Namibia Wildlife Safari: Desert Landscapes & National Parks

Board your overnight flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, today.

Welcome to South Africa! Meet a Go Ahead representative in the arrivals lounge, then walk together to the airport’s hotel. Get a good night’s rest: You’ll be flying to Namibia tomorrow.

This morning, board a short flight from Johannesburg to the Namibian capital city of Windhoek. (Say it “VIND-hoke.”) Then, make your way to the Sossusvlei Region with your Tour Director and fellow travelers, stopping for a packed lunch as you go. At your hotel this evening, meet back up with your group and keep getting to know one another over an included dinner, served with beer or wine. Once you’re done, settle back in for the night and start preparing for the next day’s sightseeing.

Surrounded by the towering red dunes of the world’s oldest desert, punctuated by the sand-smoothed husks of dead trees, the Sossusvlei (pronounced “SAUCE-us-vlai”) salt pan wouldn’t look out of place in a surrealist painting. However, we assure you it’s very real; head out early this morning to explore the eerie landscape of this natural work of art, sculpted by years of natural evaporation.

• Walk through Deadvlei: Directly translating from the original Afrikaans as “dead marsh,” this white-clay pan is home to a unique attraction—the 600-year-old skeletons of desiccated camel thorn trees, scorched black by the searing sun.
• Take in the titanic form of Sossusvlei’s largest sand dune, a 1,066-foot-tall behemoth affectionately nicknamed “Big Daddy.”
• Climb up a neighboring dune—part of the tallest collection of such features on the planet—and gaze upon the ancient Namib Desert from a new perspective. (If you aren’t up for it, don’t worry: This hike is optional.)
• Head to the Sesriem Canyon—a gnarled gorge created over millions of years—and learn how the Tsauchab River honed its walls.

After your first day in the desert, head back to your hotel and freshen up before reconvening for tonight’s included dinner, served with beer or wine.

Emerge from the UNESCO-listed landscapes of the Namib Desert and arrive in Swakopmund—a laidback, bohemian city on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Named after the nearby Swakop River, it boasts an interesting blend of German and African architecture: Snap some pictures ahead of tomorrow’s outing, then join your group in the evening for an included dinner, served with beer or wine.

Board a catamaran, cruise out into the Atlantic Ocean, and spend a few blissful hours skimming the surf.

• Enjoy a light lunch, including oysters and sparkling wine, as you sail along the Namibian coastline.
• As you relax, hear about the creatures that call these waters home. Humpbacks and southern right whales are native to this part of the Atlantic, and you’ll learn about their migratory habits while you sail.
• Keep your eyes peeled for leatherback sea turtles, sunfishes, and members of the Marine Big Five: dolphins, sharks, seals, penguins (yes, penguins!), and, of course, whales.

Please note: Due to their seasonal migratory patterns, you may not see any whales while on your cruise.

Once you dock, take up an optional excursion and head south to the seaside city of Walvis Bay for a scenic stroll and a safari through its neighboring dunes. Alternatively, hang back and spend a free afternoon strolling Swakopmund Mole, an old seawall built during German rule.

Make your way to Damaraland by way of the Skeleton Coast, an arid terrain that has more than earned its menacing nickname. So dubbed for the bones of whales and seals that have washed ashore over the years, this treacherous stretch of the Namibian coast holds over 1,000 shipwrecks in various states of decay. It isn’t all gloomy, though: One of the world’s largest fur seal colonies, 200,000 strong, has settled here.

Take in the powerful views of this protected expanse, then stop for an included lunch along the way. Rev back up to finish your journey to Damaraland, settling into your safari lodge before rejoining your group for an included dinner, served with beer or wine, at the property’s restaurant.

Depart Damaraland, setting a course for Etosha—one of the largest national parks in all of Africa. As you traverse the rocky desert, you’ll make a pair of pitstops.

• First, detour to Twyfelfontein. Officially known as /Ui-//aes—“jumping waterhole” in the indigenous Khoekhoe language—this archaeological trove was named Namibia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. It lays claim to roughly 2,500 rock paintings and engravings, showcasing over 6,000 years of human settlement. (It also happens to be one of the largest collections of petroglyphs on the African continent.)
• From there, stop for an included buffet-style lunch before moving on to another Namibian National Monument: the Petrified Forest. Deposited in their current location by a massive flood millions of years ago, these fossilized trees have, quite literally, been turned to stone. Learn how they were petrified through a process called silicification and examine them where they lay, surrounded by sandstone and silica.

Continue to Etosha. After settling into your hotel, sit down to an included dinner, served with beer or wine.

Please note: The visit to Twyfelfontein and the Petrified Forest may take place on day 7, based on the location of your hotel.

Spend the day on a game drive through Etosha National Park. Encompassing some 8,600 square miles, this 111-year-old conservation area is home to several endangered species, including the black rhino and the black-faced impala. Roll out and back on a 4x4 safari vehicle, enjoying a midday lunch at your lodge before setting out once again. Four of the Big Five, Africa’s most famous game animals, roam Etosha’s lands. See if you can spot a lion, leopard, rhino, or elephant—maybe you’ll find them all!

After your final game drive of the day, freshen up back in your room before enjoying an included dinner, served with beer or wine.

More cheetahs roam Namibia than any other country in the world, and today, you’ll visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), a nonprofit in the Waterberg Region dedicated to preserving their habitat. After an included lunch, you’ll follow a guide to see cheetahs that can’t be let back into the wild. In the process, you’ll learn about the CCF’s rescue, rehabilitation, and release programs, as well as the group’s efforts to promote peaceful coexistence between rural communities and these famed predators.

One inspiring outing later, you’ll return to your accommodations and join your group for an included dinner, served with beer or wine.

Today, join a dedicated guide and a specialized anti-poaching team and spend the morning on foot, tracking a population of southern white rhinos. They may not look it, but these beasts are quite easygoing—especially compared to their aggressive cousins, the black rhino. Their calmer dispositions allow for safer, more intimate observation, letting you and your group see them in their natural habitat.

Please note: Your guide will make a full safety assessment before allowing your group out of the safari vehicle. Only upon successful completion will you proceed to track the rhinos on foot.

Wrap up your adventure by returning to Windhoek and joining your Tour Director for a short tasting of local specialties. Then, celebrate your trip with your fellow travelers during tonight’s farewell dinner, served with beer or wine.

Fly back to Johannesburg, South Africa, where you’ll board your overnight flight home.

Bid Africa farewell as you take off for home—or extend your trip and stay a while longer on the continent’s southern tip, discovering why Cape Town was named a UNESCO City of Design.