Botswana & Namibia Epic
14 nights /15 days
This epic journey gives you the contrasting combination of two beautiful countries. You’ll explore the wide open spaces of Namibia, taking in the awe-inspiring dunes of Sossusvlei and the Namib Desert, the stark beauty of Damaraland and the wildlife-rich area of the Ongava Game Reserve. Then you enter an entirely other world -- the waterways and lush green of Xigera in the Okavango Delta -- the ephemeral Selinda Spillway linking the Delta and Linyanti, and the Linyanti area itself, famed for its prolific wildlife in a variety of vastly differing habitats. A night at The River Club on the banks of the Zambezi River is a fitting end to a true voyage of exploration.
You can enjoy a wide range of different activities from hiking and cycling in Damaraland, walking in the Namib’s vast dunes and the Linyanti Reserve, to meandering through the Okavango Delta in a mokoro. This safari combines Wilderness Safaris lodges along with private campsites where you can experience the feeling of an earlier era of Africa exploration with all the comforts and amenities of today’s world. You’ll also experience trail camping in pristine wilderness with the simple comforts and warm atmosphere that you’ll remember long after you return home.
The entire safari is guided and hosted by two professional trained guides (one for Namibia and one for Botswana), with in-depth knowledge and expertise that creates an unsurpassed, seamless safari experience.Brief Itinerary
Days 1 & 2 Kulala Wilderness Camp, Sossusvlei
Day 3 Hansa Hotel, Swakopmund
Days 4 & 5 Damaraland Camp, Damaraland
Days 6 & 7 Ongava Tented Camp, Etosha National Park
Days 8 & 9 Xigera Mokoro Trails, Okavango Delta
Days 10 & 11 Ketumetse Trails Camp, Northeastern Okavango Delta
Day 12 & 13 Linyanti Discoverer Camp, Linyanti region
Day 14 Chobe River boat cruise, Chobe NP & River Club, Zambia
Day 15 Guided tour of the Victoria Falls and transfer to Livingstone Airport
Botswana & Namibia Epic – Price
Contact Duffle & Compass for the current cost of this itinerary.
Botswana & Namibia Epic – Departure Dates
This safari is no longer be operated with set departure dates. However we will be happy to arrange a custom-tailored version of this itinerary for small private groups. Contact Duffle & Compass for details.
Note: For departures originating in Windhoek, you must arrive no later than 9:30 a.m.. We recommend that you arrive one day prior and overnight in the Namibian capital of Windhoek.
Detailed Itinerary – Botswana & Namibia Epic
Days 1 & 2
You depart Windhoek traveling by vehicle towards Kulala Wilderness Camp, a distance of 235 miles. Along the way you’ll enjoy the awe-inspiring views of the mountains and the desert floor - on a clear day you can see the fog banks of the Skeleton Coast. A stop for lunch en route will put you close to the Khomas Hochland escarpment, reaching onto sweeping vistas below.
Kulala Wilderness Camp lies at the foot of a mountain facing west to catch the majestic Namibian sunsets. There are nine tents on elevated wooden decks which are linked to the main dining room, bar, reception area and swimming pool by pathways. The interiors are simple yet stylish and each tent has 220V lighting and an en-suite bathroom with solar-heated water. There is a fully stocked bar and traditional 3-course dinners are served. At night, lanterns light up the main area. On the edge of the oldest desert in the world, wildlife here is sparse but fascinating. Sightings of animals such as springbok, gemsbok, ostrich, bat-eared fox and aardwolf are exciting in these rugged conditions.
One of the most enduring impressions of this area is the early morning light on the sea of vivid orange dunes of Sossusvlei, some as high as 300 metres. Afternoon activities include nature walks, drives to scenic viewpoints and learning about the unique Namib fauna and flora in the private Kulala Wilderness Reserve.
Day 3
You’ll hit the road again traveling northwest via the Kuiseb Canyon with its dark, craggy canyons and via a moon-like landscape of flat gravel plains (with stops along the way that include viewing the extraordinary Welwitschia plant). The grand Hansa Hotel in Swakopmund is your destination (about 175 miles).
The following day you explore the ice-blue Atlantic coast and the marine mammals from the port towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. If the weather permits, you’ll take a private boat cruise at Walvis Bay and down the coast to Sandwich Harbor and get a close up view of the diverse pelagic (ocean-going) birdlife, Cape fur seals and rare Heaviside's dolphins. After lunch you’ll be at your leisure to explore explore the charming town of Swakopmund before meeting in the evening for dinner.
The Hansa Hotel forms part of Swakopmund's architectural culture and dates back to 1905, making it one of the oldest buildings in town. It is conveniently located within easy walking distance of town and the beach. Its reputation for luxury, excellent cuisine and friendly service is well known.
Days 4 & 5
Today you will travel up the legendary Skeleton Coast (named for the numerous shipwrecks the treacherous shores have claimed over the years) to the Cape Cross seal colony, home to thousands of Cape fur seals. From here you’ll take the back roads through the game-rich Ugab riverbed, traveling north past the Brandberg Mountain - the second largest monolith on earth - to Damaraland. This all-day excursion with lunch en route ends with your arrival at Damaraland Camp
Damaraland Camp accommodates guests in ten comfortable tented rooms, with en-suite facilities including flush toilets and showers with hot and cold running water. (Laundry facilities are limited due to the low rainfall in the area). The dining room and pub are combined under canvas, and an open fire is enjoyed on calm evenings. A lovely feature of the camp is its unique rock pool.
Damaraland is a land of stark desert beauty. Early morning mists, generated by the clash between the icy Atlantic Ocean and the warm desert air of the Skeleton Coast, drift inland along the canyons, providing sustenance to the flora and fauna of the region. Rare succulent plants abound in this harsh countryside. Your activities include explorations on foot, by mountain bike or 4x4 vehicles, viewing springbok, gemsbok and ostrich, and tracking the unique desert-adapted elephant.
Days 6 & 7
Departing Damaraland Camp your guide will drive into the Huab riverbed to search for desert-adapted elephants, before heading to Etosha National Park, where you will experience the pinnacle of game viewing in Namibia. Accommodations are at Ongava Tented Camp, an exclusive bush camp situated on an extensive private game reserve, just outside of Etosha.
The camp has ten large comfortable walk-in tents, each with en-suite facilities, including flush toilet and a hot shower. All meals are enjoyed in the thatched dining area that overlooks an active waterhole. There is a small pool in which to cool off as well.
Activities include day and night drives, walks and hides. Within Etosha National Park, you will visit numerous perennial springs and pans, encountering a myriad of differing species.
Days 8 & 9
Today you enjoy a scenic air charter over dramatic desert landscapes to the shimmering wilderness of the Xigera concession in the heart of the Okavango Delta. This flight includes some border crossings; therefore you will stop in Grootfontein, Namibia and Maun, Botswana to clear immigration formalities.
There is no better way to experience the Okavango than to travel through it by mokoro, walking and camping out on a vegetated island - all essential elements of the Xigera Mokoro Trails experience. The experience is aimed at exposing the permanently flooded inner Delta, in the serene waterways and on the islands of trees and bush. Your tents are smaller dome tents here than the rest of the safari. Key to the experience is mobility, therefore bedrolls are on the ground and a battery-powered lamp provides light.
Activities include mokoro and walking safaris, which enable up-close encounters with the excellent diversity of birdlife (including Pel's fishing owl), frogs and a myriad of game species, some specially adapted to water, such as the rare sitatunga and the familiar red lechwe. Walking activities vary in length and duration depending on the seasons. During the months when the Okavango is at peak flood level (June, July and August), walking is curtailed.
Days 10 & 11
You depart this morning by aircraft to Ketumetse Trails Camp, situated in an exclusive concession. Ketumetse is located in the south-western sector of the Selinda private concession, in the seasonally flooded portion of the Okavango Delta where it joins into the Selinda Spillway.
The exclusive campsite has been erected prior to your arrival in the wildlife-rich seasonal plains region under large shade trees, affording some views of the floodplain in cool comfort.
Activities concentrate around the bushy and wooded islands, open plains and the flooded and dry channels surrounding the camp. In this area seasonal congregations of wildlife (especially in the late afternoons) make for a great experience on game drives, night drives and nature walks on the private concession.
Day 12 & 13
After a light breakfast, you drive to the private Linyanti Concession; arriving at your private camp, which is elegantly set up under African ebony and knobthorn acacia trees overlooking panoramic vistas of the Linyanti swamps. This can be an all-day game drive/ transfer, with lunch en-route at a shady spot. This game/transfer drive is specifically designed to gain an intimate view of the "Stolen River" as well as enjoying a part of the Selinda Spillway and its rich floodplains.
The landscape of the Linyanti varies from floodplains to open dry land savannah and forested habitat with sweeping views, creating a paradise for a high diversity of wildlife and bird species. Activities include game drives in the private northern sector of the concession, exploring a range of habitats, from riverbanks to scrub and forest, which reveal a myriad of wildlife en route to slake their thirst from the river. The seldom-seen sitatunga can also be spotted in the waterways, as well as rare plains game, such as roan and sable antelope and of course their predators, the lion and leopard, with the endangered African wild dog as an incredible bonus.
There's also a game drive to a private area for lunch, then a siesta in hammocks and the possibility of an afternoon canoe trip, before returning to camp at dusk. (This activity is not always possible, as it is dependent on whether there are hippo pods moving in and out of the canoe areas.)
Day 14
After a short morning drive and breakfast, you’ll depart by light aircraft to the northern Chobe region of Chobe National Park. This area is famous for its vast herds of elephants in the dry season and other unique species such as the elusive puku and Chobe bushbuck that move to the river in the hottest hours of the day. Enjoy a lunch on the boat cruise in a catamaran-style shaded boat.
Then it’s time to leave Botswana and enter Zambia by way of the Kazungula border, a point where the four countries of Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia meet. You’ll arrive at The River Club, in Livingstone in the late afternoon.
The River Club is just 11 miles upstream from Victoria Falls and you’ll have an opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Zambezi River in a peaceful and tranquil setting away from the crowds. The Zambezi National Park is located just across the river, and elephants can often be seen on the riverbank. A rich bird life is also found in the area. Hippos are regularly sighted (and heard) along the river's edge.
Ten luxurious, thatched chalets overlook the Zambezi River, and have en-suite facilities including a bath, shower, toilet and basin. All the rooms have fans. The rooms are all completely open in the front giving guests the best possible views of the Zambezi.
Day 15
The Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and is arguably the greatest waterfall in the world. Your epic safari meets a fitting end with a guided tour to the Victoria Falls, ending with a transfer to the airport.
Contact Duffle & Compass to begin planning your Africa adventure.
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