Exploring Deserts and Wetlands on a Luxury Namibia Safari
Over 11 days, you’ll journey across Namibia’s contrasting, and often surprising, landscapes. Sossusvlei, Damaraland and Etosha safaris take you through dunes, mountains and salt pans. Track desert-adapted elephants and rhinos with conservationists, and look for lions and giraffes in Etosha National Park. Then, head into the Zambezi Region, staying in exclusive island camps for a water-based safari around lagoons and reed-lined waterways.
Trip highlights
- Climb the towering, rust-red sand dunes of Sossusvlei
- Track rare black rhinos on foot with conservation experts
- View the ancient San rock art of Twyfelfontein
- Take private safaris to see desert-adapted elephants
- Seek predators and rare birds in Etosha National Park
- Explore the Zambezi Region's wetlands on a mokoro canoe
Our bespoke trips include
We design one-of-a-kind journeys incorporating luxury in all its forms. Our bespoke trips include:
- Luxury accommodation throughout
- Privately guided tours
- Private transfers
- Meticulously selected experiences
- Expertise and support from your Jacada Concierge
Itinerary in detail
Days 1–2
Touchdown in Windhoek
Namibia’s capital Windhoek is a blend of German colonial architecture, skyscrapers and more modern African designs. See landmarks like the neo-Gothic Christuskirche, made with local sandstone, and walk among blooms and mountain aloes in the National Botanical Gardens.
Taste national street food dishes like kapana (beef scorched over charcoal and dipped in fragrant spices) at Oshetu Community Market. And browse artisan crafts, including jewellery and sculptures carved from tree roots, at Namibia Craft Centre.
Where you could stay
Days 2–4
Sand dunes and dark skies in Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei’s copper-hued sand dunes and clay plans are part of Namib-Naukluft National Park, a protected area of desert and mountains. During your time here, you’ll have ample opportunities to immerse yourself in some of Namibia’s most striking scenery.
Climb ‘Big Daddy’ – the tallest dune – for views across the ancient Namib Desert. And hike to the white mineral pans of Deadvlei, whose dead acacia trees, preserved by the arid climate, stand starkly against the bleached ground and blood orange dunes.
Where you could stay
Get a different perspective
Hot air ballooning
E-bike tour
Desert stargazing
Soar above the desert at sunrise
Get a bird’s-eye view across the staggering scenery of Sossusvlei on a hot air balloon ride. Launching in time for sunrise, you’ll billow over the desert and see the area’s famous star dunes, bleached clay pans and surrounding mountains washed with pale golden light.
Travel through stark landscapes on e-bikes
Sossusvlei’s desert landscapes seem to roll on endlessly. Cover more ground on an e-bike tour, with a battery-powered assist function giving a boost when tackling the rugged, barren terrain. Pedal past dunes and through gravel plains with tufts of shrubbery.
View star-filled skies with an astronomer
NamibRand Nature Reserve, bordering Sossusvlei, is Africa’s first International Dark Sky Reserve, with little to no impact from artificial light. From an observatory, be guided through views of the Southern Cross, Magellanic Clouds and the core of the Milky Way.
Days 4–6
See rare desert-adapted wildlife in Damaraland
Hardy elephants and black rhinos roam the rugged desert wilderness of Damaraland. Stretching between the Skeleton Coast and Etosha National Park in northwestern Namibia, this region is dominated by the Brandberg Massif, the country’s highest mountain.
Staying at remote, luxury safari lodges, you’ll head out on desert safaris to look for cheetahs, giraffes and lions on the plains. Take guided walks to see desert flora and fauna up close. And go rhino tracking on foot, accompanied by experienced rangers who are experts in rhino conservation.
Where you could stay
Mowani Mountain Camp
Into the wilderness
Tracking on foot
Wildlife drives
Ancient art
Look for black rhinos on a walking safari
This region is home to Africa’s largest free-roaming population of desert-adapted black rhinos, protected by community conservation efforts. Desert Rhino Camp works with Save the Rhino Trust to help local people work as wildlife guardians. Learn about their work and head out on black rhino tracking walks to look for the animals in their natural habitat.
Search for rare desert-adapted elephants
Damaraland and nearby Kaokoland are among the few places with desert-adapted elephants. These rare mammals have splayed feet for walking on deep sand and can survive without water for several days. Head out on drives with expert guides for the best chance to observe them, especially in the drier months from May to October, when they graze by ancient riverbeds.
See prehistoric engravings at Twyfelfontein
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Twyfelfontein has one of the largest and oldest collections of San engravings. Learn more on this immersive tour, seeing rock paintings and artwork chiselled in sandstone slabs. Other fascinating geological sites you’ll visit include the basalt columns known as Organ Pipes and Burnt Mountain – a hill formed of solidified lava.
Days 6–9
Explore ethereal, wildlife-rich Etosha National Park
Dominated by a shimmering salt pan known as the ‘Place of Mirages’, Etosha National Park is roamed by four of the Big Five: elephants, lions, leopards and rhinos.
Cheetahs, giraffes and endemic black-faced impalas are among the other animals that can be seen at floodlit watering holes and in diverse habitats including open savannah and mopane forests.
Staying in private reserves, you’ll explore the landscape on walking safaris and evening game drives, and look for some of the over 340 recorded bird species from hides.
Where you could stay
Andersson’s at Ongava
Days 9–11
A wetlands safari in the Zambezi Region
The final stretch of your Namibia luxury safari tour takes you from arid desertscapes and salt pans to very different territory: the wetlands and floodplains of the extraordinary Zambezi Region.
You can explore on foot or take a mokoro safari in a traditional wooden canoe, navigating the narrow, reed-lined channels of the Linyanti and Kwando river systems. Cruise on lagoons and past papyrus islands – floating mats or clumps of papyrus vegetation – looking for hippos and red lechwes (semi-aquatic antelopes).
Explore the waterways
Birdwatching
Elephant corridor
Boat safari
Sijwa Project
Spot rare and endemic birds in the Linyanti wetlands
Spanning the Zambezi Region’s border with Botswana, the Linyanti wetlands is among the best places to spot some of the area’s over 430 species of birds. Head out with specialist guides to seek out wattled cranes, African pygmy geese and elusive Pel’s fishing owls, which thrive in the dense riverine forests that line the Linyanti River.
Look for herds of migrating elephants
This remote corner of Namibia encompasses the protected Nkasa Rupara National Park and the Sobbe Wildlife Corridor, which help elephants to move freely between Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Angola. Take game drives and night safaris in search of migrating elephants, along with lions, leopards and mega-herds of buffalos.
Cruise down the Kwando River to spot wildlife
Board a cruise boat or ride in a mokoro – a traditional dugout canoe – for a Namibia wetlands safari along the Kwando River and its narrow water channels. Your expert guides will steer the boats around papyrus islands and down waterways lined with reeds and forest, pointing out sightings of hippos, crocodiles and birds.
Visit a community-led project focused on conservation
The Sijwa Project empowers local communities to make money through conservation projects, including beekeeping and artisan crafts made with recyclable waste. Visit the organic permaculture nursery, tour the cultural village to learn about Zambezi traditions and browse unique souvenirs for sale.
Amazing trip to Namibia! Everything was seamless and a perfect trip. The lodges were gorgeous and the staff were awesome! A trip of a lifetime. Jacada was great with staying in touch and we had texts everyday on Whats App to make sure the trip was going well. Thank you Jacada!!
Why book with Jacada
Personalised design
We’ll plan your trip around your personal interests, tastes and preferences, providing honest advice based on first-hand knowledge.
Authentic experiences
Our expert guides and brilliant Concierges are hand-picked for their ability to bring your destination to life with care and passion.
Positive impact
We seek out unforgettable experiences that benefit both local communities and the environment.
