A SKELETON COAST SAFARI

Arrive

Day 1 Arrive Johannesburg - Windhoek

Arrive at Windhoek, Namibia's capital, and transfer to your luxury lodge within a private conservancy - the Zannier Reserve by N/a'an ku sê. The lodge comprises 10 beautiful thatched rooms built in the style of the Owambo people. You'll have time to relax and unwind - take a swim in the infinity pool overlooking the savannah, perhaps a massage in the spa. There will be time for a late afternoon game drive on the Khomas Hochland Plateau - elephant, leopard, cheetah, rhino and giraffe inhabit this region, amongst other wildlife - before returning for dinner followed by fireside drinks in the fabulous boma.

Overnight: Omaanda

Day 2 Zannier Reserve - NamibRand Nature Reserve

Transfer this morning to the NamibRand Nature Reserve by light aircraft. Here you will be met and taken to Wolwedans Dunes Lodge. Situated at the top of a dune plateau, overlooking the dramatic desert surroundings, the panoramic views are breath-taking. The nine spacious chalets each come equipped with en-suite bathrooms and private verandas leading out onto vast stretches of untouched sand. There is plenty of recreational space including various sundowner terraces, a fireplace, tea deck, library, two lounges and wine cellar, as well as two restaurants. 

Overnight: Wolwedans Dunes Lodge

Day 3 - 4 NamibRand Nature Reserve 

Two days of activities in the NamibRand Nature Reserve. On foot, by land rover or by air, you'll observe the desert-adapted flora and fauna with resident knowledgeable field guides, taking picnics in the desert and sundowners in the dunes. For a bird's eye view, take a hot air balloon over the ochre landscapes or a light aircraft to the immense dunes at Sossusvlei and the Atlantic Coast. The landscapes are as vast as you can imagine and the views truly awe-inspiring.

Overnight: Wolwedans Dunes Lodge

Day 5 Skeleton Coast

Transfer this morning to Namibia's stark Skeleton Coast. Your lodge is the extraordinary Shipwreck Lodge, which comprises 10 innovative rooms constructed from wood to resemble the wrecks that litter the shoreline. The lounge and restaurant has a vast deck with views extending over the sand to the wild Atlantic Ocean.

Overnight: Shipwreck Lodge

Day 6 Skeleton Coast

Spend the day exploring the Skeleton Coast. This is a bleak, though strangely beautiful landscape visited by few, a coastal wilderness of dunes and windswept plains. There's much more to see and experience than might first be apparent, with life above and below the sand - desert-adapted elephant, jackal and lion roam the dunes and dry riverbeds, whilst tok tokkie beetles, side-winding adders and Namaqua chameleons make the sand their home. There are whale bones and remnants of centuries old shipwrecks to discover on the beaches and vast dunes to scale and run down.

Overnight: Shipwreck Lodge

Day 7 Skeleton Coast - Kaokoland

Continue northwest this morning to Namibia's remotest corner. Hoanib Valley Camp comprises just six tents sitting within a natural bowl. Each of the tents and their furnishings have been created from regional materials and crafted by local people including Himba carvers and Rundo carpenters. Each has a private verandah where you can relax in the evening with a gin and tonic to admire the views.

Overnight: Hoanib Valley Camp

Day 8 Kaokoland

You'll have a full day to appreciate the landscape and wildlife of the Hoanib Valley. Though a harsh landscape of dunes, mountains, plains and dry riverbeds, lion, giraffe, mountain zebra, kudu and oryx thrive here and this is home to the largest population of black rhino. It's also home to the Himba and Herero tribes and you'll likely encounter a small village and learn a little about how people survive in this remote environment. 

Overnight: Hoanib Valley Camp

Day 9 Okonjima 

Transfer to Okonjima in the Central Highlands, home to the AfriCat Foundation. The AfriCat Foundation is the world's largest cheetah and leopard rescue and release programme. Over 900 cats have been saved since 1993 and most have been released back into the wild. It's the perfect place to get up close and personal with big cats.

Overnight: Okonjima Bush Camp

Day 10 Okonjima

Enjoy a game drive to track cheetah and leopard.

Overnight: Okonjima Bush Camp

Day 11 Depart 

Charter flight transfer to Windhoek and connect to your onward international flight home, via Johannesburg.

Depart