2020 GeoEx Catalog

Namibia

RED DUNES, RHINOS, AND DESERT RICHES

SAFARI · TOURING | 11 DAYS · GROUP

T  here’s much to Namibia besides its desert. Near the almost surrealistically remote Serra Cafema Camp we’ll visit with the handsome, happily-on-their-own Himba people and wend the Kunene River, which flows out of the Angolan highlands and courageously crosses the uncompromising desert to the Atlantic. We’ll explore the astounding, life-filled Skeleton Coast and even clink glasses at what may be the world’s driest winery. But, from beginning to end, this Namibia trip is a heart- felt celebration of this “vast, luminous, silent country,” with the kind of desert landscapes that Paul Bowles said were so captivating that “once a man has [experienced them] no other place is quite strong enough for him, no other sur- roundings can provide the supremely satisfying sensation of existing in the midst of something that is absolute.” Flying from wonder to wonder, we start with the inti- mate setting of Kulala Adventurer Camp, close to the tallest dunes on earth. We hike to the streams and waterfalls of the nearby Naukluft Mountains, known for their mountain zebras and leopards. Then we wing our way over the super- oceanic dunes to Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, located in one of the most isolated areas of the Kaokoveld, within reach of unexpected oases and long-forgotten shipwrecks. Next by air to the country’s extreme northwest and legendary Serra Cafema Camp, a bit of quiet, thought- ful luxury in the absolute core of silence, luminosity, and vastness. “This is one of the most significant places I’ve

THEO ALLOFS / MINDEN PICTURES

ABOVE  Oryx drinking from a waterhole.  BELOW  Sossusvlei dunes, the highest on earth. One of our travelers, enchanted by this part of Namibia, explained, “The eerie, ancient stillness of the petrified trees and dried, cracked desert were hauntingly beautiful.”

ever visited,” says this exhilarating trip’s creator and chief celebrant, Starla Estrada. “It’s like Yosemite or the Grand Canyon. You arrive and immediately know that this is a very important place on the planet.” For more wildlife viewing and rhino tracking, ask about our easy extension to Etosha National Park. green season: mar. 22–apr. 1; apr. 21–may 1 dry season: aug. 5–15 from $8835 estimated internal airfare $5650 Day 1  arrive in Windhoek ✦  2  fly to Sossusvlei  ✦  3  Sossusvlei dunes ✦  4  Naukluft Mountains, Neuras Winery ✦  5  scenic flight via Swakopmund to Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp ✦  6 & 7  Hoanib and Skeleton Coast ✦ 8  fly to Serra Cafema Camp ✦  9 & 10  all-terrain- vehicle ride in dunes, river excursion, visit with Himba people ✦  11  fly to Windhoek to depart or to Etosha National Park for optional extension.

ART WOLFE / WWW.ARTWOLFE.COM