ETOSHA -CAPRIVI-VIC FALLS

NAMIBIA CONSERVANCY SAFARIS

NAMIBIA CONSERVANCY SAFARIS – SOMETHING SPECIAL!

Conservancy Safaris run outstanding trips to Kunene, but as the company is 100% owned by the local Himba and Herero communities, it’s the ultimate in responsible travel, where every guest makes their footprint count, by directly aiding conservation and local communities, whilst enjoying an inspirational journey of a lifetime. The five conservancies are : Puros, Orupembe, Sanitatas, Okonjombo and Marienfluss. That’s an area of 13,500 sq km and a population of only 1800, located in north-west Namibia. With backing and support from IRNDC and WWF, these local people have done much to protect the region with the long term goal of conservation. These magnificent safaris help ensure they are able to continue doing so....

If you would like a truly “off the beaten track” experience in the company of absolutely exceptional guides ....look no further than this range of ideas in Namibia.

Your participation in these safaris does not just generate much needed income for the Conservancies; it also serves to provide employment opportunities, capacity building and hope.

They are excursions into a vast untamed land to give the discerning traveller a once in a lifetime insider’s view of community-based conservation in action. We invite you to join our experienced team on rutted tracks, across dry riverbeds and rugged mountain passes with a stunning backdrop of ever-changing desert scenery, inhabited by a diversity of fascinating plants and animals.

Learn how the well-being of semi-nomadic herding people and wildlife are linked in the 50 000 square kilometre Kunene Region where lions, elephant, giraffe, black rhino, gemsbok and kudu have all adapted to life in this ancient desert. See the highest diversity of commiphora species (myrrh) in the world and a number of endemic birds, trees and shrubs.

Depending on which safari you choose, search for black rhino or perhaps go on a plant trail with Himba women. Spend quality time with your Herero and Himba conservancy hosts and gain insights into the highs and lows of living together with wildlife in this arid environment devoid of park boundaries, fences and convenience stores.

Enjoy desert camping in comfort with a back-up crew who will round off your eventful day with mouth-watering bush cuisine. Savour a good wine and immerse yourself in the sounds, scents and flavours of an African night before retiring to your tent and tailor-made bedroll.

Experience stress relieving solitude; know that your presence is making conservation sustainable, enhancing livelihoods and improving quality of life.

Itinerary

10 Days/ 9 nights

Please note that activities in the conservancies described on particular days are flexible and interchangeable as these are not “staged” and depend on the current day to day activities and events of the communities themselves.

Day 0

Arrive in Windhoek the day before your safari begins and take the opportunity to relax after your flight and visit the capital of Namibia. We can assist you with a hotel booking.

Overnight in Windhoek.

Day 1 We leave Windhoek and drive north on excellent roads via Okahandja, Otjiwarongo and Outjo to Etosha National Park. Your guides have plenty of experience and knowledge of the Park that they will share with you along the way. We enter the Park through Andersson gate [a famous Swedish trader, warrior and town builder].

Overnight at Okaukuejo Rest Camp, or if there is no availability, at a lodge of similar standard in the vicinity of the Gate.

Day 2 Etosha is an extremely game rich Park. Sunrise is a particularly good time for game viewing so we will make an early start with a game-drive. We will return to the lodge for a leisurely breakfast before travelling slowly and circuitously across the park to Namutoni Camp.

You will have time to cool off at the swimming pool and after dinner we can enjoy our drinks sitting at the floodlit waterhole.

Overnight at Namutoni Rest Camp, or if there is no availability, at a lodge of similar standard in the vicinity of the Gate.

Day 3 After breakfast we start our drive through Kavango to West Caprivi via Tsumeb, Grootfontein and Rundu. It is an unavoidably long drive but we can pause regularly and we stop somewhere en route for lunch. As we cross the Kavango River, which feeds the famous Okavango Delta, we enter the Caprivi panhandle, which with its rivers, floodplains, wetlands and forests offers almost everything you could expect to see in the Delta. We arrive in the early evening at N//gobacca Campsite on the banks of the Kavango River, overlooking Popa Falls. This attractively located camp is owned by the Kyaramacan Residents’ Trust which is the equivalent to a conservancy - inside a national park. Enjoy a sundowner on the decks overlooking the river, which is frequented by hippo and crocs. Overnight at N//gobacca Campsite.

Day 4

We will spend the morning in the small yet diverse and interesting Mahango National Park with its riverine forest, broad floodplain and majestic baobab trees. We may catch sight of Sable, Roan and Lechwe as well as Elephant and the abundant birdlife. If Devil’s Claw is being harvested, we’ll visit one of the collecting camps and see how this fascinating medicinal plant is prepared for marketing on specially constructed drying racks.

We may also take a trip into Buffalo another good place to look for elephant and buffalo and the extensive variety of birds that frequent the reserve. We overnight again at the campsite where we might be joined by some KweSan/Bushmen, the main beneficiaries of the Kyaramacan Trust, who live and work in the area. With encouragement they have some amazing stories to tell about their history, culture and traditional ways of life.

Overnight at N//gobacca Campsite.

Day 5

Leaving In the early morning we continue East visiting Omega Village [a former army base now home to many local people] meeting with staff and members of the Kyaramacan Trust. We wind our way through the Bwabwata National Park, which covers the major part of West Caprivi, and is special in that it supports a large wildlife population and a large human population.

We arrive at Nambwa Campsite, on a backwater of the Kwando River. This camp is owned and managed by Mayuni Conservancy.

Late afternoon we drive to “Horseshoe” [an oxbow in the Kwando River] where we can enjoy a sundowner and hopefully watch elephant coming down for a drink. We may be joined at the campfire and/or at dinner by some conservancy game guards who will be able to tell us about life in this remarkable area of Caprivi.

Overnight at Nambwa Campsite.

Day 6

We take an early morning guided walk with conservancy game guards to Elephant Pools about two kilometres away. After breakfast back at the campsite we take a short drive to our next destination, Kongola. There is a shopping opportunity at the Mashi Craft Centre which is owned and managed by a large group of local craft makers and the staff will be happy to tell you the background to their market.

We take a guided tour of Mashi village and, if possible, meet Chief Mayuni at his traditional khuta [court].

We will camp in his village as guests of the local people.

Day 7

We set out for the Eastern Floodplains via Katima Mulilo, a typical African frontier town. We drive to Kasika Conservancy, across the floodplain, overlooking the Chobe National Park and sightings of wildlife and birds are most likely. We may encounter elephant and buffalo along the way.

We camp near a village and you might enjoy a stroll up there to meet the local people, see their homes, school and perhaps see some traditional dancing. For the intrepid guest they may arrange a mokoro trip. The wooden dug- out canoes they build from tree trunks to enable them to fish and transport themselves around. Even though the people live on the only high ground they frequently have to abandon their houses as the flood waters rise. The community members will be pleased to explain the opportunities and challenges they face living in their particular environment and how important the rivers are to their way of life. Overnight – bush camping.

Day 8

In the morning we continue to focus on cultural activities and game viewing. Then a change of transportation! We will take a boat from Kasika to Impalila Island passing Kasane in Botswana. Hear the stories about the “island” Namibia and Botswana fought legal battles over for sovereignty for many, many years and the cross border poaching in the past. See the wildlife and the wonderful variety of birds along the way. This is point where Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia meet.

We will stay at the charming Impalila Island Lodge for 2 nights. Impalila is the only place in Caprivi to have rocks [the rest is all sand] and transport around the island is by foot or tractor and trailer. Being an island they also face specific difficulties with regard to their lives and conservation. Overnight – Impalila Island Lodge.

Day 9

After a leisurely breakfast relax with Tiger fishing on the Zambezi River, a guided walk around the island or just take time enjoying the lodge. In the afternoon we will take a boat cruise along the Chobe River for game viewing before a delicious dinner on the deck overlooking the water.

Your final day in Caprivi is planned to be restful and give you time to reflect on your safari before gearing up for the final leg to Victoria Falls.

Overnight – Impalila Island Lodge.

Day 10

After breakfast you will be transferred to Victoria Falls crossing the Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe borders. A visit to the magnificent Falls is a must!

You may decide to catch a scheduled flight to wherever you are travelling next or spoil yourselves with a night or two in Victoria Falls to round off your holiday.

Once again, we can help with a hotel booking.