Footprints in Namibia

Arrival at Windhoek International Airport no later than 9am. With a warm smile, your guide greets you at the airport and after a short tour briefing, your Namibia hiking tour can begin. You leave Windhoek and make your way north, passing through the small town of Okahandja along the way. Your destination for today is the charming Waterberg Guest Farm. After some time to relax, you go on your first hike together with your guide. You hike along one of the guest farm’s nature trails, to the top of the Small Waterberg Mountain. Here you will be greeted with a stunning view of the Waterberg Plateau. In the evening, a delicious meal awaits you.

After breakfast, your guide leads you on a casual hike through the Omumborombonga Forest nearby. The Omumborombonga tree is called leadwood in English due to the fact that it is the heaviest wood in the world and according to local Herero folklore, the very first humans stepped out of the first Omumborombonga tree. After hiking through this enchanting forest, you have the chance to freshen up before your journey continues towards the Etosha National Park – the safari highlight of your Namibia hiking tour. The Etosha is Namibia’s most famous national park and for good reason. In the afternoon, you head out on a game drive and have the opportunity to spot some of its many wild inhabitants. After your game drive, you arrive at the Etosha Safari Camp, just outside the Etosha National Park, where you will spend the next two nights.

The Etosha National Park is known to deliver fantastic sunrises, so if you are an early riser then chances are you will be well rewarded. It is also during the cool morning hours that the animals are most lively, so you will want to start your game drive as early as possible. You have the chance to admire elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras and many types of antelope species on today’s full day game drive. You may even see a black rhino and if you are particularly fortunate, a leopard lurking in the bushes. You never know what a safari might bring, but your trained safari guide will help you find animals you may otherwise have missed. With many new safari impressions in tow, you make your way back to the Etosha Safari Camp for another night.

Have a gentle start to the day for a change! As you are on holidays, you should use this opportunity to have a lie-in and enjoy a sumptuous breakfast in a relaxed atmosphere. You then make your way to the Vingerklip Lodge, your accommodation for the following two nights. After a light lunch (optional), you are welcome to spend some time lounging by the pool before you go on a beautiful afternoon hike. Together with your guide, you hike around the Eagles Nest Plateau towards the Vingerklip, a rock formation which resembles a finger pointing towards the sky. You might encounter smaller antelope species, as well as zebra, kudu and giraffe, on your hike here. The short ascent to the Vingerklip will be rewarded with a fantastic 360-degree view of the stunning Ugab Valley below. Eventually, you make your way back to the lodge via a shortcut, where you will spend the remainder of the afternoon at your leisure. In the evening, a delicious dinner awaits you before you get cosy in your chalet and welcome another restful night.

Embark on another great hike today. Starting at your lodge, you hike to and then around the southern terrace. Along the way you will stop at several viewpoints offering you fantastic views of the Ugab Valley. Your experienced guide can share his wealth of local knowledge with you and tell you more about the area’s flora and fauna as well as the unique geological features found in this region. The hike ends atop the Eagles Nest Plateau with a delightful lunch with a view. Afterwards, you can put your feet up and enjoy your wonderful vantage point or you can descend back down to the lodge and jump into the pool to cool down. Once the shadows start to grow longer, you should visit the lookout deck, overlooking the local waterhole. Here you can best admire the enchanting sunset with a cool and refreshing beverage in hand. You spend another night at the Vingerklip Lodge.

Savour a hearty breakfast before heading into the Damaraland. Along your journey, you can stop at the Herero Women’s Craft Market and purchase some handmade souvenirs. Soon thereafter, your guide takes you off-road and you continue your journey through the dry riverbed of the Ugab. This is definitely a 4×4 track, so you will want to hang on. But if you are lucky, you might find some of the rare desert-adapted elephants along this route. These desert elephants have learnt to survive in the harshest of climates and still roam this area freely. Once back on the road, you continue to your camp for the night, the Omandumba Bush Camp. In the afternoon, you can take part in another hike, to stretch your legs and explore your surroundings all while, building up a healthy appetite for a delicious, farm-style meal in the evening.

Another exciting day awaits you. After breakfast and a short drive, you begin a hike which will leads you through the imposing granite rock formations of the Erongo Mountains. It is a beautiful landscape, once inhabited by the ancient San/Bushmen. Your guide will show you some of the hidden and well-preserved rock art left by these hunter/gatherers of ages ago. At the end of the hike, you are greeted with a warm, farm-style lunch served in a wonderful outdoor setting. You then make your way back to your camp, but first you visit the Living Museum of the Ju/’Hoansi-San/Bushmen. Here you can go on either a bushwalk with a San/Bushman guide or alternatively, learn about life in a San/Bushman village. Once back at the Omandumba Bush Camp, you may spend some time relaxing, before joining the sundowner drive in the afternoon and enjoying a refreshing beverage whilst marvelling at another beautiful Namibian sunset.

Have a relaxed start to the day before continuing your journey. Soon you will notice the Spitzkoppe Mountains on the horizon, towering over the surrounding landscape. After a brief photo stop at the Spitzkoppe Bridge, you continue along the Namibian backroads until you can feel a cool sea breeze and the fresh air of the Atlantic Ocean. Many a ship has run aground on this coastline and along the way you stop at one of these shipwrecks, which can be seen from the shoreline. Your destination today is the charming seaside town Swakopmund. Your guide will show you some of the town’s main attractions before you arrive at your accommodation, the Swakopmund Guesthouse. You have the rest of the afternoon to spend at your leisure. Swakopmund offers a variety of dinner options and your guide knows all the best restaurants (optional).

Prepare yourself for a unique hike today by having an early breakfast before heading into the Moon Landscape. This almost other-worldly place offers some of the most beautiful hiking opportunities. Observed from a distance, the region looks desolate and uninhabited. But on your hike, your guide can show you various plants and maybe some creatures, which have developed ingenious ways of surviving this harsh climate. Of the plants, none is more famous than the Welwitschia mirabilis. This fascinating plant dots the landscape and can grow well over one thousand years old. As the midday sun starts to make its presence felt, you head to the Goanikontes Oasis to end your hike and reward yourself with an ice cream or a lunch (both optional). Once back in Swakopmund, you have the rest of the afternoon to spend as you please. You overnight at the Swakopmund Guesthouse once more, just a few minutes’ walk from the coast.

Time to leave the coast and journey back into the inland. You make your way through the Kuiseb and Gaub passes, crossing dried riverbeds along the way. After heavy rains, the rivers sometimes flow with water for a short while and this makes for a special sight. You stop at the small settlement of Solitaire, where a light lunch can be had and you can try the most famous apple pie in Namibia (both optional). Once back on the road, you head further into the Namib-Naukluft region and arrive at your accommodation for the night, the Elegant Desert Camp. You are welcome to spend the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool or explore the area on foot. Dinner will be a delicious meal under the stars.

You will want to rise early this morning, before even the sun is up. That is because, you are only a short drive from the gates of the Namib-Naukluft Park. Your guide will then take you to a deserted dune, away from the main crowds from which you can marvel at the spectacular morning light across the oldest desert in the world. Following a breakfast picnic, you venture deeper into the desert until the tarred road comes to an end. The short 4×4 section that follows however, is no match for your vehicle or your guide. After visiting Sossusvlei, you get out of the car and together with your guide you begin your hike. You make your way over desert dunes and through another hidden “vlei” towards the memorable Deadvlei. The white clay pan, with its dried camelthorn trees and with the blue sky above makes for a surreal setting. You also visit the Sesriem Canyon, where you can take a walk along the dried riverbed of the canyon’s gorge. With plenty of new impressions to savour, you exit the park around midday and continue onwards to Büllsport Guest Farm. In the evening, a hearty meal awaits you and a good night’s rest.

By now, rising early will almost be second nature to you. After breakfast, you climb aboard an open 4×4 vehicle and start driving up the nearby mountain plateau. The drive can take up to two hours and offers beautiful scenery along the way.  You might even see some mountain zebra, kudu or oryx on your drive. Once you have reached the mountain top, you begin your hike and descend into the Quiver Tree Gorge. This beautiful hike provides you with stunning landscapes and scenery. Keep an eye out for any animal tracks you might find along the way and your guide will interpret them for you. You will also come upon crystal clear water pools and you might be in the mood to have a quick swim. Lunch will be in the form of a picnic under the shade of a tree in the gorge. At the end of the hike, you will be greeted with a cold, refreshing drink and you will be brought back to your accommodation in another off-road vehicle. The rest of the afternoon can be enjoyed relaxing by the pool.

After a relaxed breakfast you travel onward. Your guide has an insider tip for a good cup of coffee or lunch along the way should you be interested (both optional). You drive through the small town of Rehoboth before leaving the main road and driving further along Namibia’s backroads. These backroads lead you through picturesque landscapes and towards your accommodation, the Hohewarte Guest Farm, located on the outskirts of Windhoek. After check-in, you will have some time to relax before joining your guide on a hike through the beautiful surrounding farmlands. The hike ends at a sundowner lookout spot, and you can marvel at another stunning Namibian sunset. In the evening, a mouth-watering meal awaits you.

A tasty breakfast to start the day, before you embark on one last epic hike. Along with your guide, you traverse over the farmlands around the Hohewarte Guest Farm. You could very well encounter kudu, oryx, red hartebeest, steenbok, baboons and mountain zebra on this hike. After witnessing beautiful scenery and once your lungs are filled with fresh morning air, you return to the guest farm around midday. Here you have the opportunity to take a shower and freshen up. Should your return flight be in the early evening, there is a transfer from the guest farm scheduled to arrive at the Windhoek International Airport at 3pm. There will be an additional transfer later in the evening should you have booked a later, night-time flight. As your Namibia hiking tour comes to an end, we wish you safe travels and hope that it will soon be time to lace up your hiking boots again and to welcome you to Namibia once more.