With its low population density and therefore minimal impact on the country’s precious environments, Namibia remains one of Africa’s most exquisite and unknown regions for a successful safari tour. With deserts of rolling russet sand dunes, scrub plains and characterful baobab trees, there is a surprising abundance of wildlife to be found, like zebra, elephants and springbok antelopes.
Windhoek makes for a great starting point for a safari tour in Namibia due to its central location and status as the country’s main transport hub. Therefore, here is the low-down on the 5 best tours available from the Namibian capital city to the wild, desolate and stunning spaces of the country.
6-Day Taste of Namibia
FROM: $800/per person
Starting and ending in Windhoek, this small group tour manages to pack in an excellent range of activities and sights. Go on a game drive safari tour to see giraffe and elephants at watering holes across the Etosha Pan; Visit a wood-carving market in Okahandja village; Journey over high mountains and through winding passes with beautiful vistas to grass savannahs, watching the colours change with the setting sun. The final leg takes tour members to the rolling sand dunes beyond Sesriem for sunrise in and around Sossusvlei.
3-Day Sossusvlei Express
From $515/ per person
Head straight for the extraordinary desert expanses to the south of Windhoek on this excellent short tour. See the cracked clay earth and eerie, emaciated camel thorn trees at the base of huge dunes that have appeared in numerous films. Watch as the colour of the earth changes depending on the position of the sun. Then head to one of the dunes in the tour’s transport and attempt to climb to the top on foot, before sliding back down the side to the bottom. Finally, this tour is rounded off with a visit to Solitaire village, for a chance to spot the resident cheetah.
10-Day Wilderness Safari of Namibia
From $1,872/ per person
As the name suggests, the wild awaits, and the moment you are free from Namibian capital city, Windhoek, that is all you are likely to see for the next 10 days of this tour. Overnights are spent in varied accommodation, including desert lodges and campsites, some of which are frequented by springbok and oryx antelope. Other wildlife you may see on the safari tour includes desert elephants, hyena and leopard, among others. There are plenty of activities too, including quad biking, which is included in the price of the tour, along with most meals, transport and accommodation.
10-Day Namibian Explorer
From $1,442/ per person
This excellent safari tour is dedicated more to exploring Namibia’s finest resource: nature. Be it the stunning mud-flats, shaded by towering sand dunes or flamingo dotted lagoons, there is so much more to the wilds of Africa than the big five. But it isn’t all desert and grass savannah on this tour either, a day spent in Swakopmund, a pleasant seaside town, is given over to the tour members, so that they can rest after a few days of relentless sightseeing, or discover alternative natural wonders beneath the waves. Besides the big game, like black rhino, lions, various species of antelope and elephants, there are bird watching trips too.
7-Day Namibian Highlights
From $1,205/ per person
For anybody pressed for time who wants to see as much as possible of the Namibian wilds beyond the most popular sights, then this 7-day safari tour provides a good balance. See wildlife from big game to the smaller creatures that are equally fascinating to observe, like ground pangolins and aardvark. This tour takes in the revered Sossusvlei region, as well as Etosha National Park and Swakopmund by the South Atlantic Ocean. All accommodation, meals, transportation and guides are provided in the safari tour fee.