NAMIBIA & BOTSWANA'S OKAVANGO DELTASouthwestern Africa’s bird specialties, striking scenery, wilderness, and the famed game of Etosha and the Okavango in a reasonably paced tour.
$13,575 (2008 fee). 21 days See our triplist for 2007 Namibia is the setting for some of the world's most spectacular desert scenery. It is also much more: a wealth of localized bird life, unique plants and fascinating mammals, and the home of genuinely friendly people. Gemsbok standing before a huge red dune at Sossusvlei, the skeletal shapes of a dead quiver tree, ancient Bushman cave paintings, the delightful White-tailed Shrike hopping along the ground—these are just some of the memories that one takes away after a journey through Namibia.
Beginning in Windhoek, we'll travel through the Namib Naukluft Park to see some of the world’s highest sand dunes—and the endemic Dune Lark. On the Atlantic coast we'll see thousands of shorebirds, gulls, and terns, many in fine spring plumage. At Spitzkoppe (a huge, eroded rock massif) we'll look for the endemic Herero Chat. And in the Erongo Mountains, we should see a whole range of very localized birds including Hartlaub's Francolin, Rueppell’s Parrot, Rosy-faced Lovebird, Monteiro's Hornbill, White-tailed Shrike, and Carp's Black-Tit. We’ll conclude our visit to Namibia farther north at Etosha, where we'll have repeated encounters with Africa's famed big game—likely species include African Elephant, Lion, Gemsbok, and Greater Kudu. Etosha is also one of few remaining places where one has an appreciable chance of seeing Black Rhinoceros. Then we'll fly to Maun in Botswana and connect with a charter flight traveling deep into the heart of the famed Okavango Delta, a place in total contrast to the Namibian deserts. Here we’ll stay in two wonderful camps set amongst a vast expanse of sparkling clear water, reedbeds, and grass-covered islands. We’ll divide our time birding from a mix of boats and open 4x4 vehicles. Among an incomparable parade of egrets, herons, storks, ibises, and kingfishers, we’ll search for the tiny African Pygmy-goose and Lesser Jacana, stately Wattled Cranes, jaunty Slaty Egrets, and the secretive Pel's Fishing-Owl. On land the diversity is no less spectacular, and as we drive the marshy fringes, woodlands, and plains expect to encounter Ostrich, Red-billed and Swainson's francolins, Cape, Lappet-faced, and White-headed vultures, Double-banded and Burchell's sandgrouse, Kori Bustard, Bradfield's Hornbill, Southern Ground-Hornbill, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Crimson-breasted Gonolek, Groundscraper Thrush, Kalahari Scrub-Robin, Southern Pied-Babbler, Burchell's and Meves' glossy-starlings, Common Grenadier, and Queen Whydah. Big game will also be very much in evidence (other tourists will not) and it’s a real treat to be out there on your own watching Red Lechwe, giraffe, Topi, Wildebeest, Lion, Common Zebra, Warthog, and African Elephant. We’ll make every effort to see as many mammals as possible and by returning to camp late one evening should also encounter nocturnal species, perhaps African Civet, Spring Hare, or Ratel. Special Note: So that you may enjoy the wonderful areas we visit on this tour at their very best, we have limited the number of participants to six. We will be traveling in specially adapted safari vehicles in both countries, with everyone having a window seat in Namibia, and in open safari cruisers in Botswana. The strict limit of six participants in one vehicle means no driving in second place, no hours of swallowing dust. In Namibia we stay in the best accommodation available, which is generally good to excellent. In Botswana we stay in two of the finest camps, not only in the best birding and mammal viewing areas, but in small exclusive properties dedicated to providing us with the best of services as and when we require them—none of the crowded scenes of some other popular African destinations. These camps include all local branded drinks. While in Botswana all participants are covered by the Emergency Medical Evacuation service. Finally, to maximize our time in the delta, we have chosen to move between our main camps by charter plane. Of course this adds to the overall cost of the tour, but we feel (and we hope you will agree) it’s money well spent and sets our tour apart from those offered by other companies.
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