Namibia fam trips for travel agents and hosts

Key parks, reserves, cities and coastlines in Namibia, with when to go and how guests usually get there. Each links to Google Maps.

Desert

Sossusvlei

Hardap Region, Namibia

A clay pan ringed by high red dunes in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, with Deadvlei and Dune 45 nearby. It is the most visited desert landscape in Namibia and the anchor of most southern itineraries.

Getting there

By road from Windhoek, entering the park at Sesriem, or by light aircraft

Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

National park

Etosha National Park

North-central Namibia, Namibia

One of Africa's largest national parks, around the vast Etosha salt pan, where wildlife gathers at waterholes in the dry season. Rest camps such as Okaukuejo have floodlit waterholes, and it is Namibia's main safari product.

Best months

May to October

Getting there

By road from Windhoek, or by light aircraft

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Photo: Christoph Strässler, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Town

Swakopmund

Erongo Region, Namibia

A coastal town between the Namib Desert and the Atlantic, known for German colonial architecture and as a base for desert and marine activities. It is the usual coastal stop between Sossusvlei and Damaraland.

Getting there

Walvis Bay International Airport (WVB), or by road from Windhoek, 352 km

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Photo: Olga Ernst, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Heritage site

Twyfelfontein

Kunene Region, Namibia

Namibia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2007, with at least 2,500 rock engravings in a sandstone valley in Damaraland. It is usually combined with a Damaraland lodge stay.

Getting there

By road through Damaraland

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Photo: V. Epiney, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

National park

Skeleton Coast National Park

Kunene and Erongo regions, Namibia

A protected strip of the northern Atlantic coast with fog-bound dunes, gravel plains and shipwrecks. The southern section can be driven, while the remote north is mainly visited on fly-in safaris.

Getting there

By road from Swakopmund for the southern section, or by light aircraft

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Photo: MarkDhawn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

National park

Fish River Canyon

ǁKaras Region, Namibia

Africa's largest canyon, about 160 km long and up to 550 m deep, in the far south of Namibia, with the Ai-Ais hot springs at its southern end. It is often combined with a route to or from South Africa.

Best months

May to September

Getting there

By road to Hobas or Ai-Ais

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Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

City

Windhoek

Khomas Region, Namibia

Namibia's capital and main international gateway, in the central highlands, where most self-drive and guided itineraries start and finish. The Christuskirche, completed in 1910, is its best-known landmark.

Getting there

Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH)

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Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Use the programme to understand Namibia’s sense of scale. Compare a desert stay with a wildlife area only when the driving or flying plan leaves enough time to experience both.

Make transfer distances and driving expectations explicit. Ask hosts to distinguish standard lodge activities from separately charged excursions and to confirm access arrangements.

Ask for a written itinerary and inclusions list before accepting. A hosted stay does not automatically include transport or every experience.

• Accommodation, meals and the activities included at each stop.
• International and domestic travel, transfers, fees and any permits.
• Personal costs, cancellation terms and the expected follow-up after the trip.
• Current entry requirements for your passport, travel advice and suitable insurance for the planned activities.

Namibia can be visited all year, but the dry season from May to October is the best time for wildlife viewing, including in Etosha National Park.