Turning Dreams Into Memories
Call us today
+1 406 640 1748
This is the moment you’ve been waiting for, your safari is about to start and there’s so much to look forward to. We’ll welcome you, give you a taste of what lies ahead, and then get ready to set out and enjoy so many remarkable safari experiences.
This morning your Crisscross Namibia Safaris guide will meet you at the airport to start your Namibian Adventure! You will drive through the capital city of Windhoek with a stop in Okahandja to visit the woodcarvers’ market. Refreshments or an early lunch can also be enjoyed in this area before driving further north to Mount Etjo Safari Lodge. Drive time is about 3 hours on paved roads, except for the last 20 km on a good gravel road.
This afternoon after check-in and settling into your room, you will be treated to your first guided game drive from 4-7 pm in an open-sided 4×4 safari vehicle with one of Mount Etjo’s professional guides. It’s exciting to imagine what you might see!
You will return to the lodge for dinner and then you will have an exciting opportunity to watch some magnificent big cats up close! You will view lions feeding from a permanent blind structure at 9:15 pm. It’s the perfect way to end the day at Mount Etjo.
Home to over 8,000 animals and a impressive variety of bird species the Okonjati Wildlife Sanctuary is a true Conservation Area. This historic lodge deservedly carries the name “Etjo,” meaning place of refuge. Mount Etjo Safari Lodge is where the most important Declaration towards Namibia’s Independence was signed in 1989 (The Mount Etjo Declaration).
Whether you relax at the swimming pool, at the bar, the lounge or in the beautiful Mount Etjo Gardens, you will find that the beautiful scenery will leave you feeling rejuvenated! The waterhole is situated right in front of the lodge, allowing for an all-day game viewing experience.
Your Accommodation: 1x Luxury King Room
Etosha National Park is a true haven for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers. This magnificent park is renowned for its vast salt pan, which stretches for miles and creates a unique and other-worldly landscape. Etosha is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, and numerous bird species. Visitors can embark on thrilling game drives and witness these incredible animals in their natural habitat.
Alongside the eastern border of Etosha National Park, Onguma Game Reserve is a more exclusive way for you to enjoy many of the same animals that Etosha has to offer, but without the crowds.
After breakfast at Mount Etjo, we will head further north through the towns of Otjiwarongo and Tsumeb, arriving at Onguma Tented Camp around lunchtime. The drive is approximately 4 hours 10 minutes on paved roads.
After checking in and enjoying some lunch, we can head out for a game drive in Etosha National Park to look for lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffe, and lots more as you begin to explore waterholes and woodlands. We love showing off the landscapes and wildlife of Etosha National Park, and part of the excitement is about never quite knowing which animals are going to appear. We will return to the camp mid-afternoon to give you time to get ready for your sundowner drive with one of Onguma’s professional guides on an open-sided 4×4 safari vehicle in the Onguma Game Reserve.
This morning you will have the opportunity for game viewing from an onkolo hide at the Onguma Game Reserve. Then, you will set out with your Crisscross Namibia Safaris guide on a game drive through Etosha National Park. Game drives never get old! No one knows what animals we may find, but hopefully, we’ll find lots. Notice the ever-changing scenery as we venture into new territory! Lunch can be enjoyed at one of the camps in the park, and we will return to Onguma just in time for another magical Namibia sunset.
This evening, you will be treated to a bush dinner. Dining in the bush is the quintessential safari experience. You will get to experience the unique splendor of dinner under a blanket of a million stars with the distant cries of animals in the air and the smells of a fire-cooked meal wafting over from the pop-up bush kitchen. These are the genuine moments that make you feel truly connected to the wilderness.
Beautifully positioned in an exclusive private game reserve along Etosha National Park’s eastern boundary, Onguma Tented Camp is a stunning place with luxury safari tents, excellent service and a glorious location overlooking a waterhole. There’s a swimming pool, and the lounge and dining area are lovely places to relax.
Your Accommodations: 1x Luxury safari tent
Welcome back to Etosha National Park, one of the best national parks in southern Africa, perhaps even in all of Africa. The wildlife here can be incredible, with four of the Big Five (lions, leopards, elephants and rhinos) present and often seen. Highlights here might include the lions near the waterholes, and elephants caked in the white Etosha dust. The scenery is also unique, especially the vast salt pans that sweep across the middle of the park.
After breakfast at Onguma, you will join your Crisscross Namibia Safaris guide for another game drive crossing Etosha National Park from east to west, arriving at Etosha Safari Lodge late afternoon or at your discretion. Lunch can be enjoyed at one of the camps in the park or Etosha Safari Lodge upon your arrival.
After check-in you can relax and take in the views from the deck at the main lodge or enjoy a dip in one of the lodge’s pools. This is a great place to recharge!
A short drive outside Etosha National Park’s southwestern corner, Etosha Safari Lodge is a glorious place to stay. The rooms here are filled with light and space, with abundant use of brick and wood, and the lodge has a few swimming pools, a restaurant and a bar. Best of all, Etosha’s wildlife is not far away!
Your Accommodations: 1x Double Bungalow-Style Room
Damaraland is sure to be one of your favorite areas in Namibia. You’re in one of Namibia’s most beautiful corners as you explore the northern region of Damaraland.
Apart from the beautiful and rugged landscape, where brown mountains shelter numerous prehistoric rock art sites, you might see desert-adapted elephants, giraffes, rhinos, or even lions, especially in the river valleys. There’s so much for you to enjoy here, from the stirring scenery of barren mountains and fertile river valleys to wildlife.
We will be traveling about 4 hours west today from Etosha Safari Lodge to Twyfelfontein Country Lodge after breakfast with dramatic scenery changes. We will pass through the town of Khorixas, arriving at the lodge in the early afternoon in time for lunch.
This afternoon after check-in, lunch, and getting settled, you can join your Crisscross Namibia Safaris guide for an off-road adventure exploring the dry Huab River beds in search of desert-adapted elephants. Keep your eyes open for giraffe, ostrich, oryx, and springbok! These animals also frequent this area.
This morning, we will visit Twyfelfontein (UNESCO World Heritage Site – Rock Art). Here you will get a peek into Africa’s ancient hunter- gatherer cultures when you hike through the impressive prehistoric rock art at Twyfelfontein.
We will also visit the Damara Living Museum. This is an experience not to be missed. You’ll get a glimpse of a day in the life of the Damara people and how they live from making fire to singing and dancing.
We will head back to the lodge for lunch, and if you’re up for it, you can join your Crisscross guide for another off-road adventure exploring the dry Huab River beds or an off-the-beaten-track adventure exploring the lunar-like landscape in and around Damaraland. It’s quite intriguing and should not be missed!
You’ll feel like you’re staying in your own little corner of Damaraland at Twyfelfontein Country Lodge. It’s a charming place. The lodge seems like an extension of the rock itself with wood and Damaraland stone incorporated into the building materials and decor, while the modern rooms come in bright safari colors. Count on a swimming pool, bar- restaurant, and big views.
Your Accommodations: 1x Double Room
Skeleton Coast National Park stretches for many remote miles along Namibia’s northwestern shoreline and is simply magnificent. It is another world where crashing waves meet seas of sand dunes, with shipwrecks marooned in the sands in many places.
You’ll spend time in Swakopmund, which is southern Africa’s adventure capital. It’s an appealing town, with some really lovely architecture (including Lutheran churches and German half-timbered houses) and the really big sand dunes are never far away.
Leaving Twyfelfontein Country Lodge this morning, we travel south through the town of Uis, an old mining town, past Brandberg, the highest mountain in Namibia to the Skeleton Coast. We continue along the Atlantic coastline through the town of Henties Bay, where we can stop for lunch at a hotel overlooking the ocean.
Next, we will stop briefly at a shipwreck near the main road for some photo opportunities, before arriving in Swakopmund mid-afternoon for check-in. Your private guide can assist you with dinner recommendations and reservations at one of the great restaurants on the water.
The remainder of the afternoon is at your leisure. You can explore the town of Swakopmund by taking a stroll on the beach or through the town to explore the shops and handi-craft market just outside the hotel. You can also visit the rock gallery to see the many precious gemstones found in Namibia or the Namibia History museum.
Today you will enjoy a Sandwich Harbor 4×4 Excursion in the Namib Naukluft Park near Walvis Bay. It is a place many have heard of but very few have ever visited. Giant sand dunes run straight into the ocean, creating breathtaking sceneries and unique landscapes, just waiting to be discovered!
When the time comes to enjoy something to eat, your guide simply finds a suitable place to stop and serves a selection of oysters and snacks with sparkling wine, beers, and cool drinks.
You can choose to do this excursion in the morning or the afternoon or an even later photographic tour, and your Crisscross Namibia Safaris guide will transport you to and from Walvis Bay for this excursion. The morning half-day starts at 08h30 (check-in at 08h15) and returns at around 12h30, and the afternoon half-day starts at 12h30 (check-in at 12h15) and returns at around 16h30. Photographers, can join a daily photographic excursion from 16h00 (check-in at 15h45), returning at 20h00.
The remainder of your day is at your leisure. Your Crisscross Namibia Safaris guide can recommend and assist you with reservations for activities in and around town, such as quad biking in the dunes or a camel ride, if you so desire.
You’re staying right alongside the beach at Strand Hotel Swakopmund. The bright, modern rooms have views of the ocean, and facilities include a beachside terrace bar and restaurant, a spa, and a gym. It’s a Swakopmund classic with a very modern personality, and it’s the perfect place to sit back and relax while you enjoy a drink or a meal, as the Atlantic Ocean views seem to go on forever.
Your Accommodations: 1x Standard Sea-facing Room
Immerse yourself in the wonder that is Sossusvlei. There is no more beautiful sea of sand dunes anywhere in southern Africa. There are so many possible vantage points from which to enjoy the view: from high atop one of the dunes that line the valley, from the valley floor near sunrise or sunset, or where an orange dune towers above the iconic silhouette of a lone acacia.
This morning you will join your Crisscross Namibia Safaris private guide and head southwest from Swakopmund through the Namib-Naukluft National Park with a quick stop in Solitaire, where you can enjoy freshly baked apple pie or other delicious pastries before departing to Le Mirage Resort & Spa. On the way, you will cross the Tropic of Capricorn, and drive through the Kuiseb Canyon with always changing scenery where photo opportunities abound. The remainder of your day is at your leisure.
Visit Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, Dune 45 and Sesriem Canyon
After an early morning breakfast, we will leave for Sossusvlei. Drive time to the Sesriem gate, entrance to the dune belt, is approximately 25 minutes. The gate opens at sunrise and closes at sunset. Scenery and color changes of the dunes are spectacular as the sun moves from east to west during the morning.
We will visit Dune 45 for great pictures of the surrounding desert area, and Deadvlei with its towering sand dunes, which some say are the highest in the world. Deadvlei is a white clay basin with petrified trees estimated to be over 1000 years old. Walking distance from the parking area to Deadvlei is about 1.2 km after driving the very sandy gateway. Hats, water, sunglasses, and comfortable walking shoes are recommended. You can spend as much time here as desired. We recommend leaving the dunes just before noon as it gets very hot very quickly. On the way back to the Sesriem entrance keep your eyes open for oryx and the stray ostrich.
Back at the resort, you will have time for lunch and a bit of relaxation before we head back out this afternoon to visit the Sesriem slot canyons just inside the Sesriem entrance gate. We will arrive back at Le Mirage in time for sunset and a sundowner drink.
Take to the sky on a hot air balloon safari to see the sunrise over the Namib Desert in Sossusvlei. It will give you an entirely new perspective on the world down below. Afterward, you will be treated to a champagne breakfast. Your private guide will then pick you up to explore Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, Dune 45, and Sesriem Canyon.
Le Mirage offers an afternoon quad bike experience to explore the surrounding area. You may come across oryx and ostrich, as well as great sunset photo opportunities over the Namib Desert!
A quaint, almost eccentric property architecturally, located about 20km from the entrance gate to Sossusvlei and the dunes. This fortress-like hotel in the middle of the desert has a pool and spa, and a waterhole frequented by desert oryx and spotted brown hyena.
Your Accommodations: 1x Oasis Room
Experience the empty horizons, piercing blue desert skies, and incredible sunrises and sunsets as you explore Namibia’s Kalahari Region. Part of a desert that extends into Botswana and South Africa, and the largest desert in southern Africa, the Kalahari is the homeland of the San, and wildlife (including gemsbok) is also a possibility here.
Driving southeast, you will accompany your guide from Le Mirage Resort & Spa to Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch. This is approximately a 3 hour 30 minute drive. You will arrive midday and have time for some lunch and relaxation before your late afternoon Sundowner Drive & Cheetah Excursion.
You will board one of the lodge’s game drive vehicles with a professional guide to experience the thrill of spotting wildlife amid magical red dunes, and then enjoy a sundowner atop one.
The Cheetah Excursion gives you the chance to get up close and personal with the fastest land animal on Earth. You’ll have an opportunity to shoot unforgettable photos of these gorgeous, graceful predatory cats. The Bagatelle Lodge, in collaboration with the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), is a recognized site for the conservation of this species.
Bagatelle Lodge offers plenty of space, comfort, great views and a fantastic safari experience. Located on the edge of the southern Kalahari in the mixed tree and shrub savannah, the lodge is crisscrossed by huge red sand dunes. The owners of the lodge attach great importance to the preservation of nature and its living beings, so you can experience numerous species of animals and plants up close, including antelopes, springbok, zebras, ostriches, meerkats and cheetahs. You can also let the authentic Bushmen introduce you to their ancient traditions.
Your Accommodations: 1x Exclusive Dune Chalet
Enjoy your stay in a luxuriously appointed chalet detailed with comfort and breathtaking views of desert life. Your Exclusive Dune Chalet has its own private splash pool, and a waterhole nearby attracts animals and is a great spot for game watching.
This is where your safari will come to an end. We hope that you’ve had the most wonderful time, that you have seen all the animals you dreamed of seeing, and that you will return home with beautiful memories. We look forward to seeing you again!
This morning you will walk with the indigenous people of the Kalahari to their demonstration village and learn about the ancient traditions and secrets of their ancestors, get to know their survival skills, and keep the past alive with them. On the walk, you will be shown how to collect water in ostrich eggs, how to set traps, which plants are suitable for medicine, and how to make pearl and ostrich jewelry. This is a truly unforgettable experience and a fantastic way to touch African culture.
Now it’s time to say goodbye to your Crisscross Namibia Safari guide, who will transfer you to the Hosea Kutako International Airport in time to make your flight. The drive time to the airport will be approximately 3 hours. We wish you safe travels home.
