NAMIBIA GRAND TOUR

To the uninitiated, what perhaps comes to mind when the country of Namibia is mentioned is barrenness. Much of the land is dry, the dune-filled Namib Desert stretches inland for miles, and the mountains rise starkly above the coastal plain. But to those in the know, Namibia is a must-visit country with stunning scenary, varied landscapes, special birds, and superb wildlife. It's a fascinating country with geography that ranges from the photogenic Namib Desert to arid mountains to dry savanna to superb game parks to the lush Zambezi region of the north. The government supports strong environmental and anti-poaching laws, game animals wander freely even outside park boundaries, and everywhere we visit offers much desired localized specialty birds mostly shared with southern Angola or western South Africa. For these reasons it's a pleasure touring and birding this off-the-beaten-path country. Our grand birding and wildlife tour covers virtually all the important birding sites in central Namibia, the coastal lowlands, Damaraland, Etosha National Park, and the north as far as the Angola border and into extreme northwestern Botswana.

Our tour begins immediately upon arrival at the airport in Windhoek. We'll do some birding near the arrivals area of the airport and then proceed into town for some birding around the sewage ponds and the nature reserve around Avis Dam. Early next morning we'll depart for a drive across the arid central plateau with birding above and down Spreetshoogte Pass. After an overnight at Weltevrede Guest Farm, we'll enjoy a spectacular sunrise over the Namib dunes and then bird lowlands on the fringes of the Namib desert and along the foothills of the Naukluft Mountains. After lunch that day, we bird our way to Walvis Bay. We have a full day there birding the dry Kuiseb riverbed south of Walvis Bay and the Walvis Bay saltworks and lagoons. We then head north, stopping to bird around Swakopmund before continuing north into Damaraland. After seeking out the specialty birds of this arid region, we'll transfer inland to the town of Omaruru with a stop for birding around the very scenic canyonlands of Spitzkoppe. We then head north for 3 days of simply superb game and birding safaris within fabulous Etosha National Park before proceeding north to Rundu near the Angola border. After an afternoon and morning birding there, we head eastward to the birding hotspot at Shamvura. The tour continues with birding and game drives in Bwabwata Natiional Park and the Mahango Game Reserve before crossing into northwest Botswana for a stay at Drotsky's Cabins south of Shakawe. After two nights there, we return to Namibia for an overnight stay at bird-rich Roy's Rest Camp near Grootfontein followed by an afternoon and morning of birding at Waterberg Plateau before returning to Windhoek for the end of the tour.

Tour Considerations

PACE - This tour is conducted at a moderate pace with frequent transfers to new birding locales.

DIFFICULTY - The tour is physically easy as virtually all birding and game viewing is done along roadsides or from vehicles. However, the tour has an ambitious itinerary with early mornings out birding. Birding in some forested regions in the north is rather challenging due to dense vegetation and forest canopies.

CLIMATE - Namibia has a dry climate and rainfall is quite limited except in the far north. The coastal region is cool and dry throughout the year. The central plateau is pleasantly warm during the day and cool at night during austral summer. Winter months are June to August when temperatures can drop to freezing except along the coast. Winter dry season is May to October. Wet season is from November to April. Afternoon thunderstorms mainly occur from January to March, and when they do the desert turns green.

BIRD AND MAMMAL ACTIVITY - Birds are most active and are breeding from November to April. In addition, those are the months when Palearctic migrants are present. Mammals congregate more around waterholes during the dry season from May to October, especially from July to September, and those months are the peak season for general tourists.

PHOTOGRAPHY - Namibia is a great country for photographing birds and wildlife. The open habitat makes bird photography easy, and opportunities for photographing wildlife are outstanding.

• Photos from Past Tours
• Travel Information

BIRDING LOCALES
FOR THIS TOUR

• Brandberg White Lady Lodge
• Bwabwata National Park
• Drotsky's Cabins
• Mahango Game Reserve & Popa Falls
• Naukluft Mountains
• Omaruru
• Roy's Camp
• Rundu Area
• Shamvura Camp
• Sossusvlei & Namib Desert
• Spitzkoppe
• Spreetshoogte Pass
• Swakopmund
• Walvis Bay
• Waterberg Plateau
• Windhoek & Avis Dam