Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Namibia – Etosha – Walvis Bay – Sesriem – Luderitz – Fish River Canyon
100% customisable for you
Your Namibian adventure starts today, so head to the airport to catch your flight. Flights from the UK take around 15 hours, so you’ll arrive the next day.
Upon arrival in Windhoek, you’ll be met by a private transfer to take you to your hotel for the night in the Eros Park district.
Once settled in, you’ll have an exciting trip briefing with your dedicated Concierge, before grabbing a bite to eat and resting after the long journey. Your rental car will be delivered to your hotel, ready for adventures to begin tomorrow.
Today, drive north for two-and-a-half hours towards Otjiwarongo for an overnight stay in the Okonjima Nature Reserve.
After you’ve checked in, the wild side of your holiday begins. Climb aboard a specially equipped vehicle and set out on the trail of the leopard. Leopards and brown hyenas thrive in the Okonjima Reserve: their behaviour is studied, and efforts are made to ensure they have the best living conditions. With the help of experienced rangers, keep your eyes peeled on the journey, as despite their elusive nature, there’s a good chance of seeing the magnificent creatures here.
After a short but sweet stay in Otjiwarongo, you’re moving on again today, driving for around an hour and a half to the iconic Etosha area. Check into your lodge – your base for the next three nights – just south of Okaukuejo. Then, sit back and relax for the rest of the day. You might like to cool off in the pool, enjoy a drink at the bar or settle on a sun lounger with a good book.
To have the best chance of spotting wildlife at their most active, you’re going to have some early starts (sorry).
This morning, rise and shine for your first sunrise safari. Climb into a specialised 4x4 vehicle and head out with a knowledgeable ranger to spot animals in the bush.
With the help of your trusty ranger (who knows the landscape like the back of their hand), you might catch a glimpse of elegant hartebeest, impala, eland and wildebeest, as well as majestic lions, cheetahs and elusive leopards in their natural habitat. In the soft, muted colours of the morning light, the encounters are even more unforgettable.
It’s time to explore another part of the national park today: the Etosha Pan. Thanks to the flat terrain and localised drinking water of this sprawling salt pan (the largest in Africa), you can often spot animals from afar as they gather to drink from the watering holes.
You might be lucky enough to see elephants, rhinos, giraffes, ostriches, oryx, zebras, warthogs, springboks, and their accompanying predators. During the rainy season, you’ll often encounter flamingos, too. Meanwhile, up in the skies, you can see vultures scavenging; lappet-faced vultures, African gypsums, and monk vultures have all been spotted here.
After three magical days in Etosha, it’s time to head to your next destination, Grootberg. The drive is around four to six hours, which, while long, is a great opportunity to take in your superbly scenic surroundings.
Upon arrival later today, check into your lodge on the edge of the Etendeka Plateau. Put your feet up after the day’s drive and take in the views across the breathtaking Klip River Valley. This will be your base for the next two nights.
Today, head out in search of desert elephants. Adapted to the arid desert conditions, they’re not a separate species, but have developed an unparalleled ability to find water in the desert (which is essential for their survival). Acacias and mopane trees here provide plenty of foliage for them to feed on, too.
Set out on a game drive in a 4x4 safari vehicle to observe small groups of the desert-dwelling creatures. With the help of your knowledgeable guide, you might spot them grasping branches, stripping bark from a trunk or even taking a dust bath. While they might be a little more agile than their bush cousins, they’re still monumental mammals that will take your breath away.
Moving on again today, make the scenic five-hour drive to Omaruru, where you’ll check into a lodge just southwest of the town for the night. This is a great place to spot even more wildlife: from the restaurant, you can admire animals as they gather around a nearby waterhole for their evening drink.
It’s time to head to the coast with a three-hour drive to the lively port town of Walvis Bay today. Settle in for two nights in a small hamlet comprised of a few architect-designed houses. Your accommodation isn’t far from the waterfront, so spend the rest of the day exploring. With plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from, your local Concierge can recommend the best spots for a bite to eat.
Today, you’ll explore Sandwich Harbour, located about 30 miles south of Walvis Bay.
This is a place unlike anywhere else. On one side, you have the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other, the towering dunes of Namib-Naukluft Park. Led by a guide, you’ll have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the dunes in a 4x4 vehicle. This intermediate wetland area supports abundant birdlife and is a Ramsar site (a wetland designated of international importance under UNESCO’s Ramsar Convention). Here, you'll see flocks of Cape cormorants, greater flamingos, lesser flamingos, common terns, elegant plovers and curlew sandpipers (to name but a few species).
There’s also the option to go kayaking at Pelican Point today, if you fancy something a little more active.
It’s a four-hour drive from Walvis Bay to Sesriem in the Namib Desert today. Upon arrival, check into your lodge for the next two nights, before heading out to explore the local area.
As the sun sinks, you have the option to go off-road driving.
Sesriem is the gateway to Namib-Naukluft National Park, the largest African park at over 19,200 square miles (that’s just larger than Slovakia). On today’s agenda: seeing as much of this incredible landscape as possible.
Due to its proximity to the Atlantic coast, the area is very arid, meaning that much of the local flora and fauna have had to develop unique survival techniques. An example is the Stenocara gracilipes beetle, which has adapted the way it captures moisture in the atmosphere . Pretty cool, right?
The Sossusvlei area (a salt desert within the sand desert) is famous for its sea of ??orange dunes, which can reach over 900ft high. The acacia trees, which act like natural boreholes, draw water from dozens of metres deep. It’s an extraordinary landscape, and luckily, easily accessible.
Heading south today, make the three-hour car journey to Helmeringhausen. For the next two nights, you’ll stay at a local lodge in a tranquil natural setting – the perfect place to unwind after today’s travels.
Today, you’ll discover the nearby Namtib Biosphere Reserve, covering more than 16,000 hectares in the Tiras Mountains, bordering the Namib Desert. You’ll spend three hours exploring the park with an English-speaking guide visiting key locations in a specially equipped vehicle. Along the way, you mightsee livestock such as horses and sheep, as well as wildlife like oryx, springbok, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, leopards and Cape hyraxes.
Don’t forget about the flora, too: look out for quiver trees, tree aloes, acacia eriolobas and more. The conditions in the reserve are perfect for photographers, so be sure to bring your camera.
First off today, you have a two-hour drive to the village of Aus. With a bit of luck, you might spot adorable klipspringers among the rocks, but the wild horses are the main attraction. Most likely deserters from the German army during the First World War, they’ve since adopted the desert as their home, helped by the creation of a watering hole in the early 20th century.
After exploring Aus, move on to Luderitz – the oldest town in southwest Africa – a one-to-two-hour drive away. Check into your hotel for the next two nights before exploring Luderitz, which is home to some great examples of preserved German architecture.
Today, visit the ghost town of Kolmanskop, just 15 minutes southeast of Luderitz.. Built in 1908, Kolmanskop is a stark reminder of the diamond rush at the start of the 20th century, which reached its peak in the 1920s The diamond boom was short-lived, however, and the sand gradually reclaimed its territory.
Wandering through the eerie grounds, marvel at the opulence of the town still visible after all this time. Don’t miss the impressive mine director's house, or the gymnasium, which was state-of-the-art for its time. The ice factory is a sight to see, too, giving an insight into the amenities of the wealthy town.
Leave Luderitz behind and head to Fish River Canyon today – a beautiful journey of around five hours. Check in for two nights at your lodge by Gondwana Canyon Park, where you can chill out by the pool for the rest of the day (you’ve earned it).
Today, buckle up for an off-road tour around the canyon. Joined by an English-speaking guide, you’ll head out to explore one of the most impressive geological formations on the continent.
The Fish River has carved its way through the plateau to– reach depths of over 1600ft in some places. Follow the track from one viewpoint to another, each offering breathtaking vistas and a fascinating insight into the gorge's structure. Along the tour, the mineral landscape unfolds as the river (reduced to a string of pools at the end of summer) provides a habitat for antelopes, zebras, baboons and numerous rodents. Birds also thrive in the wetlands, including the African darter, the white pelican and the African fish eagle. The flora has found ways to thrive, too, and you’ll be able to see magnificent quiver trees dotting the landscape.
If you’re up for an early start today, there’s also an optional excursion to see the sunrise over Gondwana Canyon Park.
Drive to Mariental today – a journey of around five hours. You’ll stay overnight in a lodge a little southeast of the town, which is the perfect spot for whiling away the hours with a good book. Tuck into a tasty dinner at the onsite restaurant before hitting the hay, ready for more driving tomorrow.
our Namibian adventure is winding down and today, it’s time to drive back to your starting point: the drive to Windhoek takes around three hours. On arrival, check in for the night at a historic boutique hotel, which has everything you need to celebrate your last night in Namibia in style.
After a great adventure through southern Africa, it’s time to head home.
Return your rental car to the airport and prepare for your overnight 15-hour flight, touching down in the UK the next day full of stories from your epic trip.
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
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