Sossusvlei Dunes, Damaraland, and Etosha National Park
Namibia Private Safari
Overview
Namibia is an ageless land, a world of desert-adapted animals and infinite blue skies, where space and silence contribute to a feeling of antiquity, solitude, and wilderness. Our Private Safari offers you the chance to experience this magnificent and memorable country in a very personal way. You'll explore the amazing dunescapes of Sossusvlei and the mountains of Damaraland, see a heritage of rock art created by stone-age artists, and witness an amazing parade of wildlife at Etosha National Park, the greatest wildlife sanctuary in all Namibia. Throughout the trip, you'll have your own private experienced safari guide/driver who will enhance your enjoyment of this unique country and ensure you have an experience of a lifetime!
Arrive: Windhoek, Namibia
Depart: Windhoek, Namibia
Highlights
- Climb one of the world's highest free standing dunes in Sossusvlei
- Scenic flight along the Skeleton Coast viewing shipwrecks, seal colonies, and giant sand dunes
- Track desert-adapted elephants
- Walk among pre-historic rock art at the World Heritage Site at Twyfelfontein
- Gameviewing at renowned Etosha National Park
Itinerary
From Windhoek, journey to
Okonjima Bush Camp,
home to the renowned AfriCat Foundation, dedicated to the long-term conservation of Namibia's large carnivores through research, education, and community engagement. Head out into the bush to track leopard, which may be found resting in the trees after a night of hunting, and to search for resident rhino.
At Etosha, explore its game-filled pans that attract an immense variety of wildlife in a concentrated area, making for fantastic gameviewing. The park’s habitats include grassland, woodland, and savanna, with gameviewing centered around numerous springs and waterholes where multiple species can often be seen at one time. Wildlife in the park includes elephant, lion, giraffe, blue wildebeest, eland, kudu, gemsbok (oryx), zebra, rhino, cheetah, leopard, hyena, honey badger, and warthog, as well as the endemic black-faced impala.
Head to Damaraland, a striking tableau of rolling hills, dunes, gravel plains, and ancient river terraces. You’ll view the remarkable rock art at Twyfelfontein, a World Heritage Site, where some 2,500 prehistoric engravings are found, and explore Burnt Mountain, with its fiery colors that appear at sunrise and sunset. More explorations by 4WD vehicle bring you into the dramatic landscape of the ephemeral Aba Huab River valley as you search for game, including the elusive desert-adapted elephants, an amazing sight in this arid environment. While here, meet with rangers and trackers of Save the Rhino Trust, an innovative NGO doing crucial work to protect the rare desert-adapted black rhino, to learn about their critical work, then head out to do your own rhino tracking.
After an overnight in Swakopmund, fly to an airstrip near the Sossusvlei dunes, some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world. An excursion at sunrise allows you to capture the fantastic colors while the light is soft and the shadows accentuate their towering shapes and curves. Other activities here include scenic nature drives, game drives to view the desert's fascinating flora and fauna, horseback rides, and hot air ballooning. Return to Windhoek on Day 11 and depart on Day 12.
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
The trip is Level 2, Easy to Moderate, according to our trip grading system. This is a camping and lodge safari with game viewing by 4WD vehicle, nature walks, and long driving days. There will be some sections of walking through sand dunes. Due to Namibia's vast distances, an integral part of any Namibia safari is driving, and this is part of the adventure. The Trip Leader will make the road journeys very interesting and point out many highlights en route. While the driving times may appear long, there is a lot to see and the scenery is dramatic and beautiful. The road journeys are essentially game drives since Namibia's wildlife isn't restricted to parks. Our vehicles are very comfortable and have supplies for tea, picnic lunches, etc. Any African safari is an adventure, and you should bring along flexibility, a sense of humor, curiosity about new peoples and places, and an openness to the unexpected.
Although this is not a particularly rigorous trip, we still recommend you undertake a preparatory program of physical conditioning (especially if you want to climb the sand dunes in Sossusvlei, which can be quite challenging; it's also recommended for the Tok Tokkie Trail Extension). Daily walking or regular hiking, jogging, and stair-climbing are excellent preparatory exercises.
The climate is typical of a semi-desert country. Days are warm to hot and nights are generally cool. Temperatures are modified by the high plateau in the interior and by the cold Benguela Current that runs along the Atlantic coastline. Except for the first few months of the year, the country is generally dry with very little rain.
The best gameviewing is generally during the dry season, between April and October, which also corresponds to the most comfortable season for travel. Days are clear and sunny, with temperatures in the 80sF. Nighttime temperatures may drop near freezing. Only during the hot summer months from November to February does rain occur. During this season, the wildlife tends to scatter significantly, which decreases gameviewing potential, but the birdwatching is excellent.
While on safari, most breakfasts and evening meals will be taken at the lodge or camp you are staying at. Lunches while traveling between destinations will be served picnic-style en route or at a café or restaurant if there is not a suitable picnic site. Bottled water, soft drinks, juice, house wine, and beer are included throughout the trip. All vehicles are equipped with a fridge or cool box stocked with bottled water. Tea and coffee are offered by most accommodations free of charge with meals and at afternoon teatime.
Client Testimonials
"What a fabulous trip! The variety in activities and landscapes and places, the people, the food, and of course, the animals! Everyone was so friendly and the accommodations were beyond top notch. Seamless planning by your team. It was the first trip abroad I have ever taken where I just got to be in the moment and enjoy what I was doing instead of having a worry in the back my mlnd about how we were going to get to the next place, whether the hotel had confirmed, whether our guide would really meet us by the coliseum as planned, etc. Thank you!"
Deborah W.
Seattle, WA
"The trip was fantastic! Vincent, our guide, was a true professional, concerned about our every need, as well as efficient and well-informed. We really enjoyed his approach to travel—enjoy and learn at the same time. His knowledge of the people of Namibia and the region as well as the animals we encountered made the trip most enjoyable. We could not have asked for a better travel companion!"
Kathy M.
Bayonne, NJ
"Namibia was all that we had hoped for. Otherworldly terrain and desert-adapted species. Each of the camps had their own speciality: architectural design, stargazing bed, cuisine, plunge pool, location, air conditioned tent, watering hole near near camp for excellent viewing, staff, and guides."
Kris T.
Brooklyn, NY
"If there were a trip rating above excellent, I would choose it. I think this was the best Wilderness trip we have ever taken, and that is a very high bar. It was the combination of an excellent guide, well crafted, well paced itinerary, diverse landscapes, animals and activities, luxurious accommodations, and fine dining. Loved every minute of it."
Nancy D.
Santa Fe, NM
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Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult.