Sample Trip

Classic Namibian Flying Safari

“A 6-night flying itinerary to the NamibRand, Hoanib Valley and the Skeleton Coast, with option to include Etosha”
Budget level: High-End
Country
Namibia
When to Go
All year
Duration
6 Nights
Safari Type
Flying, Lodge and Canvas
Location
Damaraland, Etosha National Park, Kaokoland, Namib-Naukluft, Northern Namibia Safaris, Southern Namibia
Kids Min Age
12

Join us on a 6-night Namibia flying safari and experience the best of Namibia’s vast and varied landscapes, including the iconic dunes of Sossusvlei, the fascinating, desert-adapted species of the Hoanib Valley and the intriguing Skeleton Coast. The itinerary may also be customised to include a wildlife safari in Etosha.


Itinerary in Brief

2 Nights Kwessi Dunes Lodge

2 Nights Hoanib Valley Camp

2 Nights Shipwreck Lodge

OPTIONAL:  2 Nights Onguma Tented Camp

10Hoanib Valley Camp Arial tents at dusk

This flying safari begins in Windhoek, where you’ll meet your pilot and take to the skies for the flight to Kwessi Dunes!

Spend two days exploring the magic that is NamibRand and Kwessi Dunes. The vastness of the area makes for the ideal place to explore on quad bike, hot air balloon or a helicopter flight. The sunset from one of the red dunes with G&T in hand will leave you speechless, guaranteed!

Board your plane and head north west over Sossusvlei and along the coast viewing where ‘desert meets ocean’ and all the shipwrecks from yonder year. Do a quick stopover in Swakopmund for refuelling and lunch before you head up the REAL skeleton Coast, destination Hoanib Valley Camp. Spend two days in one of the most scenic locations and camps in Africa! Search for desert adapted animals, including giraffe, elephant, rhino and lion. Also meet the local Himba, this is as good at it gets!

Then leave the plane behind, get onboard a 4×4 and head down the Hoanib River towards the coast, with a chance to see the large elephant herds that calls this home. This day trip is one of the most scenic in Africa and an unforgettable experience! In the afternoon arrive at the coast with white sand dunes replacing the harsh terrain. You have arrived at one of the most remote camps in Africa, Shipwreck Lodge.

Spend two days on the real Skeleton Coast for that eerie and mysterious feeling whilst enjoying the many activities on offer. At night sleep in your cosy cabin amongst the dunes with a log fire to keep you warm. Once again just magical, leaving you in awe!

On the last morning fly back to Windhoek or continue for two nights at Etosha for the best game viewing in Namibia! The itinerary can be designed to any of the camps or lodges at Etosha.

There are scheduled departures for the 6-night tour every Sunday throughout the year, from March 2021.

Frankly, this is one of the VERY BEST tours in the whole of Africa!

Detailed Itinerary

Night 1 and 2: NamibRand - Kwessi Dunes

Namibia is awe-inspiringly impressive from all angles, but viewing the landscapes from a small plane, high in the sky, is magical. This flying safari begins in Windhoek, where you’ll meet your pilot and take to the skies for the flight to Kwessi Dunes in the NamibRand Nature Reserve. As you near the reserve, you’ll fly over the iconic, blood-red dunes stretching for as far as the eye can see.

ACCOMMODATION:

2 nights at Kwessi Dunes, a classic canvas-and-thatch lodge in the heart of the striking NamibRand Nature Reserve that offers an escape from the modern world and a chance to reconnect with the wild.

ACTIVITIES:

  • Day trip to the dunes of Sossusvlei (included).
  • Morning and afternoon scenic drives and walks in the NamibRand Nature Reserve.
  • Quad biking.
  • Hot air ballooning and heli flights (at an extra cost).
  • Star gazing; the NamibRand is Africa’s first International Dark Sky Reserve.

Nights 3 and 4: Damaraland - Hoanib Valley Camp

This morning, it’s back to the plane for a flight towards the Atlantic Coast!

As the plane veers northwards, you’ll pass the Eduard Bohlen, one of the most famous shipwrecks on the coastline that came adrift in 1909, as well as Conception Bay and Sandwich Harbour. You’ll then land in Swakopmund for a seafood lunch on the beach and a brief tour of the quaint town, before continuing north in the plane. This dramatic coastline was nicknamed the “gates to hell” by Portuguese sailors who had to navigate the powerful currents in their quest to round the Cape of Good Hope, and the Atlantic Ocean’s power is visible from the air as it hits the rocky coastline. From the air, glimpses of the remnants of shipwrecks are still visible and a stark reminder of nature’s power.

The plane will then turn inland toward the Hoanib Valley and it’s now that you’ll start to appreciate the mindboggling vastness of the country…

ACCOMMODATION:

2 nights at Hoanib Valley Camp, an elegant tented camp located amongst the towering mountains and sand dunes of north-western Namibia.

ACTIVITIES:

  • Morning and afternoon desert game drives to search for desert-adapted giraffe, elephant, lion and rhino.
  • Learn about the giraffe research conducted in the area.
  • Nature walks through the dry riverbeds and dunes. • Spending a morning or afternoon with the local Himba communities.

Nights 5 and 6: Skeleton Coast - Shipwreck Lodge

Today, you’ll swap two wings for four wheels for the drive to the Skeleton Coast.

The full-day journey is one of the most spectacular drives on the continent, and you will travel along the ephemeral Hoanib River, home to large herds of elephant. From there, the route follows the course of the Hoarusib River, where dry plains give way to a clay-baked landscape, and as the salty sea breeze begins to pick up, so the landscape turns to white sand dunes.

ACCOMMODATION:

2 nights at the award-winning Shipwreck Lodge, designed to resemble the shipwrecks that line the hauntingly beautiful Skeleton Coast.

ACTIVITIES :

  • Trips to the Mowe Bay seal colony, including stops at the Suiderkus and Karimona shipwrecks, Westies diamond mine, and the remains of the Ventura Bomber.
  • Sundowner drives to the roaring dunes. • Full day 4×4 Hoarusib River excursions, including the Clay Castles and wildlife spotting.
  • Beach lunches.
  • Quad biking and sand boarding.

OPTIONAL- Nights 7 and 8: Etosha - Onguma Tented Camp

Add on two nights at the Onguma Private Reserve, that shares a border with the famous Etosha National Park in the east. The reserve offers unspoiled landscapes and a sense of tranquillity and solitude. Wildlife-wise, you’ll find lion, cheetah and many of Namibia’s fascinating desert species, but the reserve is probably most famous for its strong population of black and white rhino. Game drives into Etosha National Park are also on offer.

The two nights can also be done at any of the other lodges or camps around Etosha.

When To Go

Ready for the MOST scenic flying safari in Africa? Talk to us!

Contact SAFARI FRANK to get started on your safari of a lifetime!