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The nine day trips allow us to overlap a bit between the Northern and Southern sweeps. We can start to linger …
We'll depart in either in Windhoek or somewhere nearby. Pick up will be between 8 and 9 a.m. to be sure we get to Farm Nauchas for a refreshing beverage break since we'll be traveling many miles. We'll head toward Solitaire over the Spreetz Hoogte pass, but hold on to your hat - this can get hairy! Solitaire is always an interesting stop - shop, apple pie and fresh bread in the middle of nowhere.
Solitaire will give way to Sesriemwhere we will book in at the Sossusvlei Karos Lodge. Lunch in the restaurant and relaxing by the swimming pool will give you time to catch your breath before we take it away again with the spectacular scenery of Sesriemcanyon. A slow drive via Dune 45 (where we stop for a well deserved sunset) will get us back to the lodge in time for dinner.
We need to get up early next morning to be at the park gates as soon as they open for some of the most awesome photo opportunities at Sossus Vlei and Dead Vlei (by the way, the word "Vlei" is Afrikaans for valley) occur where the sun is washing the dunes in a never-ending array of colors. This will probably be one of the most unforgettable breakfasts of your life!
Return to the Lodge and have lunch in the restaurant. After lunch you're on your own (the poor guide will need a break by now!) and you can choose between a variety of activities - from Quad biking to Hot Air Balloon Trips.
By now everybody will be relaxed and you will be on first name terms with your guide - enjoy dinner!!
From next to nothing, we are now headed for the coast and the quaint German town of Swakopmund via the Kuiseb Canyon. No blacktop for us - we are taking all the back roads we can find.
We'll check in at the Stiltz, where we will stay for our two-day coastal visit. A short tour of the town will allow for some shopping and sight seeing time.
Dinner is at the Tug restaurant - one of the top restaurants in Swakopmund.
Breakfast will be at a typical German bakery, Café Treff or Café Anton.
After breakfast you can decide - Quad Biking (ATVs), Sky Diving, Fishing, Dolphin Cruises, Sea Kayaking on your own ticket, or an excursion to either the Cape Cross Seal Colony or to Walvisbay Lagoon with lunch at The Raft Restaurant on ours.
Dinner will be at the Brauhaus Restaurant - a typical German pub/eatery. Sample a lot of different beers and, with luck, some typical German "Oompah".
We will run up the coast for a visit to the Cape Cross Seal Colony, the largest colony of Cape Fur Seals on the planet. You will have an opportunity to shop for all kinds of things made from seal - from shoes to wallets.
We will head for the small town of Uis, via Henties Bay, to get us to the Brandberg White Lady Lodge.
After lunch (a light one as we have quite a trek ahead of us) we will hike up the Brandberg mountain to view the mysterious White Lady rock painting. Nobody knows who she was - but she was painted more than 2,000 years ago! There are many other examples of Bushman rock art to view on the mountain, so the walk is well worth it.
That will be quite enough activity for one day, so we will relax by the fire and wait for dinner - then off to a well earned rest!
Next we're off to the world famous Etosha National Park, where we will check in at the Okaukuejo Rest Camp just in time for lunch in the restaurant.
The afternoon will be spent on a spectacular game drive in the area surrounding Okaukuejo. Promise - you will see so much wild game real close that you will be in danger of wearing out your camera!
Okaukuejo Restaurant will provide a great dinner and drinks before we head for one of the absolute highlights of the trip - an evening spent in utter silence at the floodlit waterhole. It is really almost impossible to tear oneself away from this place - it's awesome to see an old elephant bull come wandering in to have a drink. And just when you think it can't get better, a nearby lion will roar and raise every hair on your head!
Breakfast will get us set for our game drive towards Halali Camp where we will have lunch. The idea is to pack in as many sightings of rare animals as we can - elephant, rhino, giraffe, just to name a few.
After lunch, it's more of the same as we head toward Namutoni Gate where we exit the park to check in at Mokuti Lodge - one of the largest guest facilities in Namibia. The buffet (dinner and breakfast) at this place is an experience - make sure to sample small helpings of everything offered before you decide to load up on your favorite!
Now that we have full bellies, we'll head for the Okonjima Africat Foundation.
After checking in, we'll relax until lunch (just to let breakfast settle) and prepare for the afternoon's excitement when we track leopards.
We will be staying either at the main Lodge or the Bush Camp and will return there for dinner. Some cocktails around the campfire will see us ready for bed and tomorrow's wonders.
After breakfast, we'll visit the cheetah rehabilitation center where the staff will tell us about the work they do there. With cheetah among the most endangered of all the cats, the staff is doing a great job of helping them survive. (Get closer to these animals than you ever thought possible for great photo opportunities!)
We'll leave the cheetahs behind fairly early so we have ample time to stop off in Okahandja for shopping at the Woodcarvers Market. We need time here to give you the opportunity to find the best of the treasures. Many of the pieces cannot be called curios - they are true works of art!
Once you have spent all your money, we head back home.
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