Etosha
Etosha National Park is the best known wildlife area in Namibia, renowned for intense animal scenes around its many waterholes. Unfortunately the national park itself is primarily set up for self-drive and core areas are often unpleasantly busy. A network of private reserves around the periphery do their best to inject some quality into the experience.
Sossusvlei
Set in the southwest of Namibia, Sossusvlei is home to the enormous and iconic orange dunes of the Namib Desert, a truly remarkable combination of desert landscapes. Guest accommodation is in around twenty lodges of various levels, offering a good range of activities including quad-biking, ballooning and scenic flights.
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital of Namibia and the location of the main international airport, so most visitors pass through here at least once in their trip. It is usually possible to connect through without having to overnight, but actually it is a rather relaxed and pleasant place to break a journey.
Swakopmund
Swakopmund is the main town on the Namibia Coast, a bizarre Germanic outpost, atmospheric and strangely appealing. Guest accommodation is in around twenty diverse hotels, offering a wide range of marine and active experiences.
Damaraland North
Set in the northwest of Namibia, Damaraland North is a fabulous area of awesome desert scenery, unusually strong wildlife and superb remote lodges. If you could only visit one part of the country, this would have to be the one. We happily spend weeks up here in our spare time.
Etosha South
Etosha South is an area of very popular private reserves clustered outside the South Gate of the main park, containing a selection of reasonably good quality camps which provide a more peaceful bush environment from which to raid into the park for wildlife viewing.
Otjiwarongo
Otjiwarongo is a large area of ranchland through which virtually all visitors drive between Windhoek and Etosha. Although these are not wild areas, there are points of interest, notably two very prominent animal conservation projects, renowned for cheetahs.
Caprivi Eastern Tip
Set in the extreme northeast of Namibia, Caprivi Eastern Tip is an area of marshland and islands which lies between the Zambezi and Chobe rivers, an area renowned for its epic dry season wildlife Jun-Oct, but which can get very busy with visitor traffic.
North Namib
Set in the southwest of Namibia, North Namib is divided into two distinct areas. The main dune-sea is a fabulously remote area which is only accessible by expedition. The inland rocky desert contains the main road between Sossusvlei and Swakopmund, as well as a few roadside lodges.
Mudumu & Mamili
Set in the extreme northeast of Namibia, Mudumu and Mamili are two small wildlife reserves which are able to offer Botswana style safari at a fraction of the price. Guest accommodation is in a handful of decent lodges, offering a good range of wet and dry safari activities.
Etosha East
Etosha East is an area of private reserves clustered outside the East Gate of the main park, containing a selection of reasonably good quality camps which provide a more peaceful bush environment from which to raid into the park for wildlife viewing.
Kaokaland West
Set in the extreme northwest of Namibia, Kaokaland West is a very little-visited area of remarkable desert scenery, isolated Himba tribespeople and a miraculous river which runs incongruously through the middle of an ocean of sand. Guest accommodation is in just three remote lodges, offering a range of unusual desert experiences.
Twyfelfontein
Set in the west of Namibia, Twyfelfontein is the best known and most frequently visited area in the country for desert elephants and rock-art, plus some superb hiking and geology. Guest accommodation is in half a dozen decent lodges.
Namibrand
Set in the southwest of Namibia, close to Sossusvlei, Namibrand is an enormous private nature reserve, with some remarkable desert scenery and a reasonable range of desert wildlife. Guest accommodation is in a handful of really high quality lodges, offering gentle, well-guided safari activities.
Fish River Canyon
Set in the south of Namibia, the very impressive Fish River Canyon is the second largest feature of its type in the world, after the Grand Canyon in Utah. Guest accommodation is in a handful of lodges, offering a range of hiking and desert safari experiences.
Helmeringhausen
Set in the south of Namibia, Helmeringhausen is a remote village with interesting historical ties. There is also some stunning desert scenery in the nearby Tiras Mountains, with some pleasant lodges and a good range of activities.
Mariental
Mariental is a main road town to the south of Windhoek, which is sometimes used to break the long journey south to Fish River Canyon. There are some moderately interesting lodges located in the Kalahari dunefields to the east of town.
Popa Falls
Set in the extreme northeast of Namibia, Popa Falls is an extremely modest cascade created at the point where the Kavango River crosses a small fault line. The is of peripheral interest to most visitors, but can serve as a place to break the long drive along the Caprivi Strip.
Skeleton Coast North
Set in the extreme northwest of Namibia, Skeleton Coast North is one of the most incredible and remote wilderness areas in Africa, with highlights including vast seal colonies, desert lions, elephants and giraffes, abandoned diamond mines, remote desert oases and treacherous quicksand. The best way to explore is by means of a serious overland expedition.
Rundu
Set on the south bank of the Kavango River in the northeast of Namibia, Rundu is a pleasant little town which can serve as a reasonable place to overnight on the long drive up the Caprivi. Maybe even be worth two nights in a slower paced trip.
Erongo
Erongo is a pretty mountain area, centred on a substantial private nature reserve, with decent hiking and rock-art. The lodges here are most commonly used to break long self-drive traverses between better known locations.
Katima Mulilo
Set on the south bank of the Zambezi River in the extreme northeast of Namibia, Katima Mulilo is a substantial working town which tends to be of little interest to most visitors, other than as a quick pit stop for those who are driving the long road along the Caprivi Strip.
Etosha Central
Etosha Central is the core wildlife area of Etosha National Park that lies around the periphery of the great salt pan. Unfortunately it is also by far the most busy sector of the reserve, with hordes of self-drive vehicles clustered around unattractively busy waterholes.
Kaokaland East
Set in the northwest of Namibia, Kaokaland East is the more accessible and less spectacular side of this otherwise amazing region. We tend not to include it in trips, preferring to stick to the higher quality Kaokaland West and Skeleton Coast North areas.
Khorixas
The most rural town of Khorixas sits in the transition zone between the relatively verdant farmland of central areas and the wild desert landscapes of the northwest. The town itself is of little interest, but there are a handful of mildly interesting lodges in the greater area.
Luderitz
Set in the south of Namibia, Luderitz is a fabulously windswept and desolate historic colonial outpost, gateway to the infamous diamond coast and with the famous ghost town of Kolmanskop, but very short and quality accommodation and exposed to the relentless Atlantic winds.
Grootfontein Triangle
Set in the northeast of Namibia, the Grootfontein Triangle is an upland area centred on the towns of Grootfontein, Otavi and Tsumeb, a relatively fertile area with some considerable mining operations, but generally of little interest to the majority of safari travellers.
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay is the main port on the coast of Namibia, a utilitarian working town which just happens to be alongside a lagoon which is filled with impressive marine wildlife and surrounded by epic desert landscapes. A fascinating if unconventional place to explore.
Brandberg
Set in the west of Namibia, Brandberg is an interesting but largely overlooked area. The mountain itself is a huge volcanic plug which offers great hiking and some fabulous rock-art sites. The nearby Ugab River is a favourite location for local desert elephants.
Aus
Set in the south of Namibia, Aus is a small roadside settlement which can be used as a base from which to explore both the surrounding deserts and the coastal town of Luderitz, with a couple of reasonable lodge options.
Etosha West
Etosha West is a relatively peaceful sector of the national park, where lower wildlife densities are compensated for by much lower visitor numbers. Accommodation inside the reserve is limited, but there are some interesting private reserves around the periphery.
Khaudum
Set in the northeast of Namibia, Khaudum is a large and very arid national park whose subtle fossilised river ecosystems are of great interest to experienced safari travellers. But the area is notoriously difficult to access due to the deep Kalahari sand and therefore very little visited.
Spitzkoppe
Spitzkoppe is an impressive collection of stark granite outcrops that stand clear of the coastal plateau, a famous location for rock-climbing, but also with some decent hiking and rock-art. There are also surprising levels of biodiversity and endemism in the area. The lodge here is most commonly used to break long self-drive traverses between better known locations.
Tsumkwe
Set in the northeast of Namibia, the town of Tsumkwe is a remote outpost in the vast Kalahari, an important centre for the local Bushman people. The main reason to come out all this way is to meet and interact with this remarkable tribe and learn something of their ancient way of life.
Skeleton Coast Park
The best and most remote parts of the Skeleton Coast are only accessible to guided safaris with special government permits. The relatively modest Skeleton Coast National Park is the only section of this remarkable foreshore that is open to self-drivers and is able to provide a good general impression of the place.
Cape Cross
Set around 100 km north of Swakopmund, Cape Cross is a rather bleak and only mildly interesting section of the Skeleton Coast which is best known as an historic landing place for Portuguese explorers and the large seal colony. Very occasionally used as a stopover location.
Keetmanshoop
Set in the south of Namibia, Keetmanshoop is a significant main road town of little but passing interest to the majority of safari travellers, but with some interesting quivertree forests and fossil beds for those who do choose to stopover.
