Your destination today is Sossusvlei, located in the world’s oldest desert where star dunes with upto 5 crests rise 300 meters into the air and rank amongst the biggest in the world. The dune valleys are marked by vast clay pans where the Tsauchab River gave up its fight to reach the sea, more than 60,000 years ago. Check into the Namib Outpost, set in the 7,000 hectare Desert Homestead Nature Reserve, adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage Namib Sand Sea, and which offers impressive views across the endless grasslands. Optional activities offered today include guided hikes, horse safaris, balloon safaris & sundown drives.

An early start to the day, heading to the Sesriem gate to explore this beautiful region – Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, Dune 45, Big Daddy & Elim Dune. Descend into the Sesriem Canyon, a 1km 30 meter deep canyon natural gorge, carved by the Tsauchab River, and walk across the shaded, sandy and sometimes wet gorge floor, to see the stunning rock formations. Carry a picnic lunch with you so you can spend the better part of the day here in Sossusvlei and return to the lodge in the late afternoon hours. Dinner and overnight at the Namib Outpost.

Drive north past the town of Solitaire, to the Moon Landscape and then to Swakopmund located on the coast. The Namibian coast is often referred to as the Skeleton Coast, due to the barrenness of the area, the shipwrecks and the skeletons of whales left on the beach in days gone by. Check into your hotel, the Strand Hotel, located on the Mole, a historic and iconic site surrounded by ocean on three sides.

The full day is spent here, in Swakopmund. On offer are desert tours, sea kayaking, scenic flights, complimented by a host of adventure activities including dune quad biking, paragliding, sandboarding and skydiving. Or you could take a dolphin cruise, or a Sandwich Harbour excursion (a real Skeleton coast experience). Overnight at the Strand Hotel

Head north along the Skeleton Coast, visiting the Cape Cross Seal colony, before heading to the Twyfelfontein area. Arrive at your lodging for the next 2 nights, Mowani Mountain Camp, in time to freshen up for dinner, followed by overnight at the Camp.

Full day here, visiting Namibia’s open air Museum, the Twyfelfontein’s rock engravings, the Organ Pipes rock formation and Burnt Mountain, an expanse of volcanic clinker that appears to have been literally exposed to fire. The Damara Living Museum offers a hint of culture with a glimpse into the lives of the people of Damaraland. Optional activities available include sundowner drives, and a drive to the ephemeral Haub River, where you may see the desert adapted rhinos and elephants.

Visit the Petrified Forest, an accumulation of enormous fossilized tree trunks about 280 million years old. Washed down river to Namibia, in ancient times, these tree trunks have been perfectly preserved, where all the wood has been replaced by quartz. Continue to Etosha South – the southern region of this wild paradise and made up of world class private game reserves, where a large variety of game is present. You can enjoy an afternoon game drive in the area, returning to Ongava Lodge for dinner and overnight. The lodge is located in the privately owned Ongava Game Reserve, and overlooks a well-frequented waterhole. The Reserve has black & white rhino, giving lodge guests the opportunity to see both.

The next 2 days are spent in the eastern region of the park – Etosha East, characterized by flat, endless plains, tree-savanna type of vegetation and great waterholes where you can spot every animal that Etosha is famous for. Enjoy morning and evening game drives or full day game drives with picnic lunches (extra cost).

Head back to Windhoek, where you will be transferred to the airport for your departure flight.