Exotic hiking in Namibia

We are traveling towards Namibia. The itinerary will vary based on where you are coming from. For some people, you will not have to leave until day 2 of the program. Group tours from Norway meet at Oslo Airport, and have a stopover before arriving in Windhoek. For other departures, airfare and tickets will not be included in the program, unless otherwise agreed.

Upon arrival in the Namibian capital, we are warmly welcomed by our local friends. We take our seats in the minibus waiting for us and head south. After a long drive, we arrive at our lovely little hotel for the night, located at the foot of the red sand dunes of the Kalahari Desert. There will be a welcome dinner early in the evening where we’ll go over the itinerary for the next few days.

We start with a hearty breakfast and continue south to Keetmannshoop. Along the way, we stop in a forest of so-called quiver trees. These unique plants grow only in southern Namibia and northern South Africa. They are highly heat-resistant and can survive many months without rain thanks to their ability to store water. In the afternoon, we arrive at our lodge near Fish River Canyon. Here we enjoy a delicious dinner and take one last shower before the next few days. We go over the itinerary, pack, and prepare for the exciting trip that starts tomorrow.

Fish River Canyon in Namibia is the largest canyon in Africa and the second largest in the world! Only a few people are allowed to hike here each day, so we’ll be practically alone in this spectacular natural setting. After breakfast at our lodge, we’ll grab our pre-packed backpacks—packed for five days—and we’ll be ready to go. We’ll drive about an hour to the starting point of our expedition through Fish River Canyon. At Hikers View Point, the descent into the canyon begins, and we’re thrilled that the hike is already underway. Over the next few days in Fish River Canyon, we’ll hike approximately 70 km through the canyon. We’ll be walking through untouched wilderness with no facilities, eating our meals outdoors, and sleeping four nights under the open sky. On the fifth day, we’ve reached our destination and finally arrive at Ai-Ais Resort, a very welcome sight after the long hike through the canyon. We celebrate our achievement with a long-awaited soda and are glad to have reached civilization. We drive back to our lodge and enjoy a nice shower and a delicious dinner. It will be good to sleep in a bed again.

After breakfast, we head north to the Namib Desert. We’ll stop about halfway, in Helmeringhausen, for lunch in the middle of nowhere. Maybe we’ll get to try the delicious apple pie they’re so famous for. After lunch, we continue the drive to the starting point of our exotic desert hike. Upon arrival at the farm, we’ll meet our nature guide, who will take us along the “Tok Tokkie Trail” in the world’s oldest desert. We’ll spend two nights under the vast Namibian starry sky. They have comfortable camp beds, and dinner is served at a stylish table set with white tablecloths, right out here in the desert. Believe it or not, we’ll also have access to a shower and restroom in the wild. We’ll only carry a daypack, as our main luggage will be transported to the next campsite.

We’re woken up by our guide with tea or coffee served in bed just before sunrise. This is a “pinch-yourself” kind of experience that you’ll never forget. The colors in this desert are absolutely magical with their deep, rich orange and reddish hues. This is due to the high iron content. A fantastic breakfast awaits before we continue our hike with a very inspiring local guide who knows every spider hole and trail as well as the back of his hand. It’s fun to go on a discovery tour with him. There’s always something new waiting to be discovered, whether it’s useful plants, beetles, or other insects. Maybe we’ll also get to see South African oryx (antelope) and ostriches. Experiencing the desert at sunset is just as magical an experience as the sunrise.

We wake up to yet another sunrise and eventually hike back to the farm where we started. We drive on toward new adventures, heading north into Namib-Naukluft National Park, the largest national park in Africa and the fourth largest in the world, which encompasses parts of the Namib Desert, numerous sand dunes, and salt flats, as well as the mountains. We drive along the Naukluft Mountains to our lodge, where we’ll spend the night in cozy cabins, not far from the sand dunes of Sossusvlei.

Early in the morning, well before sunrise, we head to the red sand dunes of Sossusvlei. In this photogenic landscape, there are plenty of opportunities to take some stunning photos! From Sossusvlei, we take a shuttle and hike to the top of the dune, “Big Daddy” (325 meters). There’s a lot of sand to traverse here; it’s a tough hike, but it’s absolutely worth it. From the top, there’s a spectacular view of red sand dunes in every direction. We take the shortcut down the dune to Dead Vlei, where the iconic dead trees stand, having died over 600 years ago when the area dried up. Because of the dry air, they haven’t rotted away but stand there like sculptures on the white salt plain. After our hike through this unique landscape, we take the shuttle bus back and drive on through the Buellsport Valley to our next cozy guesthouse.

After an early breakfast, we’ll head into the Namib Naukluft Mountains in the northern part of the national park for a day hike. Today’s hike will first take us up to a plateau overlooking the landscape, then down into a gorge with palm trees, olive trees, and striking, unique rock formations. If we’re lucky, we might encounter mountain zebras, antelopes, and baboons along the way. In the afternoon, we’ll drive a few hours to our safari lodge outside Windhoek, where we’ll have dinner and spend the night. Wild animals such as oryx, impala, springbok, ostriches, wildebeest, and giraffes may be spotted at the waterhole at dusk.

After a magical African sunrise, we’ll have breakfast, and there will be an opportunity to go on a final morning safari in open safari jeeps. It will be a short 45-minute drive to Windhoek International Airport, where we’ll say goodbye to our Namibian friends and head back home.

Depends on where home is, we arrive home today filled with wonderful memories of that unique desert landscape in Africa. On group tours we arrive together in Oslo. Thank you for this time!