12D11N Discover Namibia & Victoria Falls by National Geographic Journeys

Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included.

Airport Transfer

Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport – Windhoek
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.

Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting

The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, your CEO will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.

Hotel
Windhoek Country Club Resort (or similar)

Set off from the Namibian capital towards Sesriem, the gateway to jaw-dropping Namib-Naukluft National Park. Drive past red-hued desertscapes, stark camel thorn trees, and dramatic curved dunes while keeping an eye out for the astonishing creatures that call these arid lands home the oryx, springbok, jackal, hyena, and more. Settle in to our lodge and relax poolside, watching a fiery crimson sunset over the desert.

Enjoy postcard perfect desert scenery around Sesriem and Sossusvlei – vast desertscapes of reds and orange, stark camel thorn trees and towering dunes with dramatic curved ridges. Also keep an eye out for the surprising amount of wildlife that call this area home such as oryx, springbok, jackal, ground squirrel and hyena.

Private Vehicle
Windhoek – Sesriem 5h-6h 340km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Lodge
Sossusvlei Lodge (or similar)

Embark on a thrilling excursion into one of Africa’s largest national parks. Explore the Namib desert, the oldest desert in the world; and venture to the massive dunes at Sossusvlei and the white clay pan of Deadvlei. Capture dramatic images of dead camel thorn trees against a backdrop of orange dunes and a crisp blue sky. Then visit the Sesriem Canyon, a natural gorge carved out by the Tsauchab River over millions of years.

Private Vehicle
Sesriem
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

4×4
Namib Desert
Roads? Where this rough-and-ready vehicle’s going, we don’t need roads.

Sossusvlei Dunes Visit
Namib Desert
This area is famous for its high, red sand dunes. This clay and salt pan is surrounded by the dunes, making it a spectacularly beautiful sight with a remote and isolated feel.

Sesriem Canyon Visit
Namib Desert
Enjoy a short stop at Sesriem Canyon, a small canyon typical of the area. The Tsauchab River flows through the canyon every five to ten years, and this creates the nearby salt and clay pan of Sossusvlei.

Lodge
Sossusvlei Lodge (or similar)

Continue by road through changing desert landscapes towards the coastal city of Swakopmund. Look out for roaming zebra, kudu, springbok, and oryx on the way, and take a break in the quirky town of Solitaire before heading into the countryside. Here, we meet a local for a 4×4 drive through the desert, learning about the survival strategies of bushmen who lived in this inhospitable area thousands of years ago.

We also search for the smaller wildlife that has managed to survive here, such as snakes, geckos, spiders, and an array of insects.

Private Vehicle
Sesriem – Swakopmund 7h-8h 375km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Living Desert Tour
Swakopmund 2h-2h
Hop into a 4×4 vehicle and set out into the desert. An expert guide will point out signs of animal life and emphasize survival in the harsh desert landscape for both humans and animals.

Hotel
Hansa Hotel (or similar)

Enjoy a free morning in Swakopmund, getting a taste of the town’s unique Afro-German culture; or opt for a scenic flight over the Namib desert. This afternoon, take a tour of Mondesa township with a local guide, learning about its people and history. Visit the local market for an introduction to traditional foods such as wild spinach, mopane worms, and dried sardines or kapenta. Stop by an arts and crafts shop; chat with the locals; and round off the day with dinner and a performance at a cozy family-run establishment.

Explore the town’s unique mix of German and African culture and opt to visit curio shops, the museum and restaurants. Optional activities include sandboarding, or if you’re feeling brave, skydiving.

Free Time
Swakopmund Half Day
Enjoy a free morning in the historic coastal town of Swakopmund.

Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Mondesa Township Walk
Visit the community of Mondesa Township with an expert resident guide. Learn about its daily life, history and traditions through an immersive experience with the welcoming people that live here. Visit its lively market for an introduction to traditional foods like wild spinach, mopane worms, and dried kapenta fish. Also visit an arts-and-crafts shop that helps train the township’s youth in traditional crafts. Drop by a shebeen (tavern) to enjoy a favourite drink, and meet some local residents. Finally, continue on to a nearby family run establishment for dinner and local entertainment.

Hotel
Hansa Hotel (or similar)

Make your way to Twyfelfontein, Namibia’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, to see some of Africa’s largest concentrations of petroglyphs. Marvel at these remarkable engravings, carved by prehistoric hunter-gatherers and depicting rhinos, elephants, and ostriches, as well as human and animal footprints. Then continue to our lodge on the Palmwag nature reserve in northwest Damaraland.

Private Vehicle
Swakopmund – Twyfelfontein 5h-6h 350km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Prehistoric Rock Engravings Guided Tour
Twyfelfontein
Step back in time to see prehistoric rock engravings made during the early Stone Age. Their exact origin is uncertain, but these works depicting animals and hunters are probably the work of Bushmen or Nama artists estimated to have lived near Twyfelfontein at least 5,000 years ago. Marvel at the more than 2,500 rock carvings and paintings and understand why this is Namibia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Private Vehicle
Twyfelfontein – Palmwag 3h 115km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Lodge
Palmwag Lodge (or similar)

Enjoy a relaxed morning at our lodge or opt for a guided walk in the Palmwag reserve, home to many rare, desert-adapted species. In the afternoon, travel towards Etosha National Park, arguably Namibia’s most spectacular wildlife sanctuary. Settle into our lodge, located outside of the park.

Free Time
Palmwag Morning
Enjoy a free morning at the lodge, and opt for a safari walk or drive.

Private Vehicle
Palmwag – Etosha National Park 7h-8h 325km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Hotel
Taleni Etosha Village (or similar)

Spend a full day on safari in Etosha National Park, where open grasslands converge on a massive salt pan. Etosha harbours some of the largest populations of lions, elephants, and other endangered species, so keep your camera on the ready as you explore in your open vehicle. Enjoy lunch at one of the park’s rest areas, where you can also take a swim; and sit back and watch all manner of creatures including hundreds of species of birds flock to the nearby watering hole.

After the vast desert, Etosha National Park, offers a contrast of wide open grasslands, a massive salt pan that covers 4731km² and tall camel thorn trees intermixed with Mopani trees. With a combination of natural waterholes, and diverse vegetation, wildlife flock to the park. Some of the largest elephants in Africa can be found in areas of thicker vegetation, as well as leopards. Lions, giraffe, ostrich and many antelope species can be found in the grasslands, while birders will love the salt pans which attract
flamingos in the rainy season. More than 340 bird species have been counted in Etosha National Park including the European bee-eater, the kori bustard and numerous migratory birds.

Etosha Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive
Etosha National Park 7h-8h
Set off in an open 4×4 safari vehicle with a naturalist guide in search of the stunning wildlife in the park. Wildlife often come to the many watering holes to drink, so keep your eyes peeled for many animals on the move.

Hotel
Taleni Etosha Village (or similar)

After breakfast, visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a global research and education center founded by National Geographic Grantee Dr Laurie Marker. Tour the facility to learn about the important conservation and community outreach work they do to protect the world’s fastest land animal, and enjoy a talk by one of the researchers. Then head out on a drive through the grounds to meet some of the center’s rescued
and rehabilitated cheetahs. Continue to Windhoek for our final evening.

Private Vehicle
Etosha National Park – Windhoek 5h-6h 415km
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Cheetah Conservation Experience
The Cheetah Conservation Fund is a global field research and education facility founded by Dr. Laurie Marker whose research has been supported by National Geographic. Tour the centre and learn about the important conservation and community outreach work they perform as one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild. One of the program’s researchers will give us a lecture before we head out on a cheetah drive to view some of these incredible creatures up close in their natural habitat. Conclude the experience by sitting down as a group for lunch on the veranda that overlooks the magnificent Waterberg Plateau.

Hotel
Windhoek Country Club Resort (or similar)

Catch a flight to the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, named after one of the most powerful waterfalls on Earth. Visit a nearby village and go grocery shopping in the bustling market. Then sit down with a local family for dinner, helping your hosts prepare a traditional Zimbabwean meal using the ingredients you picked out, and hear stories about local life and culture.

The mist off Victoria Falls can rise to a height of more than 400m (1312 ft). Local tribes used to call the falls Mosi-o-Tunya or “the smoke that thunders.” Explorer and missionary David Livingstone renamed the falls after Queen Victoria when he first saw them in 1855.

Plane
Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport – Victoria Falls 3h30m

Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Zimbabwean Family Dinner
Flatter Ncube is the head of her family which includes two sisters and numerous children. She’s the youngest of a family of 10 and, now in her early 40s, lives in the village she was raised in near Victoria Falls. There she takes care of her extended family on their homestead, which she and they have been proudly building by hand, brick by brick, for years. Flatter’s story highlights that life isn’t easy in Africa, but despite its challenges, there is much love and laughter and a strong sense of family here.

Visit Flatter’s homestead in her rural village; meet her and some of her family, and walk with some of them throughout the property, among the fruit and vegetable plants the family grows for consumption. (They even plant hot chillies among the vegetables to discourage nosy elephants.) Then help the family prepare a traditional Zimbabwean dinner, which we’ll all eat together outside on the property, weather permitting. Ingredients for the meal will have been hand-selected earlier in the day, at the bustling and friendly local village market.

This experience offers great insight into typical African life, and ultimately reinforce how we all really want and need the same things in life: a stable home full of love, a good education, and plenty of opportunity for our children.

Hotel
Cresta Sprayview Hotel (or similar)

Set out for a tour of magnificent Victoria Falls. Scottish explorer David Livingstone named them after Britain’s Queen Victoria, while their older, indigenous name is Mosi-oa-Tunya, “the smoke that thunders”. Opt for a scenic sunset cruise on the Zambezi River; soar above the roaring falls in a helicopter; or take a day trip to wildlife-rich Chobe National Park. If you have an activity planned for this morning, we will reschedule your Falls tour for this afternoon, or tomorrow morning.

Victoria Falls Guided Tour
Victoria Falls 1h30m-2h30m Morning
Join a knowledgeable guide for an unforgettable experience at Victoria Falls. Explore the rainforest and learn about the geology, history, and local legends of this world wonder. After your immersion, get up close to the falls and discover the beauty of “the smoke that thunders.” Be sure to have your camera ready!

Hotel
Cresta Sprayview Hotel (or similar)

Depart at any time.

Departure Day (Activities)
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with any onward travel arrangements you require.