Namibia Safari Tour
Namibia Safari Tour is a 14 Day Southern and Northern Namibia Tour Safari that takes you to Etosha national Park for wildlife, Sossusvlei to hike sand dunes and Swakopmund.
This is a combination of Southern Namibia safari and the Northern Namibia camping trip. This Namibia tour therefore gives you a comprehensive Namibia safari like no other.
About the 14 Day Namibia Safari Tour
Your Namibia safari tour starts with a journey to Namibia’s southern areas. This includes Sossusvlei, the Namib Desert, Lüderitz and the Fish River Canyon.
Your Namibia safari tour will then turn north. You will experience the cheetah and leopard at Africat. Enjoy a tour to Etosha National Park. Finish the Northern tour of Namibia on this Namibia safari tour with a detour to Damaraland and beach tour to Swakopmund.
The Namibia safari tour is your chance to view exquisite feline carnivores and great landscape of Namibia. You will see the wild animals in their personal Eden with a tour to Etosha. Tour the wildlife rich drylands of Damaraland with a trip to the beach resort town of Swakopmund.
This Namibia safari tour also visits tours unique mountainous vistas. You get to enjoy the elaborate carvings and drawings of Africa’s eldest human inhabitants. Enjoy going up the big daddy on a 3 day Sossusvlei tour on this Namibia tour that starts and ends in Windhoek.
Detailed 14 Day Namibia Safari Tour – North and Southern Namibia Safari
Day 1 – Windhoek – Kalahari Desert
Meet and greet will be upon morning arrival at the Airport. You can also start this Namibia tour from Windhoek hotel. Pick up for the 14 Day Namibia Safari Tour starts between 09:00 hrs and 09:30 hrs.
Our Namibia safari rep will brief you on the 14 Day Namibia safari tour. You will embark on this Namibia journey heading south on the main highway. This will take you through the strip of Kalahari that protrudes onto the eastern side of Namibia.
You will be stopping at small towns along the way. They include Rehoboth which is the traditional home of the Baster people. Proceed on to Kalkrand where you bid the main road farewell and head off into the Kalahari.
The Kalahari Desert often surprises people when they first see it. It is different from the Namib. First of all, remember that the Kalahari is not a desert. It receives more rain than a true desert should.
The Kalahari is a fossil desert. Don’t expect to find tall Sossusvlei-style dunes devoid of greenery here. The Kalahari’s dunes are different. They are often as beautiful, but greener and less stark. This vegetation comes its ability to support more flora and fauna than a true desert.
Late this afternoon we hop onto an open vehicle for a late afternoon sunset drive. Overnight on this 14 day Namibia safari tour will be camping under the African sky.
Day 2: Kalahari – Fish River Canyon area (500 km) (BLD) (camping)
Your 14 Day Namibia safari tour gets an early morning departure. You will be heading to the town of Mariental and south to Keetmanshoop. Just outside the town you have the opportunity of visiting the Mesosaurus Fossil Site.
You travel via the town of Keetmanshoop for overnight camping on the Fish River area. Here you have the opportunity of seeing the Quivertree. Quiver trees are not in fact trees, they are a type of aloe, (Aloe Dichotoma). They are so called because the branches fork “dictomously”.
These weird looking plants dot the landscape in this part of the world. They are quite common within the area, but they are one of the world’s rarest flora species.
Day 3: Fish River area – Luderitz (430 km) (BL) (Accommodation)
The Fish River Canyon in Namibia is the 2nd largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. The immensity of this magnificent landscape is quite breath taking.
The towering rock faces and deep ravines were formed by water erosion. This led to the collapse of the valley due to movements in the earth’s crust over 500 million years ago. Today the canyon measures 160 km long up to 27 km wide and almost 550m at its deepest.
It is fair to say that when you arrive at the canyon though, its exact location is a bit of a mystery. This is as the 500m vertical drop from the flat dry plateau is completely out of view.
Early morning your 14 day Namibia safari tour head to the main view point. From here you can see how impressive this canyon actually is. This is an ideal opportunity for photography. You will spend some time experiencing this amazing sight.
Viewing from the top you can see the river sparkling in the sunlight far below us. Just imagine how many millennia it took for the forces of erosion to carve such a magnificent vista.
Later your Namibia safari tour get to pack up camp and move on to the next destination. This will be the coastal town of Lüderitz. Here its colonial-style buildings cling to the rocks overlooking the bay. On some days there is a deep iridescent blue. While on others it is grey and stormy with the crisp fresh climate.
Watch the fishing boats bobbing up and down on the Atlantic horizon. Look out as penguins and seals dive beneath the waves. This give the town a curious other-worldly allure.
You Namibia safari tour will arrive at our guest house during the late afternoon. Dinner will be at client’s own expense tonight.
Day 4: Luderitz – Aus (125 km) (BLD) (camping)
Your 14 day Namibia safari tour has time to join an optional extra excursion. This is a marine trip where you take a cruise around Luderitz bay. If weather permits proceed to Halifax Island to see the Jackass Penguins.
It is important to note that the boat cruise is subject to availability. If undertaken, will be for the client’s own risk and expense.
It is time time to explore Luderitz Town with its traditional German architecture. Later your Namibia safari tour takes a drive out to Diaz Point to see the bird life. You may have a few seals and the stone cross replica. The original was erected by the Portuguese mariner Bartholomew Diaz.
Straight after the marine trip you will drive out to Kolmanskop. This is a desert ghost town about 20 km out of Luderitz. Its construction was in the 1920’s during the diamond rush. But it was abandoned when bigger and better diamonds were found further along the coast.
The area is still abandoned and the desert has encroached over the entire town. This gives it an eerie feeling and real meaning to the word “ghost”.
Tonight, you will spend the evening of your Namibia safari tour at Klein Aus Vista. This is a private reserve located in the Aus Mountain Range, (Huib-Hoch-Plateau region).
The road goes through the “forbidden Zone”. It is so named because in years gone by there were alluvial diamonds found in Namibia. They were scattered across the desert. You will have time to enjoy sunset over the mountains.
Day 5: Aus – Sesriem (340 km) (BLD) (camping)
Your Namibia safari tour turns north today. You once again will head deep into the ancient southern Namib. You will travel on small gravel roads and passing some tiny rural communities along the way.
The scenery is harsh, and sometimes forbidding. The process of erosion in these areas is well advanced. The Namibia safari tour takes time rounded “koppies” arid terrain. This includes outcrops of tortured rock.
You will traverse this bleak yet beautiful landscape as the terrain begins to change. Cross some open grass savannah and farmlands. This is before the terrain begins to give way to the immense red sand dune desert of the Namib.
You expect to arrive at your camp during the late afternoon. Take time to watch the colours glow and change on distant mountains to the east.
Day 6: Sesriem – Sossusvlei – Sesriem (120 km) (BLD) (camping)
Your 14 day Namibia safari tour starts with an early breakfast. A pre-dawn start is essential this morning as we want to catch the soft light of the sunrise on the desert.
You will head to Sesriem, the gateway to the dunes. Drive into the heart of the dune field, we reach Sossusvlei itself by walking the last 5 km through the dunes. The walk is like nothing else, in the cool of the morning.
Enjoy the with soft sunlight as it begins to play over the dunes. This creates a sharp light and shadow contrast across the whole desert.
You will see ancient mineral pans and stunted camel thorn trees. There is a chance of seeing a gemsbok or maybe an ostrich make the photo opportunities perfect.
You’ll spend the morning in and around Sossusvlei also visiting dune 45. As the day wears on we return to Sesriem for lunch to escape the heat of the afternoon. As the day cools off in the late afternoon, we will take a short excursion to the Sesriem Canyon.
Day 7: Sesriem – Windhoek (350 km) (BL) (accommodated)
Start your day on the Namibia safari tour with breakfast. You will then begin the journey, over the mountains and along scenic roads, back to Windhoek.
You will go over the Naukluft Mountains and also the Khomas Hochland Range. This is through beautiful mountain passes on our way back to civilization.
We are due back into the city in the late afternoon or early evening. Check into your Windhoek Hotel for overnight.
Day 8: Windhoek – Okonjima/Africat (300 km) (LD) (camping)
the second leg of the Namibia safari tour begins with breakfast. This is before pick up between 08:30 and 09:00.
Your Namibia safari tour travels north, stopping at small towns along the way. They include Okahandja, where we have time to visit Namibia’s largest wood carving market. The market is operated on a local co-operative basis. It is one of the best places to shop for true Namibian souvenirs.
Continuing north, passing through farmland. You should expect to arrive at Okonjima during the middle afternoon. This allows for time to set up camp and to relax in the shade for a while. Later head out on to the property to take part in the afternoon’s activity.
Okonjima is the home of the Africat Foundation. This is a specialist conservation. The centre operations are on the African Big Cats, particularly cheetah.
This afternoon you will go on a tour of the center. During this, you will be able to meet, close-up-and-personal, some of the cheetah. These are those that are going through the Africat rehabilitation programme.
Most of the animals currently living here have been rescued from various desperate situations. Some are orphans while others were caught in a trap. The aim of the rehabilitation process is to attempt to re-introduce them into the wild.
After the educational tour we will return to our camp and prepare for dinner under the African stars.
Day 9: Okonjima/Africat – Namutoni / East Etosha region (300 km) (BLD) (camping)
An early start marks this day on the 14 Day Namibia safari tour. You will continue north passing through some small towns. you will be making short stops for fresh supplies and fuel.
Continuing on to East Etosha, Namutoni region camp. You will arrive in time for lunch. This allows you time to relax before heading into the park. This is later in the cool of the late afternoon for our first game drive.
Day 10: East Etosha region – Okaukuejo, Etosha National Park (BLD) (camping)
Your Namibia safari tour will be full day’s game driving. You willleave early to enjoy the cool morning air. You will enjoy game drive as you find your way through Etosha to Halali camp, situated in the middle of the park.
Along the way make visit t several waterholes. Here you will enjoy splendid views of the massive Etosha Pan. The game viewing is quite excellent. You have the chance to tick off a few new species that are not normally seen on the Namutoni side of the park.
You will stop at Halali for a rest and a relaxed lunch. There is time to visit the Halali waterhole and to make use of the swimming pool and bar facilities. This is before continuing on your way and game driving down to Okaukuejo.
This is Etosha’s main rest camp and resort where we will check in and set up camp. The site was a German fort built in 1901. Okaukuejo now houses the Etosha Ecological Institute. It founded in 1974 and the round watchtower is a remnant of the fort.
After your evening meal there are still more chances to see Etosha’s big game. This will be at a floodlit waterhole, situated on the boundary of your camp. You can reach easy within a minute or two on foot.
The waterhole is one of the “best game viewing opportunities in Southern Africa”. It is the ideal venue to witness peculiar animal politics. here there are Black rhino, Africa’s tallest elephants and lion. many other species of antelope are regular visitors during the cool, dry season.
Day 11: Okaukuejo – Grootberg area (310km) (BLD) (camping)
Today your Namibia safari tour leaves Etosha National Park. You begin the journey south with a short drive to the small town of Kamanjab.
Within this area you have the opportunity of visiting a Himba Village. This is the only functioning Himba community outside the far north Kaokoland region. These tribes-people have migrated here with lifestyle and customs intact. They still follow their traditional way-of-life in their village on a farm. The exact location of the site varies as the Himba occasionally roam to a new location.
You will learn about marriage customs and traditional food. Be curious to ask about the mysteries of the “Holy Fire” religion.
From here it is a short drive on to The Hoada Community Campsite. This is among beautiful granite hills and mopane trees. To add an eco-friendly touch, the hot water system works together with the barbecue area. So, whilst your meal is being prepared, your water will be warmed up for your shower!
Day 12: Grootberg area – Twyfelfontein (190 km) (BLD) (camping)
Today your Namibia safari tour head into one of the most beautiful desert regions in Namibia. The destination of the day will be the beautiful Damaraland.
You will drive west via the Grootberg Pass. Take a detour to visit the ancient Bushman rock engravings at Twyfelfontein. At this location we will have a local guide to conduct us on a short-guided tour before we set up camp for the night.
Day 13: Twyfelfontein – Swakopmund, Skeleton Coast (420 km) (BL) (accommodation)
From here your Namibia safari tour head deeper into the desert. You will go past Namibia’s highest mountain, The Brandberg, (2573 m). Enjoy more of the beautiful Damaraland scenery.
You will make a stop in the small town of Uis, an old mining town. It is one of the best places to buy semi-precious stones, for which Namibia is famous. Here, rough Amethyst, Tourmaline etc are at bargain prices.
From hereturn west and cross the gravel plains on our way to the Atlantic Ocean and the Skeleton Coast. You will meet the ocean at HentiesBay. You first head north along the coast to visit the seal colony at Cape Cross. At certain times of the year as many as 100,000 Cape Fur seals congregate.
The next destination is Swakopmund, following the Skeleton Coast into Namibia’s premier seaside town. We aim to arrive in the late afternoon giving us time to explore the town on foot before sunset.
Tonight, we take the chance to sample one of the excellent restaurants. The seafood in Swakopmund is superb. Your guide will offer to organise a group meal in a local restaurant for this evening. Participation is recommended but by no means required. Dinner is for the client’s own account.
Day 14: Swakopmund – Windhoek (BL) (350 km)
This is the final day of your 14 day Namibia safari tour. The drive back to Windhoek today will take about 4 and a half hours. You will leave around lunch-time allowing time to spend the morning relaxing in Swakopmund.
Swakopmund has many superb shops, a good stretch of beach. It is important to note that the Atlantic here is quite cold. The town also boasts of an open-air curio market. There is also a good museum and the Namibian National Marine Aquarium in Swakopmund.
There are various optional activities that can be arranged. These include aeroplane and microlight flights over the desert. You can enjoy scenic drives, fishing trips (both from the beach or in a boat. Take a four-wheel motorcycle (quad bike) trips into the desert. You can also have this over the sand dunes around Swakopmund.
You may go sand boarding trips (also in the dunes), skydiving or surfing. There is also bird-watching and many other activities are available.
You will have all the possible options with you before you reach Swakopmund. and will offer to make bookings in advance of your arrival.
This is the last leg of your Namibia safari tour. After lunch you will enjoy a transfer you back to the capital city. Here you will upon arrival have a drop off at your accommodation in the late afternoon.
—– End of 14 Day Namibia Safari Tour ——
14 Day Namibia Safari Tour Cost
Included in the 14 Day Namibia Safari Tour Cost
- Transport in a custom-built safari vehicle
- Accommodation in lodges as per itinerary
- National park & site entry fees
- Activities as per the program
- Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast L=lunch D=dinner)
- Services of an English-speaking guide & camp assistant
- Pick up/drop off within Windhoek city limits
Not Included in 14 Day Namibia Safari Tour
- Drinks snacks
- Sleeping bag
- Optional activities
What to Carry on 14 Day Namibia Safari Tour
- light and heavy clothing
- hat
- sun glasses
- Sun screen
- comfortable hiking shoes
- sandals
Related African Safaris in Namibia
3 day Sossusvlei Safari in Namibia
7 Day Northern Namibia Tour Safari
Namibia Safari Tour Destinations
Kalahari Desert
The Namibia safari tour starts with a tour to the Kalahari Desert. This is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in Southern Africa extending for 900,000 square kilometres.
It occupies almost all of Botswana, the eastern third of Namibia, and the northernmost part of Northern Cape province in South Africa. In the southwest it merges with the Namib, the coastal desert of Namibia.
The Kalahari’s longest north–south extent is roughly 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres), and its greatest east–west distance is about 600 miles
The Kalahari Desert that covers much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa. The Kalahari sand dunes compose the largest continuous expanse of sand on earth.
The dunes are covered with a relative abundance of vegetation because of a rainfall of between 5 and 10 inches annually, of which over four hundred species of plants have been identified in the Kalahari Desert.
The Kalahari Desert is formed in a region of subsidence in the Hadley cell known as the “horse latitudes” and also its continentality. But, the cause of the Namib desert is the cold Benguela current in the Atlantic ocean.
There are small amounts of rainfall and the summer temperature is very high. It usually receives 3–7.5 inches (76–190 mm) of rain per year. As a result the Kalahari supports some animals and plants because most of it is not true desert.
The Desert was previously havens for wild animals from elephant to giraffe, and for predators such as lion and cheetah. On your Namibia safari tour to the riverbeds are now you will mostly have grazing fauna.
With luck your Namibia safari tour may come across leopard or cheetah.
Fish River Canyon
The Namibia safari tour will continue further south to Fish River Canyon. It is the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia.
Your Namibia Safari Tour will enjoy the Fish River Canyon tour. This features a gigantic ravine, in total about 100 miles long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep.
The Canyon forms part of the state-run Ais-Ais Richtersveld Transfontier Park. Entrance to the Park is situated 10 kilometres from the well-known view point Hell`s Bend at the Hobas Restcamp.
All visitors including those on Namibia safari tour have to report here. It is important to know that during the summer month the Canyon hike is closed due to the heat.
The Fish River Hiking Trail can be conducted during the months April – September. The hike can be completed within 4 to 5 days, depending on fitness.
It covers a length of 85 km and the descent into the Canyon is only allowed for hikers doing the trail. Because Namibia safari tour is not on Fish River Hiking Trail, you will not climb into the Canyon.
The history of some of the oldest rocks in Namibia (gneiss) cut by the Fish River started over a billion years ago. A might mountain range eroded down to a vast plain flooded by the ocean about 650 million years ago.
Then about 350 million years ago the biological formation of the Fish River Canyon started. A vast graben formed along old tectonic faults. It formed the broad ancient valley of the Fish River.
The edges of this graben that are more than 20 km apart today form the upper edges of the canyon. After the formation of the graben structure 300 million years ago the riverbed was still 300 metres higher than it is today.
With the so-called Gondwana-Glaciation glaciers further deepened the graben. Today ice in the canyon is completely unimaginable.
There was the separation of the continent Gondwana about 120 million years ago. Combined with the uplifting of the African continent the gradient of the Fish River increased allowed it to erode even deeper into the rock. Today the deepest point of the canyon is 549 metres deep.
Luderitz
Your Namibia safari tour then makes a detour to Lüderitz. This is a coastal town in southwestern Namibia. It’s known for its German colonial buildings, including the art nouveau Goerke Haus, built into the rock face on Diamond Hill.
Nearby, Felsenkirche is a hilltop church with panoramic bay views stretching around to Robert Harbor. The Lüderitz Museum has displays about the town’s diamond-mining past as well as local and natural history.
Lüderitz, formerly Angra Pequena, town on the Atlantic coast of Namibia (formerly South West Africa). The Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias stopped there in 1487 and named the bay Angra Pequena.
Long neglected, it became the first German settlement in South West Africa. This is when a Hamburg merchant, Franz Adolf Lüderitz, began trading operations here. He persuaded the German government in 1883 to place the territory under German protection.
In 1908, during construction of a railway, diamonds were discovered in the Namib desert hinterland. Lüderitz then became a booming mining town in what the German colonial government.
It later established as a huge prohibited zone, Sperrgebiet, where no one may enter without permit, for diamond mining was strictly controlled.
Aus
The Namibia safari tour will proceed to Aus, a settlement in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on a railway line and the B4 national road, 230 km west of Keetmanshoop. This is about 125 km east of Lüderitz and belongs to the ǃNamiǂNûs electoral constituency.
The region around the little village of Aus and the Huib Plateau was originally inhabited by nomadic hunter-gatherer groups of the Nama. They already gave the town its present name.
!Aus means snake fountain and it was the last reliable fountain before the start of the 120 km wide waterless Namib. Until the year 1882 the region remained spared from European influence, only a few missionaries visited the snake fountain.
The history of Aus goes back to the end of 1904 the war between the Nama and the Germans erupted. More German soldiers had to be brought into the country for the “protection of the peoples”.
For this reason the construction of a railway connection between Lüderitz and Aus was authorized by the German government. Until today the construction work is praised – within one year the complete distance of 120 km was completed.
If it wasn’t for the wild herds being the reason for the Namibia Safari Tour coming here, Aus could be described as the original one-horse town. This small village is located on the B4 national road and is a popular pit-stop for tourists. It is ideally located as a scenic and tranquil base for discovering Namibia’s southern interior.
The most unique feature of Aus is the resident wild horses. They are most likely descended from South African and Namibian horses which threw off the bonds of domestication during World War I.
These unique animals are capable of going without water for up to five days. They seem willing and able to survive the harsh conditions on the edge of the Namib Desert.
Alongside the horses are ostriches and oryx which are endemic to this area, with no ill effects. A hide has been erected at Garub Pan so that those on Namibia Safari Tour can view these amazing creatures at their favourite watering hole.
Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes. Namibia safari tour here will take you to the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia.
The name “Sossusvlei” is often used in an extended meaning to refer to the surrounding area, which is one of the major visitor attractions of Namibia.
Sossusvlei is possibly Namibia’s most spectacular and best-known attraction, a top choice for Namibia Safari Tour. It is characterized by the large red dunes. Sossusvlei is a large, white, salt and clay pan and is a great destination all year round.
The dunes in this area are some of the highest in the world, reaching almost 400 meters. Thye will provide photographic enthusiasts with wonderful images in the beautiful morning and evening light.
Sossusvlei literally translates to “dead-end marsh”. This is the place where the dunes come together preventing the Tsauchab River to flow any further, some 60km east of the Atlantic Ocean.
However, due to the dry conditions in the Namib Desert the River seldom flows this far and the pan remains bone-dry most years.
During an exceptional rainy season the Tsauchab fills the pan, drawing visitors from all over the world to witness this spectacular site.
Photographic enthusiasts are spoilt with a glassy “lake” holding reflections of the surrounding dunes. When the pan fills it can hold water for as long as a year.
Many endemic animal and plant species call the Namib their home. They have adapted perfectly to the heat. Many desert inhabitants make use of the fog which every now and then emerges from the Atlantic Ocean. This is often the only source to humidity and vital for the survival of many.
Those on Namibia safari tour may see oryx antelope. They often can be found deep in the desert has developed a unique system to cool down its blood.
They have fine network of blood vessels to cool the brain. This enabled the animals to handle a body temperature of more than 40°C for longer periods.
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital of Namibia, in the country’s central highlands and the starting point of your Namibia Safari Tour. South of the city, the sprawling Heroes’ Acre war memorial commemorates Namibia’s 1990 independence.
On a hilltop in the city center are the 1890s Alte Feste, a former military headquarters with historical exhibits, and Independence Memorial Museum. Colonial influences are visible in nearby buildings like the sandstone Lutheran Christus Church.
Windhoek is a bustling metropolis and on the Namibia Safari Tour, you will unexpectedly neat and orderly. It is perhaps less surprising when one considers it was a German territory for many years.
This is the main port of call for most tourists including those on Namibia Safari Tour, and all travellers pass through the city at least once. Situated in a pretty valley, Windhoek boasts buildings very much in the German architectural style.
The German presence can be strongly felt in the food, restaurants – and, of course, the beer. The Namibian beer is said to be the best in Africa and is brewed in Windhoek.
Okonjima Nature Reserve
Your Namibia safari tour starts by heading to Okonjima. Okonjima was born of the desire to find balance for cattle farmers and predators. It is now a game reserve home to the beloved AfriCat foundation.
The Northern Namibai tour safari goes half way between Windhoek and Etosha to the well-known Okonjima Nature Reserve. The 96 kilometre fence surrounding the 22 000 ha Okonjima private, Nature Reserve was finally completed in 2010.
Okonjima is home of The AfriCat Foundation, was established as a small ‘guest farm’ in 1986. For many years, this was a cattle haven but increasing livestock losses and post-independence interest changed it to a tourist destination.
The Okonjima Nature Reserve sprawls over 200 square kilometres of undulating plains. There are mountainous outcrops, and riverine thickets. It is here that leopard (Panthera pardus), the most adaptable of all the wild cats, thrive. Read more about our Leopard Research.
These intelligent, solitary predators occur in high density in the expanse of Okonjima Nature Reserve’s multi-faceted topography.
The Reserve’s predator research programme has spanned three decades. Its findings have provided great insight to leopard behavioral patterns as well as offered an upbeat prognosis for a sustainable future for the species in today’s Africa.
A two-day Okonjima stay on Namibia safari tour offers the best chance to view wild leopard in Namibia. There are also other collared for research purposes, in their natural habitats.
Research programme leopard are actively tracked, and their collars are an invaluable resource for locating, and then returning to the Reserve. Cats which have migrated to surrounding farmland where they are perceived as threats to livestock.
The Okonjima Nature Reserve, a huge protected area set amongst the rugged commercial farmlands of central Namibia. It comprises a diversified ecosystem representative of both the larger and small mammals of Namibia, as well as most of the country’s endemic birds.
There are game drives and guided bush walks on Namibia safari tour here. These offer visitors an intimate, up-close perspective of Namibia’s wildlife and, especially, its most protected species.
Etosha National Park
The Namibia safari tour heads to the easiest and safest safari destinations in Africa, Etosha National Park is Namibia’s best game viewing destination.
Etosha is one of Africa’s great wildlife parks and Namibia’s prime wilderness conservation area. This Namibia national park span a vast 22 300 square kilometres (8 610 square miles).
Etosha National park consists mostly of grassy plains around a huge salt pan, which becomes a beautiful lake after heavy rains and attracts large flocks of pink candy-floss-coloured flamingo.
Etosha holds one of the largest, and perhaps the most stable, population of black rhino in the world, as well as giraffe, and rare and unusual species like the black-faced impala, Hartmann’s mountain zebra or the smallest antelope in the world, the Damara dik dik.
It is home to savannah animals and desert specialists, Etosha is where elephant, giraffe and zebra mix with springbok, black rhino and the scimitar-horned gemsbok antelope.
It’s also a predator paradise: lions, leopards and hyenas are resident in healthy numbers and it’s a top destination for cheetah sightings.
Within easy reach of the capital Windhoek, Etosha is as suitable for families with children on safari to Africa. It is also suitable for couples and honeymooners.
The risk of malaria is low, the climate usually warm and dry, and, thanks to simple logistics Etosha is a can-do self-drive destination.
The relaxed nature of the wildlife means an Etosha safari offers excellent photographic opportunities, especially during dry season. Great numbers of animals are concentrated at water and there are many busy waterholes to watch from the shade.
At night you’ll dine under dazzling stars, keeping an eye on a flood-lit waterhole and an ear out for the wavering contralto of the black-backed jackal.
Damaraland
This Namibia safari tour will the head to the north-central part of what later became Namibia, inhabited by the Damaras. It was bounded roughly by Ovamboland in the north, the Namib Desert in the west, the Kalahari Desert in the east, and Windhoek in the south.
This will be a great stop on your Namibia safari tour. Damaraland lies in between the dunes of Sossusvlei and the wildlife sanctuary that is Etosha National Park. It is home to the Himba Tribe.
It is a lesser-known treasure – the wild, untamed landscapes of northwestern Damaraland. This semi-desert region is one of the country’s most spectacular, with vast, arid plains intersected by sudden towering outcrops of rust-colored granite.
The first taste of Damaraland’s alien rock formations comes as the flat, arid scrubland. This is on either side of the road gives way without warning to the jaw-dropping granite peaks of Spitzkoppe.
They are often referred to as the “Matterhorn of Namibia”, Spitzkoppe is more than 120 million years old. The tallest of its many outcrops stands 5,853 feet/1,784 meters high against the blue sky.
To be discovered on your Namibia safari tour are culture and an assortment of desert-adapted wildlife. They include elephant, rhino, zebra and lion, which eke out an existence in this near-barren landscape.
A not-to-be-missed attraction is the picturesque Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain, which is home to thousands of ancient rock paintings – most notably the White Lady.
The rocky outcrops of Twyfelfontein feature exceptional Bushmen engravings. They are considered to be some of the best-preserved etchings on the continent.
Your Namibia safari tour may visit the Petrified Forest. It dates back millions of years and offers a haunting landscape of gigantic fossilised trees.
Swakopmund
Your Namibia safari tour then heads to Swakopmund is the capital of the Erongo Region and has about 34,000 inhabitants. Swakopmund is known as activity centre of Namibia, nowhere else in the country will you find such a variety of possible activities.
The city’s German origins are quite pronounced in beautiful old German Colonial buildings throughout the city, making an even starker contrast for this town sitting at the edge of the Namib Desert.
One artifact of the German colonization includes an old museum/store, selling genuine artefacts from the 19th century. Cover a child’s eyes, because some of what is on sale is aesthetically–and historically–difficult to look at.
Swakopmund was used as the setting for The Village in the 2008 production of The Prisoner by AMC and ITV. Its quaint buildings and unusual appearance made a perfect replacement for Portmeirion where the original 1960’s series of The Prisoner was set.
Swakopmund Skydiving Club, founded in 1974, operates 7 days a week from Swakopmund Airfield, and organises the Desert Skydiving Boogies.
Lying directly due west of Windhoek, Swakopmund offers the closest coastal access to the capital. It attracts thousands of domestic holidaymakers over the peak Christmas season.
But it’s not hard to see why this pretty little port is also popular with foreign visitors. The town centre has retained much of its colonial character. It also boasts some of the best tourist facilities in the country.
In addition, Swakopmund is the main springboard for exploration of the dramatic Skeleton Coast. The more immediate attractions include the bird-rich lagoon at nearby Walvis Bay and at Sandwich Harbour.
The adventure activities operating along the dunes that separate the two ports, and Welwitschia Drive in the nearby northern Namib. So your Namibia safari tour has a lot of activities to choose from while in Swakopmund.
