Tour dates: Please check the Group Safaris page for available dates

Host: Dallas Dahms

Photo Instructor: Carolyn Guild

Guide & Organiser: Pepe Jones

Group size: There is space for up to 7 participants plus Carolyn, Pepe & Dallas on this tour (total of 10). We will be travelling in a tour mini-bus between destinations and when we’re in the game reserves we will be using open top game viewing vehicles supplied by the lodges and camps.

Namibia is truly a remarkable country from a landscape photography perspective and this tour incorporates some of its most spectacular scenery - from the dramatic dunes of the Namib Desert to the world-famous Etosha Pan, teeming with large game and remarkable birdlife.

Beginning and ending in Windhoek, this 2-week tour includes the spectacular Sossusvlei, the mysterious Swakopmund coast, littered with shipwrecks and some of the unique rock formations which make Namibia famous, a search for the elusive desert elephants, the world-renowned Etosha National Park as well as the Africat Foundation at Okonjima, a unique wildlife experience where we track cheetahs and leopards in their natural habitat. This tour has been especially designed for photographers and aims to capture the beauty and diversity of this incredible ‘Land of Contasts’.  The tour includes an optional balloon trip over the Namib Desert!

Itinerary Summary

(more detail at bottom of page)

Day 1 - Windhoek - Amani Lodge/ similar

Day 2 - Sesriem - Sossus Dune Lodge

Day 3 - Sesriem - Sossus Dune Lodge

Day 4 - Swakopmund - Atlantic Villa/ similar

Day 5 - Swakopmund - Atlantic Villa/ similar

Day 6 - Damaraland - Mowani Mountain Lodge

Day 7 - Damaraland - Mowani Mountain Lodge

Day 8 - Okonjima Game Reserve - Okonjima Bush Camp

Day 9 - Okonjima Game Reserve - Okonjima Bush Camp

Day 10 - Etosha National Park - Okaukuejo Rest Camp

Day 11 - Etosha National Park - Halali Rest Camp

Day 12 - Etosha National Park - Namutoni Rest Camp

Day 13 - Flight Home

Price*:  ZAR58 800 per person sharing
(Single supplement = R4 700)
Optional Namib Balloon Trip: R3500

* this price excludes your return plane ticket to Windhoek, alcoholic beverages, gratuities and any additional services provided by the accommodation suppliers (e.g. internet access, laundry, telephone calls).

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Windhoek
Highlights:  Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, Historical Windhoek, Joe’s Beerhouse
After arrival at Windhoek International Airport we will enjoy a brief scenic tour of Windhoek, with its interesting colonial architecture, before making our way to Amani Lodge, with its spectacular views over the Khomas Hochland.  Here you will have a chance to relax and freshen up after your flight.  We plan to visit the nearby Daan Viljoen Nature Reserve in the early evening, where we will do a short drive or gentle walk.  Hartmann’s mountain zebra, blue wildebeest, kudu, gemsbok, springbok, klipspringer, red hartebeest, impala and eland may be seen on our drive as well as numerous bird species, including Rockrunner, Monteiro’s Hornbill, Black-cheeked Waxbill and Maccoa Duck.  In the evening we will dine at the popular Joe’s Beerhouse in Windhoek, especially renowned for its excellent game and German specialities.

Day 2: Sesriem
Highlights:  Scenic landscapes, Naukluft Mountains
After an early breakfast, we will begin our drive southwards to Sesriem, gateway to the magnificent Sossusvlei area.  Sesriem is situated quite far south of Windhoek and will require a rather slow drive on some gravel roads to get there.  The scenery en route is rewarding, however, and will offer some good photographic opportunities.  Tonight we will be staying at the Sossus Dune Lodge, where we can watch the sunset over the dunes and enjoy a sumptuous dinner in this spectacular, tranquil setting.

Day 3: Sesriem
Highlights:  Namib dunes, Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, Sesriem Canyon
We will get an early start today (with a packed breakfast) so that we can photograph the spectacular sunrise over the red dunes en route to Sossusvlei - nothing quite compares to seeing these dunes at sunrise, with their rich red tones contrasting with deep, dark shadows.  After viewing and photographing these dunes, we will be shuttled to Sossusvlei by 4×4 where we can explore on foot the spectacular Deadvlei and Sossusvlei pans.  We will return to the lodge for lunch.  In the afternoon we will visit the nearby Sesriem canyon – small, but surprisingly picturesque.

Day 4: Swakopmund
Highlights:  Hot air balloon trip (optional), Swakopmund architecture
This morning you have the option of being collected from the lodge ½ hour before sunset (weather permitting) to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime balloon trip over the world’s oldest desert.  You will soar with the winds for approximately one hour over the dunes and mountains of the Namib, watching the sun rise and enjoying some incredible photographic opportunities!  After landing, you will be given a champagne breakfast, followed by a 4×4 nature drive back to the lodge.  Alternatively, if you would prefer not to participate in the balloon trip, we will make our way to Deadvlei to photograph this pan with its atmospheric dead trees at sunrise – a landscape photographer’s paradise.  After our morning excursions, we will make our way north west to the Namib Coast.  In the afternoon we will explore Swakopmund by foot, with its unique German architecture.  Swakopmund offers some of the best-preserved examples of German colonial architecture in the world.  We will dine at a renowned seafood restaurant, in a restored tug boat overlooking the sea.

Day 5: Swakopmund
Highlights: Sandwich Harbour 4×4 Excursion
Today we embark on a guided excursion to Walvis Bay Lagoon and Sandwich Harbour - key nesting sites for thousands of visiting and resident birds, including record numbers of Flamingos, Plovers, Terns and Pelicans.  Our first stop is at ‘Bird Rock’- a guano island inhabited by up to 200 000 birds.  We then cross barren salt pans and vegetation covered hummock dunes, sheltering small groups of Springbok, Ostrich, Jackal and Brown Hyena.  The journey is as dramatic as the landscape, and it soon becomes clear why Sandwich Harbour is often described as inaccessible! Spring tides and shifting sands ensure an unpredictable route, but as we approach the towering, wind-sculptured dunes at the edge of Sandwich Harbour, there is a sense of entering a different world.  Here we can take a leisurely walk around the lagoon to photograph the dramatic scenery and birdlife, and we may also see seals, dolphins or possibly whales.  After our return to Walvis Bay, we will dine at a local steakhouse.

Day 6: Damaraland
Highlights:  Wlotzkasbaken, Cape Cross Seal Reserve
After breakfast we head up the coast to Wlotzkasbaken, an unusual desert town with strange and colourful architecture.  The buildings can produce some interesting photographs in the early morning.  We then continue to the Cape Cross Seal Reserve (which opens at 10am), the largest breeding colony of Cape fur seals on the Southern African coast.  At the peak of the breeding season (in November and December) as many as 200 000 seals can be seen here.  This is also the site where Portuguese navigator Diego Cáo landed in 1486 and erected a stone cross in honour of John II of Portugal.  We then continue via the Brandberg (Namibia’s highest mountain at 2570m) to Mowani Mountain Camp.  Here you can soak up the sun at the pool deck (lodged between the boulders) or enjoy a refreshing drink while admiring the breathtaking views.

Day 7: Damaraland
Highlights:  Desert elephant excursion, Twyfelfontein
Today we will embark on a guided nature drive in search of the famous desert elephants.  These elusive creatures are found mainly in the Kaokoland and Damaraland regions of northwest Namibia and inhabit the ancient riverbeds found here.  Desert Elephants are well-adapted to living in the extreme desert conditions and move great distances between their feeding grounds and waterholes.   In the afternoon we will explore the historical site of Twyfelfontein, with its numerous Bushman engravings and paintings. This wonderful archaeological site offers more than 2,500 engravings as well as various paintings, and probably presents the finest example of rock engravings in Southern Africa.

Day 8: Okonjima
Highlights:  Himba excursion (optional), Leopard radio-tracking, Night hide
In the morning you have the option of visiting a nearby Himba village (optional activity), of particular interest to those who may wish to photograph these beautiful people.  We will then make our way towards Okonjima, home to The AfriCat Foundation.  This is a non-profit organisation committed to the long-term conservation of Namibia’s large carnivores, especially cheetahs and leopards.  Here we will have the opportunity of tracking cheetahs and leopards by foot or vehicle.  These magnificent animals are generally exceptionally difficult to see in the large game parks of Southern Africa such as Etosha or Kruger National Park, so this may be a unique opportunity to see these creatures in their natural habitat.  After afternoon tea, we will ‘radio-track’ Leopards from game-viewing vehicles. The leopards roam freely and catch their own prey within the 4000 ha rehabilitation area.  After dinner, we will visit the nocturnal hide where we hope to spot night creatures such as porcupines, honey badgers and caracal.

Day 9: Okonjima
Highlights: Bushman Trail, Bird watching, Cheetah Project
Today, we embark on the San/ Bushman Trail, an easy walking trail where you will learn the art of making traditional artefacts and be taught the survival techniques of the San people.  After brunch we will explore the lodge grounds, where we hope to identify some of the more than 250+ bird species in the area, including Namibian endemics such as Carp’s Black Tit, Hartlaub’s Francolin and the Damara Rock Runner. After afternoon tea we will visit the Cheetah Project, where we can photograph these incredible and endangered creatures.  After dinner, we will again have the opportunity to visit the night hide.

Day 10 - Day 12: Okonjima To Etosha
Highlights:  Cheetah radio-tracking, Etosha Pan, ‘Big 5’ game viewing
This morning we participate on foot in the radio-tracking of rehabilitated cheetahs.  We will then make our way into Etosha National Park, one of Southern Africa’s finest Game Reserves.  Etosha covers an area of 22 270 km and is home to 114 mammal species and 340 bird species.  Etosha, meaning “Great White Place”, is dominated by a massive mineral pan, which forms part of the Kalahari Basin. The pan is generally a large dusty depression of salt and clay, which fills up only if the rains are heavy. The perennial springs along the edges of the Etosha Pan draw large concentrations of wildlife and birds.  We will be spending 3 nights at Etosha (one night at each of the main camps) where we hope to see a host of large and small mammals including elephant rhino, lion, buffalo and wildebeest, as well as a number of special Namibian bird species, such as Kori Bustard, Common Ostrich, Crimson-breasted Shrike (Namibia’s national bird), Pygmy Falcon, Red-necked Falcon, raptors, vultures and owls, Double-banded Courser, Southern Pied Babbler and more.  In the evenings, we can enjoy sitting at the floodlit waterholes at the camps.  These waterholes attract interesting night creatures and there is a slim chance of seeing leopard at Halali.

Day 13: Flight Home
Highlights:  Game drive, Otjikoto Lake
After an early morning drive we will exit the park and make our way south.  We will stop en route at Otjikoto Lake, meaning ‘deep hole’ in Herero, an elliptical sink hole with a diameter of 150m and a depth of 55m.  This remarkable natural phenomenon is home to the colourful Otjikoto chichlid, an endemic fish occurring only in the Otjiikoto and Guinas Lakes.  In 1915, retreating German forces dumped a large part of their weaponry in the lake, including ammunition, cannons and machine guns, much of which has been recovered.  We plan to reach Windhoek in the late afternoon, where you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight home.

Booking Information

To book your place in the safari group for this tour please send an email to dallas@nikongear.com. We will send you a booking form to complete and return to us, together with details of the tour deposit and payment terms.

About the Tour Party

Nature Uncut Tours was established in 2006 and specialises in customised, small-group safaris with a particular focus on wildlife and photography. Based in Cape Town, Nature Uncut currently offers tours throughout South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia and Madagascar. Visiting the main tourist attractions of the region as well as selected cultural activities, their tours always include areas of superior natural beauty and interest.

Lodges have been carefully selected for quality, comfort, excellent hosts and beautiful settings, and are usually moderately luxurious i.e. 4 star. All tours are guided by qualified, THETA-registered guides with a background in natural history and or photography. Since they cater mainly for small groups, Nature Uncut will ensure that you receive an in-depth and personal tour experience. They are members of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) and the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), and all guests are protected by the SATSA financial guarantee. Nature Uncut aims to promote tourism in a responsible and ethical manner and they support responsible tourism ventures wherever possible.

About Carolyn Guild

Carolyn is well known to the Nikongear community and is successfully carving out a career as a fine art landscape photographer. Her work is represented by the acclaimed Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport Beach, California. For the past 30 years Susan Spiritus has been a leader in the field of fine art photography representing some of the most well known and highly respected photographers, including Ansel Adams, Andre Kertesz, George Tice and Yousuf Karsh. Also Mr. Hal Gould, The Camera Obscura Gallery in Denver, Colorado. Mr. Gould has built a reputation by exhibiting artists such as Ansel Adams, Edward and Brett Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Paul Strand, Sebasiao Salgado and many others. His gallery is one of the first photography galleries in the world.

Carolyn’s involvement in this tour will be to offer informal instruction and artistic input in the areas of landscape photography, which we will be doing quite a lot of. Visit her website here.

Pepe Jones, owner of Nature Uncut Tours, obtained a BSc Honours degree in Environmental Science and Archaeology at the University of Cape Town in 1998. She worked as an Environmental Scientist for four years before joining a birding tour company as a guide and joint operations manager.
In July 2006 she started Nature Uncut Tours, offering customised wildlife and photographic safaris in Southern Africa. She is a Professional Natural Scientist, a THETA-registered tour guide and an amateur wildlife photographer.

She is passionate about nature and her tours generally focus on all aspects of the natural environment (including mammals, birdlife, geography and ecology) as well as local culture and history.

About Dallas Dahms
After spending more than a decade in banking and marketing, Dallas decided to quit the corporate world and chase a rainbow of his own making in 2001. He has worked as a freelance professional photographer since 2002 and was one of the early adopters of digital technology at the time.

His career as a photographer has seen him cover much ground, starting with Super 12 rugby matches, A1 Grand Prix, live shows, corporate functions and conferences, advertising and most recently interior photography. He has also been an official United Nations conference photographer. His photographic passions lie in the field of music and stage photography, but by his own admission he is easily bored and is always seeking out new photographic subjects. Travel photography is an area where he will be building on with each safari that Nikongear organises.

Dallas started nikongear in 2005 and has a vision to make it the premier, independent Nikon using photographic community on the internet.