Namibia Wildlife and Desert Explorer Fly-in Safari

From Windhoek International Airport, transfer to Eros Domestic Airport and fly to Onguma – a 20,000ha exclusive game reserve on the edge of Etosha National Park.

When you're there: Spend two days alternating between fascinating game drives in Onguma and Etosha, enjoying hearty meals and lazing about wherever you please.

Onguma is a massive private game reserve sharing its western boundary with Fisher Pan in Etosha. The reserve has four of the famous five: lion, leopard, rhino, and elephant as well as many other species of plains game following their natural migration paths. Birding in summer is excellent and the reserve features the largest breeding colony of white-backed vultures in Namibia.

Etosha is one of Africa's famous game parks. With a great pan as its centrepiece, Etosha features many natural waterholes that attract an ever-changing montage of Africa's famous plains species including rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and many species of antelope.

Accommodation: Onguma Tented Camp Onguma Tented Camp
Onguma Tented Camp is an elegant and luxurious camp that soaks up the distinctive Etosha scenery. Open-sided tents, outdoor showers and an airy living area amplify the range of sights and sounds in this private reserve on the eastern edge of Etosha Nation
More...

After breakfast, hop on the flight to Purros Conservancy deep in Kaokoland (pronounced CO-co-land), home of the Himba and Herero people and some rugged and wild countryside.

When you're there: The Purros Conservancy is a community-owned conservation area famous for its desert-adapted species of elephant, black rhino, lion, giraffe and other plains game. This mountainous region is the natural home of the Himba who live a semi-nomadic pastoral life akin to the Maasai of East Africa. Their ancient traditions are fascinating and their humble way of life inspiring.

Activities during your two days here include elephant tracking game drives, scenic drives, night drives, walks, and interaction with Himba villagers – the conservancy's custodians.

Leading the trend of well-designed avant-garde eco-lodges sweeping through southern Africa, Okahirongo Elephant Lodge is a sophisticated and luxurious lodge with a sublime setting and an arresting wraparound view of the Hoaruseb Valley and distant mountain ranges.

Accommodation: Okahirongo Elephant Lodge Okahirongo Elephant Lodge
Okahirongo Elephant Lodge is deep in the north-western Kaokoland. This stylish and comfortable lodge is far from anywhere and the very essence of escape.
More...

Fly between meals to the Twyfelfontein (TWAY-fill-font-ain) Conservancy – another community-run Namibian conservation success story – for a Damaraland experience.

When you're there: A scenic afternoon drive through the Twyfelftontein Conservancy ends with a sunset guaranteed to make your slideshow back home. Twyfelfontein is famous for its concentration of ancient rock art amid fascinating geology and picturesque rock formations. Optional activities include scenic walking trails, hot-air ballooning and game drives.

Mowani Mountain Camp is an attraction in itself with its interesting hut-like rooms and safari-style tents built around the boulders and the pool deck is the scene of an absorbing view across the valley towards the mountain ranges beyond. Service, luxury and location make Mowani an established feature among Namibia's best lodges.

Accommodation: Mowani Mountain Camp Mowani Mountain Camp
Mowani Lodge is one of the most luxurious lodges in Damaraland, if not the whole country. Built among huge granite outcrops, the luxurious tented rooms and regal suite have dramatic views, sumptuous luxury and lashings of romance.
More...

After breakfast – you'll be well familiar to this leisurely routine by now – fly to the NamibRand Nature Reserve adjacent to the Namib-Naukluft Park: the Namib Desert in all its picturesque and uninhabited glory.

On the way: You will touch down in the charming seaside town of Swakopmund for a spot of lunch and a wander around its attractions.

When you're there: The NamibRand Nature Reserve is on the edge of the gargantuan Namib-Naukluft Park which occupies a huge swathe of the Namib Desert and Skeleton Coast coastline between Luderitz and Swakopmund. At 171,000ha, the NamibRand offers 2000ha of land per bed. And what land. Wedged between the Namib Desert and the Nubib Mountains, the solitude, serenity and staggering scale of this ancient land create an almost overwhelming sense of peace.

And then there's your accommodation. Wolwedans Dunes Lodge, suspended above the precious pro-Namib dunes, is a master class in eco-design and decadence. Wood and canvas chalets linked by a network of elevated walkways look out over the desert to the mountains which shimmer indigo in the ethereal haze of the Namib Desert's perpetual palette. The food, service and attention to detail have earned Wolwedans accolades the world over.

Accommodation: Wolwedans Dune Camp Wolwedans Dune Camp
Wolwedans Dune Camp is a paired down, luxury camp on top of a large dune. Six tents are pitched on enormous wooden decks and the en suite bathrooms look out over the desert. The main lodge is comfortable and relaxed with sublime views at every turn.
More...

After lunch in the park, it's time to head home. The flight back to Windhoek arrives before dark and in time for your homeward flight.

On the way: Fly over the Namib Desert and the Naukluft Mountains