Epic safari. Stunningly original lodges. Incredibly scenic flights. Silence and escapism in remote wilderness. And elephants on the highway.
Namibia is incomparable to anywhere else. It’s a destination for people who aren’t afraid of a little adventure, who seek experiences just beyond their comfort zone.
We featured Namibia in Explorer V magazine and judging by the enquiries, the country has inspired many of our clients.
So what is a realistic holiday in one of the world’s most surreal countries?
First we answer common questions about Namibia. Then we outline the logistics and options for a Namibia holiday.
Popular questions about Namibia
When is the best time to visit Namibia?
Namibia is hot and dry. It’s home to the world’s oldest desert, the Namib, which dwarfs the Czech Republic in size.
June to October is the best time to travel. These are the winter months in Namibia.
Expect warm sunny days, with next to zero humidity. Then cold clear nights, with temperatures dropping towards zero in the desert.
Namibian summer (the same time as our winter) can be uncomfortably hot.
How do you travel around Namibia?
Do you like multi-day adventures in a four-wheel drive? On dusty and often none-existent roads? That’s pure Namibia, if you want it to be.
For everybody else, scenic flights are the best way to get around. These enable you to combine very remote wilderness destinations, while enjoying stunning views over sand dunes, coastlines, canyons and savannah.
They are good value for money too, considering you transfer between lodges in around one hour, rather than one or more days.
Does Namibia have malaria?
Taking anti-malarial medication puts many people off doing a safari in Tanzania or Kenya. Instead, they usually choose a malaria-free safari in South Africa.
The malaria risk is so low that we consider Namibia a malaria-free destination between June and October. The risk is specifically along the northeastern border with Angola, a remote area we wouldn’t recommend regardless.
This risk is only in the hottest months of the year, when occasionally rain stimulates mosquitos. It’s the time we don’t recommend you travel to Namibia.
Is Namibia suitable for families?
What an inspirational destination for families with older children!
If you’re looking for a shared family adventure to somewhere completely different, Namibia ticks so many boxes.
However, we only recommend it to families with children aged ten and over. It’s best with teenagers, who can enjoy all the activities, but a challenge with young kids.
How much time do you need to see Namibia?
Safari, desert and coast are the three unmissable elements to a Namibia holiday. You can experience them all in one full week, although eight or nine days makes the pace more comfortable.
This is a nice amount of time, as most people don’t want to be completely away from normal civilisation for much longer than a week.
With ten days or more you have more places to discover. Like the world’s second largest canyon, the ethereal landscapes of Damaraland, and two different safari reserves. Kolmanskop is a dreamy destination for photographers, an abandoned diamond mining town now taken over by the desert.
Don’t visit Namibia for less than a week. You won’t get to appreciate the feeling of the wilderness if you rush the experience.
Is it worth combining Namibia with another destination in Africa?
The most obvious combination is Namibia and Cape Town.
You get the wild experience, then the vibrant and fun city with tons of stuff to do. Two very contrasting destinations, yet similar in the sense they are both defined by nature. Plus Cape Town is convenient for intercontinental flights.
It’s tempting to consider Namibia plus Botswana. However, both countries deserve at least a week and both have quite a wild experience, so this is only for the real adventurers with a lot of time.
Thanks to a new direct flight route, you can comfortably add on Victoria Falls to a Namibia holiday. After Namibia’s dusty red landscapes it’s nice to have a lush, green, water-dominated experience around the falls and Zambezi River.
Planning a Holiday Itinerary in Namibia
Start in Windhoek at Zannier Hotels Omaanda
Virtually all international flights arrive into the capital city of Windhoek. Forget the city itself, which is more like an oversized village (Namibia is the world’s third most sparsely populated country).
Spend at least one night at Zannier Hotels Omaanda, located in its own wildlife reserve on the edge of Windhoek.
We love the design style, how it instantly immerses you in Namibia. And we love how you get a wilderness safari experience on your first night in Namibia! With rhinos, wild dogs, lions, elephants and more.
We recommend spending half a day with the lodge’s anti-poaching unit, to discover more about the local people, wildlife, sustainability and conservation.
Take a scenic flight to the Skeleton Coast
Now take a scenic flight to the end of the world, to a place so remote nobody will believe you’ve been there.
It’s called the Skeleton Coast due to hundreds of shipwrecks in the sand, formed over the last 500 years. Some are barely visible above the relentless sand. Others are shells in an evocative state of ruin.
This impenetrable land is accessed on a beautiful scenic flight. You will touch down to eerie silence, surreal vistas, and a real feeling of being an explorer.
We like Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp for its dune and mountain setting, but Shipwreck Lodge is our number one choice – such an original property in terms of style and setting.
Out here you enjoy adventures on the coast, across the dunes, in search of elephants, seals and far beyond. Mostly you enjoy the sheer remoteness and distinctiveness of the Skeleton Coast.
Enjoy a majestic African safari
Namibia isn’t known as a safari country, probably because it only has one world-class safari destination (Tanzania, Botswana and Kenya all have many).
Etosha is the destination, a vast salt pan that attracts migratory wildlife from many hundreds of kilometres around. It’s flat and arid, making it easy to see animals.
Kalahari black-maned lions are one highlight, Africa’s largest lions. Plus, Etosha is one of the best places to see rhinos in the wild.
We recommend at least three nights and will plan an itinerary so you have a full 72 hours in and around Etosha.
Instead of the main national park, stay in the more exclusive Ongava private reserve. Here you can do more activities, like game walks and nighttime safaris. And the area isn’t open to the general public.
Little Ongava is the best camp, although there are only three tented villas, so availability can be a challenge. Ongava Tented Camp and Ongava Lodge are also very good places to stay and they’re a third of the price.
Finally, completely immerse yourself in the Namib Desert
Sand, sand and more sand. But wow, how beautiful is the Namib Desert! Endless dunes, provocative silence and everchanging colours as the sun crosses the sky.
Amazingly, Sossusvlei and Deadlvei, clay pans in the heart of the desert, are the most popular tourist attraction in all of Namibia.
We like &Beyond Sossusvlei Lodge because you can enjoy a lot of different desert experiences, without seeing any other people. Like e-biking, hot air ballooning and hiking in a private Sossusvlei reserve.
The lodge’s design is worth the journey alone. You sleep in a stone and glass suite, with a retractable roof for desert stargazing and an outdoor rain shower with phenomenal views.
Don’t rush the desert experience. It may seem there’s nothing here except sand. We recommend three nights, as the desert reveals secrets to those who slow down and fully open their senses.
You will leave this remote place feeling remarkably refreshed.
Your Holiday in Namibia?
Of course, this itinerary is just a starting point, based on scenic flight routes and our favourite few lodges.
We have other ideas to share with you. And we can really tailor Namibia to your adventure level, from multi-day wilderness hikes to connections with semi-nomadic tribes, safaris focused on specific animals to real hands-on conservation activities.
Do you want to go on holiday somewhere different?
Then consider Namibia, for this summer or next. Everyone who visits Namibia comes home with an amazing story to tell.
