Should only YOUNG people have all the fun? After all, most of us feel full of life, and young at heart. We sometimes just happen to be in slightly less co-operative bodies! That shouldn't stop us! Here's the opportunity to prove it - a 21-day, ultra-luxury African adventure.
Come on, treat yourself to something completely different, private and off the beaten track.
Speak about it to friends and relatives. Convince a few friends, or family, and embark on your Luxury African Adventure! Maybe an all-female or all-male special occasion, should you wish.
Of course, this does not mean that under 60's are excluded! You might want to experience this adventure with your children and/or grand children. Or they may decide on this luxury African adventure on their own.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS!
Your Itinerary
Day 1:
Meet your host at Namibia’s International airport. Transfer to Windhoek where the entire afternoon will be at own leisure until dinner in Schloß Heinitzburg – a 19th Century German castle. Situated on top of a hill in the center of Windhoek, enjoy your dinner from a dining room overlooking the night-lights and skyline of Windhoek, with the undulating hills and mountains of the Khomas Hochland as a backdrop. Retire to your room on this, your first night in Namibia.
(Lunch subject to flight arrival time).
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Day 2:
Directly after breakfast, travel South from Windhoek along the perimeter of the Khomas Hochland towards the Escarpment. Enjoy mid-morning tea/coffee with the expanse of the Namib Desert at your feet. Your first true experience of Namibian scenery & landscapes and photography rolled into one. Descend into the Desert to reach a desert Guest Lodge in time for lunch. After lunch, continue through the southern Namib landscape towards your first desert accommodation.
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Day 3:
Relax for the day in scenic surroundings, reminiscent of an alien planet, where the wide-open spaces and unpolluted skies make the silence around you sing in your ears – a land often described as Landscapes of the Soul. Enjoy the activities offered by this unique Desert Lodge, situated in the largest private Nature Reserve in Africa. A deep and restful sleep at the end of this day is absolutely guaranteed! Your first encounter with the most unique Desert Ecology on Earth – from macro biomes to micro biomes, one within the other.
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Day 4:
A relatively short drive to reach your next Desert Lodge, bordering the world famous Sossusvlei and Sesriem – a site which forms part of a much larger dune sea where the highest sand dunes in the world are found. Learn about, and experience first hand why it is called The Living Desert. Apart from the Fauna & Flora living in this special eco-system, even the dunes themselves are alive and moving – constantly! Learn about the ageless adaptations of both plant and animal to survive this seemingly hostile, harsh and arid conditions. After dinner, sit outside and look heavenward for a true experience of the Southern Skies!
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Day 5:
Be woken before sunrise for the most unforgettable experience of a lifetime! In the cool, pre-dawn air, ascend in a hot-air balloon, and silently drift high above the immensity of the Namib desert. From this exclusive vantage point, the rising sun paints an endless vista of shadow and light over an ocean of sand dunes and mountains. After about an hour of silently riding the air, descend and celebrate this unique event with a full champagne breakfast in the middle of the desert. Flight certificates are presented before the drive back to the Lodge. Another outstanding photographic opportunity. On returning to the lodge, mid-morning tea/coffee, drive over to the Sesriem campsite to explore Sesriem Gorge – a Geological almanac where the conglomerate deposits of Millennia, can be viewed through the actions of subsequent Millennia’s erosion. If you feel up to it, a drive out to the same dunes that you viewed from the air, can be undertaken for the opportunity to climb one of these dunes and see the late afternoon effect of shadow and light. Photograph the dunes as they change colour by the minute, from orange through all the earth tones to a pale lavender-blue. Return to your Lodge for dinner and a well-deserved rest.
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Day 6:
An early breakfast before crossing over from one desert to the next. You will travel from western Namibia to eastern Namibia to reach the Kalahari Desert – home of the oldest culture in Africa – the San or Bushman! Should arrive in time for a sundowner Game drive through the ochre-red sand dunes before dinner. Let the cry of the Jackal lull you to sleep on this, your first night in the Kalahari.
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Day 7:
With birdsong to welcome the new day, feel the crisp morning air as you join a Bushman tracker on a short hike through the desert. Learn about their survival skills, passed down from generation to generation over many centuries. Arrive at a local Bushman village where you may interact with individuals of the community and obtain insight to the lifestyles of this naturally friendly people. The only human Race on Earth who do not have the word “war” in their vocabulary, and who has NEVER been at war with ANYONE throughout the history of their existence. Return to the Lodge by vehicle. A relaxing afternoon and a night Game drive after dinner, in search of nocturnal animals – such as the elusive Leopard.
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Day 8:
A leisurely breakfast, then return to Windhoek and arrive in time for a light lunch, maybe some browsing around the central business district, before boarding Namibia’s own luxury train – The Desert Express! Enjoy the entire afternoon on this train journey, with two special, out-of-train excursions at certain stops. Notice how the landscapes change from those you have just visited, through shrub land and Acacia savannah, and back to desert as you approach the Atlantic West coast of Namibia
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Day 9:
Arrive at the coastal town of Swakopmund around 10:00 AM. Relax with mid-morning tea/coffee under the palm trees of a pavement café. Slowly drive along the ocean towards your luxury English Colonial suite accommodation to relax and freshen up for lunch. After lunch, return to Swakopmund and lose yourselves among the treasures of the Earth where you can view the Largest Mineral Crystal cluster ever unearthed to date. The rest of the afternoon and evening at own leisure to browse around the German colonial shops and buildings, laze on the beach or partake of any number of activities offered in and around Swakopmund.
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Day 10:
After breakfast, drive out into the desert to experience the desolate Lunar Landscape and stand in awe at the side of the oldest surviving and living plant species on Earth – the Welwitschia mirabilis! One particular specimen has been estimated to have entered it’s third Millennium around the time we celebrated our historical second Millennium. Return to Swakopmund via a private oasis. The remainder of the day and evening at own leisure. One of the local activities offered includes a pleasure flight excursion to view the Cape Fur Seal colonies and shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast from the air – a flight of approximately three hours.
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Day 11:
Definitely an early breakfast, then travel on the salt-surfaced road along the coast, through the flat gravel plains of the central Namib Desert towards the last true Wilderness areas of Africa – Damaraland! Lunch will be en-route at an old, restored tin-mining town. Arrival at your Mountain Camp should be in time to still join a local excursion to visit the highest concentration of ancient Petroglyphs known. Return to camp and freshen up for dinner.
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Day 12:
Today you will join an excursion to go in search of the world famous Namibian Desert Elephants! Travelling will primarily be along dry river courses, frequented by these very special – and endangered – giants of this desert biosphere. On return to camp, a dip in the natural splash pool might be just what the doctor ordered to cool down and prepare yourself for the excellent cuisine awaiting you.
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Day 13:
Travel deeper into the rugged mountain landscapes of Damaraland. This is a Wilderness area where the awe-inspiring beauty of such an arid and harsh environment, must be experienced to be believed! As this area forms the northern border of Damaraland, as well as the southern border of Kaokoland, it is not impossible to encounter the stray Black Rhino. Kaokoland is the ONLY place on Earth where the Black Rhino still roams free! Arrive at your eastern Kaokoland Guest Lodge – home of the Afro-Leo Foundation – late afternoon.
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Day 14:
Relax, and join in the activities offered by this Lodge. Not only do you have the opportunity to view and photograph Lions, but the hosts also offer very interesting and informative talks, hikes and excursions.
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Day 15:
A leisurely breakfast, then depart and travel towards your next Guest Lodge, directly bordering the Etosha National Park. Lunch en-route, and expect to arrive by mid-afternoon, in time to freshen up and still enjoy a sundowner Game drive. The chances of viewing Black Rhino here is extremely high. Dine in an elevated, open-sided dining area, overlooking a floodlit waterhole. After dinner, view Game at the waterhole for as long as you can stay awake.
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Day 16:
Today you will enter the Etosha National Park and enjoy photographic Game viewing drives in the Okaukuejo Rest Camp area, and return to your Lodge before dinner.
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Day 17:
An early breakfast again, then back to the Etosha National Park for a Game viewing drive and reach Halali Rest Camp for lunch. Continue towards Fort Namutoni Rest Camp after lunch. Arrive in time for a special drive in search of the diminutive Damara Dik-dik. Leave the Park before sunset to arrive and settle in a Guest Lodge on the eastern border of Etosha.
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Day 18:
No particular rush with breakfast as you have a relatively short drive today. This is because you will visit the mysterious Lake Otjikoto, plus the largest, intact, Meteorite found on Earth to date, before reaching your next overnight stop.
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Day 19:
Maybe an early morning hike or drive at this venue, then continue South towards another Guest Lodge - the sister venue of the Afro-Leo Foundation – the Africat Foundation. Lunch will be en-route, but enough time will be available to reach the Lodge in time for a short rest, afternoon tea/coffee and a choice of either a Cheetah Trail or Leopard Trail excursion. After dinner, sit in a specially constructed night hide to view the nocturnal animals of Africa such as Porcupines, Caracal or Honey Badger.
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Day 20:
Before breakfast – but after tea/coffee and some scones or muffins – join one of the most informative Bushman Trails available. Return to the Lodge around 10:00 for a scrumptious “brunch”. Relax at own leisure for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. Short Nature hikes and plenty of opportunities for bird watching and photographing make up part of your own activities. Afternoon tea/coffee will again be served, after which you may choose the alternative Trail that you did not join the day before. (If you went on the Leopard Trail yesterday, you will join the Cheetah Trail today, and vice versa).
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Day 21:
Subject to flight departure time, you may either wait for the “brunch” again, or have an earlier breakfast, before departing (reluctantly) towards Windhoek. Arrive in time for your return flight. (Lunch is also subject to flight departure time).
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Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
An ultra-luxury adventure safari at US$210 per person per day (sharing).
(Prices valid until 31 October 2002).
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Namibia
South Africa
Botswana
Senior Tours
Ballooning
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