Namib Outpost

Namibia Walking Odyssey

Off-the-beaten-track Adventure + 1 more + 2 more

Hike dunes, deserts and mountains across Namibia’s wildest corners.

14 days

from £5,570 pp

Wildlife & Nature Off-the-beaten-track + 3 more + 3 more

Namibia & Botswana Express: Caprivi & The Panhandle

Namibia, Botswana

Explore the spectacular scenery of Namibia and iconic wildlife of Botswana on this self-drive and safari adventure.

12 days

from £8,010 pp

Namibia's Wildlife & Conservation

Family Classic + 2 more + 3 more

Namibia’s big skies, rare wildlife & real conservation in action.

12 days

from £5,835 pp

Namibia Safari Special

Family Classic + 3 more + 3 more

A wildlife-focused self-drive safari adventure through Namibia’s north.

13 days

from £5,785 pp

Canyons & Ghost Towns

Off-the-beaten-track Adventure + 1 more + 2 more

A road trip through Southern Namibia’s lesser-visited highlights.

13 days

from £5,145 pp

Namibia's Desert & Coast

Family Classic + 3 more + 3 more

Self-drive highlights of Southern Namibia.

12 days

from £4,975 pp

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in Namibia

Explore the Kulala Reserve

The private 37,000 hectare Kulala Reserve offers exclusive experiences for guests at Wilderness Safaris camps. The reserve is like a microcosm of the wider Sossusvlei region and the Namib in general, with stunning landscapes and an intriguing range of desert adapted wildlife. Nature drives in the reserve get you closest to the animals, with majestic oryx, skittish springbok and frankly bizarre ostrich all present in significant numbers, while you may also see black backed jackal and rare, hardy desert birds such as snake eagles, bustards and secretary birds. On our last visit to Kulala, we even spotted a rare brown hyena, but this certainly can't be promised! Guided nature walks often follow the course of the dry Tsauchab River and allow participants to drink in the scenery while noting the smaller desert details: the meagre plant life and diminutive insects and reptiles that have somehow thrived here for thousands of years. These explorations are usually included in your stay on the reserve and perfectly compliment the headline grabbing large dunes and vleis that all of the camps can visit.

Sesriem Canyon

Most lodges with inclusive activities offer a guided visit to Sesriem Canyon, although in truth it is very easy to visit yourself if you are on a self-drive itinerary. This long, narrow fissure, up to 25 metres deep in places, can be rather underwhelming at times, although it is of historical interest because this is where early settlers used to draw most of their water when struggling to survive in the arid desert. Small pools form at the bottom of the canyon when rains are heavy, which can provide for a cooling dip if you've been out exploring in the heat of the day, but for much of the year the bed of the canyon is dry. Unless there is a flash flood, it is always possible to walk down a path onto the canyon floor, and the spectacle is more impressive from within. Walks along the bed give an idea of the thousands of years of wind, rain and erosion that has come to bear in the formation of the canyon.

Hot Air Ballooning

Offering the most outrageously scenic desert vistas, a one hour hot air balloon flight over the Namib is an experience matched by few others in Africa. There is an unrivalled sense of freedom and serenity as peaceful progress is made over the sweeping sand sea, with its towering orange dunes and wide, rippling valleys. From above, you can take in the glory of the desert on a broad canvas: lone oryx standing gracefully under isolated trees; springbok pronging joyfully over the vegetated dunes; dry river beds, oases and stark white vleis, all gradually changing colour as the sun rises and shadows recede. Passengers are picked up before sunset to be in the air in time to watch the sunrise dramatically alter the desert, and after roughly an hour of wonder you will land to a champagne breakfast laid out on top of a dune. Sublime!

Walking on Vleis

Walking on the famous pans of Sossusvlei can be an otherworldly, intensely photogenic experience. After climbing vast dunes, it can also be a welcome relief from the desert heat, cooler under the shadow of the high dunes that stand sentinel over the valleys. Sossusvlei itself, Nara Vlei and Hidden Vlei are among the pans that you can walk on, usually after climbing a dune and running onto the dried, patterned mud floors of the vleis. Our favourite is Dead Vlei, an expansive pan with the dark skeletons of long dead trees standing out vividly against the gleaming white surface of the pan as it catches the sun. Photo opportunities here are stunning: just pick your favourite tree and try to make sure no other visitors looking for that award winning shot walk across your view! Deprived of water for most of the year, explaining the presence of the dead trees, these pans can fill up with water during periods of heavy rain, with the shining green-blue waters giving the vleis an even more surreal, alien appearance and the trees seeming to rise out of the waters from the dead. There really are few places on earth where you can enjoy such a stunning, seemingly unlikely natural spectacle, whether there is water in the pans or they are bone dry.

Dune Climbing

Climbing the curvy orange dunes of the Namib is a Sossusvlei must, providing access to the best possible panoramic views for those not splashing out on a hot air balloon or light aircraft flight. Dune 45 is a famous one, a huge peak roughly 100m high outside the Namib-Naukluft National Park, where you are likely to have company unless you get there extremely early. There are then various dunes to choose from close to the main car parking area of Sossusvlei, where the most renowned pans and vleis are found. Our favourite climb is to the top of the towering dune next to Dead Vlei, where the considerable effort is rewarded with sensational views over the dried up lake bed and its dead trees below. Even more fulfilling is the run down the dune at top speed onto the vlei, a far quicker and less exerting process than climbing to the top! Our major piece of advice if you are keen to tackle a dune is to avoid the hottest times and get there in the early morning or late afternoon.