Responsible Tourism

Big Cat Conservation, Adventure and Desert

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Highlights of this tour.

• Game viewing in Etosha National Park with expert guide
• Track Cheetahs at a Big Cats rehabilitation reserve
• Boat trips to see dolphins
• Take a hot air balloon ride over the desert or eco-quad bike over the sand dunes
• Catch the desert at sunrise as the red and orange hues change

Example of the itinerary.

Day1: Overnight flight from London to Windhoek
Day 2: After checking in to a small B&B in Windhoek, we take a tour of the city before dinner.
Day 3: Drive into the Namib desert. This afternoon, visit Sesreim Canyon before relaxing at the Lodge for a free afternoon.
Day 4: An early morning drive into the desert for a walk on the dunes. The colours as the sun rises are magnificent and a photographer's dream.
Day 5: Drive to the coast. The town has some great craft and gift shops, and you may choose to take a wander before dinner.
Day 6: This morning we take a memorable dolphin cruise onto the outer lagoon. This is an ideal way of seeing Atlantic cape fur seals, heaviside and bottlenose dolphins, pelicans, flamingos and a wide variety of sea birds. During the course of the cruise, snacks will be served along with local champagne and fresh oysters. This afternoon is free for optional activities -eg scenic flights over the Skeleton Coast, a visit to a Himba village or quad biking in the dunes.
Day7: Drive into Damaraland: this afternoon, short hikes to view prehistoric rock engravings as well as some of the area's fascinating geological formations.
Day 8 & 9: Drive to the west of Etosha National Park, spotting game en route. Game drive this afternoon into the western side of the park. After dinner, the nocturnal wildlife gives a different perspective on a night drive.
Day 10 & 11: Game drives through Etosha National Park, with 2 nights spent inside the par's southern gate.
Day 12 & 13: Drive to a cheetah / leopard rehabilitation foundation: activities may include cheetah tracking, learning about their welfare programme and watching the feeding programme.
Day 14: Return to Windhoek - there may be an opportunity for visiting a market before your return flight
Day 15: Arrive London.

The benefits you bring in taking this tour.

 
Admission fees to the Big Cat rehabilitation project ensures that the valuable work undertaken by the charitable foundation is supported. The foundation has rehabilitated over 80% of cats back into the wild since its work began.

Our visits to the rock art sites in Damaraland are lead by local guides, and fees paid for our tours are reinvested directly back into the local community.

We stay at eco-friendly, locally owned and managed lodges which have been built using local materials and which blend into their environments. We recommend eco-friendly activities for optional activities, use local guides in rural areas and aim to minimise our impact on all the destinations we visit.

Our guide on this trip is local, his wildlife spotting skills and knowledge of the flora and fauna will make for an informative and exciting experience. His knowledge of local cultures will provide a valuable insight when passing through different tribal areas, and guests will be fully briefed about local customs and traditions before visiting local villages.

We use accommodation that is small and locally owned, ensuring that the costs are retained in the local economy. We travel in small groups of up to 8 people, to avoid overwhelming local communities and to give our guests an overall better experience. Small group travel means we can get off the beaten track and use small lodges and guesthouses that tend to be more homely and personable.

Our local ground handler is particularly supportive of local conservation projects, and the company has its own trust, funded by a percentage of its revenue. The aim of the Trust is to give tangible assistance to African people and their environment in their efforts to achieve economic viability without doing harm to natural habitats and wildlife, thus utilizing both on a sustainable basis for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.

We have forged a link with the Child Hope Innitiatives Project in Windhoek, which provides basic numeracy and literacy teaching programme to 50 orphans. Guests are invited to bring items to donate to the project such as stationery, basic English books, toys and deflated footballs or other sports equipment. A visit to the project is possible as part of the City tour on Day 1.

We are a wholly online company, and do not produce paper brochures.

 

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