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Travel bucket list idea:

Wildlife safaris in the Namib Desert

Swakopmund, Erongo Region, Namibia

|www.livingdesertnamibia.com|
Bucket List Experience
Last updated: 26 June, 2023
Expert travel writer: Richard Holmes

Stretching away from the town, is the glorious, sand-filled wilderness of the Namib desert. ‘Namib’ in the local dialect means ‘vast and empty’, and the visitor’s initial impression is one of dune-filled isolation. But there is life here, and fascinating wildlife tours offer the opportunity to go out and discover the incredible and unusual endemic wildlife that somehow manages to survive here.

Expert guides, driving 4WDs, will take you deep into the dunes to discover ancient rock formations, dune geckos and sidewinder snakes. As you go, they’ll explain the unique geology and ecology of this exceptional landscape.

Full-day tours will also include a visit to the famous ‘Moon Landscape’ outside of Swakopmund, where you’ll encounter welwitschia mirabilis plants, famous for their long, strap-like leaves.

Logistics

Price from: £45
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 4+
When: All year around
Duration: 4-8 hours

Getting there & doing it

Tours are organised by the reliable Living Desert Adventures, based in Swakomund. They’re conducted in well-equipped and comfortable 4WD vehicles, and led by qualified nature guides, skilled at driving in the harsh desert environment.

Children under the age of 12 join the tour at half-price. It’s possible to drive in some desert areas in your own 4WD vehicle, but you’ll see far more – and avoid getting lost – on a professional guided tour. Hotel pick-up within Swakopmund is included.

When to do it

Tours run all year round, seven days a week, usually departing around 8am and returning by midday.

Morning tours are often best, as the regular fog lends an ethereal quality to the desert.

Who to go with: organised tours

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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Living Desert Eco Dune Tour

Swakopmund

Living Desert Eco Dune Tour
Complimentary transfers for central Swakopmund Alternative meeting point Batis Birding Office or Desert Explorers Pick ups between 07h45 - 08h15 (Summer) and 08h15h - 08h45 (Winter) Drop offs between 12h30 - 13h00  Duration +/- 4.5 hours Minimum of 4 participants in total to run the tour (option to join existing bookings) No private tours Included are English speaking guide, vehicle, bottled water and soft drinks, as well as a bite size snack Bring walking shoes, warm jacket, hat and sunscreen Weather dependent

Price: Z950

Min age: 0

Rating 4.85 / 5 [101 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Living Dunes Experience from Swakopmund

Swakopmund

Living Dunes Experience from Swakopmund
This living desert tour is a extraordinary exploration of the coastal dune belt just outside Swakopmund. To the untrained eye the dunes are just a pile of sand, however your skilled and experienced guides will introduce you to a wealth of life. Track Palmato Geckos, sand-diving lizards, the famous fog-basking tok-tokkie beetle, sidewinder snakes, spiders, scorpions, and chameleons. This 3-hour exploration will be rounded out with a short dune drive.

Price: $51

Min age: 3

Rating 4.60 / 5 [63 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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SEE ALL RECOMMENDED TOURS

Who to go with: tour operators

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Our writer’s recommended tour operators to book with

Living Desert Adventures

Living Desert Adventures

Swakopmund, Erongo Region, Namibia

Locally-based, reliable Swakopmund tour operator and wildlife experts that run excellent wildlife safaris into the dunes between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

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Destination guides

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