Starry Nights in Namibia: Remote Desert Astronomy Safari
A Scheduled Trip to Namibia
Highlights
Join us on this extreme astronomy safari under the never-ending skies of Namibia led by passionate "amateur" astronomer, Amar Sharma.
Situated at 24o latitude below the Equator, we will be treated to the treasures like clusters & nebulae, as well as the staggering Milky Way band. The Southern skies of Namibia await you on this epic adventure.
Scheduled group tour from
November 1, 2018 - November 7, 2018
Starting from
US$ 3,060
per person sharing
Duration
7 days / 6 nights
Transport
Escorted Safari
Accommodation
Hotel or Lodge
Exploring
Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park, Sossusvlei
About this Safari
Namibia’s wide-open spaces, harsh landscapes, long spells of solitude, speak of otherworldly beauty not found as easily. A land of beautiful extremes and sheer untamed landscape, everything here is built to giant scale; craggy mountains, desert landscapes, desolate salt pans, volcanic mountains, massive sand dunes, rugged Atlantic Ocean beaches some of which are strewn with bleached whale bones and ancient shipwrecks.
That’s where we’re headed!
We will be observing the night sky from delightfully unspoiled, rugged and eerily isolated expanses – and those stark deep blue skies. This is our first tour at Namibia. From our starting point at Windhoek, we move 230 kilometers down towards the Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park which is situated within the borders of the extravagant 49,750 km² Namib-Naukluft National Park. We will be staying at one of the oldest and traditional farms of the country near the Naukluft Mountain range. Two nights here – for the sky – in such inexplicable desolation.
We continue to another deeply remote environ of the Greater Sossusvlei-Namib region on the private 24,000 hectare Neuhof Nature Reserve nestled between the Nubib and Zaris Mountains close to the Sossusvlei gate near Sesriem settlement in the Namib Desert, the world’s oldest desert. Here we will avail an experience almost like none other. We will be settling for 2 nights at a very newly opened (April 2018) tented room facility; and you will be among the first ones to say you camped here. This campsite is aiming to be amongst the most eco-friendly camps in Namibia with its very low environmental footprint. Here we have an option to ‘sleep out’ under the stars even little away from the campsite. This is going to be an immeasurable ecstasy! Two nights here – for the sky – in such inexplicable desolation. This region sports some of the best night skies in whole of Africa for astronomical viewing.
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Day By Day Itinerary
Day 1: November 1
- Arrival at Windhoek airport
- Direct transfer to hotel
- Night 1: Stay over at hotel / Rest
Contact us for full itinerary.
Day 2: November 2
- Sightseeing & activities at Windhoek
- Visit Gibeon Meteorites displayed in Post Street Mall
- Night 2: Stay over at hotel / Rest
Contact us for full itinerary.
Day 3: November 3
- Drive to Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park
- Check-in at Lodge
- Activities around the Lodge
- Astronomy discussion
- Night 3: Sky observation night # 1 with own binoculars
Contact us for full itinerary.
Day 4: November 4
- Continue activities around the Lodge: visit Rock Arch and other attractions
- Astronomy discussion
- Night 4: Sky observation night # 2 with own binoculars
Contact us for full itinerary.
Day 5: November 5
- Drive to Sossusvlei region
- Check-in at Lodge
- Activities around the Lodge
- Astronomy discussion
- Night 5: Sky observation night # 3 with own binoculars
Contact us for full itinerary.
Day 6: November 6
- Continue activities around the Lodge: visit Sossusvlei, Sesriem Canyon, Elim Dune and other attractions
- Astronomy discussion
- Night 6: Sky observation night # 4 with own binoculars
Contact us for full itinerary.
Day 7: November 7
- Drive back to Windhoek
- Astronomy tour ends
- Check-in at hotel
- Night 7: Stay over at hotel / Rest
- Next day drop to airport
Contact us for full itinerary.
More
Rates Inclusions and Exclusions
Rates inclusions:
- All Namibian accommodations on twin sharing basis – single supplement is additional cost
- All meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Sightseeing, entry tickets, permits & activities at Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park and Sossusvlei
- All road transfers
- One English speaking local guide during our stay
- Small astronomy kit from Skyward with AstronAmar including logbook & sketching sheets, notepad, stationery material
- Amar Sharma’s stay & local cost with group
Rates exclusions:
- Flight from India to Naimibia and return
- Naimibian visa
- Amar Sharma’s flight + visa cost with group from Bangalore / Mumbai and back here
- All ground, air & water insurances – compulsory
- All airport taxes
- Any excess baggage and handling costs during to-fro international flights or at airports
- Any meals not included in above
- Any outdoor activities not included in above
- Snacks for overnight stays
- Any shopping of personal nature
- Any tips, gratuities and porterage, also laundry and telephone calls, etc.
- Any cost related inconveniences caused by flight delays, cancellations or route deviation
- Any increase in air fare, fuel surcharge & taxes
- Any increase in the rate of currency exchange which may come in to effect prior to departure
- Any additional requirements for tour extensions opted
About Amar Sharma
In India on the amateur astronomy turf, Amar Sharma is not just a name and identity, but a force to reckon with. A “passionate” amateur astronomer the least, a rebel, revolutionary and a reformer is this force.
Amar got interested in astronomy during high school in 1999-2000, and it was at the end of 2002 he had a first tryst with the night sky very dark, hair-raising and unimaginably splendid outside the city of Bangalore. This was the catalyst in manifesting the astronomy within to unfurl to a lifelong obstinate path, pushing the conventional boundaries of one’s affair with Nature, in this case nocturnal Nature.
Dubbed among his circle as the “Astronomy Sanyasi” and the “Comet Sanyasi”, Amar had nearly lit the country’s amateur astronomy’s stage on fire at age of 22-23, in just 3-4 years of practically entering the field. Known for his extraordinary flair for deep-sky observing as well as expressing it in form of written reports, he was almost on the verge of making Bangalore and India’s astronomy “international” in its productivity, style and approach.
Gallery
Sossusvlei Lodge Namib Naukluft Sossusvlei Dunes
Namibia Astronomy Safari 2018 Map
Namib Desert, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia
Best Time to Visit
January
Closed
February
Closed
March
Closed
April
Closed
May
Closed
June
Closed
July
Closed
August
Closed
September
Closed
October
Closed
November
Best
December
Closed
The tour begins and ends in Windhoek, Namibia.
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