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PARTNERS IN TOURISM WITH
KCS EXPEDITIONS
Exclusive Eco-Safaris Within Kunene Conservancies in Namibia

Arid Eden And Etosha - 14 Days / 13 Nights

With International Award Winning Namibian Conservationist
 GARTH OWEN-SMITH.

The first 10 paid-up clients will receive a signed copy of his new book

An Arid Eden – a personal account of conservation in the Kaokoveld.

Maximum participants:  9 - Minimum 3

This Specific Tour starts in Walvis Bay / Swakopmund and will end in Windhoek.
 

ARID EDEN AND ETOSHA - DETAILLED ITINERARY

Day 1: (Sunday)

We will meet you at Walvis Bay airport and transport you to Swakopmund, a quaint seaside town nestled between the Namib Desert and the Atlantic Ocean, where you will meet your guide, Garth Owen-Smith, a pioneer of community-based conservation in Africa.  Spend an hour or two exploring the town. We depart at about 16h00 and travel along the coast to Cape Cross.  We overnight at Cape Cross Lodge.

Day 2: (Monday)

Early morning visit to the Cape Fur Seal colony – a remarkable photographic opportunity.  We then continue along the unique Skeleton Coast providing a superb contrast of dunes and gravel plains to our right and the Atlantic Ocean on our left. On a clear day we might be able to see the Brandberg Mountain massif, Namibia’s highest mountain towering 2500 metres above sea level. Or perhaps the fog created by the cold Benguela Current and vital to the desert ecology will turn the first leg of our journey into an eerie, but interesting experience. The continually changing weather and light emphasise a kaleidoscope of colours created by mineral deposits. Stop a few minutes to look at the fascinating lichen fields or a shipwreck along the way. Experience the forbidding landscape – one of the world’s most inhospitable waterless areas, and imagine how those early sailors shipwrecked here must have despaired once they thought they had safely reached land.  

Those feeling energetic can climb one of the highest dune ranges in Namibia from where you can see forever.  Run or slide down to the vehicles where a cold drink awaits you.

We then cross the Namib Desert east into central Damaraland, until we reach Wereldsend in the ruggedly beautiful Torra Conservancy. Wereldsend is the historic base camp of IRDNC (Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation) from where the now national community-based conservation program was piloted in the early 1980s. See the graveyard of bones, a reminder of the massive commercial poaching of the 70s and early 1980s that came close to wiping out the desert adapted elephant, black rhino and other megafauna. Hear first-hand accounts of how rural communities turned this situation round.  Join Garth on a scenic late afternoon walk and enjoy a sundowner overlooking a natural spring where lion, zebra, gemsbok, kudu, springbok and rhino regularly drink.

Overnight at our tented camp at Wereldsend. This is a working conservation camp not a tourism resort and we may meet some of Garth’s colleagues.

Day 3: (Tuesday)

An early start with Torra Conservancy game guards looking for desert-adapted black rhino and other fascinating animals and plants. This might entail covering some of the terrain on foot. Later we head north via the village of Sesfontein (which means six springs). The route takes us through basalt hills, a signature feature of Damaraland. We travel north into the dry bed of the Hoanib River, a linear oasis with majestic Ana, Leadwood and Camelthorn trees marking its course.  The remainder of the day is spent exploring, searching for elephants, lions, giraffe, oryx and other wildlife which seasonally use this ephemeral river’s resources. In the late afternoon we climb out of the river bed and make camp with a fantastic view across the Hoanib Valley. 

Day 4: (Wednesday)

Our morning will be spent searching for elephants, lions, giraffe, oryx and other wildlife which seasonally use this magnificent ephemeral river’s resources.  We continue north, through the picturesque Okongwe Valley, towards the 3568 square kilometre Puros Conservancy. This vast area, with a population of less than 300 Himba and Herero herders, is one of the conservancies that own our company and we will be hosted here tonight. Spend the evening around the campfire in the Puros Conservancy Campsite, where elephants may stroll past your tent.  This is a good opportunity, if you are interested, to obtain insights into the real conservation problems and their local solutions.

Day 5: (Thursday)

Set out early with our conservancy guide for the Hoarusib Canyon, searching for elephants, lions and other animals. Seeing how domestic stock and wildlife share the land will provide us with a better understanding of the challenges of making a living in Puros Conservancy.  Call in at the local shop and perhaps meet Michael, a local teacher at the little school in this remote settlement. See Puros village which has elephants to thank for the water tank and taps in the settlement. Visit a small business run by Himba women and take advantage of a shopping opportunity.  We overnight at Puros campsite again. 

Day 6: (Friday)

Still going north we cross the Khumib River catchment towards Orupembe Conservancy.  We travel through some of the most spectacular plains and desert scenery, inhabited by springbok and oryx.  We then travel down the magnificent Marienfluss Valley with its mysterious Fairy Circles.  Experience an unparalleled sense of space. Enjoy the solitude of remote plains dotted with ostrich, springbok and gemsbok. You may see giraffe, zebra and kudu.  Today’s journey ends on the banks of the perennial Kunene River.  This incredible wild river, which has gouged its route through a desert, has its origin in the Angolan Highlands.  No swimming because of crocodiles.  The river is a lifeline for both people and animals in Angola and Namibia. Elephants used to live here but were poached in the 1960s and 70s. The safety of elephants has been secured in the Hoanib and Hoarusib Rivers and now an ambitious elephant corridor project implemented by IRDNC and the conservancies hopes to entice these great beasts back to the Kunene River.  We camp on the river banks.

Day 7: (Saturday)

We visit the rapids and walk along the river looking for birds and crocodiles.  We may be lucky enough to encounter a rock pool safe for a cool-off dip before making our way up the breathtaking Marienfluss Valley past the Holy Mountain.  This valley is not only home to several remote Himba settlements, but is also the habitat of giraffe, ostrich, oryx and springbok.  One is overcome by a sense of vastness with red sand and grass-covered plains stretching as far as the distant Otjihipa Mountains.  We then meander through granite hills arriving at Onjuva via the Hartmann’s Pass.  After a visit to the Marble Mine, we drive to Etambura Camp, our home for the next two nights.  Relax in comfortable chalets, each with an en suite bathroom and private deck area.  KCS guests have exclusive use of this camp. Meet our Orupembe Conservancy hosts and spend an interesting evening at the fire talking to Himba game guards or conservancy staff.

Day 8: (Sunday)

Time for an unhurried breakfast before visiting a herding settlement. People here don’t rise before the sun is up. The Himba are semi-nomadic so depending on the season and the pattern of rain, we may need to drive to a camp in a remote location, or the village may be a short stroll away. The people we will meet are owners of KCS so our cultural exchange is imbued with mutual dignity; you are a guest not just a tourist.

Here we may be able to watch cattle being watered in this dry world where every drop counts or just sit down and talk to people outside a dung-plastered hut. Our translator will be at your side and there is time to ask questions and gain real insights into how people live here. Remember that your lives are as interesting to your hosts as theirs are to you so be prepared to answer their questions.

In the months of December to April, we may be able to take part in the annual harvest of resin from commiphora wildii – the perfume plant or myrrh made famous by the Bible’s three wise men. Hear how IRDNC assisted conservancies to earn a regular yearly income by sustainably harvesting and marketing this valuable product to international cosmetic companies.   Overnight at Etambura Camp.

Day 9: (Monday)

Depending on what is happening in the area, today will be an intense cultural experience, culminating in spending a night camping in a Himba Village.  Sit around a crackling campfire and gain an insight into the daily life and challenges facing these semi-nomadic pastoralists.

Day 10: (Tuesday)

We bid our hosts farewell and follow a scenic route down the Khumib River, an area reminiscent of the “wild west”, and cross over the water divide at “Karonda Namanga”, a steep mountain, descending into the most times dry river bed of the Hoarusib. This is again a good opportunity to spot elephant and other desert adapted animals.  We pass near Puros village, following the course of the Gomatum River, cross the spectacular Giribis Plains to overnight at Ganamub Mountain Camp Site, built on a hillside among granite boulders.  Immerse yourself in the sounds, scents and flavours of an African night around a crackling campfire, knowing your presence is making conservation sustainable for the people and animals who share this vast region.

Day 11: (Wednesday)

We stop briefly at Sesfontein Village, a multi-cultural village quite different to the traditional Herero and Himba villages we visited further north.  Our journey continues through the magnificent Khowarib Schlucht, a canyon carved through dolomite massifs.  We camp in the upper reaches of the Hoanib River, now called the Ombonde.  We spend our last night under canvass with delicious bush cuisine alongside our campfire.

Day 12: (Thursday)

We bid our back-up crew farewell and continue along the course of the Ombonde River searching for big game.  Our route takes us through the Galton Gate into the Etosha National Park. From the Gate we make our way through diverse habitats and vegetation types to

Okaukuejo Rest Camp.  Depending on availability, we overnight at Okaukuejo.  Should this not be possible we will overnight at a lodge of similar standard near Anderson Gate.

Day 13: (Friday)

Today will be spent searching for game in this iconic National Park.  Overnight at either one of the rest camps in Etosha or a lodge of similar standard near Anderson Gate. 

Day 14: (Saturday)

After breakfast we start our journey to Windhoek.  This crosses some of the best cattle-ranching country in Namibia and we will pass through several small towns en route.  We will arrive late afternoon and drop you off at your pre-booked accommodation or the international airport [Hosea Kutako].

INCLUDED

Breakfasts, light lunches, snacks, dinners

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages

Conservation and entrance fees into Etosha

Accommodation in or around Etosha