Our local guide, Mr. Elvis Nghimutina greets you today at Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport – named in honour of one of the original opponents to South African rule after WWI – and transfers you to our nearby bush accommodation in the N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary, where this afternoon’s “Roots of N/a’an ku sê Tour” affords close-up viewing of the sanctuary’s resident lions, leopards, wild dogs and others. During dinner, Elvis will offer a few words of wisdom to help you feel comfortable with being in Namibia, while giving a brief overview of the exciting itinerary that lay ahead.

Staying close to Windhoek tonight allows you to acclimatize and settle into a relaxed, healthy rhythm for the remainder of your safari. This can take a day or two due to the uncomfortable combination of the city’s relatively high altitude (1,660m or 5,440ft) and the long-haul flight most travelers endure to get here.

Today you are treated to a wonderful scenic drive to Sesreim and the dunes of the Namib Desert. Traveling mostly on graded, gravel roads you descend down into the Naukluft Valley and its panoramic mountain vistas. The scenery remains stunning as you approach the easternmost edge of Namibia’s famed desert dunes, where sand and savanna meet and free roaming wildlife such as springbok, oryx (also called gemsbok) and ostrich can often be seen from your lodge. Our aim is to provide plenty of time for you to soak up this harsh yet beautiful landscape. We therefore provide a stay of two nights at Sossusvlei Lodge, located at the entrance to Namib-Naukluft National Park which encompasses one of the world’s oldest and driest desert regions.

Today Elvis takes you to the desert sands overlooking the well-known and photogenic landmarks of Dune 45, Dead Vlei and Sossusvlei. Later today you explore Sesreim Canyon and can visit Elim Dune to marvel at the splendor of an African sunset.

As you travel down the valley of the Tsauchab River to Sossusvlei, you are dwarfed on either side by huge sand dunes. At times, you pass close to groves of dead camel thorn trees, testimony to a bygone era when there was much more water. During the drive you can hope to see oryx, the fabled desert antelope, as well as springbok, ostrich, bustards, jackal, bat-eared fox and hyena. At the end of the tarred road is a short, though at times bumpy, ride along a sandy track to the two iconic vleis of Dead Vlei and Sossusvlei. Vlei is an Afrikaans term for a marsh or pan of water.

You now call in to the home of Gideon David – better known as Boesman and an old friend of Compass Odyssey. Married to Japanese wife Yuri and the subject of an episode of the BBC’s “New Lives In the Wild”, Boesman is our local bare-footed desert guide and also a keen farmer, and this morning we take an informative tour of his farm and its resident desert dunes. Along the way he shows us that the Namib Desert is alive and thriving with specialized animal and plant life, the great majority of it utilized in some way by the nomadic Bushmen (also collectively called the San people). After this fascinating morning, you travel to Namibia’s barren Atlantic coastline to the quaint resort town of Swakopmund, via the stunning Gaub and Kuiseb mountain passes.

This morning you travel the short distance south to Walvis Bay, where you discover this port town’s prolific bird and marine life on an entertaining and informative cruise in the bay, followed by a decadent on-board lunch of locally cultivated oysters.

Your cruise around the bay offers sightings of up to three species of dolphin – Atlantic bottlenose, Dusky, and the endemic Heavyside – as well two species of whale – Humpback and Southern-Right. The crew will also be on the lookout for Cape fur seal, Leatherback turtle, Mola mola (Sunfish) and with a bit of luck, Orca (Killer whale). Birders won’t be disappointed, with close-up viewing of pelican, cormorant, Cape gull, Caspian tern and a number of wader species.

You then embark on an afternoon’s 4×4 excursion along the coast to Sandwich Harbour – one of the most remote destinations within a country that boasts its fair share.

From Swakopmund you now travel north along the eerie and desolate coast, stopping along the way to view a shipwreck or two. You then turn east and venture into Damaraland and the Doro !Nawas Conservancy, one of Africa’s most successful examples of community-based wildlife conservation and tourism. This afternoon you enjoy a leisurely nature drive and some drinks while watching the sun set over the Damaraland escarpment.

The following day commences with an early morning game drive led by an experienced camp guide, where in addition to the desert-adapted elephant you’ll be on the lookout for kudu, springbok and the endemic Hartmann’s mountain zebra, as well as the region’s 35 lizard species, 24 snake species and over 170 bird species. This afternoon offers a visit to the ancient rock engravings at Twyfelfontein and an opportunity to learn from the indigenous Damara people at the Damara Living Museum. There’s also time to simply relax and absorb the peaceful tranquility and perhaps a self-guided hike around the camp’s surrounding hillsides.

This morning you depart Damaraland to enter Namibia’s savannah region and Etosha National Park, where your camp’s floodlit waterhole promises some quality wildlife viewing throughout the evening and through to the early morning. You stay two nights in Namibia’s premier national park, allowing plenty of time to visit a number of the park’s famous waterholes, which regularly affords great viewing of the park’s large herds of elephant, oryx, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra and springbok. Accompanied by Elvis’ broad knowledge of Namibia’s wildlife, you’ll also be on the lookout for the park’s iconic ‘black’ species, such as its black-maned lions, black rhino, black-backed jackal and endemic black-faced impala. On one of your evenings, we also provide an evening game drive with an experienced park ranger, where the spotlights will be on the lookout for the park’s varied nocturnal life – both predator and prey.

This morning you travel via the nation’s capital, Windhoek and can visit a local craft center for some final souvenir shopping (time permitting). Elvis then returns you to Windhoek Airport for an afternoon flight departure – daily direct flights are available to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Frankfurt among others.

During this safari you will witness Namibia’s natural and wild beauty, be exposed to her diverse cultures and history, and experience genuine African hospitality. Thank you for visiting Namibia on this Compass Odyssey safari. ǃHaese mugus (“See you soon”).