Windhoek - Fish River Canyon – Namib Desert with Sossusvlei – Atlantic Coast: Swakopmund – Spitzkoppe – Etosha National Park – Windhoek

Day 1 Arrival in Namibia
Arriving in Windhoek, your tour guide will welcome you personally at the airport and accompany you to your lodge. Staying overnight in the nicely situated Lodge near Windhoek you can relax from the flight und join in on the African feeling. The Namibian capital lies over 1.600 m high and is surrounded by the Khomas-Highlands Mountains. (D)

Day 2 Departure onboard the Desert Express
Today is your boarding day, when your Private Train leaves the historic train station of Windhoek and starts rolling slowly southwards through the Auas Hills. Make yourself comfortable in your compartment and enjoy the landscapes with a glass of wine or an ice cold Windhoek Lager. A short lecture conveys things worth knowing about the journey and about Namibia before you are welcomed at the on board restaurant „Welwitschia“. (BLD)

Day 3 Namibia`s barren south – Fish River Canyon
At the station Holoog, little more than a siding in the solitude, you will board the waiting busses and drive through pristine semi desert landscapes to the gorge of the Fish River Canyon. The second biggest canyon on earth undoubtedly belongs to nature’s wonders of Southern Africa. If you like you can take a walk along the canyon`s edge and enjoy breathtaking views into the 500m deep and 160 km long canyon. Back on board, the staff is already eager to serve your lunch. In the afternoon your train will head northwards trough the Kalahari. In the small village Keetmanshoop you’ll have time for a short excursion to the Quiver Tree Forest. These strange looking tree aloes are very photogenic. Dinner in the onboard restaurant. (BLD)

Day 4 From Mariental to the Namib Desert
In the morning arrival of your train in Mariental. You will leave the train, with hand luggage for two nights. A 4 hour bus ride through a barren and mountainous landscape, interrupted by a traditional Namibian brunch in Maltahöhe, will bring you to a stylish Lodge in the Namib Naukluft Park. A part of this journey will be on gravel road. The rest of your luggage will stay safely in your train compartment. Spend two days enjoying the solitude and awe inspiring landscapes of the oldest desert on earth – the Namib Desert. The Southern Cross and other constellations of the fascinating Milky Way will remain clear in your memory for ever. (BLD)

Day 5 The highest dunes in the world
The early morning hours are the best time to visit the brick-red, glowing, gigantic dunes of the Sossusvlei area. After a photo stop at Dune 45, continue the drive through the endless sea of apricot colored sand. Dune 45 is not 45, but over 150 metres high! Actually the name dervies from the fact that it is placed 45 kilometres away from the entry of the National Park. In open vehicles you will drive the last 5 kilometres into the Sossusvlei, a clay depression surrounded by dunes, which only fills with water from the Tsauchab River in good rain years. A popular motif for taking photos is the Dead Vlei, with its dead camel-thorn trees in front of the background of huge red dunes, some of them more than 300 metres high. Then your trip continues to the Sesriem Canyon, where layers of conglomerate stone are exposed. For your late lunch you’re driving back to your lodge. Afterwards you have the option to admire the dunes from above: Small Cessnas fly you over the Sossusvlei and the Namib-Naukluft Park to the Atlantic Coast. Duration of the flight is approximately 70 minutes, booking and payment on location. At sunset you will enjoy a romantic sundowner drive with snacks and drinks. (BLD)

Day 6 From the desert to the Atlantic: Walvis Bay and Swakopmund
During a 5 hour bus drive on gravel roads to the Atlantic Ocean, you will have the chance for photo stops at the bizarre rock formations of the Gaub-Pass and the Kuiseb Canyon. Namib is the Nama bushpeople’s word for extensive, rough plain – a description that could not be more apt. Passing the Vogelfederberg, known as the Ayers Rock of the Namib Desert, you continue on to the harbour village of Walvis Bay. This was an African enclave until 1994. There might be flocks of flamingos and pelicans at the lagoon´s edge. You will drive to Swakopmund, which has a very German character due to its colonial past, along the coastal road. In the afternoon you will have time for a stroll along the waterside promenade, before being welcomed aboard your Private Train. (BD, lunchbox)

Day 7 The Matterhorn of Namibia – the Spitzkoppe
Early in the morning, your Private Train leaves Swakopmund and travels eastwards back to the inland plateau. Enjoy breakfast in the restaurant coach, while enjoying the panoramic view of the desolate gravel plains outside. The route between Swakopmund and Windhoek was established 1902 and is the oldest train track in the country. At Usakos, your train stops for an excursion to the 1700m high Spitzkoppe, a characteristic granite mountain, visible from miles around. Mighty granite blocks, that appear to balance over deep rifts and individually standing acacias shape the landscape. In Bushmans Paradise you can see ancient rock paintings of the Bush-People. The path to these paintings is steep and rough, so bring sturdy shoes. Afterwards you are return to your Private Train, which turns north towards Otjiwarongo shortly after departing from Usakos. Today a lecture is dedicated to the San, the original inhabitants of Southern Africa. There will be a Biltong tasting, where you can try different styles of the popular dry meat, used by the Voortrekkers on their long journeys. (BLD)

Day 8 Etosha National Park
After your train has crossed the Otavi Highlands, it reaches siding KM72 via newly built train tracks. You will be transferred by bus to your spacious Lodge, where you will stay for two nights. With a little luck you may see elephants, lions, gnus and other game close up on the first game drive. In the heart of the largest game reserve in Namibia lies the gigantic Etosha Salt Pan, “The Place of Dry Water”. The big, wide pan with its mirages and passing animal herds make your game drive a memorable experience. In the afternoon you can enjoy your free time. Lunch and dinner will be served in your lodge’s restaurant. (BLD)

Day 9 On Safari
The morning is reserved for an extensive game drive in the park. This early, the temperatures can be quite low, so you should bring warm pullover and a windproof jacket, maybe even a shawl and some kind of cap. The animal herds of the Etosha Park rely on the water holes, so the park offers ideal conditions for watching and taking pictures of the animals. In the afternoon, you can relax in your lodge or take part in another game drive (not included in program cost). (BLD)

Day 10 Crossing the Damaraland
This morning there will be one more opportunity for close encounters with the African animal kingdom. The windows of the bus can be opened for taking brilliant photographs. In the Etosha Park the bus reveals a further advantage: From your elevated view-point it is much more comfortable to observe the animals gathering at the watering places. You will leave the park during the late afternoon via the Namutoni Gate. Your Private Train awaits you close by. A lecture on board the train about the history of Namibia will round off your day. (BLD)

Day 11 Windhoek
Early in the morning your journey might become a train safari, because the train route leads through private game farms. Sometimes springbok and ostriches can be seen. Your Private Train drives very slowly so you can take nice pictures. Around noon, your train rolls into the train station of Windhoek, where it’s time to say good bye to your friendly train staff. The city hotel is centrally located on Independence Avenue, the main street of Windhoek. During a city tour you will see buildings from colonial times and gain an insight in the contrasting life styles between the exclusive residential area Ludwigsdorf and the township of Katutura. In Katutura, you will visit a skills development project for women as well as a typical market. In the evening, you will enjoy a farewell dinner in a typical restaurant. (BD)

Day 12 Farewell to Africa
In the morning you will be transferred to the airport. (B)

Bookable add-on programmes
- Pre-tour Cape Town and Cape of Good Hope, 4 days - Post-tour Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park in Botswana, 4 days