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| Safari Name | 11-Days Namibia birding safari |
| Tour Code | |
| Destination |
Full Itinerary
Day 1 – 2 : Windhoek, Namibia
You will be met by your specialist birding guide at the Hosea Kutako International Airport (Windhoek). After completing all the airport formalities and loading your luggage, you will depart to a nearby lodge for the night. There will be ample time to do some birding and in the evening you will be handed your Batis checklists and a briefing of the tour will be given by your leader. Birds likely to be found are several species of raptor and, with luck, Burchell’s Sandgrouse. Also found here are Acacia Pied Barbet, Sociable Weaver, Scaly-feathered Finch, Red-headed Finch, Black-chested Prinia, Kalahari Scrub Robin, Rattling Cisticola, Long-billed Crombec, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, as well as Lappet-faced and African White-backed Vultures. Overnight stay at a lodge near Windhoek – Dinner, bed & breakfast included.
Day 2 – 3 : Spreetshoogte, Namibia
We will leave our first night’s accommodation and head South East to Spreetshoogte, towards the Namib Desert. En route we will enjoy a picnic lunch, as well as doing some birding as we make our way to our next overnight destination on the edge of the Namib Desert. Species we can expect to encounter here are Karoo Scrub Robin, Yellow Canary, Ashy Tit, Cardinal Woodpecker, Pririt Batis, Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler, Pale-winged Starling, White-throated Canary, Rock Kestrel and with luck Karoo Long-billed Lark and Karoo Eremomela. Before dinner, we will complete our daily checklists and look forward to the next morning’s birding, which should deliver some of our first real arid specials. Overnight at a Guestfarm in the Spreetshoogte area – All meals included.
Day 3 – 4 : Namib Desert, Namibia
We leave early via the Spreetshoogte pass, stunning scenery and landscape that will astound you! Besides searching for Herero Chat, Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, and raptors over the pass, we will also look for Karoo Chat, Rüppell’s Korhaan, Ludwig’s Bustard, Burchell’s Courser and other arid adapted species. Tonight we will spend our first night in the Namib Desert where the evenings may become very cold compared to the searing heat of the day. Here we will also have our first chance of trying to call up some owls, notably Spotted Eagle Owl and Barn Owl. Overnight at a lodge in the southern Namib Desert – All meals included.
Days 4 – 6 : Walvis Bay, Namibia
From our lodging in the desert, we now travel towards the coast where the cold Benguella current from the Atlantic Ocean brings in dense coastal fogs. En route to the coast we have another opportunity to search for Rüppell’s Korhaan, Ludwig’s Bustard, Burchell’s Courser as well as the only endemic Dune Lark. Further into the open gravel plains we may also encounter Gray’s Lark which blends in well with the pale gravel surrounds. There is also a good chance of encountering Lappet-faced Vultures and a few other species of raptor such as Greater Kestrel, Lanner Falcon and Black-chested Snake-Eagle. We will arrive late afternoon in Walvis Bay and complete our list for the day before going out for dinner.Two nights at a guesthouse in Walvis Bay – All meals included. Today we spend most of the day birding around the lagoon and if we have not located the Dune lark the day before we make a concerted effort to find it today. The sheer numbers of birds around the lagoon are impressive and the area has the highest density of Chestnut-banded Plover in the world. Most of the Palearctic migrants will be arriving at this time and some will still be in partial breeding plumage. Depending on the rainfall at this time, large numbers of Greater and Lesser Flamingoes can also be seen, often Red-necked Phalaropes are encountered on the evaporation pans of the Salt works within the area, as well as good numbers of Black-necked Grebe. After a good days birding we return to our lodgings and do a repeat of the previous evening.
Days 6 – 8 : Damaraland, Namibia
Today we travel through the desert towards the old tin mine of Uis, and will hopefully pick-up on any of the desert specials we may have missed so far. Our main target today before leaving the arid Namib, is to search for the Benguella Long-billed Lark. En-route to our overnight destination we may encounter Monteiro’s Hornbill and even Damara Red-billed Hornbill. We will reach our destination late afternoon and hopefully still have some daylight to do some birding in the vicinity of our lodge. We will keep an ear open for the unmistakable grunts of the Giant Eagle Owl, our largest owl as well as the African Scops Owl our smallest owl species, Pearl-spotted Owls will also no doubt provide us with their “music”.
We will spend two nights at a lodge in Damaraland – All meals included. The entire next day will be spent at this location to search for the shy and secretive Hartlaub’s Francolin, an early morning call will be necessary to locate the bird while still active. The other specials we shall be looking out for are the Rockrunner, Rüppell’s Parrot, Violet Wood-Hoopoe, Carp’s Tit, Bare-cheeked Babbler and Damara Red-billed Hornbill. We should also see Springbok, Oryx, and Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra and with luck even African Elephant. Again, with luck on returning late from a game drive we may encounter Bronze-winged (Violet-tipped) Courser, Nightjars and Owls.
Day 8 – 9 : Etosha National Park, Namibia
Today we travel northbound for the Etosha National Park where we enter on the west through the Galton Gate. Once in the park we have our first opportunity to see four of the big five and an abundance of antelope, Giraffe and other game. Etosha is also home to an abundance of raptors and ground loving species such as Northern Black Korhaan, Red-crested Korhaan, Double-banded Courser and numerous lark species. Our first night in the park is spent in the west and drives in this area should deliver excellent photographic opportunities. Overnight at a camp in Western Etosha – All meals included.
Day 9 – 10 : Etosha National Park, Namibia
Today we travel eastwards through the park and have lunch en-route at the Okaukuejo restaurant. Birds which we may see along this route are Red-necked Falcon, Greater Kestrel, Chat Flycatcher, southern Ant-eating Chat, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Scaly-feathered Finch, Red-headed Finch, Kalahari Scrub Robin, Fawn-coloured Lark, and the beautiful Violet-eared Waxbill. After dinner we will look for various owls in the campgrounds, and we should see Pearl-Spotted Owlet, African Scops Owl and with luck southern White-faced Scops Owl. Overnight at Halali Camp, Etosha National Park – All meals included.
Day 10 – 11 : Waterberg Plateau, Namibia
Today’s travelling takes us to the Waterberg Plateau Park. We will have the opportunity to catch up with any of the species, which we may not have seen earlier. This locality is good for many specials including Rüppell’s Parrot, Violet Wood-Hoopoe, Hartlaub’s Francolin (Spurfowl), Rockrunner and so Bradfield’s Hornbill. Overnight stay at Waterberg Plateau Camp – All meals included. On the final day, we do some early morning birding and then travel back to Windhoek where you will connect with your onward flight.
Activities/services included in the cost:
• Arrival and departure airport transfer. • Accommodation as per the itinerary.
• Accommodation in the National Parks is based on Full Board
• Road transportation in custom made safari vehicles.
• Exclusive private vehicle and driver-guide throughout the safari
• Game dives as per the itinerary
• Park and game reserve entrance fees
• English Driver guides available for the safari
• Our 24hours support throughout the safari
Activities/services excluded in the cost:
• All International Flights/local Flights + Taxes
• Visa fees, Travel & Personal accident insurance
• Excursions, services and activities not mentioned in this program
• Flying option available for certain safaris at an extra cost
• Personal expenses e.g. laundry, telephone calls, Drinks, Tips etc
To get costs for this tour, contact our Sales Office Team on sales@trailsofafrica.co.ke
Just give us the Safari Tour Code and name of the safari you want to book and we shall revert back with costs and availability.
With its wide-open spaces of the Namib desert, the huge sand dunes at Sossusvlei, the desert elephant and rhino that may be seen in the Damaraland area, Namibia possesses some of the most stunning landscapes in Africa and is home to greatest road adventures in Africa. Natural wonders such as that mighty gash in the earth at Fish River Canyon and the wildlife utopia of Etosha National Park enthrall, but it’s the lonely desert roads where mighty slabs of granite rise out of swirling desert sands that will sear themselves in your mind. It’s like a coffee-table book come to life as sand dunes in the world’s oldest desert meet the crashing rollers along the wild Atlantic coast. Among all this is a German legacy evident in the cuisine and art nouveau architecture, and in festivals such as Windhoek’s legendary Oktoberfest.
Namibia boasts remarkable natural attractions such as the Namib desert, the Fish River Canyon Park, Etosha National Park and the Kalahari desert. Its people speak nine different languages, including some of the Khoisan languages which include the ‘clicks’ that present an enigma to most native English-speakers. Namibia produces some of the world’s highest quality diamonds.
Previously known as South West Africa, Namibia is bordered by South Africa in the south, Angola and Zambia in the north and Botswana and Zimbabwe in the east. The country is demarcated into 14 regions, namely the Zambezi, Kavango East, Kavango West, Kunene, Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana and Oshikoto regions in the north, the Omaheke. As Namibia is such a vast country, it makes sense to travel via scheduled air charters if possible.
Namibia’s Tourist Attractions
Namibia boasts remarkable natural attractions such as the Namib desert, the Fish River Canyon Park, Etosha National Park, the Kalahari desert, the huge sand dunes at Sossusvlei, the desert elephant and rhino that may be seen in the Damaraland area. Natural wonders such as that mighty gash in the earth at Fish River Canyon and the wildlife utopia of Etosha National Park enthrall, but it’s the lonely desert roads where mighty slabs of granite rise out of swirling desert sands that will sear themselves in your mind.
Damaraland
Etosha National Park
Namib Naukluft-Sossusvlei
Ongava Private Game Reserve
Skeleton Coast Park
