Namibia safari with Mauritius beach break

Itinerary in brief:

• 2 nights Sossusvlei
• 2 nights Swakopmund
• 2 nights Western Etosha
• 2 nights Eastern Etosha
• 1 night Okonjima
• 5 nights Mauritius

Day 1: Depart UK

Depart the UK from your chosen airport.

Included: International flights

Day 2: Arrive Windhoek

On arrival in Windhoek, you’ll be met at the airport and assisted in picking up your hire car before driving to Sossusveli, where you check into your lodge for two nights.

Included: Car hire, 3* lodge, dinner

Day 3: Sossusvlei

You’ll have all day today to enjoy the stark beauty of Sossusvlei, the famous red sand dunes where gemsbok and ostriches wander under the morning sun. The spiky, bleached trees in the Deadvlei cast dark shadows over the sands below, creating a picture perfect landscape that you can enjoy for most of the day. We can add in some activities here to give you even better appreciation of this magnificent landscape, including scenic flights or hot air balloon rides to give you panoramic views over the rolling sands.

Included: Car hire, 3* lodge, breakfast, dinner

Day 4: Drive to Swakopmund

Leaving Sossusvlei behind, today you’ll drive to Swakopmund on the Atlantic coast. On the way you’ll pass through otherworldly plains like ‘moonlandscape’. These plains are home to the ‘welwitschia’ plants, some of which are up to 1,500 years old. On arrival you’ll check into your hotel for two nights.

Included: Car hire, 3* lodge, breakfast, dinner

Day 5: Swakopmund

Today is yours to explore the seaside beach town of Swakopmund. Wander along the promenade under the palm trees, taste famous Namibian oysters in a beachside restaurant or even try skydiving with unforgettable views of the contrasting orange desert and blue Atlantic Ocean. If you drive half an hour south to Walvis Bay, you’ll find rosy flamingos in the lagoon and you can take a dolphin cruise out into the waves.

Included: Car hire, 3* lodge, breakfast, dinner

Day 6: Drive to Etosha National Park (west)

This morning you’ll drive north to Etosha National Park, with views of the Brandberg Mountains to the west. It’s a long but beautiful drive. You’ll arrive in western Etosha in the early evening and settle into your lodge for two nights.

Included: Car hire, 3* lodge, breakfast, dinner

Day 7: Etosha National Park (west)

Your first day in Etosha will reveal the beauty of this desert national park. Famous for its vast array of wildlife, 4 out of the Big 5 reside in the area so make sure you are on the lookout for bathing elephants and lions drinking at the waterholes. Black rhinos have made a huge comeback and Etosha is now one of the best places in the world to spot these endangered animals. Leopards hide in the undergrowth but you’ll be sure to see herds of zebra and springbok mingling on the plain as well as giraffes wandering from tree to tree looking for a snack.

If you want to book a guided game drive, ask one of our consultants to arrange this for you.

Included: Car hire, 3* lodge, breakfast, dinner

Day 8: Drive to Etosha National Park (east)

This morning you’ll drive east to the other side of Etosha National Park, past the huge Etosha pan, a vast salt lake that dries into a cracked white sheet each year. After the rains, this turns into a huge breeding ground for flamingos, with up to a million pink birds descending on the pan when it floods. Most of the time when it’s dry, small springs are used as salt licks for the park’s wildlife, so you might see oryx silhouetted against the sun and elephant families trekking from one side to the other.

Arriving on the east side of the park you’ll check your lodge for 2 nights.

Included: Car hire, 3* lodge, breakfast, dinner

Day 9: Etosha National Park (east)

With another day to explore the park why not grab your binoculars and go bird watching? Etosha is a haven for birds, from turquoise European Rollers to Scarlet-Chested Sunbirds flitting through the air, sometimes even landing on the backs of the rhinos and elephants around the watering hole. Look out for mighty ostriches, sheltering their stripy chicks from the intense sun or Saddle-billed Storks wading through the rushes.  

Included: Car hire, 3* lodge, breakfast, dinner

Day 10: Drive to Okonjima Plains

Leaving Etosha this morning you’ll head south and break your journey back to Windhoek with a night at Okonjima Plains where the Africat Foundation has its headquarters. Okonjima is great place to spot one of the leopards that freely roam this 20,000 hectare nature reserve or visit the Carnivore Care Centre where you can meet cheetahs and leopards who are patiently waiting for their second chance to go back to the wild. You’ll also be able to track the animals on foot, looking out for Spotted Hyaenas, Cheetahs and Wild Dogs along the tracking trails.

Included: Car hire, 3* lodge, breakfast, dinner

Day 11: Fly to Mauritius

Today is your final day in Namibia – after breakfast you’ll drive back to Windhoek Airport and drop off your hire car before catching your onwards flight. On arrival in Mauritius, you will be met at the airport and driven to your hotel, where you will check in for five nights.           

Included: Car hire, international flights, 3* lodge, breakfast, transfers

Days 12 & 13: Mauritius

Your first two days in Mauritius are yours to spend at leisure, from strolling along the dreamy Indian Ocean shores to enjoying some downtime by the pool. Finish each day with a bowl of fresh local seafood and a glass of wine as you watch the sunset - these few days are purely for relaxation before getting out and exploring the island later in your trip.                      

Included: Breakfast, 4* hotel                     

Day 14: Island Tour

After breakfast, you’ll embark on a full day tour of the island. First, you’ll climb to the Trou Aux Cerfs volcano crater, before visiting at the Grand Bassin; a place of worship for Mauritian Hindus, who consider the lake an extension of the Ganges.

Next, you’ll visit the pretty waterfalls and lush mountains of the Black River Gorges National Park where you’ll discover an amazing variety of indigenous plants and birds. After lunch at the Avalon Estate, you’ll visit the Rhumerie de Chamarel where you can see how rum is made from yellow and red Mauritian sugar cane that thrives in the hills. Nearby you’ll stop in to see the ‘Coloured Earth of Chamarel’, where basaltic lava has turned into red, violet, pink and purple dunes – a must-see for any visitor to Mauritius. In the afternoon, you’ll return to the hotel.            

Included: Breakfast, full day tour, 4* hotel                          

Day 15: Frederica Nature Reserve hike   

Today you’ll go on a half-day hike through the Frederica Nature Reserve. You’ll trek from the Frederica Old Chimney through the river reserve until you come to a waterfall where you can dive into the pool below and enjoy the cooling waters of this natural wonder! We’ve included lunch after your hike, then you’ll return to the hotel and the rest of the day at leisure.

Included: Breakfast, half day tour, 4* hotel                         

Day 16: Depart Mauritius

After breakfast, you will be driven back to the airport in time for your onward flight.     

Included: Transfers, international flights            

Day 17: Arrive UK