LAND JOURNEYS
Home to the world’s oldest desert – the Namib – Namibia, however, is a destination that’s about so much more than just desert dreams.Â
There’s an old saying that says Namibia is Africa for beginners. If that much is true, we couldn’t imagine a more excellent way to start an African journey. Few African destinations can stand up to Namibia’s natural beauty. Home to the world’s oldest desert – the Namib – Namibia, however, is a destination that’s about so much more than just desert dreams.Â
From perfect dead-tree valleys and sandy shores by the sea. Inland, a spine of mountains runs through the country’s spectacular scenery that includes the Naukluft Mountains, Brandberg, Spitzkoppe, Damaraland, and the stunning Fish River Canyon. As one of Southern Africa’s premier wildlife destinations, Namibia is where you’ll find the world-renowned Etosha National Park, a premier wildlife watching destination that houses big cats, elephants, black rhinos, and an abundance of plains game. There’s also Damaraland, which houses Africa’s largest rhino population.
Covering a landmass twice the size of California, there’s a lot of isolation to be found in Namibia, but that’s also what makes it an irresistible destination! Aside from vast expanses of varying landscapes, Namibia is also home to the world’s last remaining hunter-gatherer societies, the San People and the Himba Tribe, both of which still follow traditional, nomadic lifestyles in the country’s remote wilderness.
The world’;s most extensive unbroken stretch of sand, the Kalahari Desert, is home to the salt pans of Makgadikgadi and the world-renowned baobabs of Nxai Pans National Park. Complete with fossil river valleys, glistening, golden grasslands, and the echoes of the indigenous San people, the Kalahari is where travelers go to lose themselves and find their soul’s purpose.
Ready to explore this piece of heaven on earth where stark beauty and desert-adapted wildlife take center stage? Here’s where to go and what to see!
We’ve highlighted a few of our favourite Namibia tours below. Chat to a Travel
Specialist to help create a personalised journey for you.
Custom Safari
Experience a one-of-a-kind private Namibia safari, handcrafted to your desires. We know we offer one of the best safaris globally, designed to get the most extraordinary experience of your life while visiting Africa. Time to make the most of your time and see as much wildlife as possible.
Southern Africa, Namibia
The vast and otherworldly Namib Desert is home to some of the highest sand dunes on earth, offering the perfect opportunity for game drives searching for the area’s 192 mammal inhabitants.Â
The vast and otherworldly Namib Desert is home to some of the highest sand dunes on earth, offering the perfect opportunity for game drives searching for the area’s 192 mammal inhabitants. Sossusvlei is a large ephemeral pan set among dunes that tower out 325 meters above the valley floor. Although the pan rarely contains water, it’s when the Tsauchab River gathers enough momentum to push beyond the plains to the sand sea that the landscape is completely transformed. When the waters arrive here, the dry mud gives way to an ethereal blue-green lake.
If you’ve got the stamina for it, the best way to get the measure for this sandy spot is to climb a dune. The stark beauty here might look familiar to you, and it rightly should. Sossuvlei is one of the most photographed desert areas in the country, and every story about Namibia features at least one photo of the area.
Just a short distance from Sossuvlei, you’ll find Deadvlei, which is much less famous than its neighbor, but probably a little more alluring. Seemingly petrified trees sprout from the pan, their shadows casting stark shadows across the bleached-white canvas of the pan. The view of the cobalt-blue skies against the orange dune sands is simply spellbinding.
Southern Africa, Namibia
Etosha seems to be a place where time doesn’t matter, and nobody seems to mind. Everything seems to slow down as soon as you enter Etosha National Park. The massive, 1800 square mile salt pan that sits within Etosha dates back 100 million years, and it’s so impressive, you can see it from space.
Etosha seems to be a place where time doesn’t matter, and nobody seems to mind. Everything seems to slow down as soon as you enter Etosha National Park. The massive, 1800 square mile salt pan that sits within Etosha dates back 100 million years, and it’s so impressive, you can see it from space.
Etosha National Park covers more than 20,000 square kilometers and is one of the world’s most incredible wildlife viewing destinations. Unlike most other African game parks and reserves, where you can often spend a whole day fruitlessly trying to spot wildlife, Etosha almost brings the animals to you. Spotting the desert-adapted animal inhabitants of Etosha is as easy as parking near a waterhole and waiting for the elephants, lions, springbok, and gemsbok to stream in by the hundreds.
The best times for game drives are at first light and late at night, but visitors aren’t generally permitted outside the camps after the sun sets. Guided night drives can be arranged and are your best shot at seeing the park’s lions out on a hunt.
Southern Africa, Namibia
There are very few places on earth that offer a view quite as dramatic and beautiful and a meeting between the land and see quite like the one you’ll find at Namibia’s Skelton Coast.
There are very few places on earth that offer a view quite as dramatic and beautiful and a meeting between the land and see quite like the one you’ll find at Namibia’s Skelton Coast. The Atlantic roars proudly here, relentlessly crashing onto the sands of the Namib Desert. Local San people called it ‘The Land God Made in Anger,’ and according to the Portuguese, who lost thousands of their ships to the coast, they called it ‘The Gates of Hell’.
From the Skeleton Coast, a short journey inland takes you to the starkly gorgeous Kaokoveld, which is a world apart from what the Portuguese perceived as hellish. As one of Africa’s last remaining wilderness areas, Kaokoveld is Namibia’s least inhabited area and stretches from the coastal desert plain and rises into a wild and rugged landscape. Wildlife thrives here, and it’s also one of the last refuges for the black rhino, which still thrive here by following the seasonal plants around from one fertile area to the next.
Kaokoveld is also home to the famed desert elephants, which naturalists once classified as a subspecies of the African elephant. True or not, these remarkable animals use their amazing knowledge of the area’s water sources to survive and thrive in one of the world’s driest regions.
Southern Africa, Botswana
Swakopmund is a quaint Namibian city snuggled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Namib Desert and enjoys a reputation of being Namibia’s adventure capital. The old colonial architecture gives Swakopmund a distinct charm.
Swakopmund is a quaint Namibian city snuggled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Namib Desert and enjoys a reputation of being Namibia’s adventure capital. The old colonial architecture gives Swakopmund a distinct charm. After visitors have explored the colorful destination, they use it as a gateway for excursions into Walvis Bay, a whale-watching mecca and strategic harbor.
Walvis Bay is best known for its endless opportunities for adventuring. From canoeing to kayaking, wildlife, and nature tours, there’s a little something for everyone here. And then there’s Dune 7. Just one of Walvis Bay’s world-famous range of dunes. Measuring in at 1,256 feet high, Dune 7 is arguably the highest of its kind in the world.
There’s also Walvis Bay Lagoon, considered one of Southern Africa’s richest and most important wetlands. It’s estimated that the lagoon is at least 3,000 years old. Besides the brilliant photography opportunities on offer here, guests can indulge in a variety of experiences, including kiteboarding, kayaking, and birdwatching.
PLAN A CUSTOM SAFARI
Receive the latest news and updates from our safaris to learn more about each destination, our conservation efforts and more.
