Group Size: 8 – 10 participants

km – kilometer & am – altitude meter

Day 1              Arrival in Cape Town and City Tour

You are welcomed by your tour guide at Cape Town Airport. Transfer to a guesthouse 3* at the foot of the Table Mountain. Depending on arrival time, a walking tour of the city. Dinner at Africa Cafe. (D)

Rosedene Guest House

Distance by bus 22 km, duration 0.5 h

Day 2              Hike at the Cape of Good Hope

Drive to Simonstown. Visit a penguin colony. Visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Table Mountain National Park. Hike to a shipwreck, as well as to Sirkelsvlei Lake through rare and indigenous fynbos plants (3 h). Picnic on the coast. If you are lucky, you see eland, bontebok, baboons and ostrich along the way. A one-hour hike leads from Cape of Good Hope to Cape Point. Return journey along the spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive to Cape Town. (B)

Rosedene Guest House

Hike est. 4 h (200 am)

Distance by bus 130 km, duration 3 h

Day 3              Hike on Table Mountain

Visit the famous botanical garden Kirstenbosch. From here you go by foot directly to the highest point of Table Mountain (1087 m). Equisetum (Horsetail), protea, erica’s and carnivorous sundews can all be seen. Wonderful views of Cape Town. Descent on the side of the Atlantic. (B)

Rosedene Guest House

Hike est. 6 h (1000 am)

Distance by bus 20 km, duration 0.5 h

Day 4              Stellenbosch, Wine lands and Cederberg Mountains

Drive to Stellenbosch, the viticulture center of South Africa. Walk through the village center. This is followed by lunch and wine tasting on a wine-growing estate. Drive to the wilderness region of the Cederberg Mountains, a unique hiking area. You stay in large chalets 3* on a farm by a river. A short hike brings you close to a waterfall. (B,D)

Kromrivier Cederberg Park

Hike est. 1 h (100 am)

Distance by bus 300 km, duration 4 h

Day 5              Hike to Wolfberg Arch

On a quite trail you hike on to ‘Wolfberg Arch’, a massive freestanding arch. There is an adventurous or an easier route. Wind, sun and rain have shaped the soft sandstone into many fairy sculptures. (B,D)

Kromrivier Cederberg Park

Hike est. 7 h (900 am)

Distance by bus 15 km, duration 0.5 h

Day 6              Hike to paintings of the Khoi San People

During the morning you visit well-kept rock art of the Khoi San at the Staadsaal Cave, an impressive red sandstone formation. The rocks are glowing in the morning sun. Drive through the Namaqualand to Springbok. Between the beginning of August and mid-September the wildflowers are in bloom. Accommodation is in a comfortable guesthouse 4*. (B)

Mountain View Guest House

Hike est. 2 h (50 am)

Distance by bus 410 km, duration 5.5 h

Day 7              Half-day canoe trip on the Gariep River

Transfer into Namibia. Do a canoe trip for 2-hours on the still waters of the Gariep/Orange River. The contrast between the small green shoreline and the barren, towering rock face is impressive. With luck you see rock hyrax. No paddle experience is required. Alternative: relax by the lodge’s pool. Drive into Gondwana Nature Reserve. A two-night stay in a beautiful lodge 3*. (B,D)

Canyon Lodge

Paddling time est. 3 h

Distance by bus 280 km, duration 4 h

Day 8              Hiking along the Fish River Canyon edge

From Hobas Viewpoint walk along the canyon´s edge with breath-taking views into the second largest canyon in the world. You look at the ancient geology from when the continent of Gondwana was formed, 450 million years ago. Midday break at the lodge. In the afternoon hike through the barren landscape of Gondwana and wonder about precious desert life. You might spot springbok, Hartman mountain zebra and Oryx antelope. (B,D)

Canyon Lodge

Hike est. 4 h (500 am)

Distance by bus 40 km, duration 0.75 h

Day 9              Quiver trees and the Giants Playground

Drive to Keetmanshoop. Visit and picnic in the quiver tree forest. Here, on the stony ground, grow an amazing number of aloe trees. On a circular hiking route (1 h) you will explore the Giants Playground. Drive through Mariental to Maltahoehe to a lodge 3* on the foothills of the Tsaris Mountains. (B,D)

Hammerstein Lodge

Hike est. 1 h (50 am)

Distance by bus 620 km, duration 7.5 h

Day 10                        Hike between the highest desert dunes in the world

As the sun rises the sand dunes glow red at Sossusvlei. On hidden paths you undertake an interesting hike past some enormous sand dunes. Afterwards you head south to a farm. The start of a unique experience: With a ranger, you hike for 2.5 days in the oldest desert in the world. You sleep on beds under the stars! You enjoy our dinner on a table with a white tablecloth. Showers and toilets will be built up in the desert. Vehicles will transport our main luggage; you only need to carry a daypack. In the afternoon hike for 1-hour to our first camp. (B,D)

Tok Tokkie

Hike est. 2 h (200 am)

Distance by bus 300 km, duration 5 h

Day 11                        Hike through the Namib Desert

There is always something new to discover in the secluded desert, whether that are edible plants, beetles or other insects, or even a gemsbok and ostrich. You spend another night in a new camp under the stars. (B,L,D)

Tok Tokkie

Hike est. 6 h (400 am)

Day 12                        Kuiseb Canyon and Flamingos

After another 3-hour hike you reach the farmhouse again. The owners will show you their environmentally friendly approach to farming and tourism in this ecological sensitive area. You head north again and stay in a lodge 3* on the foot of the Naukluft Mountain. A sundowner walk to some very large weaverbirds nest is recommended. (B,D)

Solitaire Lodge

Hike est. 3 h (200 am)

Distance by bus 190 km, duration 3 h

Day 13                        Kuiseb Canyon and Walvis Bay lagoon

Drive across the Tropic of Capricorn to the Kuiseb Canyon which forms the natural border between the sand and rocky desert. In Walvis Bay stop at the plankton rich lagoon where both larger and lesser flamingos live. Over-night stay in a hotel 2* in near-by Swakopmund. The afternoon is spent at leisure. A stroll through town, a visit to the Chrystal Gallery and the local museum is recommended. (B)

Hotel Schweizerhaus

Distance by bus 360 km, duration 4 h

Day 14                        Hike to Spitzkoppe

In the morning drive to Namibia’s landmark, the Spitzkoppe. Hike to Bushman’s Paradise. You can see a lot of rock art from the Khoi San on one of the rock faces. Two-night stay in Omaruru in a guest house 2*. (B,D)

Omaruru Guest House

Hike est. 2 h (200 am)

Distance by bus 300 km, duration 4.5 h

Day 15                        Hike in the Erongo Mountains

In the morning you hike in the impressive Erongo Mountains. Here you have the choice between different hiking trails of different lengths. For lunch you stop at a lodge, from where you have a wonderful view of the granite formations and watch the different bird species. With a bit of luck you will also see antelopes and baboons. The afternoon is free. The pool invites you to swim. (B,D)

Omaruru Guest House

Hike est. 4 h (300 am)

Distance by bus 30 km, duration 0.5 h

Day 16                        Safari in Etosha National Park

Drive through fertile savannah to the unique Etosha Pan. Here, with the exception of the buffalo, you can see the ‘Big 4’. You can see cheetah, jackals, giraffe, as well as large herds of common zebra and springbok. You stay two nights in chalets in Okaukuejo Camp. In the evening shy black rhinos often come to drink at the water hole. (B)

Okaukuejo Rest Camp

Distance by bus 280 km, duration 3 h

Day 17                        Safari in open game viewing vehicle

Today you spend the whole day on safari in an open game viewing vehicle.(B)

Okaukuejo Rest Camp

Distance by bus 150 km, duration 6 h

Day 18                        Transfer south

Transfer south to the capital of Namibia, Windhoek. On the way you stop at the trade market in Okahandja. You stay in a 3 * guest house for the last night of the tour. (B)

Windhoek Gardens Guest House

Distance by bus 430 km, duration 5 h

Day 19                        Return journey

After breakfast there is a last chance to do some shopping in Windhoek. This unique hiking tour ends with the transfer to Hoseo Kutako International Airport. (B)

Accommodation subject to availability

For the hikes on this trip you need to have a reasonable level of fitness and a firm footing. Only a daypack with provisions and water bottles will need to be carried. The camp beds have warm blankets and the evening is spent at the well-laid table. A toilet and shower are provided. During the given dates, apart from in Cape Town, it is the dry season. Daytime temperatures are up to a comfortable 22 °C to 33 °C. Night temperatures, especially in the Namib Desert, can fall to become very cold with temperatures just a little above freezing.