Desert scenery

The desert scenery in Namibia is fabulous, iconic and extremely diverse, including vast mountains, endless oceans of sand and the devastatingly bleak Skeleton Coast.

           Desert wildlife

The west is traversed by ephemeral rivers, which flow only occasionally, but whose sub-surface waters feed enough vegetation to sustain intense pockets of wildlife.

            Rescue centres

In the central farmlands, there are some very well-known animal rescue centres, with a particular focus on rare African cheetahs.

          Self-drive

Namibia is the best country in Africa for adventurous self-drive trips, which are amongst the best value safari options on the continent.

          Local cultures

In more remote areas, there is a selection of very high quality lodges, that are connected by light aircraft flights. These trips are three times the price of self-drive.

          Low key feel

In the remote northwest, it is possible to undertake genuine expeditions into the forbidden areas of the Skeleton Coast. The coolest trips in Africa.

            5-9 nights

Visits of only 5-9 nights tend to be too short for self-drive trips. It is very possible to combine two or even three remote locations by light aircraft, to make fabulous trips, but these are fundamentally more expensive.

           9-14 nights

A few high-end flying safaris may stretch to this length, combining four or even five diverse locations. This is the most popular duration for self-drive trips, allowing plenty of time to get around the main locations.

             15-24 nights

Longer trips within Uganda make it possible to extend that Bwindi, QE, Kibale combination to either continue by road north to Murchison Falls, or fly much further north to the remote Kidepo Valley, with both areas offering further savanna safari.

The cost of safari in Namibia

The cost of safari in Namibia depends very much on your mode of travel.

Self-drive trips tend to fall in the range USD 150 to 500 per person per night, depending mainly on the lodges that you choose.

Flying safaris are fundamentally and unavoidably more expensive, at USD 600 to 2500 per person per night, depending on your group size and lodge selection.

Private-guided overland expeditions fall somewhere in the middle, at USD 400 to 2000 per person per night, depending mainly on your group size.

We are more than happy to work across this range of prices. The only important thing is that we help you find the very best safari to suit your budget.

If you have a higher budget, we will help you determine which lodges do actually deliver elevated levels of service and experience. We will also highlight other subtle ways in which your trip can be raised to another level, including the use of whole camp bookings, private guides and vehicles etc.

If you have a lower budget, then we can help you build superb self-drive safaris, still including great lodges and getting off the beaten track.

Cape

Cape Town, the Whale Coast and the Cape Winelands are glorious areas, whose verdant landscapes provide the perfect contrast to the arid deserts  of Nambia.

Victoria Falls

If you are planning a long self-drive, then heading up the Caprivi Strip to end at the Victoria Falls can be fun. Flying connections are more complicated.

Okavango Delta

People often want to combine the deserts of Namibia with the lush wetlands of Okavango. In truth, the two regions are presently difficult to connect.

The best lodges in Namibia

Namibia has only around 120 safari lodges, the majority of which are located on the inner self-drive loop of Windhoek, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Damaraland, Etosha, Windhoek.

If you are looking for high-end lodges, which are in the very best locations and offer the highest levels of guiding, hospitality and consistency, suitable for demanding guests, then there are options in most of the main areas.

The other option is to go for relatively good value camps, many of which are also in excellent locations, but which typically offer lower levels of luxury and have the potential to be slightly less consistent in their delivery, suitable for more easy-going guests.

You can always expect absolute honesty from us when describing the various lodges and camps. Our primary motivation is simply to figure out which ones will suit you the best.

Luxury trips

Our luxury trips to Namibia are mainly flying safari, combining lodges which are in prime locations, where high levels of comfort and service are guaranteed. This does not necessarily mean infinity pools and spa facilities, but it does always mean that you will be hosted and guided by the very best people in the country. That is how to truly guarantee the quality of a safari. 

Adventure trips

In our adventure trips to Namibia are mainly self-drive. We use a much wider range of lodges, still in fabulous locations and offering authentic safari experiences, but often at considerably lower cost. More strenuous activities, like walking safari, are likely to feature more prominently. These cool, sometimes edgy lodges tend to be best suited to guests who are a little more outdoorsy and forgiving.

When to go on safari in Namibia

The safari areas of Namibia are mostly less seasonal than those in other parts of Africa, since the coastal climate is more-or-less stable year-round. However, there are still seasonal changes that need to taken into account if we are to properly plan a great safari.

When thinking about seasonality it is important to consider the four aspects of weather, wildlife movements, visitor traffic and prices.

Apr-May : Early dry season

The Apr-May period marks a transition from the preceding summer green season and the subsequent winter dry season, with safari conditions generally improving as the weeks pass.

The weather throughout this period should be warm and sunny.

The concerns are more about the residual effects on the landscapes of rain during the previous period. On balance we'd say that May should almost certainly be quite strong, but April is more of a risk.

Temperatures in Etosha during the day average around 28C/82F at this time of year, dropping at night to around 14C/57F and possibly sinking even lower into May as the dry winter conditions start to take hold, especially in the western deserts.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively light at this time, although can peak over Easter, when traffic avoidance techniques (like staying on private reserves amd visiting more remote areas) should be deployed.

Jun-Oct : Winter dry season

The Jun-Oct period covers the main winter dry season, the most popular time for visiting Namibia.

As the seasonal waterholes out in the surrounding hinterlands dry out, the animals become obliged to migrate in towards the permanent waterholes of the Etosha area, clustering together in the densities for which the reserve is renowned. This effect is also true of other wildlife areas like Damaraland North and Twyfelfontein.

Temperatures in Etosha during the early part of this season, Jun-Aug, can be relatively cool, the day time average being around 25C/77F, dropping at night to around 8C/46F. The later part of the season, Sep-Oct should be warmer, at 32C/90F daytime and 16C/61F at night. It can get a great deal cooler at night out in the western deserts.

Visitor traffic is often very heavy through this period, with a first peak in June due to the South African school holidays, followed by the main peak for international visitors Jul-Sep. Traffic avoidance techniques (like staying on private reserves and visiting more remote areas) should definitely be deployed.

Nov-Dec : Late dry season

The Nov-Dec period marks a transition from the preceding winter dry season and the subsequent summer green season, with safari conditions more likely to deteriorate as the weeks pass.

The weather throughout this period should be warm and sunny, but with increasing chances of rain.

The concerns are not so much about the weather, but more about the dispersal effects of the arrival of the rains on the animal populations. In our experience conditions usually remain pretty good until the middle of December, but by Christmas there is a good chance things will be changing.

Temperatures in Etosha during the day average around 33C/91F at this time of year, dropping at night only to around 18C/64F. Choosing lodges with air-conditioning might be a good idea at this time. Areas further west tend not to become so hot and humid.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively light at this time, all the way up to the middle of December, when the main holiday season kicks in, when traffic avoidance techniques (like staying on private reserves and visiting more remote areas) should be deployed.

Jan-Mar : Summer green season

The Jan-Mar period is the time of year when Namibia usually experiences the bulk of its rainfall and is likely to deliver the weakest wildlife viewing.

The concern is not usually so much the rain itself (the prevailing conditions should remain warm and sunny), but the dispersal effects of the rains on the animal populations. It is possible to spend a whole day inside Etosha and not see a single elephant.

Temperatures in Etosha during the day average around 30C/86F at this time of year, dropping at night only to around 18C/64F. If there are only light rain showers the humidities can rise fast, making for uncomfortable conditions.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively light at this time, although may increase a little over the Easter period.

Expert

Our safari experts are uncommonly knowledgeable and experienced

765,000

The number of superb safaris we have  so far created

Seamless

Arranging your trip should be almost as much fun as actually going on safari  

Value

Your trip should cost you no more than if you booked all the components directly

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Your trip will be perfectly tuned to meet your requirements

What our guests say

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1999

The year that we started to build great safaris

Sossusvlei

Set in the southwest of Namibia, Sossusvlei is home to the enormous and iconic orange dunes of the Namib Desert, a truly remarkable combination of desert landscapes. Guest accommodation is in around twenty lodges of various levels, offering a good range of activities including quad-biking, ballooning and scenic flights.

The most significant downside for Sossusvlei is the high visitor numbers during the main seasons, which are unfortunately focused on the key dunes at sunrise.

Etosha

Etosha National Park is the best known and richest wildlife area in Namibia, renowned for intense animal scenes around its many waterholes. Unfortunately the national park itself is primarily set up for self-drive and core areas get seriously and unpleasantly busy. A network of private reserves around the periphery do their best to inject some quality into the experience.

The most significant downside for Etosha is the high volume of self-drive traffic inside the national park throughout the main seasons. This is largely unavoidable, meaning that it is very difficult to ensure a quality safari experience.

Damaraland North

Set in the northwest of Namibia, Damaraland North is a fabulous area of awesome desert scenery, unusually strong wildlife and superb remote lodges. If you could only visit one part of the country, this would have to be the one. We happily spend weeks up here in our spare time.

The most significant downside for Damaraland North is that the best parts are difficult and expensive to access.

           Low wildlife

The low carrying capacity of these desert landscapes means that the wildlife is naturally sparse. It’s fabulous, but perhaps not suitable for a first time safari.

           Busy core

Locations on the core self-drive circuit (especially Sossusvlei and Etosha) can get very busy and either need to be visited with care or avoided altogether.

           Lack of availability

There is a huge shortage of good lodges, especially in more remote locations. Booking a year ahead is always a good idea if you want a top trip.

Skeleton Coast North

Set in the extreme northwest of Namibia, Skeleton Coast North is one of the most incredible and remote wilderness areas in Africa, with highlights including vast seal colonies, desert lions, elephants and giraffes, abandoned diamond mines, remote desert oases and treacherous quicksand. The best way to explore is by means of a serious overland expedition.

The most significant downsides for Skeleton Coast North are that the area is difficult and expensive to access.