Essential Namibia Self-Drive

Living Desert Tour

Namibia

Meet the unique creatures of the Namib Desert on this educational tour. The aim is to get people to see the dunes with a different eye and realise they’re not just a pile of sand, they’re home to incredible wildlife. Departing from Swakopmund, you’ll be taken in a 4x4 to the coastal dune belt just outside of town.

During the drive, your guide will be looking for tracks and signs in the dunes. Looking for scorpions, spiders and the group informally called the little five: the palmato gecko, sand-diving lizard, fog-basking tok-tokkie beetle, sidewinder snake and chameleon. These secretive animals are tough to spot without the help of an experienced local guide.

When something is spotted, you’ll get a closer look as your guide tells you all about the special adaptations each creature has to survive in this inhospitable environment. You never know what you’re going to encounter in the desert though. End the trip with some exciting big dune driving in custom-built safari vehicles, it’s like a rollercoaster ride.

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Fat Bike Tours

Swakopmund

Enjoy a Namib Desert cycling adventure on this unique fat bike tour. The trip starts in Swakopmund where you’ll be kitted out with a fat bike, which has thick tyres that can travel over sandy terrain. They’re eco-friendly and less invasive than cars or quad bikes.  Set off with your guide, passing Swakopmund’s German-colonial architecture, and follow a riverbed into the desert. Cycle leisurely through rolling dunes, soaking up the views and stopping to photograph the scenery. There are also some adventurous downhill sections to tackle if you’re craving a dose of adrenaline.

Cycle leisurely through rolling dunes, soaking up the views and stopping to photograph the scenery. You can see back down into Swakopmund and across the Atlantic, with the never-ending sands of the Namib Desert stretching in the other direction. You’ve got the contrast of the yellow, orange and even black dunes, all set against the blue sky. Namib means “vast place” in the local Nama language, which perfectly describes the view.

We use one of only a few tour companies with a permit to operate in this area of the National Park, so it often feels like you’re alone in the desert. As you cycle, you might spot a gecko or a snake or even a roaming desert elephant. Your guide will tell you stories about the desert and Swakopmund.

Guests love the excitement of being able to ride in this extreme environment. The bikes are suitable for all, but if you’re not a confident cyclist, there are also e-bikes with fat tyres that you can use instead. Guests enjoy getting out of the car and to get some exercise. Out in the desert, there’s no pollution, just pristine nature as far as the eye can see.

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Explore Damaraland: peaks, petroglyphs and desert elephants

Damaraland

Damaraland is unlike anywhere else in Namibia, home to table-topped peaks carved with ancient petroglyphs and dry river beds where desert elephants roam. Explore Damaraland’s highlights, starting with its collection of ancient rock art in Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As Africa’s most extensive rock art collection, you can see over 2,500 animal shapes and geometric designs carved over thousands of years by Namibia’s native bushmen.

As you drive through Damaraland, your guide will point out its signature landmarks; geological formations carved by wind and sand over centuries. There’s a set of impressive dolerite pillars nick-named the organ pipes, a petrified forest of trees frozen in sediment over 200 million years ago and the Matterhorn-shaped volcanic peak, Spitzkoppe. Namibia’s highest mountain, Brandberg, is gorgeous at sunrise and sunset, when it appears to glow, earning itself the title Fire Mountain.

You may see Namibia’s desert elephants, who live in dry riverbeds such as the Huab, Hoarusib and Uniab. These ephemeral rivers flood during rains and are lined with vegetation like ana trees, a vital food source for elephants. Classed as endangered, only an estimated 150 desert elephants are now left in the wild. If you’re lucky enough to spot the elephants your guide will point out the unique adaptations that allow them to survive in the desert, including larger feet to stop them from sinking into the sand.

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Explore Etosha, the jewel in Namibia’s safari crown

Etosha

If you’re craving a safari, there’s no better place in Namibia than Etosha National Park. The country’s oldest conservation area is home to 114 species of mammals and 350 bird species. What’s really special about Etosha though is its spring-fed waterholes, which draw animals from far and wide, especially during the dry season from June to November.

Etosha is good for a self-drive adventure, guided tour or the individual lodges also offer full and half-day safaris with their guides, who’ll know all the best waterholes and wildlife-watching destinations in the park. Perhaps take a break from behind the wheel or your guided tour vehicle and enjoy a ride in an open-sided 4×4, perfect for photographing animals and Etosha’s vast landscapes. Your guide will help you spot everything from giraffes and elephants to big cats and rhinos, as well as plains game like zebra, oryx and the rare black-faced impala.

There’s more to Etosha than just its diverse wildlife; the baobab-studded plains are covered with over 20 types of vegetation. Then there’s the Etosha salt pan, which is Africa’s largest and visible from space. In fact, the local Ovambo people refer to Etosha as the Great White Place after this geological marvel – traversing the pan is like travelling across the surface of the moon, with clouds of white dust flying up in your wake. While the dry season might be best for waterhole sightings, during the wet season the pans flood, creating mirrored lagoons that attract migratory birds, including flocks of flamingos – it’s quite a picture.

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Explore Etosha, the jewel in Namibia’s safari crown

Etosha

If you’re craving a safari, there’s no better place in Namibia than Etosha National Park. The country’s oldest conservation area is home to 114 species of mammals and 350 bird species. What’s really special about Etosha though is its spring-fed waterholes, which draw animals from far and wide, especially during the dry season from June to November.

Etosha is good for a self-drive adventure, guided tour or the individual lodges also offer full and half-day safaris with their guides, who’ll know all the best waterholes and wildlife-watching destinations in the park. Perhaps take a break from behind the wheel or your guided tour vehicle and enjoy a ride in an open-sided 4×4, perfect for photographing animals and Etosha’s vast landscapes. Your guide will help you spot everything from giraffes and elephants to big cats and rhinos, as well as plains game like zebra, oryx and the rare black-faced impala.

There’s more to Etosha than just its diverse wildlife; the baobab-studded plains are covered with over 20 types of vegetation. Then there’s the Etosha salt pan, which is Africa’s largest and visible from space. In fact, the local Ovambo people refer to Etosha as the Great White Place after this geological marvel – traversing the pan is like travelling across the surface of the moon, with clouds of white dust flying up in your wake. While the dry season might be best for waterhole sightings, during the wet season the pans flood, creating mirrored lagoons that attract migratory birds, including flocks of flamingos – it’s quite a picture.

Back to itinerary