Namibia Flying Safari

You will be met upon arrival by a member of our local team and once you have collected your luggage and cleared customs you will be transferred to Omaanda, which is only 30-60 mins away from the airport. Omaanda is the first venture in Namibia for the luxury, boutique hotel group Zannier Hotels. It is the perfect place to relax and recuperate after potentially long international flights to reach Namibia.

Depending on the time of your flight arrival, you might like to book onto an activity with the lodge to start your wildlife experience straight away. Due to their partnership with the nearby N/aan ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary they have several fascinating experiences to offer guests, such as spending time with the local meerkat family or tracking down rhino, on foot, in the private reserve. The hospitality at the lodge is top draw and the spa, swimming pool, pool bar and food and drinks offering are also particularly enticing. 

After a hearty breakfast you will be transferred back to the airport to meet your flight to the Namib Desert. Watch the scenery change as you head out of the more contoured inner heart of Namibia and fly west towards the Namib Sand Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Upon arrival at the main airstrip of the region a guide from Little Kulala will be on hand to meet you and transfer you to the lodge. This is one of the most exclusive accommodation options in the area, situated within the vast, private Kulala Wilderness Reserve which border the Namib-Naukluft National Park.

This is your base for the next two nights as you explore a highlight of any trip around Namibia.

Little Kulala along with it’s sister lodge Kulala Desert Lodge have a private entrance to the Namib-Naukluft National Park. Akin to the main national park gate this private gate also opens at sunrise and closes at sunset however due to it’s position it gives guided trips from Kulala and Little Kulala a head start over the other vehicles coming in through the main gate. At an attraction that is becoming increasingly popular this is really beneficial to make the most of that golden morning light, as the sun peeps over the dunes and also so there is less chance of getting people in your photos, which becomes more of an issue as the morning progresses.

Included during your stay are shared activities with the lodge so enjoy a guided morning excursion to the famous dunes and experience Deadvlei, Sossusvlei and the incredible towering apricot dunes of this region. As it starts to heat up and sand has found it’s way into every potential pocket and turn-up it is time to relax in the shade with welcome refreshments provided by your guide.

Return to the lodge and enjoy the comfort of your private plunge pool before a nature drive or walk this afternoon on the private reserve.

Enjoy a morning activity from Little Kulala such a sunrise nature drive and explore this exclusive wildlife area in more detail. If luck is on your side you might catch a glimpse of the Peringuey’s adder, more commonly known as the sidewinder snake that moves with enthralling ease through the shifting dunes.

Next it is back to the airstrip to fly to the north of the country and into the Skeleton Coast and Kaokoland area, it is quite a long journey and the plane will stop a couple of times on the way for refueling and to pick up and drop off other passengers.

However, the journey is well worth it once you arrive at Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp. It is located in a valley with a lunar-like landscape surrounding the beautifully designed tents. Expect the same impeccable service and great food and wine plus a host of unique activities.

Enjoy the next two days of full immersion into this spectacular and unique area, that is out of reach for most travellers to Namibia. This is not an area dense with animals, but any sightings of wildlife are going to be particularly special given the harsh, wild surroundings, however it is certainly going to be the large mammals that steal the show.

Activities include day and night game drives, guided walks and interactions with conservationists and wildlife researchers who use the camp as a base and work to protect the threatened desert lion and brown hyena populations.  Included in a stay of 3 nights or more is a trip to coast, which is no doubt going to be one of the highlights of the stay and possibly of the entire trip. Traverse the rolling dunes and ephemeral Hoanib river, keeping a look for desert adapted elephants in time for a picnic lunch among the shipwrecks and whale bones of the famed skeleton coast. Conditions dependent enjoy a scenic flight back to camp, enabling you to experience the area from another point of view.  

Depending on the time of your flight, which will have been communicated to you the day before, you may have the chance for a final, full morning activity with Hoanib before departing on your flight further north into Kaokoland.

Your destination is Serra Cafema Camp, on the banks on the Kunene River, almost as far north in Namibia as can go before you set foot in Angola. After an orientation and introduction to the camp by the manager and the friendly staff, settle into your opulent chalet. Just eight chalets are built on elevated decks, among a belt of lush, riverine forest with a view of the Kunene River. This is a destination to relax and unwind and adjust to a slow pace of activities that explore this varied and special environment, rather than charging around searching for wildlife.

One of our favourite things about Serra Cafema is the variety of activities on offer. On safari you often find yourself spending hours in a vehicle and although this is the best way to cover ground and track down wildlife, there is no disputing this can become tiring for even the keenest safari aficionados. At Serra Cafema you get to feel the landscape beneath your feet, touch it with your hands, brush through the reeds by boat and access unspoiled vistas by quadbike.

In keeping with this sense of exploration, a must is a visit to the semi-nomadic Himba community which have always called this corner of Namibia home. This interaction is done in a respectful and mutually beneficial way and we believe that it is probably the best experience of it’s kind in Namibia.

Over the course of these two full days it might be tempting to try to cram in as much as possible to make the most of being in an area that very few get to tread. However, the experience of enjoying the seclusion of your chalet, peering out at the river and watching this special river ecosystem, full of Nile crocodiles and colourful water birds shouldn’t be underestimated.

Depart the Hartmann Valley and Serra Cafema as you start to head back south, but before you make it back to Windhoek you have three nights to enjoy Etosha National Park.

Little Ongava is on the private Ongava Game Reserve, adjacent to central region of Etosha National Park. It has just three spacious suites, which are just massive and each with their own plunge pool, lounge, bathtub, expansive private deck and indoor and outdoor showers. The entire lodge is perched on the crest of a hill above the main lodge- Ongava Lodge- affording it far-reaching views across the surrounding private reserve. The main lounge and the dining area have views down to a productive waterhole beneath camp, which can make mealtimes particularly exciting and often interrupted by animals coming to drink.

Little Ongava is perfectly located to make the most of the 30,000-hectare private Ongava Game Reserve, as well as exiting the reserve and entering Etosha National Park through the central Anderssons Gate. Game drives are most likely to be split between exploring the two, as both have their advantages. The main national park has it’s iconic waterholes which can attract hundreds of animals of varying species as well as the endless Etosha salt pan. Whereas the Ongava Reserve offers a more private and exclusive safari experience as visitors are limited to those staying at the four lodges within the reserve.

There is also more flexibility regarding activities, as it is possible to do night drives, bush walks and to go off-road for a special sighting.  It is one of the few private game reserves that have both black and white rhino and also possible, if you come across a white rhino and the guide judges the conditions to be suitable to approach on foot, we can vouch that this is an exhilarating experience.

You should have the chance for a final morning activity before your final internal flight back to Windhoek. Soak up your last views of Namibia from the air as you approach the capital city.

Upon arrival you will be met and transferred back to the familiar atmosphere of Omaanda Lodge. If you still have space on your memory cards you might like to choose an activity to enjoy this afternoon. After the last 12 days of tense wildlife encounters and covering thousands of kilometres you might like to treat yourself to a treatment at the onsite spa.

This morning Omaanda will transfer you back to Windhoek International Airport in time for your international flight home, after an incredible adventure around Namibia.