Destinations
Namibia
The oldest desert on earth, a shipwreck coast, and one of Africa's finest parks.
Season
May - October dry season
Terrain
desert
Fly into
WDH / MPA
Missions
2
The briefing
Namibia is Africa's most photogenic country. The Namib Desert - the oldest in the world at 55 million years - creates dunes of extraordinary scale and colour, while the Skeleton Coast and Etosha pan add a completely different drama. Sossusvlei at first light is one of Africa's great experiences: apricot and copper dunes rising 300 m above a bone-white salt pan, with the dead camelthorn trees of Dead Vlei silhouetted against them. Most travelers fly WDH and keep the first night close to the action.
Sossusvlei at first light is one of Africa's great experiences: apricot and copper dunes rising 300 m above a bone-white salt pan, with the dead camelthorn trees of Dead Vlei silhouetted against them. The images are clichéd because they are genuinely that good. Get there before sunrise; climb before the heat builds.
Etosha National Park is one of Africa's best self-drive safari parks - a vast white pan that acts as a magnet for wildlife during the dry season. Waterhole drives at dusk with lion, elephant, and black rhino in the same frame happen regularly here in a way they do not in busier parks.
How to get there
Gateway airports: WDH, MPA. Build the rest of the trip around the arrival.
Book first
Flights - WDH → Stay close to the trailheads, not an hour of extra desert driving in Namibia → Operator - 4WD, permit, or canyon outfitter after the stay
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Missions in Namibia