Sossusvlei Dunes, Damaraland, and Etosha National Park
Namibia Private Safari
Overview
Namibia is an ageless land, a world of desert-adapted animals and infinite blue skies, where space and silence contribute to a feeling of antiquity, solitude, and wilderness. Our Private Journey offers you the chance to experience this magnificent and memorable country in a very personal way. You'll explore the amazing dunescapes of Sossusvlei and the mountains of Damaraland, see a heritage of rock art created by stone-age artists, and witness an amazing parade of wildlife at Etosha National Park, the greatest wildlife sanctuary in all Namibia. For most of the trip, you'll have your own private experienced safari guide/driver who will enhance your enjoyment of this unique country and ensure you have an experience of a lifetime!
Arrive: Windhoek, Namibia
Depart: Windhoek, Namibia
Highlights
- Climb one of the world's highest free standing dunes in Sossusvlei
- Scenic flight along the Skeleton Coast viewing shipwrecks, seal colonies, and giant sand dunes
- Track desert-adapted elephants
- Walk among pre-historic rock art at the World Heritage Site at Twyfelfontein
- Gameviewing at renowned Etosha National Park
Itinerary
From Windhoek, fly to an airstrip near the Sossusvlei dunes, some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world. An excursion at sunrise allows you to capture the fantastic colors while the light is soft and the shadows accentuate their towering shapes and curves. Other activities here include scenic nature drives, game drives to view the desert's fascinating flora and fauna, horseback rides, and hot air ballooning.
Enjoy an amazing bird's-eye view of Sossusvlei and the great dune sea that stretches to the Skeleton Coast as you fly to Damaraland, a striking tableau of rolling hills, dunes, gravel plains, and ancient river terraces. You'll view the remarkable rock art at Twyfelfontein, a World Heritage Site, where some 2,500 prehistoric engravings are found, and explore Burnt Mountain, with its fiery colors that appear at sunrise and sunset. More explorations by 4WD vehicle bring you into the dramatic landscape of the ephemeral Aba Huab River valley as you search for game, including the elusive desert-adapted elephants, an amazing sight in this arid environment.
At Etosha, explore its game-filled pans that attract an immense variety of wildlife in a concentrated area, making for fantastic gameviewing. The park's habitats include grassland, woodland, and savanna, with gameviewing centered around numerous springs and waterholes where multiple species can often be seen at one time. Wildlife in the park includes elephant, lion, giraffe, blue wildebeest, eland, kudu, gemsbok (oryx), zebra, rhino, cheetah, leopard, hyena, honey badger, and warthog, as well as the endemic black-faced impala. Depart on Day 10 via Windhoek.
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
This trip is Level 2, Easy to Moderate, according to our trip rating system. It is a luxury camping and lodge safari with game viewing by 4WD vehicle. It can be enjoyed by anyone in reasonably good health. On safari, there are some long driving days over rugged dirt tracks.
Review Trip Level Details
The climate is typical of a semi-desert country. Days are warm to hot and nights are generally cool. Temperatures are modified by the high plateau in the interior and by the cold Benguela Current that runs along the Atlantic coastline. Except for the first few months of the year, the country is generally dry with very little rain.
The best gameviewing is generally during the dry season, between April and October, which also corresponds to the most comfortable season for travel. Days are clear and sunny, with temperatures in the 80sF. Nighttime temperatures may drop near freezing. Only during the hot summer months from November to February does rain occur. During this season, the wildlife tends to scatter significantly, which decreases gameviewing potential, but the birdwatching is excellent.
Client Testimonials
"What a fabulous trip! The variety in activities and landscapes and places, the people, the food, and of course, the animals! Everyone was so friendly and the accommodations were beyond top notch. Seamless planning by your team. It was the first trip abroad I have ever taken where I just got to be in the moment and enjoy what I was doing instead of having a worry in the back my mlnd about how we were going to get to the next place, whether the hotel had confirmed, whether our guide would really meet us by the coliseum as planned, etc. Thank you!"
Deborah W.
Seattle, WA
"Kulala Lodge was my absolute favorite; the warmth of the team there; the beauty of the place and the tours we did; it all adds up to many a beautiful memory."
Filippo E.
Brooklyn, NY
"The trip was fantastic! Vincent, our guide, was a true professional, concerned about our every need, as well as efficient and well-informed. We really enjoyed his approach to travel—enjoy and learn at the same time. His knowledge of the people of Namibia and the region as well as the animals we encountered made the trip most enjoyable. We could not have asked for a better travel companion!"
Kathy M.
Bayonne, NJ
"Namibia was all that we had hoped for. Otherworldly terrain and desert-adapted species. Each of the camps had their own speciality: architectural design, stargazing bed, cuisine, plunge pool, location, air conditioned tent, watering hole near near camp for excellent viewing, staff, and guides."
Kris T.
Brooklyn, NY
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Book your trip today
Our Area Specialists know every detail about our tours. They will be happy to answer any questions and help you choose the journey that’s right for you. Contact us to learn more or book your trip today!
Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.
Level 1 – Easiest
Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.
Level 2 – Easy to Moderate
Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.
Level 3 – Moderate
Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.
- Tuscany & the Cinque Terre
- Argentina: Hikes and Estancias of Patagonia
- Palau Snorkeling & Sea Kayaking
- Some trips with minimal hiking but rugged travel conditions or long drives, such as Tribal Ghana, Togo & Benin, are Trip Level 3.
Level 4 – Moderate to Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.
Level 5 – Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.
Level 6 – Very Strenuous
Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.