| Namibia: October 18 to November 1, 2009 with optional link to South Africa Trip with Patrick Cardwell as the Lead Bird Guide and Host Trip Overview: An unsurpassed combination of primeval beauty and the fantastic African wildlife can be found in Namibia. Namibia is an ancient land of bizarre rock formations and weathered landscapes that date back to 2000 million years ago. It is home to the oldest desert, the second largest canyon, the largest iron meteorite and the highest desert dunes in the world. Beyond these superlatives, Namibia offers a wide diversity of other delights associated with this seemingly arid and barren land. You will find that Namibia is indeed ‘Big Sky’ country. Wide horizons of sprawling savanna and seemingly endless desert- scapes are set against azure skies by day and by a kaleidoscope of stars at night. Such is the scenic mood that characterizes this sparsely populated country. Namibia is a delight for the intrepid naturalist in search of something new. Travel here is exciting within what is essentially an environment of scenic contrast and a great many photo opportunities. Within the framework of our carefully crafted itinerary, you will find opportunities to experience the best of mammal and bird sightings with a target of over 40 mammal species and up to 300 bird species. Birding will include most of the Namibia endemics and a significant proportion of southern Africa’s near- endemics. The main bird guide for the trip will be Patrick Cardwell, who has been leading professional bird-watching and safari tours in South Africa for over a decade. His extensive field experience is well-demonstrated, as he leads an effective bird-watching tour and provides a delightful trip for all participants. He is a fully qualified member of the Field Guides Association of South Africa and endorsed by Bird Life South Africa. He has a personal Southern Africa bird list exceeding 850 species. |
To learn about our other great trips, click here. For information about the the price of these services, click here. For more information, contact us at 1-888-203-7464 or by email at info@pibird.com. |
| Brief Itinerary for Small Group of 4 to 6 Participants Sun., Oct. 18, 2009: Arrive in Namibia and overnight in Windhoek. Mon., Oct. 19: Khomas Hochland Escarpment Tue., Oct. 20: Sossus Vlei Wed., Oct. 21: Walvis Bay Thur., Oct. 22: Walvis Bay Fri., Oct. 23 to Sat., Oct. 24: Erongo Mountains Sun. Oct. 25: Waterberg Mon., Oct. 26: Bushmanland Tue., Oct. 27 to Wed. Oct. 28: East side of Etosha National Park Thur., Oct. 29 to Fri., Oct. 30: West side of Etosha National Park Sat., Oct. 31: Otjiwarongo Sun, Nov. 1: Depart Windhoek for points home. Consider expanding trip to South Africa. To learn more about South Africa trip, click here. |
Photo by W. Tarboton
Lilac-breasted Roller
| Main Trip Description: Our routing takes us south from Windhoek, the scenically attractive capital of Namibia, through the rugged Khomas Hochland Mountains to the alluvial gravel plains of this weathered land. Travel includes visiting the Sossus Vlei, an area famous for the red barchan dunes and isolated camel thorn trees. These dunes and thorn trees are often the essence of many a photographic composition. Here we can expect to encounter Oryx and Springbok wandering across the sandy wastes. From here, we traverse across the Namib Desert to Walvis Bay situated at the delta of the fossilized Kuiseb River that demarcates the geological divide between the Kalahari dunes and the course gravel plains of the Namib Desert. Salt deposits laid down over the millennia along the southern end of the bay are home to thousands of flamingo and a wide variety of waders and shorebirds. Driving within the matrix of salt pans is a birders delight. Pelican Point at the mouth of the bay offers the chance of a whale, dolphin or fur seal sighting. Leaving the fog belt and leaving the cold Benguela Current behind us, we next head inland to the Erongo Mountains via Spitzkop. Sptizkip is an inselberg set in perfect isolation in the heart of the Namib. Here we will search for the endemic Herero Chat and scan the plains for courser and bustard, before journeying on to the Erongo Mountains. Here, we find ourselves in a landscape of gigantic granite boulders exposed by erosion over time. It is a fascinating and almost surreal world within which we expect to find Hartlaub’s Francolin, the highly charismatic White-tailed Shrike, and the endearing Damara Rockrunner. Traveling north our routing takes to the rampart like cliffs of the Waterberg Plateau, rising above the sprawling acacia studded plains and wooded drainage lines. Exploring the terrain on foot gives us the opportunity to interact directly with the delights of nature in a mosaic of different habitats. From the Waterberg, we journey to the edge of Bushmanland to search the scrub and arid thornveld for a variety of bird species unique to this habitat. Nomadic Bushman of the Central Kalahari frequent the area, and we may well experience the unique opportunity of meeting some of these fascinating and artistic people. Next, our journey takes us west to the edge of the internationally acclaimed Etosha National Park set against the southern flank of a vast salt pan that stretches away in the shimmering heat to Ovamboland. Game viewing includes mammals of many descriptions that wander at will from one waterhole to another in this vast wilderness area. African Elephants and a steadily expanding number of the endangered Black Rhino will be high on our list of ‘must see’ target opportunities. Add to these opportunities, the chance to see African Lion, Cheetah and Leopard, and you have some idea of what to expect as we meander through this enormous reserve. In all we will spend four nights on the edge of Etosha, making daily trips into the park with each location having a character of its own and a mix of wildlife unique to the immediate area. Surrounding habitats will be systematically explored in search of new bird and mammal sightings. Leaving Etosha, we bird our way south with an overnight stop in the vicinity of the Waterberg Plateau before traveling back to Windhoek in good time to connect with the outbound flight. Pace throughout will be leisurely with most distances between points of interest in this vast country kept to a minimum. Road surfaces in the main are unpaved and reasonably maintained. Accommodation along the way comprises of a mixture of comfortable establishments specifically chosen for their proximity to sites of specific interest from a bird watiching and wildlife point of view. All have en suite facilities. September/October is a perfect time of year for game viewing as the animals and birds will be concentrated in the vicinity of the waterholes. Days are normally warm to hot, and the nights are cool. |
| Please contact us before booking your flights to assure you understand any additional transfer or lodging cost related to your arrival and departure plans. Please call 1-888-203-7464 ext. 912 (Charles at operations) or by email at info@pibird.com. |
| A more detailed itinerary can be made available by contacting Charles in Nestling Tours operations. Please call 1-888-203-7464 ext. 912 (Charles at operations) or by email at info@pibird.com. |
Namibia 2009 and 2010
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| 2010 Plans: Hopefully, we will have enough bookings to run this trip with Patrick Cardwell as the Lead Guide and host again in 2010. Please contact us early to make these reservations. |