Namibian Family Adventurer

Overview

From big dunes to big cats, discover how alive and diverse the desert can be

The sun is rising and we are sat on top of one of the highest dunes in the world. A burst of orange and red explodes on the surrounding landscape as warm rays caress the shifting sand. We are in Sossusvlei. Over the coming days, we explore the amazing diversity of Namibia. Sit by watering holes watching wildlife, hike through rock formations to ancient engravings, enjoy Viennese-style cake shops and discover a country where the desert scenery changes with every turn and the night sky sparkles with countless stars.

Highlights

Embark on a family adventure in Namibia to seek extraordinary wildlife and landscapes
Marvel at the mountainous dunes of Sossusvlei in the early morning light
Safari in Etosha National Park, with two full days searching for elephants, lions and more
Step back 2,000 years and see the White Lady rock painting made by San hunter-gatherers
Track rhinos with the help of an expert local guide
Camp under the starry African sky – with all the chores done for you!

Key Information

Accommodation: 5 Classic nights (lodges and chalets), 7 Simple nights (full-service camping)
Travel by overland truck with standing space and a reference library
Group normally 8 to 14, plus leader. Designed for 13 to 16-year-olds, also suitable for 9 to 12-year-olds

Included

All breakfasts, four lunches and five dinners
All accommodation
All transport and listed activities
Tour leader throughout
Arrival transfer for any flight, group departure transfer available

Not included

Travel insurance
Single accommodation (available on request)
Visas or vaccinations

Itinerary

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Day 1: Start Windhoek
We begin the adventure at Arebbusch Lodge, where you can wash off the journey with a dip in the pool. There is a welcome briefing this evening, a good chance to get to know the group a little and ask any questions you may have. Accommodation: Arebbusch Lodge (or similar)
Day 2: Drive through Namib-Naukluft National Park to Sesriem
Today we embark on our longest drive of the trip as we head southwest through the spectacular scenery of Namib-Naukluft National Park to our first campsite at Sesriem. This national park, one of the largest in the world, is home to one of the driest and oldest deserts on Earth. It contains the finest desert scenery in Africa, if not the world, with towering, jagged rock formations and incredible lunar landscapes. Drive: 220mi (350km), seven hours Accommodation: NWR Sesriem Campsite (or similar)
Day 3: Sossusvlei dunes and the Namib Carnivore Conservation Centre
We spend all day in the Namib Desert. Rising early, we catch the tallest dunes in the world in the best light and have the opportunity to climb one as the sun rises, truly one of the great sights in Africa. We can either walk to Hiddenvlei (a 1hr 45min round walk) or catch a transfer (optional extra) to Deadvlei where ancient acacia trees in the desert form an eerie scene. If we’re lucky, we may see gemsbok or ostriches among the dunes. In the afternoon, we visit Sesriem Canyon before joining a guide to see the cheetahs at the Namib Carnivore Conservation Centre (please see Responsible Travel section) – depending on time we may go tomorrow morning. Drive: 125mi (200km), three hours Accommodation: Solitaire Guest Farm campsite (or similar) Upgrade from camping to a room today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Day 4: Travel through Namib Desert to Swakopmund via Walvis Bay
We have a long, but very scenic, drive through the Namib-Naukluft National Park to Swakopmund. En route, we visit Walvis Bay for lunch and to see flamingos. A centre for adrenaline activities, Swakopmund is a small German colonial resort town with quaint cake shops and coffee houses. Drive: 185mi (300km), 5hr 30min Accommodation: Prost Hotel (or similar)
Day 5: Full day in Swakopmund with optional activities
Today is spent in and around Swakopmund. There is time to go fishing, relax on the beach, or enjoy a cream tea and a seafood dinner along the front. If you’re keen for action, there are enough options for the whole family such as experiencing the thrill of quad biking over dunes or try the popular sport of sandboarding. Accommodation: Prost Hotel (or similar)
Day 6: Drive to the Brandberg
After a relaxing start, we leave the cool breeze of the Atlantic Ocean and head inland towards the highest mountain in Namibia, the Brandberg, in Damaraland. The Damaraland area is famous for desert elephants, which roam the Ugab River; there may be the option of a 4×4 game drive looking for them, if there's time. Alternatively, you can do this tomorrow morning instead of the walk to the White Lady painting. In the evening, we turn our attention to the skies – stargazing is normally spectacular from this remote area. Drive: 155mi (250km), 4hr 30min Accommodation: Brandberg White Lady Lodge campsite (or similar) Upgrade from camping to a room today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Day 7: Walk through Valley 45 to White Lady painting
We begin our day with a short drive to the Brandberg, where we walk through valley 45 for approximately 1hr 30min. Along the way, we view beautiful, granite formations and a variety of birdlife. The valley takes us to the White Lady rock painting, which, along with several other small paintings and engravings, are thought to have been left by indigenous San people at least 2,000 years ago (please note, if elephants walk into this area then it might be too dangerous to do the walk; in this case, we typically go on a game drive looking for elephants). Afterwards, we drive towards the Khorixas area where we should pass various Himba and Herero women selling crafts from the roadside. There is also the possibility of spotting desert elephants and meerkats on the way. We arrive at our accommodation after lunch. Drive: 145mi (230km), four hours Accommodation: Igowati Lodge (or similar)
Day 8: To Etosha National Park
The first day is spent with a scenic drive to Etosha. We should arrive in time for a late afternoon game drive before setting up at our camp. Our itinerary allows plenty of time to really enjoy this fabulous game park. Drive: 150mi (240km), 3hr 30min Accommodation: Okakuejo (or similar) Upgrade from camping to a room today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Day 9 - 10: Two days on game drives in Etosha
Etosha is a huge park of mixed forest and grassland centred around a large saltpan. Etosha is home to a great variety of species, which are generally easy to find as the animals congregate at different times around the waterholes. Wildebeest, zebras, impalas, springbok, kudus, elephants, giraffes, lions and even rhinos are all common sights here. Take plenty of camera memory and lots of patience and you will be rewarded by one of the greatest game spectacles in southern Africa. Etosha is also a good place for birds, with plenty of water birds on the lakes (when filled with water), and weaverbirds and hornbills in the trees. While in Etosha, we typically stay within the park on some or all of the nights (subject to availability) and some of these are next to waterholes. These camps also offer optional night drives which you can book and pay for on arrival. Accommodation (Day 9): Okakuejo (or similar) Accommodation (Day 10): Namutomi (or similar) Upgrade from camping to a room – speak to your sales representative for more details Day 9 meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 10 meals included: Breakfast
Day 11: To Otjiwarongo
After a relaxing start to the morning, we have a short game drive out of Etosha before making our way to Otjiwarongo, where we stop for lunch. We then spend our final night of camping under the African sky on a private farm. Drive: 235mi (380km), six hours Accommodation: Otjiwa Safari Camp (or similar) Upgrade from camping to a room – speak to your sales representative for more details
Day 12: Rhino tracking and the Waterberg Plateau
Start early today to see rhinos up close! We’re led by a well-trained guide who tracks the rhinos by vehicle; once they're spotted, we carefully get closer to the rhinos on foot. This is an incredible experience, allowing the group to admire rhinos from a safe distance. In the afternoon, we drive to the gigantic Waterberg Plateau, a 655ft (200m) high plateau covered with bushveld. It is one of the more fertile areas in Namibia and very colourful, especially after the rains. Here, there are several walking trails, including one leading to a viewpoint near the top of the plateau for a great view. In addition to a guided walk, there are many smaller walks to explore without a guide. Drive: 75mi (120km), two hours Accommodation: NWR Waterberg Lodge (or similar)
Day 13: Transfer to Windhoek; depart Windhoek
A 3hr 30min drive brings us back to Windhoek, where our adventure ends. Bid farewell to new-found friends and begin your return journey home. If you’d like the adventure to continue, speak to our sales representative about extending your stay. Drive: 200mi (320km), 3hr 30min Please note: The group transfer back to Windhoek is scheduled to align with a chosen flight to London, UK; therefore, you should not book flights leaving before then. Please contact your sales representative for the timings of this flight.

Important Information

The trip destination

Accommodation: 5 Classic nights (lodges and chalets), 7 Simple nights (full-service camping)
Travel by overland truck with standing space and a reference library
Group normally 8 to 14, plus leader. Designed for 13 to 16-year-olds, also suitable for 9 to 12-year-olds

Food

All breakfasts, four lunches and five dinners are included. For meals not included, allow approximately 190 Namibian dollars (US$13) per person. Camp meals are wholesome and plentiful, but do not expect cordon bleu cuisine and please note it is not always easy to get a wide range of fresh vegetables. However, generally the standard of food is good. Vegetarians are well catered for but please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests. Please note, the availability of certain products can be minimal or non-existent, for example wheat- or dairy-free. Please be prepared for this – you may be best advised to bring these items from home.

Weather

June, July and August, while clear and warm during the day, can be cold and even freezing at night. Between September and May, it is considerably warmer with the time between October and April being the hottest, when it often reaches 30C (86F). However, it is always a dry heat and the temperature does drop at night. The wet season is between November and February (this can vary a month either side), but this is not a bad time to go as the desert blooms after rainfall and it never rains for very long.

Is this trip for you?

This trip has been graded Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page.

Though this trip has been designed for 13 to 16-year-olds, it’s also suitable for nine to 12-year-olds. Our Family trips are aimed at children in the primary age group, so if your child is in the secondary age group, they may find it a little harder. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

Drive times are moderate and we normally arrive at our destination by lunch or just after. We rarely exceed six hours of driving in one day. The road conditions are dependent on how they are being maintained at the time and, on occasion, conditions can be poor. This can have an impact on journey times as well as comfort and can be punishing on the vehicles. There are breaks on the longer drives and there is also a reference library in the vehicle.

We use a combination of lodges, chalets and campsites. Due to the limited amount of accommodation within Etosha National Park, it may be necessary to sleep outside the park on some or all of the nights we are there. This will not impact the number of game drives we have within the park.

We visit some areas with malaria. Activities such as climbing a dune at Sossusvlei and the walk to the White Lady painting could be challenging for younger children but there is the option to skip them. Most days involve early starts with our days in Sossusvlei and Etosha beginning before sunrise.

During the cooler months, please bring adequate warm clothing, especially for the evenings when the temperature can drop quickly when the sun goes down. It can also get very warm from September to May, so please pack accordingly.

sdsd AVAILABLE DATES	PRICE (1 ADULT)	PRICE (1 CHILDREN)	Single room supplement	TRAVEL STATUS
Thu, 09 Jul 2026 / Tue, 21 Jul 2026	NOK 30 905 NOK 29 425	NOK 23 175	NOK 3 430	Available
Sun, 19 Jul 2026 / Fri, 31 Jul 2026	NOK 30 905 NOK 27 810	NOK 23 175	NOK 3 430	Available
Sun, 02 Aug 2026 / Fri, 14 Aug 2026	NOK 30 905	NOK 23 175	NOK 3 430	Available
Sun, 23 Aug 2026 / Fri, 04 Sep 2026	NOK 30 905	NOK 23 175	NOK 3 430	Available
Sat, 24 Oct 2026 / Thu, 05 Nov 2026	NOK 30 905	NOK 23 175	NOK 3 430	Available
Mon, 21 Dec 2026 / Sat, 02 Jan 2027	NOK 30 905	NOK 23 175	NOK 3 430	Available
Sun, 18 Jul 2027 / Fri, 30 Jul 2027	NOK 32 245	NOK 24 180	NOK 3 560	Available
Sun, 25 Jul 2027 / Fri, 06 Aug 2027	NOK 32 245	NOK 24 180	NOK 3 560	Available
Sun, 01 Aug 2027 / Fri, 13 Aug 2027	NOK 32 245	NOK 24 180	NOK 3 560	Available
Sun, 08 Aug 2027 / Fri, 20 Aug 2027	NOK 32 245	NOK 24 180	NOK 3 560	Available
Sun, 15 Aug 2027 / Fri, 27 Aug 2027	NOK 32 245	NOK 24 180	NOK 3 560	Available
Sat, 23 Oct 2027 / Thu, 04 Nov 2027	NOK 32 245	NOK 24 180	NOK 3 560	Available
Mon, 20 Dec 2027 / Sat, 01 Jan 2028	NOK 32 245	NOK 24 180	NOK 3 560	Available

AVAILABLE DATES	PRICE (1 ADULT)	PRICE (1 CHILDREN)	SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT	TRAVEL STATUS
Thu, 09 Jul 2026 / Tue, 21 Jul 2026	NOK 30 905 NOK 29 425	On request	NOK 3 430	On request
Sun, 19 Jul 2026 / Fri, 31 Jul 2026	NOK 30 905 NOK 27 810	On request	NOK 3 430	On request
Sun, 02 Aug 2026 / Fri, 14 Aug 2026	NOK 30 905	On request	NOK 3 430	On request
Sun, 23 Aug 2026 / Fri, 04 Sep 2026	NOK 30 905	On request	NOK 3 430	On request
Sat, 24 Oct 2026 / Thu, 05 Nov 2026	NOK 30 905	On request	NOK 3 430	On request
Mon, 21 Dec 2026 / Sat, 02 Jan 2027	NOK 30 905	On request	NOK 3 430	On request
Sun, 18 Jul 2027 / Fri, 30 Jul 2027	NOK 32 245	On request	NOK 3 560	On request
Sun, 25 Jul 2027 / Fri, 06 Aug 2027	NOK 32 245	On request	NOK 3 560	On request
Sun, 01 Aug 2027 / Fri, 13 Aug 2027	NOK 32 245	On request	NOK 3 560	On request
Sun, 08 Aug 2027 / Fri, 20 Aug 2027	NOK 32 245	On request	NOK 3 560	On request
Sun, 15 Aug 2027 / Fri, 27 Aug 2027	NOK 32 245	On request	NOK 3 560	On request
Sat, 23 Oct 2027 / Thu, 04 Nov 2027	NOK 32 245	On request	NOK 3 560	On request
Mon, 20 Dec 2027 / Sat, 01 Jan 2028	NOK 32 245	On request	NOK 3 560	On request

Namibian Family Adventurer

Overview

Itinerary

Photos

Important Information

Prices / Dates