The Namibia Family Tour

Upon arrival you will be greeted by your guide at the airport in Windhoek by no later than 9AM. After a short safari briefing, you and the other members of your group leave Windhoek and journey through the Namibian farmlands. The road takes you across many hills until you reach your lodge for the night, the Namibgrens Guest Farm. The guest farm is still an active, working farm and there is plenty to explore. In the evening, savour a hearty farm-style meal.

Together with your guide you can choose from one of Namibgrens’ many hiking trails before setting out on foot. Your guide accompanies you and can tell you many interesting things about the fauna and flora found in this region. Granite boulders are strewn over the landscape, and you will be greeted by wonderful views along the way. After the hike you have the rest of the afternoon to spend at your leisure and you are free to lounge by the pool if you like. You spend a second night at the Namibgrens Guest Farm and can enjoy another delicious dinner in the evening.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast, before continuing your journey. You drive to the top of the Spreetshoogte Pass, where a look-out spot provides you with a stunning panorama view of the landscape below. From here, you descend into the plateau and arrive in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. Your destination today is the Sesriem Campsite and you will be camping the next two nights in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. Assist your guide in setting up camp and have the rest of the afternoon to relax and enjoy your surroundings. The camp’s swimming pool can be very inviting, so why not go take a refreshing dip once settled in. In the evening, your guide will prepare a delicious meal as you all sit around the open campfire and take delight in the beautiful starlit night sky above you. You have a very exciting day lined up for tomorrow, so be sure to go to bed early tonight.

Today will be full of fun, exploration and making memories to last a lifetime. So you begin very early, before even the sun is up. Because you camped within the national park, you have a head start on everyone who did not. Together with your guide, you make your way towards the epic Dune 45. You walk up the dune’s ridge, right to the top from which you can marvel at a stunning sunrise, illuminating the world’s oldest desert around you. Even the dune descent is lots of fun, especially for the kids. You will notice that your guide has been busy too, preparing a hearty outdoor breakfast for you in the meantime. But the adventure does not end there. Feeling strengthened by your breakfast, you make your way towards the Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. After having navigated a short off-road section, you make the rest of the way to the Deadvlei on foot. This dry clay pan with its dead Camelthorn trees and towering dunes surrounding it, creates a surreal landscape. Returning to your camp around midday, you can enjoy a lunch and some well-deserved rest. In the afternoon, you visit the Sesriem Canyon and descend into the gorge for a short walk along the canyon’s dry riverbed. Conclude this wonderful day with another delicious dinner enjoyed around the campfire.

Another scrumptious outdoor breakfast awaits you before breaking down your camp and continuing your journey through the Namib-Naukluft. As you continue, you pass through the Gaub and Kuiseb Canyons. Here, you will stop and learn about the story of two geologists, Henno Martin and Hermann Korn. From here you continue westward until you see a shimmering blue on the horizon. You will soon have reached the Atlantic Ocean. Make a stop at the Walvis Bay Lagoon, where you can see flamingos congregating at the water’s edge. Now Swakopmund is only a short and scenic drive away. Flanked by the ocean and the desert, you arrive at the little seaside town the locals affectionately call “Swakop”. Your guide will acquaint you with the town and introduce you to some of the best dinner options (optional), before you spend the night at the Ocean House.

Today, you will experience a special excursion. On a guided “Living Dunes” tour, you will explore the coastal dunes just outside Swakopmund with a local guide. The untrained eye might see nothing more than piles of sand, but your experienced guide will show you that the dunes are actually full of life. Look out for sand geckos, shovel-snouted lizards, the famous head-stander beetle, snakes, spiders, scorpions, and chameleons. The 3-hour tour ends with a short drive through the dunes before you return to Swakopmund. You have the afternoon for yourself. Take a stroll along the beach front and enjoy a delicious slice of cake at one of the delightful bakeries. Once an exciting day draws to close, you spend another night at the Ocean House.

After breakfast, you drive along Namibia’s rugged coastline towards Cape Cross. Here you are greeted by the sight of over two hundred thousand Cape fur seals, one of their largest colonies in the world. Cape Cross is also where the first Europeans set foot upon Namibia with a replica of the padrão (stone pillar) erected in 1486 marking the location and event. From here your journey continues inland, over backroads and past the Brandberg Mountain. Along the way, you visit a Herero women’s craft market where handmade souvenirs can be bought and you can admire the traditional, Victorian-style dresses of the Herero women. Thereafter it isn’t long until you reach your camp for the night, the beautifully situated Twyfelfontein Country Lodge. Time-permitting, you may decide to visit the Damara Living Museum (optional), located just a couple of minutes from your lodge for a fascinating insight into the Damara culture.

Another exciting day awaits you and during the cool morning hours, you make your way to the nearby Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Your guide will take you to a location where the engravings can be admired, away from the main tourist route, and explain how they were made. Here you can witness rock engravings created by Namibia’s early hunter-gatherers, some of which were created an estimated 24,000 years ago. Then it is time to buckle up because you are going on a special off-road safari adventure. You drive along a bumpy, dry riverbed in search of the desert adapted elephants of the Damaraland. These elephants still roam freely and are specifically adapted to survive the region’s harsh climate. With a little luck, you may encounter them along the way. Your customised 4×4 safari vehicle covers this rugged terrain and will safely transport you to places which would otherwise be unreachable. Other wildlife you might well encounter today includes giraffe, oryx antelope, mountain zebra and ostrich to name but a few. Lunch is enjoyed in the form of a picnic in the shade of one of the nearby trees and in the afternoon, you return to the Twyfelfontein Country Lodge. Have a refreshing swim in the pool and relax before a delicious dinner is served in the evening.

Have a hearty breakfast to start the day before you make your way to the valley of the Ugab Terraces. On an easy hike, the kids can get active one more time before spending much of the coming day and a half in the safari vehicle. Your destination is the Vingerklip, a rock that looks like a finger pointing at the sky. On this hike, chances are quite good you come across small antelopes and even zebras, kudus, and giraffes. At the foot of the Vingerklip, you can enjoy a beautiful 360-degree panoramic view overlooking the beautiful Ugab Valley. You now continue via Outjo towards Etosha National Park to check in at Etosha Village right outside the national park gates – your home for the next two nights. After a welcome break for the whole family, you embark on your first game drive in the afternoon.

You can look forward to having the whole day to go on safari in one of the most famous national parks in Africa. If you are an early riser then you are in luck because it is during the early morning hours that the animals are most active. You can encounter elephant, lion, cheetah, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest and a whole variety of antelope all in their natural environment. Your guide can tell you something interesting and memorable about all the animals you might see. During the game drive, you can open the roof of your safari vehicle, thereby giving everyone an unimpeded view of the landscapes and the wildlife around you. A lunch stop can be arranged at Halali Rest Camp (optional), where you are welcome to have a quick swim before continuing with your afternoon game drive. The Etosha Pan is another highlight not to be missed. Here you can stare as far into the horizon as your eyes can see and absorb the complete silence surrounding you. As the shadows begin to grow longer and after plenty of wildlife sightings, you return to Etosha Village.

After a relaxed start to the day, you continue your journey South. A lunch stop can be made along the way at the Crocodile Ranch in Otjiwarongo (optional). The ranch has a large play area for the kids and the bold amongst you may even want to try a crocodile kebab. From here it is only a short distance to your accommodation, the Otjiwa Lodge. The lodge offers an afternoon game drive (optional) on which you have the chance to encounter rhinos. Additionally, you can experience the unique adventure of a night drive, where you stand the chance to encounter some of the shyer and more seldomly seen nocturnal animals (optional). A delicious dinner awaits you.

You have the whole day to enjoy the activities offered by the Otjiwa Lodge. In the morning, you can go on another game drive or if you would rather stretch your legs a little then you can go on a guided game walk whereby the area can safely be explored on foot (both optional). At midday, you return to the lodge to relax before going on a sundowner game drive in the afternoon. Watch the sun set as you enjoy a picnic – an classic ending to your Namibia journey. You spend another night at the Otjiwa Lodge.

After breakfast, you get the chance to soak in the wide-open spaces of Namibia once more. In the small town of Okahandja, some hand-made souvenirs can be purchased from the local woodcarver’s market. Alternatively, you can also make a stop at the Craft Centre in Windhoek for some last curios. Between approximately 14:00 and 15:00, your tour will then come to an end at either a guesthouse or at the Windhoek International Airport. Your return travels can then begin with many new fond memories of Namibia and plenty of new stories to tell.