This Best of Namibia Safari (Camping & Lodge Tour) visits the perfect combination of northern Namibia’s scenic, cultural and wildlife highlights, the dramatic Skeleton Coast, and the towering ochre dunes of the south.
Experience thrilling encounters with African wildlife at Okonjati Nature Reserve and Etosha National Park, hosting abundant big game animals. Then explore the remote Kunene Region and the traditional African culture of the Himba tribe. Next, discover part of Namibia’s Skeleton Coast and visit the seals at Cape Cross, before spending the night in Swakopmund, Namibia’s adventure capital. Here you can enjoy an array of optional activities from sandboarding to quad biking and more. Lastly we travel to Sossusvlei, in the Namib Desert, home to some of the world’s highest sand dunes.
This Budget Namibia Safari provides an affordable combination of camping and lodge accommodation on a visually engaging and diverse journey to the best of Namibia's highlights.
You will be collected from your accommodation in Windhoek city at 7:15 and driven to a backpackers lodge in Windhoek for a short pre-tour meeting. From here, we start our 6-day Namibia Camping Safari adventure heading north towards Okonjati Nature Reserve. Along the way, we will stop in the small town of Okahandja to visit the Mbangura Woodcarver’s Craft Market, hosting the largest collection of wood carvings in Namibia. Here, craftsmen from across Namibia showcase their beautiful creations, large and small. At the market, you can choose an authentic Namibian souvenir whilst supporting the local artists and communities.
We move on to our overnight camp at Mt. Etjo, located next to the private Okonjati Game Reserve. After setting up our camp and enjoying lunch, we’ll drive to the nearby lodge to explore the gardens and have a refreshing swim in the pool. The Mount Etjo Safari Lodge, built in an attractive Moroccan style, has beautiful views of the Etjo mountains, a real oasis with palm trees and sprawling green lawns. The main lodge area is set amid small lakes that are home to a small bloat of hippos, a rare sight as hippos are not natural inhabitants of this semi-desert part of Namibia. It provides the fun opportunity to see and photograph this iconic African species without having to travel to the northern reaches of Namibia.
Time for our first afternoon game drive of about three hours to explore the reserve in an open 4x4 safari vehicle – driven by our experienced local guide. The 36,000-hectare reserve is home to about 6,000 animals and offers beautiful scenery. The terrain of the reserve is dotted with massive red and grey termite mounds. The area is rich in indigenous vegetation, primarily Vachellia (formerly Acacia), thorn scrub, and mopane woodlands. Okonjati Nature Reserve is largely free of invasive vegetation, which the resident shrub-browsing species graze on.
We’ll see typical Namibian wildlife - kudu, gemsbok, springbok, and the stately impala. Rare species like black rhino, sable, roan, lechwe, and nyala can also be seen. Open landscapes with grassland savanna, crisscrossed with many dry streams and riverbeds, allow for the perfect game viewing experience and make photographing wildlife a pleasure. We might encounter elephants and rhinos, as well as giraffes, wildebeests, warthogs, steenbok, and the charming damara dik-dik (a tiny antelope). Animals and birds are plentiful and easy to spot in the bush and at the seasonal waterholes.
Pristine bush and wildlife under the iconic African big skies, it doesn’t get much better than this. Late afternoon, we’ll stop to enjoy a magical Namibian sunset with drinks and snacks, before returning to our campsite to relax and enjoy a mouthwatering dinner, cooked by our guide over an open fire under the stars.
After dinner, we return to the lodge to see the resident lions up close. These big cats live in a large enclosure where they are able to hunt, and we get to watch them from a secure hide. This close-up view offers a fantastic opportunity to photograph the lions having an extra snack. From here, we drive back to our camp for a well-deserved rest. After an active and satisfying day, we spend our first peaceful night in Namibia sleeping under the stars.
This morning, we depart from camp after breakfast and stop briefly at Otjiwarongo, a small town en route, as we drive north to Etosha.. In Otjiwarongo, we gather some fresh supplies before continuing to Etosha National Park, one of Southern Africa’s premier wildlife reserves.
As soon as we enter Etosha, the game viewing begins. We start our search for antelope, such as springbok and impala and with any luck, some megaherbivores such as elephant, rhino or giraffe, on our short game drive to Okaukuejo. Arriving at Okaukuejo, we set up camp and enjoy a delicious lunch before heading out on an afternoon game drive. Etosha is unlike any other park, and our game drives take us from waterhole to waterhole in search of predators as well as plains game, birds and if we are lucky, even reptiles.
We return to camp just before sunset, and whilst dinner is cooking, we have the chance to visit the excellent floodlit waterhole where rhino, elephant, giraffe, lion and hyena are frequent visitors. Tonight we tuck into another tasty dinner cooked on the open campfire by our guide.
On day three, we get a pre-dawn start. After a quick coffee and rusk, we set off on our full-day game drive at sunrise to catch a glimpse of predators returning after a night of hunting.
We drive through the national park, pausing at waterholes to watch for wildlife and birds. Later, we stop at a picnic site to have breakfast in the bush. Then we continue our game drive east in search of the many wild animals living in Etosha. When we reach Halali Camp, you can take a dip in the pool, visit the waterhole and enjoy lunch.
After lunch, we visit the Etosha Pan, where the national park gets its name. Here we can get out of the safari vehicle and experience this 4500 sq km ‘saline desert’. The salt pan is so large that it can be seen from space. After exploring Etosha Pan on foot, we return to Okaukuejo Camp, looking out for big game en route. Our game viewing adventure comes to an end by sunset, then we settle in for our final night of camping in Etosha Park. Tonight you can head to the floodlit waterhole at camp to watch for nocturnal visitors, including rhino, elephant, giraffe and other animals.
Time to move on from Etosha National Park on day four, and explore some of Namibia’s other highlights. After an early breakfast, we do our last game drive on our way out of the park and get back onto the main road.
The Otjikandero Himba Cultural Village near the small town of Kamanjab is our first stop. The Himba people traditionally settled in the very remote north, a beautiful part of Namibia. Living so isolated, they could adhere to their traditional lifestyle with no modern world influences. Many Himba people still follow their traditional lifestyle to this day. In the Otjikandero Himba Village, people still follow their traditional way of life to a large extent, such as their beliefs about the sacred fire and the red ochre covering that the women use on their bodies and hair to give them a striking appearance. This is a rare privilege to learn more about the last traditional tribe of Namibia.
After our fascinating visit to Otjikandero, we will have a short stop in Kamanjab before we leave the Kunene region and head west on a journey of spectacular scenery towards the majestic Etendeka Mountains and the Grootberg Pass. Etendeka means ‘flat top’, and many of the surrounding mountains have flat tops indeed. The landscape of the Damaraland region is endless and surreal, a red carpet of small boulders, created by massive magma eruptions that took place about 125 million years ago, when Africa and South America still existed as the coherent land mass of Gondwana. An unforgettable, rugged landscape of an ancient land.
Our next destination, Palmwag campsite is set along the Uniab River under tall makalani palm trees which provide a refuge for Namibia’s unique desert-adapted elephants. The elephants will sometimes come into the camp for a friendly visit, and they have been known to drink water from the swimming pools. We arrive in the late afternoon to set up camp in this peaceful campsite, a nature lover’s paradise. Time to relax and enjoy a cool sundowner before a tasty dinner, and hopefully we’ll see some of the resident elephant herds.
We’ve reached the furthest extent of our northern journey. Today takes us westward to the Atlantic, then along the dramatic Skeleton Coast heading southward toward Cape Cross and, finally, inland to the spectacular Spitzkoppe.
Our journey begins across stark desert plains dotted with remarkable vegetation, including the ancient Welwitschia mirabilis — a hardy, endemic plant that can live for over 1,500 years.
Entering Skeleton Coast National Park via the remote Springbokwasser Gate, we meet the cold Atlantic and its haunting shoreline. Shipwrecks litter this coast, once a graveyard for sailors stranded without hope of rescue. Along the way, we pass the relics of failed oil and diamond ventures from the 1960s, their rusting remains now part of the landscape’s story.
After leaving the park, we stop at Cape Cross, home to over 100,000 Cape fur seals — an unforgettable sight (and smell!). Nearby stand two replica crosses marking the 1486 landing of Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão.
By late afternoon, we head inland to the dramatic granite peaks of Spitzkoppe, famed for its sunsets, starlit skies, and striking silhouettes. We set up camp and enjoy the sunset in the mountains before dinner.
After breakfast and breaking camp, we return to the coast and head south towards Namibia’s adventure capital, Swakopmund.
Our first stop is a relatively recent shipwreck, just 15 km south of Henties Bay: the Zeila, a fishing trawler stranded in 2008. Originally destined for scrap and under tow when the cable snapped, the Skeleton Coast’s notorious currents claimed her and now she rests close to shore—perfect for striking photographs.
Continuing along the coastal road, we visit one of Namibia’s more unusual natural wonders: vast lichen fields. The country boasts one of the world’s highest concentrations of lichen, with rare examples like these seldom found elsewhere. Lichen may look like plants, but they are actually a composite organism—algae and fungi living together in a remarkable symbiotic relationship. The fungi gather moisture, while the algae produce food through photosynthesis, sustaining both. These macro-lichens, often leafy or bush-like, grow at an incredibly slow pace—around one millimetre per year—and are extremely fragile. Fog, rather than rain, is their lifeline here, as mist blankets the Skeleton Coast up to 250 days each year. Off-road driving and even foot traffic can cause lasting damage, so we will follow our guide’s instructions closely to ensure their preservation.
From here, we make our way into Swakopmund, a fascinating town framed by the towering Namib Desert dunes to the north, east, and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Founded in 1892 by Captain Kurt von François of the German colonial army (who also established Windhoek), the town retains strong German influences in both its architecture and language.
Swakopmund offers a wealth of activities during your stay. Its compact centre is easy to explore on foot, or you may opt for one of many excursions—from scenic desert flights and ‘living desert’ tours to more adrenaline-fuelled options like skydiving, quad biking, or dune adventures. For those seeking a gentler pace, consider a cycling tour or a guided exploration of the unique desert ecosystem. Your guide will provide details and assist with bookings as needed.
On the last night of our Namibian camping safari, we will stay at the centrally located Hotel A La Mer in Swakopmund. Tonight, lunch and dinner are for your own account. Swakopmund boasts some truly excellent restaurants, and your guide will be able to help you with recommendations and bookings.
Today we leave Swakopmund at 11h00, so we have time to enjoy an optional activity. For the adrenaline junkies, this could be speeding down a sand dune headfirst at 60km/h on a sandboard, exploring the dune field on a quad biking tour, or discovering the “old city” of Swakopmund on a fat bike (e-bike option available).
Whatever we choose, we depart Swakopmund no later than 11h00 and drive through the Namib Desert via the Kuiseb Pass, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn, stopping briefly in Solitaire and arriving at our camp late afternoon. We have a chance to relax and enjoy the views before taking a short walk at sunset, looking over the Naukluft mountain range. Overnight is in twin rooms with en-suite bathroom facilities. There is a pool and bar available, and dinner is prepared by our guide.
We leave camp before dawn on day eight, heading into the desert to catch the sunrise over the orange-red dunes. We drive down an ancient river bed surrounded by towering dunes to the 2x4 parking (around 55kms) and take a 4x4 shuttle into the Sossusvlei area to appreciate the beauty of this place in early morning light and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the region. We explore this unique area on foot before heading into Dead Vlei with its large expanse of bleached, cracked clay and skeletal camel thorn trees, contrasting with a backdrop of huge dunes with their ever-changing colours, before taking the 4x4 shuttle back to our vehicle.
As we drive back to our accommodation, we will stop at the famous Dune 45 and climb this dune if we wish or just wander around the base. We return to Sesriem and visit the nearby Sesriem Canyon, one of the few permanent water sources, before arriving back at our lodge late afternoon to watch the sunset over this spectacular desert.
We enjoy an early morning breakfast on our last day of safari before heading to Windhoek, where our unforgettable adventure ends. Our final day still holds a touch of adventure as we make our way back to Solitaire en route, where a slice of its legendary apple pie awaits.
The journey continues through striking mountain landscapes as we ascend the central plateau, passing the quiet settlement of BűellsPort and the town of Rehoboth. We reach Windhoek by mid-afternoon, where you’ll be dropped off at your preferred location within the city limits.
Note: For those who choose to fly today, NO FLIGHTS DEPARTING before 18H00 in case there are unexpected delays on safari.
This tour does take children.
Child Rates are applicable to children Aged 5 to 11 who shares accommodation with 2 Adults only.
All Windhoek Departures | All Namibia Tours |
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