16 Day North-West Namibia Adventure

This 16-day camping adventure explores northwest Namibia, also known as the Kunene Region (formerly Kaokoland), one of the country’s most unexplored areas boasting an abundance of desert-adapted wildlife, cultural diversity and ever-changing landscapes, enough to blow the mind.

From Windhoek, the first stop is Etosha National Park, one of Southern Africa’s premier game reserves and famed for its incredible wildlife sightings. Spend 2 nights camping at Okaukuejo, where big game including elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, giraffe and more enjoying the floodlit waterhole well into the evening.

In stark contrast to Etosha, the next destination is the Kunene River, one of Namibia’s few perennial rivers and hope to a seemingly tropical paradise with Makalani palms lining the river and the thundering drop of Epupa Falls just a short walk away. Enjoy a full day exploring this incredible area, meeting the local Himba tribe, and an optional river cruise to see the area from a different perspective.

From Epupa, spend 1 night in Opuwo, the capital of Kaokoland, before heading west into the ‘desert’. Here, landscapes are ever-changing from rocky mountain passes to dry river crossings to floodplains scattered with roaming cattle, desert-dwelling wildlife and on occasion, a remote Himba village. From here, spend the next week exploring the ephemeral river beds of the Khumib, Hoarusib and Hoanib, where desert-adapted elephant, giraffe and lion roam and birds from hornbills to vultures to bee-eaters nest in the trees providing the landscape’s natural soundtrack.

The chance to spot Namibia’s desert-adapted wildlife is one not to miss. Desert adapted elephant can be found in just 2 countries globally, Namibia and Mali, and their special adaptations allow them to go long periods without water which, in comparison to their Etosha cousins, who need around 100L of water per day to survive, is an impressive feat.

This area is also home to the desert-dwelling Angolan giraffe and one of the worlds most successful conservation stories thanks to long term ongoing research by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Here the population of free-roaming giraffe continues to grow, highlighting the region and community conservation success.

From the ephemeral rivers in the Kunene Region, the next stop is the Palmwag Concession. The landscape changes from sandy riverbeds to basalt rocks and Euphorbia Damarana as far as the eye can see. Here Namibia’s black rhino population continues to thrive under the watchful eye of conservationists like the Save The Rhino Trust.

With just 1 last stop of the way back to Windhoek, we make our way through Southern Damaraland, visit Twyfelfontein and meeting the local Damara people before arriving at Spitzkoppe, Namibia’s Matterhorn, a collection of impressive granite peaks that seemingly rise from nowhere. This area is a hiker’s and photographers paradise!

For those looking to get off the beaten track but avoid the camping adventure, why not consider a fly-in safari exploring Northwest Namibia and staying at some of countries premier lodges, known for their incredible locations and spectacular experiences.