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Namib dunes running straight down into the Atlantic on a hazy day

Sample journey · 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

Photo: GILLES GORLIER / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Namibia's north-west is one of the emptiest corners of Africa. Every morning the cold Benguela Current brings fog onto a coast where dunes end right in the surf, and inland from the ocean the Kaokoveld begins: mountains, stony plains and dry riverbeds where desert-adapted elephants, giraffes and occasionally lions live. It is also the homeland of the Ovahimba, semi-nomadic pastoralists.

Unlike the classic Namibian road trip, this route covers most of the distances by light aircraft: from the air you see shipwrecks, a sea of dunes and the winding rivers, and the time goes to the places rather than the road. The stays are small, remote camps whose guides know the land deeply. It is a more costly, quieter journey for experienced travellers; we'd shape its pace and stays around you.

The route

The journey

  1. Windhoek
  2. Swakopmund
  3. Skeleton Coast
  4. Kaokoveld riverbeds
  5. Kunene River
  6. Western Etosha
  7. Windhoek
  1. Swakopmund's seafront and buildings in the evening light, with Atlantic waves

    01Days 1–2 · Swakopmund

    Fog over the Atlantic

    After the flight, a short rest in Windhoek or straight on by road (about four hours) or a short flight to Swakopmund on the Atlantic. The small town, with its German-era buildings and palm-lined promenade, is a good place to catch your breath: a morning walk along the shore, fresh oysters from Walvis Bay and, on the second day, a guided outing into the dunes to find the small creatures that live on the fog, or a boat on the Walvis Bay lagoon among seals and flamingos.

  2. The wreck of a fishing vessel in the surf off Namibia's Skeleton Coast

    02Days 3–4 · The Skeleton Coast

    The coast sailors feared

    A small aircraft flies north along the coast: below you, shipwrecks, seal colonies and dunes that end right in the surf. The northern Skeleton Coast National Park is reached almost only by air, and there are just a few small camps. With a guide you drive the dry riverbeds to clay 'castles' carved by the wind, climb 'roaring' dunes whose sand hums as it slides, and look for the tracks of brown hyenas or jackals in the sand. In the evening the fog lifts, and the sky becomes impossibly wide.

  3. An elephant with her calf in a dry riverbed in the Namibian desert

    03Days 5–6 · Kaokoveld riverbeds

    Elephants in a dry river

    Inland from the ocean, rivers such as the Hoanib and Hoarusib mostly flow beneath the sand, yet acacias and shrubs grow along their beds, and the desert-adapted elephants feed on them. They go long periods without water and travel great distances, so finding them relies on experienced guides and tracks. Giraffe and gemsbok are sometimes seen, desert lions occasionally, but no encounter is guaranteed. Afternoons here are hot and quiet; drives are planned for the early morning and late afternoon.

  4. A baobab at twilight above the Kunene River at Epupa Falls, with mountains beyond

    04Days 7–8 · The Kunene River

    A green river on the border, and Ovahimba country

    One more flight north, and beyond the dry mountains the Kunene River appears – the border between Namibia and Angola – with palms and baobabs along its banks. Depending on the camp, this might be the remote Marienfluss or Hartmann's Valley, or the Epupa Falls further east. You can take a boat on the river to look for crocodiles and birds. Meeting an Ovahimba family here is only possible when the community itself arranges it: with a local interpreter, in a small group, as a conversation rather than a spectacle, and with photographs only when permission is given. Where no such arrangement exists, we simply leave it out.

  5. Zebra drinking at a waterhole among dry grassland in Etosha National Park

    05Days 9–11 · Western Etosha

    The quiet side of Etosha

    A last flight south-east, to the western part of Etosha National Park, which was long closed to visitors and still sees far fewer vehicles than the east. In the dry season zebra, springbok, elephant and sometimes black rhino often come to the waterholes here, especially in the evening. After two or three nights, a flight or a drive of around five hours back to Windhoek, and the journey home.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Flying the coast

    An hour or two over dunes, shipwrecks and seal colonies, where the desert runs into the Atlantic.

  2. 02

    The roaring dunes

    Slide down the slope and the sand hums like a distant aircraft – one of the strangest sounds of the Skeleton Coast.

  3. 03

    Desert-adapted elephants

    A morning with a guide in a dry riverbed, following tracks that may lead to a small herd of elephants.

  4. 04

    An evening by the Kunene

    Baobabs, the rush of the river and the mountains of Angola on the far bank as the sun goes down.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With classic Namibia

    Start with the dunes of Sossusvlei and only then fly north – the journey then runs to about two weeks and combines Namibia's best-known and most remote sides.

  • Partly by road

    Cover part of the distance by four-wheel drive with a guide through Damaraland and the Kaokoveld – longer days on the road, but more time to feel the scale of the land.

  • As a honeymoon

    More nights in one or two camps, private drives and dinners under the stars, and to finish, a few days in Botswana's Delta or at Victoria Falls.

  • In another season

    In the dry season (roughly May to October) wildlife is easier to find near water and nights are cool; in summer it's hot, rain sometimes falls and the land turns green. Some camps close in certain months.

Practical considerations

  • Light aircraft have strict luggage limits – often a soft bag and a modest weight only. Flight times depend on weather, especially coastal fog, so we build some flexibility into the plan.
  • Desert-adapted elephants, lions and rhinos are wild animals: the guides do everything they can to find them, but encounters are never guaranteed.
  • On the coast mornings are cool and damp even in summer, while inland the days are hot, so you'll want both warm layers and sun protection. There is malaria risk in the north near the Kunene and in Etosha; check advice with a doctor or travel clinic.
  • Meetings with Ovahimba communities happen only when the community itself arranges and agrees to them; we never offer them as a 'sight'.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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