Cape Town Desert Safari (Northbound)

Tour Code: NCDS11

Experience Africa's enormous skies and wild remote landscapes on a journey through some of the continent's most striking scenery.
Encounter deep canyons and towering dunes, diverse wildlife and fascinating tribal culture on this exciting tour through Namibia and
the Cape, mixed with a host of adrenaline activities along the way.

Cape Town Township Tour Spectacular views at Fish River Canyon Giant sand dunes of the Namib Desert Swakopmund, Namibia's adrenaline capital! Spitzkoppe Bushman Paintings Night waterhole viewing at Etosha National Park

+44 (0) 207 706 4700

Itinerary / Highlights

DAY 1 Cape Town – Western Cape - Gariep River

Our overland safari begins in cosmopolitan Cape Town, overlooked by Table Mountain and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, one of the world’s most picturesque cities. Before we leave the city we take a tour of the Cape Flats – Cape Town’s townships, visiting some of the local people and community projects in the area. The townships illustrate both South Africa’s tumultuous history and its hope for the future and make a fascinating visit. From here we head north through South Africa’s western and northern Cape provinces, a fertile area of winelands and wild flowers in the south that gradually turns drier and rockier as we head north towards the Namibian border. We set up our camp tonight at Gariep (Orange) River before sunset. There will be time tonight to settle in to life on the road, properly meet the rest of the group and enjoy our first night under the African sky.

DAY 2 - 5 Fish River Canyon – Namib Naukluft Park

We enter Namibia and arrive at the awesome Fish River Canyon. One of the natural wonders of Africa, some 500m deep and over 160km long, this is the second largest canyon in the world (after the Grand Canyon, USA). Again, there are plenty of opportunities for keen photographers as we spend time around this area and visit the canyon’s infamous sharp river bend known as ‘Hell’s Corner.’ After a night near the canyon we continue north until we reach the Namib Naukluft Park, containing the world’s oldest desert and the highest sand dunes.
Some of Sossusvlei’s dunes are over 300m high and a popular activity here is to trek to the top of one of them in time to watch the sun rise over the open desert. A spectacular sight but be warned, it’s an energy sapping climb to the top! Another well worthwhile option is to continue deeper into the park for a nature walk across the saltpans and valley floor, amidst the dunes – a real glimpse of Namibia’s unspoilt natural environment. Bring your camera - the shifting colours of the desert as the sun climbs throughout the mid/late morning offer some brilliant photographic opportunities.

DAY 6 - 7 Swakopmund

Continuing on, we drive out of the desert and hit the Atlantic coast at Swakopmund, a small town redolent of Namibia’s colonial past but with modern adventure oriented attractions for the visitor. Swakopmund is Namibia’s main seaside resort, sandwiched neatly between the desert and the ocean, and is a delightful coastal oasis. Try some adventure desert based activities if you wish –quad biking, sand boarding, skydiving (weather permitting) – or else simply walk along the promenade admiring the ocean and indulge in the town’s café culture.

DAY 8 Cape Cross Seal Colony - Spitzkoppe

We leave Swakopmund and continue north, stopping briefly at Cape Cross where, in 1486, the Portuguese mariner Diego Cão first set foot on the coast of southwest Africa. Cape Cross is also home to some 80,000 seals, the largest seal colony along this stretch of coast-line. It’s an impressive sight, if not just for the number of seals but also for the immense noise and smell! Leaving the Cape we turn inland to the beautiful Damaraland region and stop at Spitzkoppe to admire ancient bushman paintings still visible on the peculiar rock formations.

DAY 9 – 11 Etosha National Park - Windhoek

We make our way north to Etosha National Park, a vast reserve of over 20,000 sq km surrounding a central salt depression or ‘pan.’ The pan is seasonally full of water but specially managed waterholes sustain some 114 mammal and 340 bird species. We spend two nights here, usually making camp near a floodlit waterhole. Observers frequently see a range of night visitors including elephant, giraffe, zebra, even lion and hyena, making it one of the most memorable wildlife encounters in Namibia. After two nights we leave Etosha and turn south to the Windhoek, the capital, a city steeped in German architecture and atmosphere. Take the opportunity to enjoy a night out at one of the local taverns. We aim to arrive in Windhoek late afternoon on day 11 when the tour officially ends.

Other Details

Accommodation Details

Camping (2 Person Dome Tent)

Departure Dates, Options & Prices

Start: Cape Town, South Africa
Finish: Windhoek, Namibia

+44 (0) 207 706 4700