Namibia - Etosha and the Skeleton Coast
Saturday 15th to Friday 28th November 2008
AA8018
Situated on Africa's west coast, Namibia consists largely of desert: the
Kalahari in the east and the Namib in the west, providing the visitor with
some of the most stunning scenery to be seen in Africa. Our journey has been
carefully designed, giving time to fully appreciate the area and its
fantastic wildlife rather than attempting to see everything. From the start
of the tour near Windhoek we will experience superb birdlife, including
Black-breasted Snake-Eagle, Martial Eagle, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater and
Crimson-breasted Shrike. Then at Walvis Bay we have the spectacle of
thousands of Greater and Lesser Flamingos, an array of other wetland species
and an opportunity to see a variety of marine birds and mammals. A visit to
the superb dune system at Sossusvlei cannot fail to impress and it will
certainly leave a lingering memory. However, perhaps the real highlight of
the tour may be the Etosha Game Reserve, at the heart of which lies the
Etosha Pan - a huge mineral rich depression, which attracts large
concentrations of birds and mammals. Large game and attendant predators
include Elephant, Black Rhino, Giraffe, Zebra, Red Hartebeest, Gemsbok,
Lion, Leopard, Cheetah and Bat-eared Fox. We have four days to explore this
superb wildlife area, and our morning and afternoon game drives will bring
us some close encounters with wildlife. Finally we visit the lovely
Waterberg Plateau and stay in a superbly situated lodge, where a number of
key Namibian species are located, including Rockrunner, White-tailed Shrike,
and Monteiro's Hornbill. Here is an exclusive opportunity to see one of the
most fascinating countries in the world, brimful of birds, big game and
stunning scenery.Day 1: An overnight flight from London to Windhoek.
Day 2: Arrive Windhoek and check in to our hotel. The afternoon will be spent visiting various good birding sites around Windhoek, such as the Avis Dam, water treatment plant and the hills that could produce a number of species more difficult to find during the rest of the tour. We will be looking for Reed Cormorant, African Black Duck, Bradfield’s Swift, Pearl-breasted & White-throated Swallows, Red Bishop and Rockrunner. We may also see our first mammals, such as Greater Kudu and Steenbok.
Overnight - Windhoek
Day 3: Today we head for Spreetshoogte, where we will be looking for the endemic species of the escarpment area. Passing through areas of highveld savanna, we should encounter a variety of birdlife and our list of new species should grow considerably here, with Rock Martin, Short-toed Rock-Thrush, White-tailed Shrike, Red-eyed Bulbul and Mountain Chat with the additional likelihood of several Namibia "specials" such as Ashy Tit and Monteiro's Hornbill.
Overnight - Spreetshoogte
Days 4 & 5: Our journey on Day 4 in this land of contrasts, will take us via the Spreetshoogte Pass, from plateau to desert and then appropriately, to the coast. This is chat country with Mountain, Southern Ant-eating, Karoo and the elusive Herero Chats all present along with gaudy Acacia Pied Barbet, Yellow-bellied Eremomela, Rattling Cisticola, Long-billed & Sabota Larks. The journey then takes us through increasingly arid country bordering the desert, where, with luck, small groups of Gray's Lark, Rüppell's Korhaan, Temminck's & Double-banded Courser may also be seen. We finish the day in the company of the massed gatherings of Greater and Lesser Flamingo along with Eastern White Pelican at Walvis Bay. The following day will give us the opportunity to take a morning pelagic trip into Walvis Bay. Our starting point for the pelagic will be the Yacht Club and our drive there will give us the opportunity to observe a colony of Cape Fur Seals at Pelican Point. The cruise will give us the opportunity to locate a good variety of oceanic birds. Possible species include Jackass Penguin, Sooty Shearwater, White-chinned Petrel, Wilson’s Storm Petrel, Cape Gannet, African Black Oystercatcher, Pomarine and Arctic Skuas. There should be a good chance of encountering a number of cetacean species, including Heaviside’s, Dusky & Bottle-nosed Dolphins, as well as large numbers of Cape Fur Seals. After the short cruise we will drive to the fantastic dune system at Sossusvlei – the most famous and scenic in Namibia and whilst enjoying this - one of the highest dune systems in the world - we will also have an opportunity to search for Dune, Stark’s and Gray’s Larks.
Overnights - Walvis Bay
Day 6: A whole day birdwatching around the coast will present us with the opportunity to really explore some fabulous wetland sites (salt pans, water treatment plant and lagoons) and in these localities we should experience a wide range of waders and endemics. Amongst an amazing concentration of birds present should be Cape & Crowned Cormorants, Kittlitz’s & Chestnut-banded Plovers, Pied Avocet, Curlew, Broad-billed & Terek Sandpipers, Greenshank, Turnstone, Red-necked Phalarope, Hartlaub’s Gull, Damara, White-winged and Caspian Terns.
Overnight - Swakopmund
Day 7: Our journey today takes us along the coast to Cape Cross and an opportunity to view a large Fur Seal colony. We’ll eventually turn inland, to the Brandberg Massif – Namibia’s highest peak. This drive will allow us a further opportunity to locate Herero Chat and Hartlaub’s Francolin.
Overnight - Brandberg
Day 8: Travelling in a north-easterly direction, our destination is Ongava Lodge, which lies adjacent to the Etosha National Park. During the journey we may well have observed Black-breasted Snake-eagle, African Hawk Eagle and Pygmy Falcon.
On entering Etosha we will come across large numbers of game, including Zebra, Wildebeest, Giraffe and Springbok and perhaps also some predators. Etosha also has a very impressive bird list (well over 300 species) and we should see a fine selection of species, including Kori Bustard, Rüppell’s Parrot, African Hoopoe, Kalahari Robin, Carp’s Black Tit, Grey Go-away-bird, Brubru and Sociable Weaver. Around the Okaukuejo Lodge – which possibly has the best waterhole in the park - we may see an Elephant herd heading to the water. At the same time we should come across bird species, such as Ludwig’s Bustard, Northern Black Korhaan, Spike-heeled & Pink-billed Larks.
Overnight – Ongava Lodge
Day 9: Our destination today takes us mid way across the reserve to our next lodge at Halali which overlooks a wonderful waterhole regularly frequented by Elephant and Black Rhino. Birdwatching is also excellent around the lodge, with Pale-Chanting Goshawk, White-faced Owl, African Cuckoo, Bare-cheeked Babbler, Violet Wood-hoopoe, Golden-breasted Bunting, White-browed Scrub-Robin and Groundscraper Thrush.
Overnight - Etosha Halali Lodge
Day 10: Today we drive to Namutoni. Situated on the Eastern side of Etosha, this is one of the most delightful and comfortable lodges in the park, the large number of nearby waterholes providing fantastic bird and mammal watching. Predator enthusiasts should be in for a treat here with the possibility of Lion and Leopard as well as raptors galore such as Lanner, Red-necked Falcon, Greater Kestrel and Gabar Goshawk hunting the thousands of Red-billed Quelea swirling around. On top of this there is game everywhere from Springbok to Elephant and we may even see the secretive Black Rhino. On the open plains we will scan for Cheetah, Kori Bustard, Secretarybird and Blue Crane.
Overnight - Etosha Namutoni Lodge
Days 11 & 12: On the morning of Day 11, we’ll drive to the Waterberg Plateau. Our lodge nestles into the very plateau itself and provides an unexpected break from the dry thornveld. A perennial fountain giving rise to larger woodlands. Both Red-billed and Hartlaub's Francolin can be seen here plus Bradfield’s Hornbill, Rockrunner, Purple Roller, Bearded Woodpecker, Grey-backed Cameroptera, Little Banded Goshawk and Pearl-spotted Owl. Higher on the escarpment we will be looking for Bradfield's Swift, Carp's Tit, Black Eagle, African Hawk-Eagle and Black Eagle. We will also head over to a nearby lake and drinking pool in the grounds, for Bateleur, Black-shouldered Kite and Secretarybird plus a host of passerines including Black-cheeked and Violet-eared Waxbills. Mammals include Black Rhino, Damara Dik-dik, Roan, Sable and Leopard.
Overnights - Waterberg Lodge
Day 13: After a last morning birdwatch around the grounds of our lodge we will drive to Windhoek to connect with the flight back to London, arriving on Day 14.