The Namibia Family Tour

Upon arrival, your guide will greet you at Windhoek airport no later than 1 pm. After a short safari briefing, you 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 an active, working farm with plenty to explore. In the evening, savour a hearty farm-style meal.

After breakfast, you can choose from one of Namibgren’s many hiking trails. Your guide will accompany you on foot and share many interesting facts about the fauna and flora in this region. Along the trail, granite boulders dot the landscape, with beautiful views in the background. After the hike, you have the rest of the afternoon to spend at your leisure, and you can lounge by the pool if you like. You spend a second night at 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 lookout point provides a stunning panorama view of the landscape below. Then, you descend into the plains and continue towards Namib-Naukluft National Park. Your destination today is Desert Camp, located just outside the park’s gates. Once settled in, you can refresh yourself in the camp’s swimming pool. Take the time to relax and soak in your surroundings. In the evening, your guide prepares a delicious dinner while you gather around the open campfire beneath the stunning starry sky. Tomorrow promises to be an exciting day, so try to get an early night’s rest.

Today will be full of fun, exploration, and making memories that will last a lifetime. You’ll start your day early, aiming to enter the national park at sunrise. 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 the world’s oldest desert around you. The descent is lots of fun, especially for children. When you return to your vehicle, you will notice that your guide has been busy preparing a hearty outdoor breakfast for you to enjoy. But the adventure does not end there. Reenergised by your breakfast, you head towards Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. After navigating 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 lunch and a well-deserved rest. You’ll return to the park in the afternoon to visit Sesriem Canyon. There, you’ll take a short hike and descend into the gorge, where you can stroll along the dry riverbed. This wonderful day ends with another delicious dinner and an overnight stay at Desert Camp.

Another delicious breakfast awaits before continuing your journey through the Namib-Naukluft. As you continue, you pass through the Gaub and Kuiseb Canyons. Here, you will stop to learn about the story of two geologists, Henno Martin and Hermann Korn. Afterwards, you keep heading west until you spot a shimmering blue band on the horizon, indicating you are about to reach the Atlantic Ocean. You’ll stop at Walvis Bay Lagoon to see flamingos congregating at the water’s edge before enjoying a short yet scenic drive to the coastal town of Swakopmund. This little seaside town, affectionately called “Swakop” by the locals, is flanked by the ocean and the desert. Your guide will acquaint you with the town and introduce you to some of the best restaurants for an (optional) dinner before you spend the night at the Ocean House.

Today, you will experience a unique 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 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 to yourself, so you can stroll along the beachfront and enjoy a delicious slice of cake at one of the charming bakeries. As another exciting day ends, you spend a second 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 the 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. 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. After that, it isn’t long until you reach your camp for the night, the beautifully situated Twyfelfontein Country Lodge. Time permitting, you can visit the Damara Living Museum (optional), located just a few minutes from your lodge, for a fascinating insight into the Damara culture.

Another exciting day awaits. During the cool morning, you head to Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here, your guide will take you to a location away from the main tourist route, where you can admire rock engravings created by Namibia’s early hunter-gatherers. Your guide will explain how these engravings, some of which were created an estimated 24,000 years ago, were made. Afterwards, prepare for a memorable off-road adventure along a dry riverbed in search of Damaraland’s desert-adapted elephants. These elephants roam freely and are adapted to survive the region’s harsh climate. With luck, you may encounter them along the way. Thanks to your customised 4×4 safari vehicle, driven safely by your guide, you will be transported to places that would otherwise be unreachable. You might also encounter giraffes, oryx antelopes, mountain zebras, ostriches, and more. Around midday, you will enjoy a picnic lunch in the shade of a tree. Later in the afternoon, you return to the Twyfelfontein Country Lodge to relax and have a refreshing swim before enjoying a delicious dinner.

Start your day with a hearty breakfast before you make your way to the Ugab Terraces Valley. On an easy hike, kids can get active once more 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. With a bit of luck, you’ll see small antelopes and even zebras, kudus, and giraffes during the hike. At the foot of the Vingerklip, you can enjoy a beautiful 360-degree panoramic view overlooking the beautiful Ugab Valley. You then continue via Outjo towards Etosha National Park to check in at Etosha Safari Camp outside the national park gates, which will be your home for the next two nights. After a relaxing break, you embark on your first game drive in the afternoon.

Today, you will enjoy a full-day safari in one of Africa’s most famous national parks. As most wildlife activity occurs at the break of the day, you’ll wake early to enjoy an unforgettable morning game drive. You can encounter elephants, lions, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, and numerous antelopes in their natural environment. During the game drive, you can open the vehicle’s roof hatch for an unobstructed view. Along the way, your guide will share fascinating information about the animals, birds and plants you see. You can stop for an (optional) lunch at Halali Resort, where you are welcome to enjoy a quick swim before continuing with your afternoon game drive. The Etosha Pan is another highlight of the day. Here, you can stare as far into the horizon as your eyes can see and absorb the complete silence surrounding you. As the shadows grow longer, you return to Etosha Safari Camp after an incredible day of wildlife sightings.

After a leisurely morning, you will resume your journey south. You can stop for (optional) lunch at the Crocodile Ranch in Otjiwarongo. The ranch features a spacious play area for children, and for the adventurous, there’s the opportunity to try a crocodile kebab. From here, it is only a short distance to your accommodation at the Otjiwa Lodge. Settle in and relax at the lodge, or take a refreshing dip in the swimming pool. Later in the afternoon, as a perfect finale to your Namibia trip, you’ll embark on a sundowner drive, complete with a sunset picnic. If you’re still craving more adventure after dinner, you can join an optional night safari to try your luck at spotting elusive nocturnal animals in the darkness.

Feel free to spend your morning as you wish. You can sleep in and savour a relaxed breakfast or participate in one of the lodge’s optional activities. Whether you’re interested in horseback riding, rhino tracking, or a guided bush walk, there’s something for everyone.

By late morning, it’s time to say goodbye to the bush and head back to Windhoek. In the small town of Okahandja, you can pick up handmade souvenirs at the local woodcarving market. Alternatively, you might stop at the Craft Center in Windhoek to buy some final souvenirs. Your tour will conclude between 2 pm and 3 pm at a guesthouse or the international airport in Windhoek. Set off on your journey home with many wonderful memories of Namibia and stories to share.