Skeleton Coast Safari,
Sossusvlei & Etosha National Park

DAY 1

Huab River Valley

Meet at Eros Airport, Windhoek, at 07h00 for a scenic flight to Sossusvlei in Namib Naukluft Park, home to the world’s tallest dunes. Landing at Sesriem, we explore the towering 300m dunes by vehicle, with an optional climb for the adventurous. We then fly along the coast via Conception Bay, passing the famous Eduard Bohlen shipwreck, before landing in Swakopmund to refuel. Continuing north, we take a low-level flight along the Skeleton Coast, passing Cape Cross’s seal colony, and enjoy a light picnic near the beach.

Our journey then heads east over the dramatic Ugab formations, a stark ‘moon landscape’ of black ridges against a white desert floor. We land at Kuidas Camp in the Huab River Valley for the night, where ancient rock engravings are within walking distance.

DAY 2

Skeleton Coast

After breakfast, we explore the Huab River area by Land Rover, admiring its striking red lava and yellow sandstone while learning about the region’s diverse flora and fauna, including the unique Welwitschia Mirabilis, a tree adapted to the harsh desert climate. After lunch at Kuidas Camp, we fly along the coast to Terrace Bay in Skeleton Coast Park, passing the Montrose and Henrietta shipwrecks.

At the coast, we access the roaring dunes by Land Rover—an exhilarating experience—before visiting a beach strewn with multicolored agate, lava, granite, and quartz pebbles, as well as ancient bleached whale bones. We then fly north to Leylandsdrift Camp in the Hoarusib Valley, where we stay for the night.

DAY 3

Kunene

After breakfast we embark on a scenic drive along the Hoarusib Valley to visit a settlement of the nomadic Himba people. We might be lucky enough to come across the desert-dwelling elephant who frequent this valley. From here we continue north along the Skeleton Coast by aircraft to the Kunene River acting as a border to Angola. The Kaiu Maru shipwreck and pieces from old sailing vessels lie scattered along this part of the coast.

From the airfield we take a scenic drive by Land Rover to our favorite lunch site. After lunch we continue through the mountains and dunes of the Hartmann Valley – which extends to the Kunene River – reaching our Kunene River camp in the late afternoon.

DAY 4

Etosha East

An early morning boat trip on the Kunene River as it flows through scenic desert landscape, observing bird life and possibly some crocodiles. Birds vary from aquatic species on the perennial waters, to endemic desert varieties and those which inhabit dense riverine vegetation. After lunch at the camp, we fly directly from the Kunene River to the eastern side of the Etosha National Park, where we spend the night at a lodge outside the park.

DAY 5

Windhoek

After breakfast we drive/fly into the park for a game drive by vehicle. Springs provide numerous drinking places for the animals, which congregate in spectacular numbers especially during the dry season (June to December). Animals such as lion and steenbok may be found in specific home ranges, while others such as springbok, eland, zebra, wildebeest and elephant wander all over browsing or in search of better grazing. Our flight back to Windhoek commences in the afternoon to ensure that we land

before dark.