What’s the deal?

Spend 4 days and 3 nights exploring the beauty, charm and mystery of the Skeleton Coast and its surrounds, both from the air and on the ground. This flying safari holiday in Namibia takes you on a journey that will inspire and enchant you, capturing your imagination and lingering in your dreams.

Please Note: Game viewing/spotting on this adventure is considered a bonus as the main objective is to offer guests a unique experience and view of the breathtaking beauty and haunting solitude of the Skeleton Coast, its bleached bones and shipwreck carcasses and geological formations.

Where is it?

Our flying safari holiday takes place over and on the Skeleton Coast, stretching most of the length of Namibia and into Angola.

When is the best time to do it?

This flying safari holiday is offered throughout the year, weather permitting.

Climate

• The often present fog belt along the coast creates a greatly varied climate.
• Temperatures fluctuate between warm and cold (43 - 97 degrees Fahrenheit/6 - 36 degrees Celsius) but never drop below freezing.
• Even during the summer months, the average temperature is cooler rather than warmer.
• Interior temperatures vary from warmer mornings to cooler afternoons and chilly evenings.

What to bring:

Please ensure that you pack only personal toiletries and clothing suitable for a safari.

It is essential that clothing can easily be adapted to both warmer and cooler temperatures.

Recommended:

• T-shirts
• Shorts
• Long-sleeved cotton shirts
• A sweater/jersey
• Trousers/jeans,
• A warm jacket is essential (Anorak/ Windbreaker)

Each camp offers a very basic laundry service only

Other essentials:

Sun Protection:

• Good-quality sunglasses
• Wide brimmed hat
• High SPF sunscreen Lotion

Shoes:

• Sandals
• Light walking shoes

Binoculars

Accommodation and Food:

Accommodation: privately owned, exclusive and fully equipped tented camps

3 fully equipped tented camps:

• 1^st - in the lower parts of the Huab River in the Erongo Region (Damaraland)
• 2^nd - nestled in the Kunene Region’s (Kaokoland) Hoarusib Valley, under Makalani palms and Camel thorn trees
• 3^rd - overlooking the Kunene River on the north-western border of Namibia

The tents are comfortable with en suite flush toilets and bucket showers

Provided:

• Bedding
• Towels
• Torches
• Lamps
• Mirrors
• Soap

All food is provided, including:

• Fresh fruit
• Fresh vegetables
• Fruit juices
• Soft drinks
• Wine
• Beer
• An assortment of alcoholic beverages

Please inform us of special dietary needs upon booking.

Some Highlights Include:

• The desolate shoreline with its adjoining rolling dunes
• Ugab rock formations
• The Huab environs with colourful yellow sandstone and red lava formations
• Ancient Bushman rock engravings
• Welwitschia Mirabilis - The living "fossil" tree
• A visit to the nomadic Himba people in their village
• Hartmann Valley vistas extending to the Kunene River on the Angolan border

Photography

• The Skeleton Coast of Namibia is a photographer's dream so ensure that you bring along a camera and lots of film/memory cards
• The remoteness of many of the areas makes purchasing extra film/memory cards impossible
• Batteries may be charged at overnight tented camps
• Ensure that you bring enough batteries along to last the day (between camps)
• Ensure that you bring the correct battery charging unit for your specific type of batteries

Pick-ups:

• It is recommended that safari guests start from Windhoek
• It is possible to pick up guests in certain areas of the southern Namib Desert such as Sossusvlei without significantly detracting from the flying safari holiday
• Picking up guests from Swakopmund, leaving out the introductory section of the safari, is possible
• It is not an option to pick up guests from the northern part of Namibia, areas such as the Etosha National Park, because it would significantly detract from the flying safari holiday experience

Drop offs:

• Dropping guests off after the Skeleton Coast flying safari holiday may be arranged on request to areas in northern Namibia such as Swakopmund and the Etosha National Park
• Dropping guests off in areas in the southern parts of Namibia, after a safari, is not possible because of limited daylight flying hours.

Transfers:

Transfers may be arranged in request between Eros Airport and any Windhoek hotel.

Baggage and Weight Restrictions

• For safety reasons and in compliance with applicable Namibian air transport safety regulations weight limitations are strictly enforced and are non-negotiable.
• We use light aircraft for this flying safari holiday
• Travel as lightly and compactly as possible – luggage space is extremely limited
• Maximum luggage per person: 10kg/22lbs
• Type of luggage: travel bags that are both soft and flexible
• This luggage allowance does not include a 2kg/4.4lbs camera equipment allowance
• Hard and bulky luggage is not permitted – no wheeled or solid sided bags
• Recommended soft bag dimensions: 60 x 40 x 40cm (24 x 16 x 16 in)
• If your luggage exceeds these limitations you are to please make alternative arrangements for the excess –hiring an additional charter aircraft is at your own expense

Please notify us upon booking if:

• You are a single traveler over 90kg in weight
• Are 2 guests travelling together weighing more than 180kg combined

Health & Safety

• All flying safari aircraft are flown by experienced commercial pilots
• Communication with the camps and/or Windhoek is ensured by HF Radio transmitters
• In case of emergencies, a medical flight rescue service is on standby 24/7, stationed in Windhoek
• Even though malaria seldom occurs in Namibia’s desert regions, it is recommended that you take necessary precautions, seeking medical advice before departure
• We require that all guests are covered with cancellation, default, baggage, emergency evacuation and medical insurance for the duration of the flying safari holiday

Schedule changes:

The company reserves the right to change the schedule and/or its sequence at all times, within reason, adapting it to prevailing weather conditions or other circumstances which occur.

Group Size

• Minimum guests: 2
• Maximum guests: 8
• We can accommodate special requests for groups larger than 8
• Should the group exceed 12 guests, it will have to be separated into smaller flying safari holiday groups which run concurrently and occupy camps in succession

Departures

• Safaris depart throughout the year on dates suitable to both the company and guests
• Bookings may be made up to 24 hours in advance, subject to availability

Age restrictions

• No upper age restriction applicable
• Notify us well in advance of child ages
• No child discounts available

We do open-date gift vouchers that you can hand to the
recipients as gifts on a special day. This allows the recipient the flexibility
to make the final booking on a date that suits his/her personal
schedule.    This also turns the gift into a “double whammy”
gift as the recipient receives the voucher on the special day and then has the
anticipation of going on the adventure on a suitable date.

Our open date vouchers are valid for a period of 6 months from date of issue;
this is a precaution to guard against price increases only, the value of the
voucher is never lost. Should the participant not use the voucher within that
time period, the value is still there, and if there has been no price
increases, the recipient uses the voucher as is. If after the six months grace
period there has been a price increase, the recipient will be liable to pay in
the price difference only.

Itinerary:

Day 1:

Meet at Windhoek’s Eros Airport at 10h00 for departure

Highlights include:

• Kuiseb canyon and adjoining red dunes
• Famous Conception Bay Eduard Bohlen shipwreck
• Landing and refuelling at Swakopmund
• Low-level flying along the Skeleton Coast
• Seal colony at Cape Cross
• Light picnic lunch near the beach
• Desert crossing by aircraft
• Ugab formations
• Huab River Valley’s Kuidas camp where we overnight
• Ancient rock engravings within walking distance of the tented camp

Day 2:

Depart by landrover after breakfast

Highlights include:

• Huab River environs with their red lava and yellow sandstone
• Introduction to the ecological aspects of the area with its diverse flora and fauna
• Welwitschia Mirabilis - a tree dwarfed by the rigours of the impinging desert climate
• Lunch at Kuidas camp
• Flying to Terrace Bay in the Skeleton Coast Park along the coast
• Montrose and Henrietta shipwrecks
• Access the rolling dunes by Land Rover at the coast
• A beach visit with its agate, lava, granite and quartz pebbles
• Bleached whale bones littering the beach
• Purros camp in the in the Kunene Region’s Hoarusib Valley where we overnight

Day 3:

Embark on a scenic drive along the Hoarusib Valley after breakfast

Highlights include:

• Village visit to the nomadic Himba people
• Possible desert-dwelling elephant sightings
• Fly north to the Kunene River up the Skeleton Coast
• Kaiu Maru shipwreck and pieces from old sailing vessels littering the coastline
• A scenic Land Rover drive
• Hartmann Valley Mountains and dunes after lunch
• Kunene River camp where we overnight

Day 4:

Depart early

Highlights include:

• Morning Kunene River boat trip
• Bird watching
• Possible crocodile spotting
• Lunch at the camp
• Flight back to Eros Airport, Windhoek