Namibia: Epic Safari

Tour begins: 5:00 PM, The Weinberg Windhoek. Transfers are included from Windhoek Airport to The Weinberg Windhoek, nestled on the grounds of the Am Weinberg Estate. Join us for welcome reception and dinner tonight at your intimate Windhoek hotel. Stay: The Weinberg Hotel (D)

Fly to the NamibRand Nature Reserve this morning, established to help protect and conserve the unique ecology and wildlife of the southwest Namib Desert. Spend two nights deep inside this private reserve at your luxury lodge where thatched-roof chalets feature unique stargazing rooms that open to the sky.

After lunch at the lodge, join us for an evening game drive in the reserve or hop aboard an ATV for a locally guided ride into the desert wilderness. Enjoy one of Africa's amazing sunsets before dinner at the lodge. Be sure to gaze up at the spectacular night sky; the reserve is Africa's first designated International Dark Sky Reserve and has been recognized as one of the least light-polluted and naturally darkest places on Earth.

Pack your small duffel bag for a flight over the massive dunes of the Namib Desert and Sossusvlei, void of human intervention with the exception of its long-abandoned diamond mines. Stay Two Nights: Kwessi Dunes (B/L/D)

Visit the spectacular red-tinted dunes of Sossusvlei this morning; the dunes are among the highest in the world, reaching a height of almost 1,300 feet. View them as you explore the region with an expert guide, choosing to climb 1,066-foot Big Daddy or walk through the salt-and-clay pan known as Deadvlei, inhabited by fascinating fossilized trees.

After a picnic lunch under the shade trees in Sossusvlei, join us for an ATV excursion in the Namib Desert. As an alternative, safari jeep rides will be available for exploring the vast landscapes. (B/L/D)

After breakfast, join a Bushman guide for a walk into the Namib Desert, hearing stories about desert life, both for the people who live here and the hardy insects and wildlife that survive in the desert plains; its resilient wildlife include oryx, bat-eared foxes, Burchell's zebras, and loads of lizards. Continue soaring over the coastline, viewing an endless expanse of pristine beaches favored by the locals – seals and flamingoes!

Touch down at Swakopmund for lunch and an afternoon at leisure at your hotel, steps from artisan shops and a craft market. Enjoy dinner tonight at your beachfront hotel. Stay Two Nights: The Strand Hotel (B/L/D)

Drive down to the coast this morning for a choice of excursions that include kayaking amidst playful seals or taking a scenic cruise in Walvis Bay. Rich with marine life, the bay is home to thousands of Cape Fur seals, bottlenose dolphins, flamingoes and pelicans, many of which you may spot today out at sea. Enjoy a seafood barbecue on the beach and spend time at leisure this afternoon. (B/L)

Fly to Hoanib Valley this morning, one of the best places to see desert-adapted elephant, giraffe, lion, rhino, mountain zebra, and oryx. Located deep in northwestern Namibia, the area is a panorama of towering mountains, sand dunes, and huge expanses of desert, scattered with unique wildlife and nomadic Himba settlements. It's also one of Namibia's most remote and wild environments.

Have lunch at Hoanib Valley Exploration Camp, your intimate safari home for the next two nights, followed by an afternoon game drive. Your expert tracking guide will help you spot elephants, elusive desert lions, zebra, kudo and perhaps even a rare black rhino. Dine at the camp tonight on freshly prepared fare. Stay Two Nights: Hoanib Valley Exploration Camp (B/L/D)

Visit a tribal village where indigenous Himba people live according to the traditions of their ancestors; Himba women are known for their use of red otjiize, a blend of red ochre and butterfat, to beautify their bodies and hair. Meet the resident women and children during your visit; the men traditionally spend their days herding cattle. Return to your camp for lunch and afternoon game drive, enjoying the unsurpassed serenity of your surroundings. (B/L/D)

A morning flight brings you to Ongava Private Game Reserve on the border of Etosha National Park for a three-night stay in thatched en-suite chalets at a luxury lodge perched on a hilltop in the heart of the reserve. Your lodge features an amazing watering hole and a concrete blind – a partially underground, windowed enclosure that is close to the watering hole – enabling up-close wildlife viewing day and night. Enjoy a sunset game drive in the reserve before dinner tonight at your leisure. Stay Three Nights: Ongava Lodge Etosha (B/L/D)

Etosha National Park is a haven for wildlife, boasting the continent's largest concentration of black rhino and other large mammals in abundance, including elephant, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, wildebeest, kudu, oryx, eland and hartebeest. Spend a full day in the park, viewing the animals on a game drive in special safari vehicles and enjoy a picnic lunch. Return to your lodge mid-afternoon for time at leisure. Dine as you wish at the lodge tonight. (B/L/D)

Wake up early for a morning game drive in the reserve, looking for black-faced impala, lions, white and black rhinos, and more with your expert safari guide, and stop at the Ongava Research Center to learn about the ongoing studies on the flora, fauna and environmental changes of the region. After lunch, embark on an afternoon game drive and then look for rhino on a guided walking safari, conditions permitting. Join us for a traditional sundowner in the bush, before dinner tonight at your lodge. The sunsets are magnificent. (B/L/D)

Enjoy a final game drive this morning on the grounds of the wildlife-rich Ongava Reserve, before heading to the airstrip for a flight to Windhoek for an overnight stay on the Am Weinberg Estate. Join us tonight for a farewell reception and dinner. Stay: The Weinberg Hotel (B/L/D)

Tour ends: Windhoek, Namibia. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from The Weinberg Windhoek to Windhoek Airport. Allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in at the airport. (B)