Namibia classic self drive tour

Environment

On this itinerary you’ll spend two days at the Okonjima Plains Camp located within the Okonjima Nature Reserve, home of the famous Africat Foundation - an education and research facility dedicated to the rescue, relocation and rehabilitation of Namibia's big cats, particularly cheetah and leopard. Okonjima own several farms up in the mountains, split into large enclosures where cheetah and leopard roam. It is a fantastic programme and it offers an incredible opportunity to get close to big cats and learn about them. Activities from Okonjima include drives to track the leopard and view the cheetah and to learn more about Africat's work.

Two accommodation options on this vacation are Camp Kipwe in Damaraland and its sister property Mowani Mountain Camp just 4km away. Sustainable eco-tourism is of the utmost importance at Camp Kipwe and Mowani. Their conservation projects include, supporting the Desert Lion Project including paying the salary of one of the two game rangers (even though it is outside their conservancy), planting a variety of local indigenous plants which are harvested and replanted around the lodge and water hole, expanding the waterhole at Camp Kipwe to provide a local elephant herd with enough water when they visit, supplying neighbouring farms with vegetable off cuts for their pigs, assisting local farms by fixing waterholes damaged by elephants, purchasing vegetables from a community based vegetable garden and helping to empower the locals to manage the project successfully. All refuse from the lodge is recycled and sent to Windhoek. Plus a concession fee to the Uibasen/Twyfelfontein Conservancy is also included in the cost of your stay.

Community

One of the accommodation options on this Namibia vacation is Villa Margherita in Swakopmund. Villa Margherita proudly supports the Mondesa Youth Opportunities Trust (MYO) which is a non-profit organisation that operates entirely on donations. Located in the heart of the main Swakopmund Township, Mondesa, MYO is an intensive after-school education program, beginning at Grade 4 and continuing through the end of Grade 8. If our clients choose to stay at Villa Margherita we encourage them to make a donation to MYO, although of course this is at their discretion.

During your time in Namibia we encourage you to support the local economy by buying authentic handmade products such as cotton fabrics, wood carvings, pottery and silver jewellery at markets, villages and small-scale souvenir shops rather than hotel tourist shops or on organised shopping trips. When you buy products at markets, villages and small-scale souvenir shops you are helping to support a fragile economy and supporting local artisans helps keep traditional crafts alive. We recommend that you visit the Cosdef Arts & Crafts Centre in Swakopmund which supports local artisans and unemployed people by providing a shopfront for their work. The quality of the products is high and by purchasing items here you are supporting sustainability in local communities.

We encourage you to support the Pack for a Purpose initiative and use a small amount of space in your luggage to pack supplies for local community projects in Namibia. You can leave your donations with our partner hotels and lodges who will pass them on to the school, medical centre or animal welfare project.