Namibia itinerary - any tips?

[tobyj]

Planning a possible trip to Namibia on a bit of a whim (never considered it before, and usually plan holidays to death, but was inspired by comments on MN). I've got a quote for what looks like a classic wildlife trip, which looks good - but just wondering if there's anywhere I should ask to include (or cut out). Never been to sub-Saharan Africa before, so this is very new to me.

Itinerary so far is Windhoek arrival, then Soussuvlei, Swakopmund, Damaraland, Etosha (two locations) and Okonjima. The one I'm not so sure about is Swakopmund - I'm not sure about things to do there (though happy to be convinced).

All advice very welcome! Wildlife (birds as well as mammals) is definitely the priority.

Explore do wonderful guides tours, the language is incredible. Clicks as I recall. I did tour guide training there. Magical place

Fish river canyon and skeleton coast are incredible

I’ve been to Namibia twice. It is a wonderful place! The rock engravings at Twyfelfontein are worth a visit. There’s not a huge amount in Swakopmund but it was nice for a day after camping near Sossusvlei (which is awesome, do a sunrise climb up dune 45). One unmissable thing to do in Swakopmund is a flight in a Cessna over the Namib dessert and the Skeleton Coast. Pricey but definitely worth it. I stayed at the Okonjima Lodge where the AfriCat foundation is based which was fantastic. The Cape Cross seals are quite impressive but absolutely stink! I did a mixture of self driving with lodges and a guided camping trip to Etosha and Sossusvlei. The roads are very good. I was warned to be very careful in Windhoek, especially at night. Book taxis in advance. Joe’s Beerhouse is definitely worth a visit for dinner. The last time I went was around 17 years ago so don’t know if anything has changed.

What time of year are you going and for how long? Swakopmund is fine if on the way and there are some great dune and wildlife trips nearby. It’s the classic circuit. Just remember distances are long though drives are stunning.try to stay at places with waterholes especially in etosha. As long as it’s dry season the animals will come to you. Fish river canyon is a whole day south of windhoek. If you had extra time I would add on the caprivi strip from Etosha which is a much more lush landscape and experience due to the rivers. Namibia is a wonderful country, just don’t speed on the gravel roads and be careful in the main towns.

There are all sorts of activities that can be done in Swakopmund--dune tours, harbor tours, air tours, etc. I was only there half a day and would have liked to stay a bit longer.

One unmissable thing to do in Swakopmund is a flight in a Cessna over the Namib dessert and the Skeleton Coast. Pricey but definitely worth it.

Yes, this. When we did this it was with a tiny company, just 3 brothers who had been doing it forever. Our guide was a great pilot, he landed the plane without a bump on a deserted beach in a high wind. We stayed one night at a cabin literally miles from anywhere in the middle of the 3 day trip. Very memorable.

Thanks everyone, it sounds wonderful. We'd be going in July for two weeks. I love the look of the canyon but think it might be a bit far. I also like the sound of the 'greener' area as a contrast (more birds?). The itinerary they've suggested stays in a lodge a few miles outside Windhoek, so I don't think we'd need to go into the city at all.

How expensive are excursions, generally, and do you need to book before you go? The itinerary I've got is accommodation and some meals only, so I'd love to get an idea of how much a few excursions would add (eg guided game drives, off road dune stuff). I imagine the Cessna flight is pretty pricey. I've got no conceot yet of local cost of living and tourism.

Can i watch this please ? Am interested but looks £££

We did Namibia last summer. Just the wildlife and desert bits, not the coast.

It was incredible but there was a lot of driving and I found it tiring to move to a new place to stay every night. I'd rather have had a couple of days in one place.

The leopard and cheetah reserve at okijima was great

All very friendly and easy tourism so you'll have a great time.

Re cost of trips you don’t always need them. At Etosha you can drive yourself around or just wait at waterholes. Trips at place like Swakopmund or Okinjima are in the £50-100 mark I believe. Namibia is better value that many other Safari destinations. July will have lovely weather during day but will be very cold in some places for early game drives so take lots of layers. Yes the bird life is amazing around the rivers at Rundu, and further east.

@parietal that's a good point about driving - I've just been looking at the distances. I love driving, but don't want to be permanently on the road. Our draft itinerary has two nights almost everywhere, which is good, but your comment does deter me from trying to squeeze in any other destinations. I was tempted to swap Soussuvlei for Caprivi, but I think the kids would love the dunes, and I think that area is more 'different' than anywhere they've been before. (If I'm honest, I'm also slightly put off by the recommendation for anti malarials in the river areas, as that's an extra level of faff when they're not needed elsewhere).

The only place we've got just one night - (other than Windhoek) is Okinjima - would it be worth adding a second night there?

Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei are a must! Incredible, but so very, very hot. Take lots of water, sunhats etc. I seem to remember walking out to Dead Vlei but getting a lift in a jeep back.

Kayaking with the seals near Swakopmund is a brilliant experience. As was the catamaran trip. We also loved Okonjima. We didn't mind the driving as so much to see, it is an amazing country. Sossusvlei and Etosha also brilliant.

We loved Okonjima but we camped there. We did the Leopard tracking and night drive. Wished we had a second night to do the pangolin tracking as well.

Love this thread! It's on my list!

kayaking with the seals in Swakopmund was fab, great experience.

We had a visit to the San people and stayed at a camp that was linked to them. We spent a day with them learning about their way of life. The young men and women of the tribe were amazing and our kids loved it too. Really worth driving out that way

Ooh, great to see this thread. This is our plan for next summer as well, though we need student kids to commit. Our intended itinerary sounds similar to yours. I'm liking the comments on the driving as that is our main concern (DH would be the only driver). Are you booking everything separately?

Distances can be long but there is little traffic and the main north south road is good. We did Livingston to Windhoek. We were going to do a 3 week trip and take in Damaraland and the coast but covid delayed everything and by then we didn't dare leave elderly parents for that long so cut them out for a 2 week itinerary.

Thanks again. I think we might actually delay this trip for another year now, but definitely still planning to do it. I'd start planning earlier next time - availability is already quite poor, and flight prices high (7 grand for decent flights on the date we wanted). Lots of the lodges we wanted already fully booked. Given it's a big trip, I want to make sure I can do exactly what I want and when. It's also more expensive than we wanted for this year, so I think we'll save up and do it properly next year. @angelcake20 i wouldn't leave it too long!

Anyone going to Namibia should try to stop in at Kolmanskop. It's a deserted mining town where the sand dunes are reclaiming the town. In it's heyday it was very rich and it's a fascinating place. It's just inland from Luderitz where we saw porpoises jumping in the bay.

We also went to a castle in the middle of the desert, called iirc Duwisib. It had a green lawn in its internal square and I remember being staggered by how lush and green it was - nothing else in Namibia compared!

The starry skies near Duwisib was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.