Group Size: 6 – 10 participants

km – kilometer 

Day 1              Arrival and drive to the Gamsberg plateau

Arrival at Hosea Kutako Airport in Windhoek to start your journey through the “Land of Red Silence”. Welcome at the airport by the tour guide. Possibility to exchange money, the tour guide is happy to help. Then transfer to the Gamsberg plateau. You stay 2 nights on a charming guest farm. (D)

Ababis Guest Farm or Bullsport Lodge

Distance by bus 290 km, duration est. 4 h

Day 2              Naukluft National Park and Olive Trail

Drive to the Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park, which was founded in 1972 to protect the mountain zebras. The park is characterized by rugged rock massifs, deep river valleys and petrified waterfalls made of tuff. On your first hike, you walk on the Olive Trail, one of the most beautiful in the Naukluft Mountains. With great views over the park, you get past refreshing springs and old wild fig trees. Sociable weaver birds are excellent photo opportunities and are great for observation. (B,L,D)

Ababis Guest Farm or Bullsport Lodge

Hike 8 km, duration est. 5-5.5 h

Distance by bus 130 km, duration est. 2 h

Day 3              Tok Tokkie Hike to the first camp and overnight in the desert

Along the Naukluft Mountains you drive south to a guest farm. During the drive you can catch a glimpse of the sand dunes of the Namib Desert. A special adventure starts after your arrival. With just a daypack, you and a ranger start a 2.5-day hike through the world’s oldest desert. Your main luggage is transported to the first camp while you are hiking there with the ranger who explains this unique world around you. You sleep under the stars on comfortable camp beds with down comforters and you eat your dinner in style at a table set with white tablecloths. Of course, hot showers and toilets are also provided. (B,L,D)

Tok Tokkie

Hike 9 km, duration est. 2-3 h

Distance by bus 200 km, duration est. 3.5 h

Day 4              Tok Tokkie Hike to the second camp and another overnight stay in the desert

After your first night under the firmament of Namibia, you are woken up with a cup of hot coffee and tea right next to your bed. After breakfast, take advantage of the cool morning hours and set off for your second camp. There is always something new to discover during the hike. The ranger explains how animals, insects and microorganisms have adapted to the harsh conditions in the desert. You spend lunchtime under a canopy before hiking the last few kilometers to your next camp in the afternoon. Sometimes you can spot springbok or oryx antelopes here. (B,L,D)

Tok Tokkie

Hike duration est. 4-6 h

Day 5              Farewell to Tok Tokkie and drive to the Desert Homestead

Today you say goodbye to Tok Tokkie. During the approx. 3 hours hike the landscape and vegetation changes and you see dunes overgrown with camel thorn acacias. You arrive back at the farmhouse around noon and learn more about local environmental protection projects. Then drive to your next accommodation for 2 nights, the beautiful Desert Homestead Lodge. (B,L,D)

Desert Homestead Lodge

Hike 5 km, duration est. 3 h

Distance by bus 100 km, duration est. 1.5 h

Day 6              Hike near the red dunes of Sossusvlei

Today you set out before sunrise to experience a special play of colours when the dunes shimmer red and orange in the morning light. Slightly sandy air accompanies your hike when you climb the famous Dune 45. Then drive deeper and deeper into the dune fields of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. The wind has done good work here and the up to 380 m high dunes are among the largest in the world. They are part of the Namib Sand Sea and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bizarrely shaped acacia tree skeletons in the huge, dried out clay pan are distinguishing features of Sossusvlei. You continue to Sesriem Canyon and marvel at the approx. 1 km long and 30 m deep canyon that the Tsauchab River has cut into the rock. (B,L,D)

Desert Homestead Lodge

Hike 9 km, duration est. 5-6 h

Distance by bus 200 km, duration est. 3 h

Day 7              Walvis Bay with its lagoon and flamingos

After a hearty breakfast you start an easy hike. You can enjoy the “breeze” of the Namib Desert again. Later you drive north of the Kuiseb River and visit a school of the Topnaars, a local population group. Carry on and arrive at Walvis Bay, a lively coastal town which lies directly on the Atlantic coast. The largest port city in Namibia has an eventful history to tell. To this day, the city has been shaped by various cultural influences, including the German colonial era. You spend the afternoon at the Walvis Bay Lagoon. With a little luck you can see hundreds of pink flamingos there. Later drive to Swakopmund to your comfortable guest house for 2 nights. (B,L,D)

Swakopmund Guest House

Hike 10 km, duration est. 4 h

Distance by bus 360 km, duration est. 5.5 h

Day 8              Swakopmund, Welwitschia plain and hike in the moon landscape

After breakfast take a trip to the Welwitschia plain and hike in the moon landscape. Back in Swakopmund you get to know this beautiful city better on a city tour. Founded by German colonialists in 1892, German influence can still be seen everywhere today. The afternoon is free and offers the opportunity to visit the promenade or a local café. You have dinner in an Africa restaurant. Let yourself be surprised by the varied African cuisine. (B,L,D)

Swakopmund Guest House

Hike on paths by moon landscape, walk through city

Distance by bus 65 km, duration est. 1.5 h

Day 9              Namibia’s landmark: Spitzkoppe

In the morning transfer to the Pontok mountains and the Spitzkoppe. The landmark of Namibia is an island mountain, which is often referred to as the “Matterhorn of Namibia” due to its distinctive shape. The Spitzkoppe towers over the endlessly flat area by 700 m and is located in the Erongo Mountains, characterized by bizarre volcanic granite mountain formation. On your hike you explore this rock massif and its unique formations: the rock pool and the bridge “Rock Arch”, which was created by wind grinding and offers a great photo opportunity. After the hike transfer to the next accommodation. (B,L,D)

Brandberg White Lady Lodge

Hike 8 km, duration est. 4 h

Distance by bus 260 km, duration est. 4 h

Day 10                        Brandberg – Namibia’s highest point

Today visit the Brandberg. At 2572 m, the Brandberg is the highest elevation in Namibia and a contemporary witness of evolutionary history with an immeasurable cultural treasure. This is why the area is often called the “Louvre of the desert”. Approx. 50,000 mostly well-preserved San rock paintings, some even around 4,000 years old, can be found and admired here. On a leisurely hike on paths through the sandstone cliffs, you can marvel at animals such as oryx antelopes or zebras, patterns and people on the rock walls. The most famous rock painting, the White Lady in the Tsisab Gorge, will of course not be missing. (B,L,D)

Brandberg White Lady Lodge

Hike 5 km, duration est. 5 h

Day 11                        Safari in the Etosha National Park

Batteries charged and cameras packed – today you drive to the famous Etosha National Park. During the drive to your accommodation in the park, you can see zebras, springboks and giraffes, and with a bit of luck, lions, elephants, rhinos and leopards. The camera is in constant use to capture these beautiful impressions. You spend the night in a camp in the south of the park. (B,L,D)

Okaukuejo Rest Camp (NWR)

Distance by bus 350 km, duration est. 5 h

Day 12                        Game viewing in the Etosha National Park

You travel by tour vehicle to the unique Etosha Pan and through Etosha National Park to explore another corner of the park. With around 114 species of mammals and over 350 species of birds, the park has a large wildlife population, making it one of the most important game reserves in Africa. There is a rush at the various waterholes: Oryx antelopes, plains zebras, springboks and elephants linger in the refreshing water, as do the hungry lions…. Today you spend the night in another camp in the northeast of the park. (B,L,D)

Namutoni Rest Camp (NWR)

Distance by bus 170 km, duration est. 9 h

Day 13                        Visiting the San and Hobas meteorite

You leave the Etosha National Park. On the way to the next accommodation you stop at the Hobas Meteorite. The largest iron meteorite in the world weighs 40 tons and was only discovered 100 years ago. Carry on and in the afternoon during a hike you have the opportunity to get an insight into the bush and village life of the San people. This is a cultural highlight of your trip in the multicultural society of Namibia. There are around 16 different tribes in Namibia. Among them the Ju / ‘Hoansi-San community, which has lived in Namibia for more than 5000 years and is one of the oldest hunter-gatherer cultures. (B,L,D)

Roys Camp Lodge

Hike 5 km, duration est. 5 h

Distance by bus 280 km, duration est. 5 h

Day 14                        The Table Mountain of Namibia: Waterberg

Today you drive south of the Kalahari ridge towards the Waterberg Plateau. The red shimmering Waterberg lies in the middle of the Kalahari and is a 50 km long and 16 km wide Table Mountain that rises up to 200 m from the ground at the highest point. This prevents the Kalahari sand from being carried too far into the central plateau of Namibia. In the afternoon you hike on a plateau and let your gaze wander over the varied landscape with brick-red sandstone formations framed by lush vegetation. (B,L,D)

Waterberg Resort (NWR)

Hike 10 km, duration est. 4 h

Distance by bus 280 km, duration est. 5 h

Day 15                        Return to Windhoek and travel home

Your last breakfast in Namibia. You say goodbye to the “land of red silence” with many memories and pictures and drive south to Windhoek. You stop along the way and visit the handcraft market in Okahandja and perhaps buy some last souvenirs to take home. Continue to Windhoek Airport, where this exciting journey ends. Departure in the afternoon. (B)

Distance by bus 330 km, duration est. 4 h

Accommodation subject to availability

The hikes during this tour only have a few hundred meters of altitude a day. Apart from the Namib Desert, the subsoil is always stony, so sturdy shoes are highly recommended. In the months of April and August the nights are cool to cold at around 5-15 °C and the daytime temperatures are 25-28 °C. In October and November just before the rainy season, the nights are around 15-25 °C. During the day, temperatures rise to 30-36 °C.