Wild Tracks & Desert Tales

Wake up surrounded by nature before continuing north towards one of Africa’s great wildlife destinations – Etosha National Park.

Your destination is the eastern side of Etosha, where you will stay at Onguma Tamboti Campsite. As you approach Etosha, keep your eyes open – the wildlife adventure is only just beginning.

After setting up camp, enjoy some time to relax and settle into your new surroundings. Depending on the travelling time and conditions on the day, there may also be an opportunity for some wildlife viewing with your guide.

Tonight, gather around camp for dinner and enjoy another evening beneath Namibia’s spectacular stars.

Accommodation: Onguma Tamboti Campsite
Meals: Full Board

Cameras charged and binoculars ready – today is all about wildlife! Set off early with your guide for a full day exploring Etosha National Park.

Etosha’s network of natural and artificial waterholes creates fantastic opportunities for wildlife viewing. Every waterhole is different, and you never quite know what will be waiting when you arrive.

Watch for elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, springbok, kudu and oryx, while predators such as lions, cheetahs and leopards are always an exciting possibility. Etosha is also one of Namibia’s most important strongholds for the black rhino, so everyone should keep their eyes peeled!

Throughout the day, your guide will help identify animals, tracks and birds while sharing stories and fascinating facts about life in this unique environment. Return to Onguma after an exciting day in the wild for dinner and another night around camp.

Accommodation: Onguma Tamboti Campsite
Meals: Full Board

Today, travel right across Etosha National Park, turning the journey to Okaukuejo into another fantastic safari.

Stop at different waterholes with your guide and see what surprises Etosha has in store. A quiet waterhole can suddenly become very busy when elephants arrive, while giraffes, zebra and antelope may cautiously approach from every direction.

Arrive at Okaukuejo Camp and settle into your Bush Chalets before preparing for a completely different safari experience. As the sun disappears, join the park rangers for a guided evening game drive.

Etosha changes after dark. Search for nocturnal animals and predators that are often difficult to see during daylight hours while experiencing the sounds and atmosphere of the African bush at night.

Back at camp, make sure to spend some time at the famous Okaukuejo floodlit waterhole. Rhino, elephants and other wildlife frequently visit after dark, and sitting quietly beside the waterhole can become one of the most memorable experiences of the safari.

Accommodation: Okaukuejo Camp (accommodation)
Meals: Full Board

Today, leave Etosha behind and head towards Kamanjab, where the landscapes become increasingly rugged and remote.

But today’s adventure isn’t only about wildlife. You will enjoy a Himba cultural excursion, providing an opportunity to learn more about one of Namibia’s most distinctive traditional communities.

During the visit, learn about Himba traditions, family life, clothing, livestock and customs, as well as how communities maintain aspects of their traditional lifestyle in modern Namibia.

It is a fascinating cultural contrast to the wildlife experiences of the previous days and an especially interesting opportunity for younger travellers to discover a very different way of life.

Continue to Hoada Comfort Camping, surrounded by beautiful granite formations and wild scenery. Tonight, enjoy dinner together and another wonderfully peaceful night beneath the stars.

Accommodation: Hoada Campsite
Meals: Full Board

Explore the site on foot and discover images of animals, tracks and symbols carved into the rocks thousands of years ago. Your local guide will explain how these engravings provide a fascinating window into the lives and beliefs of the hunter-gatherers who once lived here.

Then comes one of the safari’s biggest adventures – searching for desert-adapted elephants! Head into the rugged Huab River Valley, where these remarkable elephants roam across enormous territories in search of food and water.

Unlike seeing elephants around Etosha’s waterholes, this is a true wilderness search. Follow the dry riverbeds and tracks through spectacular Damaraland scenery while your guide looks for fresh signs of elephant activity.

Finding these giants walking through such a dry and seemingly inhospitable landscape is an unforgettable experience. After an action-packed day, continue to Camp Isa, where your glamping tents await. Tonight, settle down in the silence of Damaraland after what may well become one of the family’s favourite days of the entire journey.

Accommodation: Camp Isa
Meals: Full Board

After breakfast, leave Damaraland behind and begin the journey towards Namibia’s Atlantic coastline.

Watch the landscape change dramatically as rugged mountains and desert plains gradually give way to the barren beauty of the coast. Eventually, arrive in Swakopmund, Namibia’s charming seaside adventure town.

After several days in the wilderness, your two-bedroom apartment at Cornerstone Guesthouse offers a comfortable family base for the next two nights.

Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure. Take a walk along the beachfront, explore the town, find an ice cream, browse the shops or simply relax. Tomorrow, the adventure continues where the desert meets the ocean!

Accommodation: Cornerstone Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

This promises to be another major family highlight! Today you experience two completely different worlds during a Full-Day Marine Desert Adventure.

The marine portion introduces you to Namibia’s Atlantic coastline and its surprisingly rich wildlife. Depending on conditions and sightings, keep watch for Cape fur seals, dolphins, pelicans and other marine life.

Then swap the ocean for the sand. Continue into the enormous coastal dunes for an exhilarating 4×4 desert adventure towards Sandwich Harbour, where gigantic dunes plunge dramatically towards the Atlantic Ocean.

Expect incredible scenery, exciting dune driving, spectacular viewpoints and plenty of opportunities for family photographs. After a day filled with ocean wildlife, sand and adventure, return to Swakopmund for a relaxed evening.

Accommodation: Cornerstone Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Say goodbye to the Atlantic and turn south towards the Namib Desert.

Today’s road trip takes you across enormous open landscapes and through some wonderfully remote scenery. The further you travel, the more impressive the desert becomes, eventually arriving in the Sesriem and Sossusvlei area.

Set up camp at Sossus Oasis Campsite and enjoy a relaxed evening together. As darkness falls, look up. With little artificial light, the Namib is an incredible place to appreciate the stars.

Get some rest – tomorrow morning, the giant dunes are waiting!

Accommodation: Sossus Oasis Campsite
Meals: Full Board

Rise early for the grand desert finale of your family adventure. Enter the Namib-Naukluft National Park with your guide as the first sunlight begins transforming the enormous dunes into shades of orange, red and gold.

Travel through the spectacular dune corridor towards Sossusvlei and Deadvlei, surrounded by some of the highest dunes in the world.

Those with plenty of energy can tackle one of the dunes on foot. Getting to the top takes some effort – but the views are worth every step, and running back down through the soft sand is much easier!

Continue on foot into spectacular Deadvlei, where ancient camel-thorn trees rise from a brilliant white clay pan surrounded by enormous red dunes. Throughout the day, your guide will explain how animals and plants have adapted to survive in one of the driest environments on Earth.

After a fantastic day of climbing, exploring and photographing the Namib, return to camp. Tonight is your final night under the Namibian stars – the perfect time to sit around together and remember all the adventures of the past ten days.

Accommodation: Sossus Oasis Campsite
Meals: Full Board

After breakfast, it’s time to pack up camp for the final time. Begin your journey back towards Windhoek and Hosea Kutako International Airport, watching Namibia’s vast landscapes roll past one last time.

Over the past 11 days, your family has tracked leopards, searched for lions and rhinos, watched elephants at Etosha’s waterholes, experienced an African night safari, met a Himba community, discovered ancient rock art, searched for desert-adapted elephants, encountered Atlantic marine life, tackled the coastal dunes and explored the giant red dunes of Sossusvlei.

There have been tents, campfires, dusty roads, wildlife encounters and plenty of adventures along the way. Your guide will bring you back to Windhoek International Airport for your onward journey.

You may be leaving Namibia, but the stories from Wild Tracks & Desert Tales will be coming home with you.

Meals: Breakfast