Set Departure | Namibia

Under Canvas

Mobile Safari

Feet firmly on the ground

The ageless, vast landscape of Namibia is home to one of the lowest population densities in the world, rock art created by stone-age artists and geological attractions such as the petrified forest where fossilised tree trunks have lain for over 280 million years. When added to the space and silence, these factors all contribute to a feeling of antiquity, solitude, and wilderness.

This 10-day safari affords you the chance to experience this magnificent and memorable country in a very personal way. You will have your own professional and knowledgeable Namibian safari guide who will enhance your enjoyment of this unique country by making it a fascinating and stress-free journey of discovery amidst very dramatic scenery. These set departure trips will start with a minimum of 2 guests (maximum 7 guests) and your guide will transport you in a specially modified state-of-the-art air-conditioned Land Cruiser, ensuring spacious comfort and guaranteed window seat for all.

Starting from Windhoek, you will first visit the AfriCat Foundation to learn more about the initiatives to conserve Africa’s large cats before continuing to the waterholes around Etosha National Park that attracts wildlife in huge numbers, including the Big 5. Other destination highlights include the ancient Damaraland region where you will search for desert adapted elephant, and track for endangered black rhino; the central coastal region with its canyons, dunes, lagoons and the German-inspired architecture of Swakopmund; and the breathtaking and vast open landscapes of the Namib region that is home to gravel plains, picturesque mountains with dry river valleys, large plateaus and the towering apricot coloured sand dunes of the Sossusvlei.

You will love

  • Variety of stunning landscapes
  • Rare desert adapted species
  • Exclusive tented camps
  • Fully on-the-road guided adventure
  • Can be a set departure or private
  • Exceptional value for money

10 UNFORGETTABLE DAYS

DAY 1 | DRIVE WINDHOEK TO ETOSHA | 3 NIGHTS

Depart Windhoek in your safari vehicle with private guide, bound for Etosha National Park. Along the way you will visit Okonjima’s AfriCat Day Centre, a wildlife sanctuary which focuses on the research and rehabilitation of Africa’s big cats, especially injured or captured leopard and cheetah. You will arrive in time to embark on an exciting and informative game drive and tour of the centre, learn about the function and vision of the AfriCat Foundation and meet some of the Foundation’s special captive carnivore ambassadors. Please note that if you would like to track wild cats a pre‐overnight extension is available.

After lunch, continue north to the private Onguma Game Reserve which sits on the eastern side of Etosha National Park. Settle in to Onguma Tree Tops Camp for sunset drinks and dinner.

DAY 2 | ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

Full day of exciting game viewing within Etosha National Park today, or you can choose to spend the morning in the park and return to camp for lunch and the afternoon.

Etosha National Park, or the ‘Great White Place’, covers a huge area with about one quarter made up of saline depressions or ‘pans’. Etosha Pan, a saline desert, is the largest pan in the region. The park is home to 114 mammal and over 340 bird species. Here you might find the Big 5 and a wild variety of antelope including the endemic black faced impala.

DAY 3 | ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

This morning your game drive will be dedicated to the eastern section of Etosha National Park. After lunch in camp and a siesta your afternoon drive will take place within the Onguma Game Reserve culminating in a sundowner overlooking Fischer’s Pan.

Being a private reserve you will enjoy the huge wildlife variety that is typical of the Etosha region, however it is available only for guests at its camps.

DAY 4 | DRIVE TO DAMARALAND | 3 NIGHTS

After breakfast, you will depart with your guide to the heart of Namibia, Damaraland, travelling through farmlands and small towns such as Tsumeb, Otavi and Outjo. Your full day scenic transfer with picnic lunch culminates with your arrival at your exclusive camp, Huab Under Canvas, in time for sundowners and a three night stay.

Damaraland is typified by displays of colour, magnificent table topped mountains, rock formations and bizarre‐looking vegetation, all of which has been formed by the erosion of wind, water and geological forces.

DAY 5 | DAMARALAND

Today you will spend the morning out rhino tracking with the assistance of local trackers. It is worth noting that these black rhino form part of one of the only free‐roaming black rhino populations in Africa and tracking animals in an unfenced and uninhibited environment is an absolute privilege. Later in the afternoon you head out again for a scenic nature drive or walk to explore this vast and astounding ecosystem.

DAY 6 | DAMARALAND

Today you will continue your adventures exploring Damaraland, enjoying the freedom to discover the fascinating landscapes with your private naturalist guide both by vehicle and on foot. You will spend the day with a delicious picnic lunch largely tracking the elusive desert adapted elephants in the ephemeral river systems but, whilst never guaranteed, it is possible that you might spot giraffe, oryx, springbok and even some predators such as lion.

DAY 7 | DRIVE TO SWAKOPMUND | 1 NIGHT

After an early breakfast and departure, the drive today takes you south past Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg which peaks at 2,573 m above sea level, and west to meet the coast at Henties Bay. You then continue south to the coastal town of Swakopmund where you can enjoy the pleasant seaside location and cooler coastal air for the night. You will stay at Desert Breeze, a luxurious boutique hotel on the eastern outskirts of the town, overlooking the Swakop River valley and desolate desert dune landscapes. Dinner tonight will be at a popular restaurant that offers fresh local fresh plus international dishes.

Swakopmund resembles a small, German coastal resort nestled between the desert and the sea. It boasts a charming combination of German colonial architecture blended with good hotels, shops, restaurants, museums, craft centres, galleries and cafés.

DAY 8 | DRIVE TO SOSSUSVLEI | 2 NIGHTS

This morning head out on a fascinating drive that takes you south-east through awesome and everchanging desert landscapes via the impressive Gaub and Kuiseb canyons to meet the dunes at the settlement of Solitaire. A picnic lunch will be had en route, and you will continue onto the Namib Tsaris Conservancy, where you will spend your final two nights of your safari at the exclusive‐use Sossus Under Canvas. Arrival should be in the mid to late afternoon with enough time to acquaint yourself with the camp and enjoy a hot bucket shower before dinner.

DAY 9 | SOSSUSVLEI

This morning you will need to rise early for a magical excursion with your guide in the Namib Naukluft National Park, normally setting off before dawn to enter the park at sunrise and capture the dunes whilst the light is soft and shadows accentuate the towering shapes and curves. This area boasts some of the highest free‐standing sand dunes in the world and your guide will give you an insight on the formation of the Namib Desert and its myriad of fascinating creatures and plants that have adapted to survive these harsh environs. Enjoy a picnic brunch here.

In the afternoon, a late lunch will be followed with a siesta and a scenic nature drive or walk within the conservancy. Enjoy your final sundowners in one of the most stunning locations in Namibia before returning to camp for dinner and overnight.

DAY 10 | DRIVE TO WINDHOEK

Return to Windhoek after breakfast, driving northeast up the Great Escarpment and through the scenic Khomas Hochland highlands. A picnic lunch will be enjoyed en route and you will arrive into Windhoek by the mid-afternoon where you will be transferred to your accommodation or the airport.

WHERE YOU’LL STAY

A selection of the finest safari camps

Onguma Treetop Camp – Onguma Reserve

Onguma Tree Top is ideal for small parties travelling together. It is a small and intimate camp, designed for those travellers who would like to truly experience the bush in all its raw splendour. The camp is built on wooden stilts amongst the tree tops with full views over one of the most beautiful waterholes on Onguma Game Reserve. Read More

Sossus under Canvas – Namib Desert

Sossus Under Canvas is an exclusive, semi‐mobile camp designed specifically to provide an authentic safari experience in the wilds of Namibia without ever compromising on comfort. It's exclusive nature will heighten the sense of space and solitude as you enjoy the camp's stylish design and low environmental footprint. Read More

Huab Under Canvas – Damaraland

Huab Under Canvas is an exclusive, semi‐mobile camp designed specifically to provide an authentic safari experience in the wilds of Namibia without ever compromising on comfort. The camp is booked on a private use basis so you will never share it, heightening your sense of space and solitude. It is unapologetically comfortable yet undeniably wild. Read More

NEED TO KNOW

9 NIGHTS / 10 DAYS

9 NIGHTS / 10 DAYS

Please enquire for pricing

Please enquire for pricing

START: Windhoek     |     Finish: Windhoek

Inclusions

  • Full board accommodation
  • All drinks (except Champagne and premium beer, wine & spirits) at meals, including bottled drinking water
  • Professional English-speaking safari guide
  • Transportation in a luxury air-conditioned safari vehicle
  • Park entry fees and activities on safari as detailed
  • Mineral water on board the safari vehicle
  • Onguma afternoon property drive in an open game viewer with camp guide

Exclusions

  • International, regional & local flights to Namibia and airport taxes
  • Return airport transfers from Windhoek Intl Airport – Windhoek – Windhoek Intl Airport & accommodation in Windhoek
  • Any entrance fees and excursions not included in the above itinerary such as scenic flights
  • Laundry except a limited service complementary at Huab Under Canvas
  • Gratuities
  • Extra activities, visas, insurance, bank charges, Items of a personal nature

Set departures are available – please enquire for dates.
Private departures also available – and highly recommended for families or small groups!
Operates year round. Peak season: July to October.
Miminimum 2 / maximum 7 guests on safari (except on tailormade private departures when exceptions may be possible)
Minimum age: 12 years on scheduled departures
Single supplement apply
Flights and insurance on request
Terms and conditions apply – please request a copy of our booking form for all details.
Price is subject to change due to currency fluctuation and unforeseen changes beyond our control
Please contact us for pricing, dates and a full itinerary

Exellent and wonderful, reaching way above expectations.

Elizabeth Mackintosh

Julia you did a fantastic job - everything was first class. Well organised, efficient and stress free. We all agreed it was the best holiday we've ever had. Cant wait to travel with CSC again.

Milford family

We are so happy we put our trust in CSC, we had an amazing adventure and would recommend them to anyone.

Kim & Brad Balance

The trip exceeded my expectations and was the best family holiday I have ever had. Our children simply loved it and now I know more about African wildlife than they do about our own farm animals.

Rowntree family

Classic Safari are the people who genuinely know other culture and offer incredible insight to perfectly meet your expectations.

Melanie McMillan & Iain Jones

We loved it all. Our son wants to go back tomorrow. We would ALL go back again!

Laurence & Remi Cunningham

An amazing experience - the best family holiday we have ever had. We were extremely impressed by the meticulous attention to our itinerary. I can't speak highly enough of all the elements of this exciting journey!

Sheryl & Robert Taylor

Thank you for making our trip to Africa so spectacular. The attention to detail really made it special. It really was the trip of a lifetime.

Paul Cozzi

Very knowledgeable and patient. Our trip was all that we hoped for. Wonderful!

Jane & Robert Happell

Everything was perfect! Advice and information on destinations and activities hit everything I had hoped to experience. I contacted the Classic Safari Company upon recommendation and have now, in turn, recommended to others.

Tim Bradley

You can't improve on perfection. I had my best birthday and holiday with my family celebrating my 80th birthday in Africa. Everything that Julia organised was perfect and the whole trip was a highlight!

Buckingham Family

The trip of a lifetime, couldn't have dreamt of a better adventure if I tried.

Emma Jeffcoat

Absolutely everything was first class & so well organised.

Simon & Jackie Adams

Classic Safari Company has done it again! A unique experience that ticked all the boxes - wildlife, culture and dining experience. A dream come true!

Ros Wheeler

Their experience and knowledge of Africa is evident and we couldn't have been happier with the total package. This has given us a taste for Africa - now we are ready for more.

Andrew & Pip Stevens

If you want the most sensational experience in Africa let Julia and the staff at Classic Safari Co plan it for you! Their knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm for their job means your every wish will be fulfilled.

Miriam & Joseph Harrison

Classic Safari is the place to go to for "top end" adventure travel.

Ron & Alison Guthrie

Classic Safari Company were brilliant - 10/10

Di & Kingsley Yates

The Classic Safari Company is the best I have dealt with. Extremely knowledgeable & professional, friendly, patient & understanding of first timers to Africa.

Annette Whiley

It certainly was the best trip we have EVER had. The experiences were mind blowing.  We want everyone we know to experience Africa - the animals, the people - magical.

Jo-anne & Dean Mifsud

Would do it all again and not change a moment. Best holiday ever!

The McGowan Tribe

An absolutely fantastic travel company - every one of the many trips they have organised for us over 22 years have been faultless and fabulous.

Judith & Roger Williams

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