Ultimate Namibia: A 9-Day Ultimate Namibia Safari Itinerary

Ultimate Namibia Safari Itinerary Highlights

With an area around twice that of California and four times that of the UK with a population of under 2 million, Namibia is an enormous country, especially by African standards. As a result, the population density is among the lowest on Earth. Another evidence of this “ageless land” is the wealth of prehistoric rock art and geological wonders like the petrified forest, where the trunks of trees that have been here for more than two hundred and eighty million years have been preserved. Together with the openness and quiet, these elements evoke a sense of antiquity, seclusion, and wilderness.

The weather is normal for a country that is semi-desert. You can expect warm to scorching days and often cold nights. The inner high plateau and the Atlantic coast’s cool Benguela Current both have an impact on local temperatures. There is typically very little precipitation in the nation, with the exception of the winter months.

You get the opportunity to encounter this breathtaking and unforgettable nation up close and personal on this Ultimate Namibia Safari. Your private, expert safari guide will elevate your experience of this one-of-a-kind nation by guiding you through breathtaking landscapes in an informative and entertaining way. We make sure these guides are both kind and extremely professional because their expertise, experience, and temperament are crucial to a good safari. The local insights and highlights can be shared by your guide, who has extensive knowledge of each location and camp/lodge you visit. This adds depth and consistency to your safari. They are all well-versed in the concept of a “True African Safari,” as is obvious. Each of the guides is an authority in their own field, and they are all quite competent. They have the extensive background knowledge to cater to each guest’s unique interests and answer any enquiries they may have. Your safari will become an unforgettable experience with the help of these knowledgeable guides.

• Join the journey of a famous and respected naturalist from Namibia.
• Enjoy early morning access to the dunes while staying inside the world’s fourth-largest national park.
• Experience the thrill of scaling some of the tallest free-standing sand dunes on Earth.
• Experience the thrill of sea kayaking alongside dolphins and seals along the Skeleton Coast (another boat option).
• Locate transient river networks in search of desert-adapted elephants.
• To see Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you must go there.
• From the comfort of a specially equipped, air-conditioned 4×4 with pop tops, embark on thrilling and unforgettable guided game drives in the world-famous Etosha National Park.
• Observing wildlife under the glow of a nighttime waterhole.
• Explore the private Ongava Reserve on a game drive (coming to the Etosha Heights Private Reserve in 2026).
• For more information on conservation efforts pertaining to big cats in Africa, see the illustrious AfriCat Foundation.

A Detailed Ultimate Namibia Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Windhoek to Sossusvlei

If you arrive at Windhoek International Airport before 8:00 in the morning, Kabira Safaris Africa will pick you up from your various lodging locations. After acclimating to Windhoek, you and your private guide will get in your safari vehicle and head southwest via the picturesque Khomas Hochland highlands. From there, you’ll descend the Great Escarpment into the Namib Desert, pausing for a picnic lunch at a picturesque spot en route. Midway through the afternoon, you’ll make your way to Dead Valley Lodge, where you’ll spend the next two nights before setting out with your guide to see the incredible landscapes of the Namib Desert. If time permits, your guide will take you to adjacent geological attractions like Elim Dune or Sesriem Canyon. At Dead Valley Lodge, though, you can simply unwind and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere if that’s more your style.

Overnight: Dead Valley Lodge

Day 2: Sossusvlei

On this morning, you’ll have to get up early because you and your guide are going on a magical adventure in Namib Naukluft National Park. Typically, you’ll go off before sunrise so you may photograph the dunes when the light is soft and the shadows highlight their majestic curves and shapes.

As you marvel at the world’s tallest free-standing sand dunes, your guide will fill you in on the history of the Namib Desert and the incredible adaptations of its many intriguing plant and animal species.

Enjoy a leisurely picnic brunch under the shade of a camel thorn tree after you have explored Sossusvlei, Deadvlei, and the surrounding dune fields to your heart’s content. After that, you’ll be back to Sossus Dune Lodge for lunch about midday. If you haven’t been to Sesriem Canyon the day before, you can go see it after lunch if you want. Once you’ve had an exciting morning on the dunes, you may relax and enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at your own pace.

Overnight: Dead Valley Lodge

Day 3: Swakopmund

Join us on an enthralling journey as we head northwest through the Namib Naukluft National Park, passing through breathtaking desert vistas like the Kuiseb and Gaub canyons. Continue north to Swakopmund, where you’ll meet the coast in the port town of Walvis Bay. Spend the next two nights enjoying the beach location and cooler coastal air. In the afternoon, you can go on a foot tour of the town and its waterfront before having dinner at a trendy spot known for its excellent seafood.

OPTIONAL EXTRA: A sunrise balloon flight or scenic light aircraft flight over the Namib Naukluft National Park before you depart for Swakopmund. Please book ahead.

Going by light aircraft over Sossusvlei and the Diamond Coast instead of driving from Dead Valley Lodge to Swakopmund is an optional extra that can be purchased for an additional fee. This will give you a bird’s-eye view of the dune sea, abandoned mining camps, shipwrecks, Sandwich Harbour, and salt pans before you touch down at Swakopmund Airport. Later on in the day, your guide will take the wheel and drive to Swakopmund to meet you. Remember to make your reservation in advance.

Overnight: The Delight Swakopmund Gondwana Collection Namibia

Day 4: Swakopmund

Your guide will take you south to Walvis Bay after an early breakfast so you can go kayaking in the outer lagoon. The trip along the beautiful coastline will be an unforgettable experience. You will be driven to Pelican Point, known for its picturesque lighthouse and windswept beauty, after meeting your kayaking guide. On the way back to the launch point, you will stop at the salt works to watch the variety of birds. Kayaking is a great method to see many different kinds of marine birds, as well as Cape fur seals, bottlenose and Heaviside dolphins, pelicans, and flamingos. Sunfish, leatherback turtles, and whales are all possible sightings with any luck. Throughout the day, your guide will make stops to educate you about the local ecosystem. On the beach, you can enjoy some light refreshments before making your way back to Walvis Bay.

If kayaking isn’t your thing, you can always sign up for a thrilling motorised boat tour of the outer lagoon and port to see seals and dolphins instead. Cape fur seals, bottlenose and heaviside dolphins, pelicans, flamingos, and a plethora of other marine birds should all be spotted here. Once again, sunfish, leatherback turtles, and whales are all possibilities, depending on your luck. Throughout the excursion, you will be treated to refreshments, local sparkling wine, and fresh oysters. At around midday, you will be returned to the jetty.

Return to Swakopmund for an afternoon of leisure at your guesthouse or exploring the town. After that, you have the choice to explore Walvis Bay’s beachfront area more. Additional activities like scenic flights, sandboarding, camel rides, and more can be reserved for a fee.

Overnight: The Delight Swakopmund Gondwana Collection Namibia

Day 5: Damaraland

The route leads you north and east into the beautiful and varied Damaraland region today, as you continue your safari. Stopping to admire wildlife and take in the expansive landscape, you will pass by Namibia’s tallest mountain, the Brandberg, which stands at 2,573 meters above sea level. The landscape of Damaraland is defined by vibrant displays of colour, towering mountains with flat tops, strange-looking plants, and other geological features. The current topography is the result of geological, hydrological, and wind erosion of once-flat hills, dunes, gravel plains, and river terraces. One gets a real sense of the word “wilderness” due to the area’s variety, solitude, and scenic beauty, all of which will reward and amaze you.

There is plenty of time tomorrow to explore the prehistoric Twyfelfontein rock engravings (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), but if time permits this afternoon, your guide will take you to the local attractions and geological sites.

Overnight: Camp Kipwe

Day 6: Damaraland

Following a leisurely breakfast, you will have the opportunity to go on an exhilarating 4×4 safari through the transient Aba Huab and Huab River valleys. This will let you to discover this extraordinary location and potentially spot wildlife, such as the elusive desert-adapted elephants, if they happen to be in the vicinity. Hidden desert riches and a wide range of desert-adapted animals call Damaraland home. If you want to see elephants, the best time is in the morning before you go back to camp for lunch, because that’s when they’re most active. Another alternative is to bring a picnic lunch and eat it under the shade of a big Ana tree by the riverbed, preferably while watching a herd of elephants browse nearby, if everyone on the safari is on board with it.

Assuming you didn’t see Twyfelfontein and the surrounding area the day before, your guide will make arrangements to do so at a convenient time. When you get back to camp, you can either have a stroll around the neighbourhood with your guide if you like, or you can just kick back and relax.

Overnight: Camp Kipwe

Day 7: Damaraland to Southern Etosha National Park

The Ongava Game Reserve, on the park’s southern boundary, is your destination today as you embark on your safari. If you get there before the afternoon, you and the other guests at the lodge can go on a game drive around the Ongava Game Reserve in an open game viewer accompanied by an Ongava ranger.

Located on the 30,000-hectare boundary between Etosha National Park and the southwest, the Ongava Game Reserve is essentially a private game reserve. Numerous animals call the reserve home, including lions, leopards, giraffes, rhinos, gemsbok (oryx), kudu, steenbok, and countless more. Expansive open plains meet Mopane tree woodlands and dolomite outcrops to form picturesque vistas.

Overnight: Ongava Tented Camp

Day 8: Southern Etosha National Park

An thrilling morning guided game drive into Etosha National Park awaits you today. During this drive, you will have the opportunity to observe a greater range of bird and animal species. Then, following a refreshing dip in the pool, you’ll have some free time to rest before your afternoon game drive into Etosha and your departure from the park just before dusk.

Another option is to spend the entire day at the park, stopping at one of the nearby rest camps for lunch or enjoying a picnic beside a particularly productive waterhole to watch the game. You can return to the camp after dark (the gates close) and spend the rest of the evening enjoying dinner while watching wildlife at the floodlit waterhole.

Of the 22,270 km² that make up Etosha National Park, about 5,000 km² are salt pans or depressions. The Etosha Pan, the biggest of these, is a salty desert in its own right. Towards the westernmost tip of the Kalahari Desert in Namibia is the Owambo Basin, where you may find the Etosha Pan. It was once a large, shallow lake, but it became a series of salt pans three million years ago when the Kunene, the main river that had been feeding it, reversed its direction to meet the Atlantic. The lake would rank as the world’s third-largest if it were to exist today. At 4,760 km², Etosha covers more ground than any of the other pans. These days, it only gets full when there’s a lot of rain up north in Angola, which causes floods to pour southward down the Cuvelai drainage system. The Park is made up of savannah, woodland, and grassland. The many springs and waterholes are the best places to see wildlife because you can usually spot multiple species in one shot. More than 340 bird species and 114 animal species call the park home. In addition to the endemic black-faced impala, visitors may spot elephants, lions, giraffes, blue wildebeests, elands, kudu, gemsbok (oryx), zebras, rhinos, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, honey badgers, and warthogs.

Overnight: Ongava Tented Camp

Day 9: Ongava to Windhoek via the AfriCat Foundation

The AfriCat Day Centre in Okonjima is a fantastic way to end your safari, and your early morning departure will take you there via Outjo and Otjiwarongo on the way south from Ongava. The AfriCat Foundation is a wildlife sanctuary on Okonjima that specialises in the care and study of large cats from Africa, particularly cheetahs and leopards who have been injured or caught. After a leisurely lunch, you’ll head out on an exhilarating game drive and informative centre visit. See some of the unique captive carnivore ambassadors and find out how the AfriCat Foundation is making a difference in the world.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no tracking of wild cats on this visit and should that be required an overnight extension should be booked as per the below.

Upon returning to Windhoek in the late afternoon, right as the sun is setting, the journey continues southward following the excursion and freshening up. You will be taken to your hotel or the Windhoek International Airport upon your arrival in Windhoek (transfers can be arranged separately). To ensure enough time for the visit to the AfriCat Foundation and the journey back to Windhoek, departure flights departing in the evening must not be earlier than 21h00. Alternatively, an extra night in Windhoek can be arranged for an additional cost if needed. I definitely recommend spending your last night in Windhoek!

End of the 9-Day Ultimate Namibia Safari