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The bends of the Fish River Canyon with the river far below in evening light, southern Namibia

Sample journey · 9–11 days

Namibia's deep south: red dunes, a great canyon and a forgotten port

The Kalahari, the Fish River Canyon, Aus & Lüderitz

Photo: Joshua Kettle / Unsplash

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

Most Namibian journeys leave Windhoek heading west and north, to Sossusvlei, Swakopmund and Etosha. This route turns south, where far fewer travellers go. First comes the edge of the Kalahari, with parallel red dunes covered in golden grass; then the Fish River Canyon, one of the largest on earth; then Aus, where wild horses come to a desert waterhole. At the end of the road lie Lüderitz, a windswept port of German-era houses, and Kolmanskop, a diamond-rush town slowly being swallowed by sand.

This is a self-drive journey, and distances in the south are long: often three to five hours on the road a day, mostly on good gravel where you'll pass more oryx than cars. That's why almost every stop has two nights, on farms, in small lodges on the canyon rim and in quiet guesthouses by the sea. It suits couples and active travellers who love quiet roads, wide horizons and history as much as wildlife.

The route

The journey

  1. Windhoek
  2. The Kalahari
  3. Fish River Canyon
  4. Aus & the Garub waterhole
  5. Lüderitz
  6. Kolmanskop
  7. Keetmanshoop & the Quiver Tree Forest
  8. Windhoek
  1. Sunset over the Kalahari dunes and grassland near Kalkrand, Namibia

    01Days 1–4 · Windhoek & the Kalahari

    Waves of red dunes

    The first night is in a quiet guesthouse in Windhoek, where you can collect the car and rest after the flight. In the morning, about three hours south until the landscape gradually turns red: at the edge of the Kalahari the dunes run in parallel waves, with golden grass and acacias between them. Two nights on a farm or in a small lodge among the dunes. Mornings bring a walk with a guide who reads the tracks in the sand; evenings, a drive to the top of a dune for sunset, as the red sand darkens and oryx and springbok come out to graze. The night sky here is so clear it's worth simply sitting outside for an hour.

  2. The view from the rim of the Fish River Canyon into deep, winding gorges

    02Days 4–6 · The Fish River Canyon

    On the rim of the great canyon

    The longest day: about five or six hours south past Keetmanshoop to the Fish River Canyon. Two nights near the rim, in a small lodge or on a farm among the rocks. The canyon is roughly 160 km long and in places more than half a kilometre deep, with the river winding between dark rock walls far below. The rim is best early in the morning and before sunset, when the shadows pick out every bend. The next day, guided walks on the canyon plateau, with the hottest hours for resting. The five-day hike along the canyon floor is a separate, demanding undertaking, possible only in the cooler months and with a permit; it isn't part of this route, but it can be added.

  3. A herd of the Namib's wild horses running across dry grassland in southern Namibia

    03Days 6–8 · Aus & the Garub waterhole

    Wild horses on the desert's edge

    About four hours north-west, across the empty plains of the plateau and past granite hills, lies Aus, a small village where the plateau drops into the Namib Desert. Two nights here. Nearby is the Garub waterhole, visited by the wild horses of the Namib: their origins are still debated, but they are thought to descend from farm and army horses of the early 20th century. When they'll come can't be predicted, so it's worth stopping by more than once, morning and evening. On the free day, walking trails in the Aus mountains, where desert flowers bloom after the rare rains, and the site of a First World War prisoner-of-war camp with information boards.

  4. Desert sand flooding abandoned rooms in the ghost town of Kolmanskop

    04Days 8–10 · Lüderitz & Kolmanskop

    Diamonds, sand and the sea wind

    About an hour and a half across the desert to the Atlantic, and Lüderitz, a port among the rocks where German-era houses and a church on the hill seem to belong to another time. Two nights here. The first morning is Kolmanskop, an early-20th-century diamond town whose houses the sand has filled to the windows; it's visited with a local guide who tells the story of its brief boom. In the afternoon, Diaz Point and the lagoons, where flamingos are often seen, or a boat trip when the wind allows. Lüderitz also asks for time with a harder history: Shark Island held a concentration camp in the early 20th century, where many Nama and Herero people died, and memorials stand there today.

  5. Quiver trees silhouetted at sunset in the Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop

    05Days 10–11 · Keetmanshoop & back to Windhoek

    A forest of quiver trees on the last evening

    Back through Aus and east across the plateau, about four hours to Keetmanshoop. The last night is on a farm beside the Quiver Tree Forest, where hundreds of tree aloes, called quiver trees because their branches were once used to make quivers, stand among dark dolerite boulders. Their silhouettes over the rocks at sunset are one of the loveliest sights in southern Namibia, and the nearby Giant's Playground, where boulders seem stacked by some giant hand, makes a good walk. On the last day, about five hours on good tarmac to Windhoek and an evening flight home.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The Fish River Canyon

    Morning and sunset on the rim of one of the world's largest canyons.

  2. 02

    The wild horses of Garub

    Horses that survive on the desert's edge, at the waterhole, if they choose to come that day.

  3. 03

    Kolmanskop

    A diamond town whose rooms have filled with sand, visited with a local guide.

  4. 04

    The Kalahari dunes

    Red sand, golden grass and sunset from the top of a dune.

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

Make it your own

  • Hiking the canyon floor

    In the cooler months, strong walkers can add the five-day hike along the floor of the Fish River Canyon, with a permit and everything carried on your back.

  • With Sossusvlei

    From Aus a beautiful road leads north through the Namib-Naukluft to the Sossusvlei dunes, so the journey can be extended with a return to Windhoek through the desert.

  • At a gentler pace

    An extra night at the canyon or in Lüderitz shortens the long days and leaves time simply to be there.

  • With South Africa

    The South African border isn't far from the Fish River Canyon, so the journey can continue through Namaqualand to Cape Town.

Practical considerations

  • The best time is roughly April to October, when days are cooler. In summer (roughly November to March) the canyon and desert are often very hot, while winter nights in the south can be cold.
  • Distances are long and many roads are gravel: we drive unhurriedly, in daylight, and allow more time for each transfer than the map suggests. Fuel stations are few, so we fill up in every town.
  • Kolmanskop lies within a protected diamond-mining area, so it's visited only with a guide and at set times; we check the visiting arrangements before you travel.
  • The canyon-floor hike needs a permit, and its season and rules can change, so we check them before you travel.

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

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