On this 19 day Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe birdwatching trip we traverse a multitude of habitats starting out in the dry central and northern reaches of Namibia before heading eastwards to the sub-tropical riparian forests and rivers systems of north-eastern Namibia and Botswana before finishing the trip on the Zambezi River at the world famous Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. While the focus will be on birdwatching there will be ample opportunity for mammal watching at several key sites included in the itinerary. The tour starts in Windhoek, Namibia where we visit some local birding sites before heading southwards to the Namib Desert and world famous Sossuvlei. From there we descend down off the central plateau towards the coastal town of Walvis Bay where we will spend two days in search of waterbirds as well as some of the desert specials found in the adjacent Namib Desert including Benguela Long-billed Lark and Gray’s Lark. From the coast we head inland, crossing the vast plains of Damaraland and on towards the majestic Spitzkoppe Inselberg where we search for Herero Chat before heading on to the granitic Erongo Mountains. We spend the better part of two days in search of several Namibian specials including Hartlaub’s Spurfowl, Rockrunner and White-tailed Shrike before traveling north to Etosha National Park, one of Africa’s largest wilderness areas, where we spend three days birding as well as game viewing. From Etosha we head north eastwards towards what was formerly known as the Caprivi strip, entering the core of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. We spend three nights at Namushasha River Lodge, nestled on the banks of the Kwando River, exploring the mix of pans and wetlands and Combretum dominated woodlands. Bird diversity in this region is exceptional with a number of the Okavango specials occurring. From Namushasha we cross the border into Botswana and spend two nights in the vicinity of Chobe National Park before finishing the trip at the mighty Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
