A member of the Southern Sky Adventures team will meet the group upon landing at the Johannesburg Airport in the late afternoon. The group leaders can get SIM cards, stock up on needed supplies and scout out a good restaurant in the airport for dinner. The group will be taken to the City Lodge Hotel where they can check in, shower and gather again for dinner in the airport.

The group will eat breakfast in the hotel and head back over to the airport where we will take a flight to Windhoek, Namibia.

As soon as we arrive at Windhoek airport, our guide and overland truck will pick us up and take us to our accommodation for the evening. We get a chance to settle in after our flight and then receive a briefing from our tour leader about the great adventure ahead. We have ample opportunity to ask questions and stock up on snacks and refreshments for the road ahead tomorrow. Tonight, we have dinner at a famous restaurant in Namibia called, Joe’s. Here we can sample some of the delicious local delicacies before a well deserved rest.

Gochas – Community Service

We will make an early start as we have a four and half hour drive ahead of us, we are traveling South East from Windhoek to the edge of the great Kalahari dunes to a town called, Gochas . This village has been the main settlement of the Kharakhoen, a sub tribe of the Nama people for many decades. The Nama are the largest group of the Khoikhoi people, most of who have largely disappeared as a group. Music, dancing, poetry and storytelling are very important in Nama culture and many stories have been passed down orally through the generations. Here we will stay for 2 nights working on a community project to improve the local school and sports facilities. We also can learn about local culture.

The efforts to improve the local school facilities and sports fields could consist of painting school rooms, construction, clean up, stocking supplies or just playing with the children on the playground.

Kgalgadi Transfronteir Park – Game Viewing

After a fulfilling 2 days in assisting the local community in Gochas, we make an early start for the drive across the border into South Africa for our next 2 nights at Mata Mata camp, Kgalgadi Transfrontier Park. We arrive at camp around lunch time, set up our tents and head out for an afternoon game drive, there is also a game hide near the campsite from which to view animals at a watering hole. The best time to view game is early morning and late afternoon and so we get up early the next day for a day out in the park. We head North towards Nosob camp where we will have lunch and then slowly make our way back down to our campsite in the afternoon. We can expect to see giraffe, zebra, gemsbok, springbok, hopefully a lion or 2 but nature holds all the cards and it is not a zoo so we should hope for the best and keep our eyes open.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a vast wildlife preserve in the Kalahari Desert region of Botswana and South Africa, bordering Namibia to the west. It’s characterized by red dunes and dry rivers. Wildlife includes migrating herds of wildebeest and springbok, plus predators like raptors and black maned Kalahari lions.

Orange River – Fafting Tour

We leave Kgalgadi Transfronteir park behind us and make our way further south towards the great Orange River, it is a long day’s drive and we will have lunch on the road. We are heading for a place called Noordoewer from where we will start our rafting tour the following day.

Our rafting trip will see us paddling and floating along the mighty Gariep (the Orange River) through the deserts of the Richtersveldt. We set out on our rafting adventure with all your necessities on the raft with us

We will paddle in 2-man inflatable rafts which are very easy to handle and very comfortable. We will spend the next 4 nights along the banks of the river, camping where the guides find a suitable spot. There are no facilities along the river and you will experience raw nature by bathing in the river and eating around the camp fire at night. You don`t even have to bring your tent along and can sleep out under the blanket of more stars than you could ever imagine.

The paddling is easy going and most time is spent swimming, relaxing or even fishing. You can even try a nappy run (swimming down one of the rapids wearing your life jacket as a nappy) to get the adrenalin flowing.

Ais -Ais Hot Springs, Fish River Canyon – Swim and View Canyon

After our unforgettable rafting trip, we get picked up next to the river by our overland truck and make a short trip to Ais- Ais Hot Springs where we make lunch and get the opportunity to swim in the hot springs before we continue our journey to the Fish River canyon. Once we arrive at Hobos campsite we setup our tents before driving to the view point of the Fish River canyon, just before sunset. The Fish River is, at 650 kilometers, the longest river in Namibia. The Fish River canyon, situated along the lower reaches of the Fish River, is one of the most impressive natural beauties in the southern part of Namibia and has become a popular hiking destination. It is the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 100 miles (160 km) long, up to 16 miles (27 km) wide and in places almost 550 meters deep.

Namib Desert :Sossusvlei Pan, Sesriem Canyon, Dune 45 – Hiking

We have an early start from the Fish River canyon and another long day on the truck ahead of us, we are on our way to the heart of the Namib Desert. We reach Sesriem campsite in the late afternoon and setup camp. This campsite is beautifully situated at the entrance to the Namib Naukluft Park, near of the Sesriem Canyon and approximately 37 miles (63 km) from Sossus vlei. 20 camping sites in the shade of ancient camel thorn trees are available.

At the entry to Sossusvlei is Sesriem Canyon, where centuries of erosion have incised a narrow gorge about 1 km in length. At the foot of the gorge, which plunges down 30 to 40m, are pools that become replenished after good rains. Sesriem derives its name from the time when early pioneers tied six lengths of rawhide thongs together to draw water from the pools. Interesting to see are the various layers of sediment rock that form the surrounding desert floor. Sossusvlei, Namibia’s famous highlight in the heart of the Namib Desert, is a huge clay pan, enclosed by giant sand dunes. Some of the spectacular hills of sand are, at a height of 300 meters, the highest in the world. Only after a heavy rainfall, which is a rare event in this area, does the vlei fill with water. As the clay layers hardly allow any water infiltration, a turquoise lake will remain for quite some time. The dunes of the Namib Desert have developed over a period of many millions of years. We will discover all of this and more the next day after a good night’s rest.

Swakopmund – Adventure Activities, Sandboarding, Quad biking, Skydiving

After a spectacular sunrise in the desert, we continue our journey to Swakopmund. En route you can visit the oldest plant in the world: the Welwitschia Mirabilis in the Moon Landscape. Swakopmund, Namibia’s second biggest town and traditional “summer capital”, is one of the most surreal places in this land of contrasts. You approach the town through the endless expanses of the Namib Desert, one of the world’s largest wilderness areas. It is known as the “Jewel of Namibia”, glistening in the sunshine, tucked between ocean and desert.

While Swakopmund is small in the global sense, it is big when it comes to hospitality. Here, where desert and sea meet in perfect harmony, there is plenty to do for the youth and Swakopmund offers a relaxed atmosphere for the older generation. The town is a precursor of history, an oasis for the soul, a place for encounters and consciousness. With its mild climate, the natural unspoilt beauty of its surroundings, friendly and healthy people, sun bathed in tradition, Swakopmund is a good place to relax in. Activities available include sand boarding and skiing, quad biking, camel rides and off road driving as well as a host of other attractions, including excursions by boat to see dolphins and seals, shore based angling (some of the best in Africa). We will spend two nights here, giving ample opportunity to experience all Swakopmund has to offer.

Brandberg – Hiking to White Lady

After two nights in the adventure capital of Namibia, we head back to the road and head for Brandberg, or the ‘Burnt mountain’ The Brandberg is a spiritual site of great significance to the San (Bushman) tribes. The main tourist attraction is The White Lady rock painting, located on a rock face with other art work, under a small rock overhang, in the Tsisab Ravine at the foot of the mountain. The ravine contains more than 1,000 rock shelters, as well as more than 45,000 rock paintings. To reach The White Lady rock painting, it is necessary to hike for about 40 minutes over rough terrain, along the ancient watercourses threading through the mountain. We arrive at Brandberg at around lunch time and hike up to the rock art in the afternoon.

Otjiwarongo -Cheetah Conservation Project Visit

Our second to last day has arrived but the adventure is far from over, we make our way to Otjiwarongo today, where another highlight of the tour awaits us. We are spending the night at a Cheetah sanctuary which holds many surprises for everyone. There are unlimited opportunities to see these beautiful carnivores in their natural environment within the huge Okonjima Nature Reserve, as well as to witness the critical conservation work undertaken by the AfriCat Foundation, which researches and rehabilitates cheetahs, wild dogs, and hyaenas.

Windhoek – Departure

Our last day has arrived and we will have an early start and make our way down to Windhoek where we will go straight to the airport for departure, depending on our flight times out of Namibia. Sadly, we must say good bye after an amazing tour of Namibia!