but you will have all that you need.

Your flying safari will end in Damaraland where you will be met and transferred to a lodge located in the hills of the Palmwag Concession.  Here, is home to the largest free ranging population of black rhino in Africa.  Aside from the rhino the concession’s freshwater springs also support healthy populations of desert­ adapted elephant, Hartmann’s mountain zebra, giraffe, gemsbok, springbok, kudu and predators such as lion, cheetah, leopard, and brown and spotted hyena.  Birdlife is prolific and diverse with most of Namibia’s endemics present.  Spend three days game viewing in this unique desert environment.

After breakfast, you will be transferred by air to Okonjima, where you will spend four nights.  Okonjima offers various accommodation choices, from luxury lodges to canvas tents, all within easy reach.  Okonjima is situated in the Omboroko Mountains, a Herero name meaning “Place of the Baboons.”  It is the centre of the Africat Foundation, the wildlife charity that has saved over 1,000 cheetah and leopard, as well as providing a number of youth education programmes.  Africat’s work is also supported by Tusk Trust (the wildlife conservation charity).  Other species in the area include blue wildebeest, eland, giraffe, Hartmann’s zebra, and over 250 species of bird.

Transfer to Windhoek and fly out to Johannesburg to connect with the direct flight to London.