Southern Africa
Namibia
Red dunes, endless roads and a night sky you'll no longer find in Europe.
Photo: Bernd Dittrich / Unsplash
Namibia is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries, and you feel it at once: endless roads, a silence you can hear and a space where the eye can rest. At dawn in the Namib Desert the dunes turn orange and red, and in Deadvlei centuries-old trees stand on a floor of white clay.
In the north, animals gather at Etosha National Park's waterholes during the dry season, while desert-adapted elephants roam the rocky valleys of Damaraland. It's a country to explore on a self-drive journey or by light aircraft over the Skeleton Coast.
Experiences to consider
- 01
The waterholes of Etosha
Waterholes scattered around a vast salt pan, where elephant, giraffe, zebra and rhino often come to drink in the dry season. Sometimes all you need to do is sit and wait — the animals come to you.
- 02
Sossusvlei's dunes at dawn
Some of the highest dunes in the world, best climbed before sunrise while the sand is still cool and the shadows long. Close by lies Deadvlei with its ancient acacia trunks.
- 03
Damaraland and the desert elephants
Valleys of red rock, the ancient engravings of Twyfelfontein and the chance to track desert-adapted elephants with a guide.
- 04
The night sky
Dry air and almost no light pollution — in Namibia's deserts the Milky Way is so vivid it's hard to look away.
Ways to travel
Ways to experience it
Ways to travel aren't separate paths — the best journeys often bring several together.
Tailor-made journeys
A self-drive journey with the route and stays planned in advance, or light-aircraft flights to cover the long distances.
Wildlife & nature
Etosha's waterholes, desert elephants in Damaraland and seals along the Atlantic coast.
Adventure & active travel
Climbing dunes at dawn, desert walks and scenic flights over the Skeleton Coast.
Honeymoons & special journeys
Remote desert stays, dinners under the stars and a space with nothing in it but the two of you.
Sample journey
More journey inspiration
14–18 days
Namibia — landscapes & wilderness
Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Damaraland & Etosha
Wildlife & nature · Adventure & active travel
9–11 days
By light aircraft to Namibia's wild north-west
Swakopmund, the Skeleton Coast, the riverbeds of the Kaokoveld, the Kunene River & western Etosha
Wildlife & nature · Adventure & active travel
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