Damaraland North

Damaraland Expeditions

Operating in the remote Damaraland North and Kaokaland West areas of northwest Namibia, Damaraland Expeditions is a family of private-guided safaris through the remarkable wild landscapes of this fabulous corner of the country, largely focused on wildlife. No minimum age.

9.2 Rating

USD 50

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Damaraland Expeditions

are private-guided safaris

in northwest Namibia

fabulously remote and authentic adventures

Damaraland Expeditions operates in the Damaraland areas of northwest Namibia.

Typically lasting 6 to 10 nights, Damaraland Expeditions are amongst the most remote, adventurous and exciting safaris of their type in Africa at the moment.

Days are filled with an endless stream of wonderful experiences, amazing landscapes and desert wildlife, as well as visiting authentic Himba villages.

The expedition comprises at least one overland vehicle, fully equipped with everything needed to get safely through this wild terrain. It is an authentic mobile camping safari, carrying with it everything that will be needed for a week or more in the utter wilderness.

The trips inherently demand very experienced expert guiding, there are few people who know the desert like the guys who will accompany you. The nature of the experience leads to a wonderful sense of intimacy amongst the crew and guests. There are enough staff to carry out all the work for you, but most guests like to get involved, sharing navigation and other chores during the day, communally preparing meals and sharing stories around the campfire. You may even be able to drive one of the vehicles if you wish, although the appropriate insurances will need to be obtained in advance.

These are private expeditions, so just you and the crew. There are no restrictions on group size, although it tends to work out rather pricey for groups of 1, 2 or 3 guests. There is no minimum child age, we have done it ourselves with a six year old and we do feel that was probably on the lower limit.

More information on the day by day progress of an expedition can be found on the pages for each overnight location …

Eagle’s Rock Bivouac
Palmwag Bivouac
Hoanib Bivouac
Khumib Bivouac
Hartmann Bivouac

Damaraland Expeditions are superb private guided overland trips through a fabulously remote part of the country.

All expeditions are individually tailor-made, but usually last between 5 and 8 nights, often inserted into a longer trip around the country.

They typically spending 6-8 hours of each day on the ‘road’.

These long days are filled with wildlife viewing, as well as many other remarkable sights and experiences.

Nights are usually passed in simple bivouac camps that are put up in extremely remote locations as you go.

If that sounds a bit intense, in a few areas it is possible to insert nights in comfortable lodges.

There are five key bivouac loctions, which are usually connected south to north ...

Eagle’s Rock Bivouac lies in the Twyfelfontein area, providing access to some strong wildlife and rock-art sites from a remote location further west.

Palmwag Bivouac is remotely located on in classic Damaraland scenery, in an area renowned for black rhinos and other desert wildlife.

Hoanib Bivouac is set a the fabulous and remote valley of the same name, particularly strong for desert elephants, giraffes and lions.

Khumib Bivouac is even more remote and provides access to the vast landscapes of Kaokaland.

Hartmann Bivouac lies in the far north, with some awesome desert landscapes and remote villages of authentic Himba tribespeople.

Gallery

Map

Despite being the best safari area in Namibia by a distance, Damaraland North unfortunately features in a relatively low proportion of trips, largely due to its accessibility and high cost.

The usual stay duration is 3-6 nights.

Seasonality

The climate in Damaraland North follows the usual pattern for this part of the world, with a long dry season Apr-Dec and a short green season Jan-Mar.

However, being closer to the coast, the area experiences even less rainfall than further inland, so the seasonality is a lot less pronounced and safari conditions are pretty favourable year round.

Getting around

There are three main ways to get around Namibia and visit Damaraland North …

Self-drive

The first option is to self-drive, which is reasonably safe and easy to do. The upside is that it is by far the lowest cost way to get around. The downside is that, for safety reasons, you are obliged to stick to a relatively limited network of main roads locations.

The Damaraland North area is relatively rarely visited by self-drivers, although there is a small selection of roadside lodges which caters specifically to those that do get this far north. Surprisingly it is also possible to access even the most remote camps by self-drive, simply by leaving your vehicle at a roadside lodge and being picked up by a guide and vehicle from the camp. This is a great way to add a big dose of authenticity and quality into a self-drive, but can be pricey.

Flying safari

The second option is to travel around by light aircraft. This is both a great deal easier and enables you to access some wonderfully remote locations. The downside is that it’s much more expensive, as much as three times the price of self-drive.

By far the most common way to access the remote camps in this area is to fly in by light aircraft, which is fabulous and easy, but inherently expensive.

Guided overland expedition

The third option is guided overland safari, which enables you to really explore the truly wild and wonderful parts of the country. The downsides are that this can be quite an arduous way to travel and can become quite costly.

Guided overland expeditions tend to often include the Damaraland North area, this is prime territory for this style of exploration.

Combinations

Many of the very best trips to Namibia combine two or three of these ways of travelling around.