Top 8 Things to Do in Namibia

Namibia’s varied landscapes and unique wildlife viewing offer seemingly endless opportunities for exploration—we’ve highlighted some of our favorite things to do below:

1 Get Early Morning Access to Sossusvlei

The great sand dunes of Sossusvlei are the tallest in the world, their orange sands most brilliant just at sunrise. We overnight at the only lodge inside Namib-Naukluft National Park, allowing you access at sunrise and after sunset, so that you can photograph, and climb, these imposing dunes while the light is right—no need to line up waiting for the gates to open. We’ll also hike across the surreal landscape of Deadvlei while the temperatures are still cool.

2 Hike the Tok Tokkie Trail & Camp Below the Stars

Hiking the Tok Tokkie Trail in the exclusive NamibRand Nature Reserve is a WT special. Walking across this vast, open wilderness on foot, as our ancestors did, is profound. Our expert Naturalist Guide unlocks the secrets of the desert, and we sleep at a unique desert camp, with al fresco dining by lantern light, and nights in dune beds set beneath the breathtaking night skies of Africa’s first Dark Sky Reserve.

3 Experience Etosha, the ‘Place of Dry Water’

This massive park, one of the largest in Africa, holds Namibia’s greatest concentrations of wildlife. Set in Ongava Private Reserve right on the border of Etosha, our lodge gives you incredible access to the park and exclusives such as night game drives. Built around a waterhole, you’ll have a front seat to great wildlife activity, right from the dining room!

4 Participate in the Greatest Conservation Story on Earth

Immerse yourself in the inspiring work of several leading wildlife conservation groups. Visit AfriCat for close encounters with leopards and assist on behind-the-scenes vet checks, meet the rangers of Save the Rhino Trust to search for rhino by 4WD vehicle and on foot. Enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with Dr. Flip Stander, the world’s leading authority on desert lion, as we track this incredible endemic species on our In the Realm of the Desert Lion Safari. Or assist Dr. Julian Fennessy and his team from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation as you track and attach GPS tags to wild giraffes, helping the crucial research of this endangered species on our Giraffe Conservation Safari.

5 See Africa’s Greatest Ancient Petroglyphs

Hike below the extraordinary rock art in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Twyfelfontein. Thousands of images have been carved into the massive rock outcropping here, recording ancient species and journeys, including images of shamanic experiences. We’ll bring you right up into this extensive gallery, close to the mysteries of the past.

6 Charter Flight Over the Skeleton Coast

There is one place where we believe in taking to the skies. Our early afternoon charter flight above the legendary Skeleton Coast is timed to give you the best conditions with an opportunity to see huge colonies of fur seals, shipwrecked vessels, flocks of flamingoes, even the ghost camps of the diamond hunters of the early 20th century.

7 Witness the Green Season

See Namibia in a totally unique way, in their summer “green season” when the desert comes to life to reveal carpets of buttercup-yellow devil’s-thorn flowers and swaths of yellow and pink cleomes. It’s also calving season for plains game such as springbok and zebra, peak birdwatching season for flocks of migratory species, and an ideal season for photography, with clear, dust-free skies and striking cloud formations. To top it off, our journey comes at a savings of more than $1,500 per person compared with similar safaris in the busy season.

8Take Your Time and See the Full Country!

Other companies will try to convince you that a shorter flying safari is the way to go. It isn’t! Flying safaris are expensive, and you miss out on so much. Our transfers, in specially designed vehicles, are also game drives, lessons in geology, and opportunities for spontaneous walks and wildlife sightings. All are illuminated by the insights and knowledge of our expert Trip Leader. This is a crucial part of feeling that you have truly experienced this mystical land that you came so far to see.