Follow along this Explorer’s Journal with Destination Expert, Julia on a virtual journey through Namibia’s Etosha National Park, Damaralands, Skeleton Coast, and Sossusveli Sand Dunes – an adventure of sleeping under the stars, witnessing unique wildlife on a guided safari, and learning about the history and culture of this beautiful destination.

Landing in Namibia

Hello from Namibia! I’m Julia, a Destination Expert with SA Expeditions. Follow along with me as I recap an adventurous 12 days driving all around the beautiful country of Namibia.

To start a trip in Namibia, you’ll most likely fly into the country’s capital of Windhoek, which is a quick flight from Cape Town, Johannesburg, Maun, and Victoria Falls. Namibia is an interesting country to visit in Africa because there are so many points of interest with distinct landscapes, and you have the option to drive around the whole country. You can choose a self-driving safari, a guided safari with a driver, and of course if you’re limited with time, you can fly between the major regions. On this trip we’ll visit Etosha National Park, Damaralands, the Skeleton Coast, and Sossusveli Sand Dunes.

Namibia's Wildlife

Etosha National Park is the place to see wildlife in Namibia. If you’ve never been on a safari before, this is a great place to start the trip to jump right in and see the animals. Within 48 hours we saw baboons, zebras, giraffes, oryx, koodoo, ostrich, elephant, lions, and rhinos!

We stayed at two unique properties in this region: Onguma the Fort and Ongava Bush Camp. Each lodge is located on a private game reserve, but to get between them we drove through Etosha National Park. For protection reasons, you should not post pictures of rhinos on social media, as the geotags can be used by poachers.

Ancient rock art and sleeping under the stars...

Next stop: Damaraland! This arid region of Namibia is home to incredible rock formations and bushman rock engravings dating back millennia. Here we stayed at Onduli Ridge, a unique property built right on the rock formations. Onduli means Giraffe in one of the local languages, and if you’re lucky, you’ll see a few right from the lodge during your stay. With just six rooms, Onduli offers an open format room style, so that at turndown they give you the option to move your bed out so you can sleep under the stars.

You can see bushman engravings in many places, but one of the more notable destinations to see them is called Treyflstein. Here were learned that the sushman used these engravings to communicate and educate each other anywhere from 2000-6000 years ago. One afternoon before sunset, we took out the e-bikes and rode through the reserve taking in the breathtaking scenery. On our last morning, we woke up early to go rhino trekking. This means we drove to a scouted location and hiked to a viewpoint, accompanied by guides and member of the conservation team, to see black rhinos.

Skeleton Coast adventures

From Damaraland, we headed towards the Atlantic Ocean for our next stay at the Skeleton Coast. This is a protected national park, so you won’t see much development and there are just a handful of accommodations. Set between the dunes and the ocean is Shipwreck Lodge, a truly unique place to stay. True to the location, Shipwreck offers activities in both the dunes and along the shore.

One of my favorite activities of the whole trip was taking out the quad bikes and riding them around the dunes, even taking a stop to sandboard down some of the steeper dunes. The next day we took a long walk along the coastline and were excited to see that a gourmet lunch had been set up right there on the beach for us. We were traveling in April, which is shoulder season before the winter, so this type of activity is typically only possible between October and May. Otherwise, it’s a bit too cold and windy to enjoy a beach lunch. After one last colorful sundowner on the dunes, we said goodbye to Skeleton coast and headed south to the beach town of Swakopmund as a quick stopover before heading to the Sossus Desert.

Namibia's iconic red dunes & luxurious desert retreats

Our last destination on the trip was to Namibia’s most iconic landscape: Sossusvlei. These giant red dunes formed thousands of years ago and eventually prevented the flow of the river reaching the ocean. The classic photo reference of Namibia is perhaps of Deadvlei, barren forest of 1000 year old trees that scorched black in the sun when the dunes cut them off from the river. To get to Sossusvlei takes about 45 minutes from most lodges to the entrance gate, and then another 45 minutes to the parking area. From here you walk about half a mile to the site. Many people choose to climb up the surrounding dunes, named Big Daddy and Big Mama. We didn’t have time to do this, as we went at the end of the day to avoid the significant desert heat.

There are many lodges to choose from in the Sossus region, but if you’re into luxury hotels, then the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge is the place for you. This unique property in Namibia has 8 rooms, all with their own private pool and amenities, such as homemade ice cream in the mini bar. They offer ATV rides on nearby dunes, guided visits to Sossusvlei, and my favorite, e-bike rides around their 12-mile loop right on the private reserve. You can see oryx come right up to your room and we saw wild plains zebras running through the pan on our bike ride.

Dreaming of a trip to Namibia? Julia and our Destination Experts are here to make your adventure unforgettable! Whether you're interested in an expedition like this one or exploring other incredible regions of Africa, we’ve got you covered. No matter which Namibia adventure you choose, it’s bound to be a journey you’ll cherish.