DESERT & DELTA

Day 1
Depart London.

Day 2
Arrive Windhoek and head to the Botswana border. Our aim is, as long as there are no flight delays, to arrive at the border at lunch time and camp near Ghanzi, Botswana. There will then be an optional bushman walk the following morning, an opportunity to gain an insight in to the hunting and gathering skills developed by the bushman for their survival in this arid landscape. If there are delays we will spend the night close to the border, this will mean a longer drive the following morning and the bushman's walk will not be possible.

Day 3
Today we travel to Maun, with its eclectic mix of modern buildings and native huts. There is time here to explore the town or to take an optional flight over the Okavango Delta for some amazing views.

Day 4
We leave early (around 7-7:30am) and take a relaxing drive into the Okavango Delta. We then change vehicles, for comfortable game viewing in the Delta. On reaching the river we meet our guides and polers. We spend time on the waterways of the Okavango Delta, travelling by mokoro, traditional wooden dug-out canoe. We glide along the pristine channels where there is excellent opportunity for photography. We set up camp in the shade while looking out over the river and molapo, and then take an evening game walk. During the hottest part of the day visitors can cool off in the river, try some fishing, or just relax before the afternoon outing. During the evening we share stories around the fire while listening to the sounds of the African bush. Be prepared if our Botswana hosts put on a song for us they will expect one in return!

Day 5
We rise early this morning, often before the sun, and set out by mokoro or on foot, to explore the area in search of game. We hope to find zebra, giraffe, elephant, jackals, antelope and fantastic bird life. On occasion we may also be able to see lion, leopard, buffalo, Wild dog, Bat-eared fox or hyena. We return to camp for breakfast and then cruise back down the crystal clear channels of the Boro and transfer to a camp for lunch. Back in our overland vehicle we skirt the western side of the Delta and head to our campsite at Tsodilo Hills.

Day 6
There is an optional early morning guided walk to see some of the rock engravings for which Tsodilo is famous, before leaving Botswana and entering Namibia. Very close by is Mahango NP, a small but well populated park, where it is relatively common to see the elusive Sable antelope, sitatunga, reedbuck and a plethora of birdlife. Leaving the park we drive a short distance to our beautiful if somewhat eccentric campsite on the banks of the Kavango River.

Day 7
Today is a driving day through the most fertile area of Namibia, close to the Kavango river, with a quick stop to shop in the bustling town of Rundu, before heading southwest towards Grootfontein.

Day 8
Today we head to Etosha National Park. En route we visit the largest meteorite ever found. Weighing some 80,000kg, it still lies where it was found in 1920 at Hoba Farm, near Grootfontein, Namibia. Our next stop will be Otjikoto Lake, one of the two remaining natural lakes in Namibia with a lot of history. We arrive in Etosha in the early afternoon and, after setting up our camp at Namutoni campsite, take an afternoon game drive.

Day 9
A full day to enjoy this fabulous game park. Etosha is a huge park of mixed forest and grassland centred around a large salt pan. It is home to a great variety and number of game, which is easy to find as the animals congregate at different times around the waterholes. There are waterholes next to the excellent campsites, and it is not uncommon for us to spend all night watching a gala performance of animals: wildebeest, zebra, impala, gazelle, kudu, elephant, giraffe, lion and even rhino are all common sights here. Take plenty of film/memory cards and lots of patience and you will be rewarded by one of the greatest game spectacles in Southern Africa. Etosha is also a good place for birds, with plenty of water birds on the lakes, and weaverbirds and hornbills in the trees. We camp tonight at Okaukuejo campsite, with its fantastic floodlit waterhole.

Day 10
After an early start and short game drive out of the park we head to the small town of Outjo, the farming centre of Damaraland, where we stop to shop, sample the coffee shop and watch the Herero ladies in their Victorian attire going about their daily business. Leaving here we head west to Khorixas. If we rise early enough in the morning there may also be a change to visit the rock engraving at Twylefontein. We then turn south, leaving the tarred roads behind, heading into the wild Damaraland scenery. We camp tonight at Spitzkoppe, which at 1784 metres high is visible from 100 kilometres away. It is the granite core of a long vanished volcano, and is a fascinating place for a scramble amongst the rocks. We may see Rock Hyrax, and will almost certainly hear Barking Geckos as night falls. A great place to sleep out under the stars.

Day 11
Today we leave the highlands after an optional early morning walk around the huge rocks, descend to sea level and arrive in Swakopmund, an attractive town, which retains much of the original character of the German colonial days, including several excellent cake shops. We have one night here (a full afternoon and the following morning) to try out many of the enjoyable optional activities, including quad biking, sand boarding, shark fishing and balloon flights.

Day 12
After a morning spent engaging in adrenaline activities, sightseeing or shopping, we head down the coast to Walvis Bay, possibly sighting dolphins in the surf close to the coast road, before turning inland again, and climbing up out of the oldest desert on earth. Our route takes us though two deep passes, Kuiseb and Gaub, and then runs parallel to the Rantberge and Naukluftberge mountain ranges. We camp close to Sesriem.

Day 13
We spend the day around Sossuvlei and its dunes, one of the great sights of Africa. We have an early start to catch the sunrise over the first major dune; there is then time to climb some of the highest sand dunes in the world, including dune 45. If we're lucky we may see gemsbok or ostrich among the dunes, an irresistibly photogenic scene! We also drive along the edge of the Namib-Naukluft Park visiting the small but interesting Sesriem canyon. We leave the park and drive to Solitaire to camp, (and sample Moose's amazing apple strudel!).

Day 14
We have a choice of two or three routes back to Windhoek, depending which pass we decide to climb. Whichever one we choose, the views are spectacular as we wend our way into the highlands. There may be time for a quick final shop in Windhoek before we leave for the airport.

Day 15
Arrive London.