Mar 22, 2022 BY AWE365 Team
Wildlife watching is great, but the traditional safari is a soft adventure. If you want more excitement with your fauna then the best adventure safaris in Namibia might be for you. So check out these top 7 Namibian wildlife experiences to find out how to combine animals with activities.
Whether you are a seasoned backpacker or a novice traveller, Namibia offers a wealth of unforgettable experiences. There can be a ‘been there, done that’ attitude when it comes to travelling. But Namibia is one of those places that breaks that mold!
Travel has changed in that last decade or two. Social media, and the endless goal to get the most Instagramable image, has a lot to answer for. Taking a photo (or ten) is fine. But taking hundreds, moving things (including other people) that ‘ruin the view’, adjusting your hair or make up all detract from the experience.
The resulting picture perfect photos spread like wildfire across the web. But they don’t help. While some inspire, many just make people feel inadequate, like they cannot compete so why bother? This is not what travel is about. You should travel to see something with your own eyes rather than through a smart phone screen.
And Namibia is the perfect place to break this pattern. Views are so breath-taking that you stand before them in awe. You’ll be too paralyzed with beauty to even take a picture, let alone posting to social media or using Instagram as a blog.
In this land of contrasts, you can climb the highest sand dunes in the world or descend into the deepest canyon in Africa. Explore the oldest and driest desert on the planet or visit vibrant future looking cities where the population remain deeply connected to their rich, cultural past.
Namibia has a stable and democratic government and is a fairly safe destination. The infrastructure is good and allows guests to move confidently between destinations and off the beaten path. Like the sound of all this? Then check out www.safarigo.com to find great Namibian wildlife experiences.
From surreal desert landscapes to world-class game viewing, abundant coastal waters to salt pans and deep canyons to rolling savannahs, Namibia has it all. In fact the Etosha Pan and Skeleton Coast are in second spot in the top 10 African safari holidays with Naturetrek.
So now we have established that the best adventure safaris in Namibia are well worth your time you’ll want to know where to go! Check out seven of Namibia’s must see adventurous wildlife highlights below:
Located in Namib-Nauklut National Park, which is in the heart of the desert, Sossusvlei looks like a cross between a moonscape and a Salvador Dali painting. These are the oldest sand dunes in the world, and in some places they reach over 300 meters high. As you can imagine, the sunrise and sunset is spectacular in Sossusvlei.
Besides the stunning dunes themselves, visitors can enjoy sandboarding, quad biking, hiking, animal tracking and hot-air balloon flights. Plus the wildlife you can see includes ostrich, springbok, gemsbok, brown and spotted hyena bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal, porcupine, Cape fox and aardwolf.
If you are booking Africa activity holidays, then chances are you want to see some of the big five. Estosha National Park has four of these with just the buffalo missing – lions, Leopards and elephants are common and it is one of the few African national parks that have a white and black rhino population (albeit sightings are rare).
The park offers 32,000 square kilometres of salts pans, deserts and savannahs. You can also see zebras, springbok, dik dik, giraffe, wildebeest, hartebeest plus much more. Furthermore there are more than 340 different species of birds found here. It’s of the top Namibian wildlife experiences if you want a traditional safari.
Situated in southern Namibia, Fish River Canyon is an ideal place to hike and view wildlife. It is 550 metres deep making it one of the deepest canyons in the world. The trail that loops through the canyon, offers hikers a stunning array of scenic views of all angles of the gorge.
Plus it is one of the best adventure safaris in Namibia. The area is home to at at least 56 species of large mammal and many birds. You could see leopard, Hartmann’s mountain zebra, springbok, gemsbok, red hartebeest, kudu, klipspringer, gemsbok, ostrich, ground squirrel, meercat and much more.
Feel the thrill and excitement of a safari combined with a self driving one of the least travelled roads in the world. 310 miles long the unpaved, and at times steep, C28 from Windhoek to the coastal resort of Swakopmund only sees around 10 vehicles a day. So hop in a 4×4 and enjoy the scenic beauty of the desert at your own pace.
The drive takes at least five hours, but you’ll want to stop to take in the views and any wildlife you encounter along the way. Passing through the Namib-Naukluft National Park you can see oryx, kudu, giraffe, springbok, black-backed jackals, African wild cats, aardvarks and leopards. Plus around 340 species of birds and many reptiles.
Driving the Skeleton Coast is a great addition to the c28 route above. It’s the northern part of the Atlantic coast of Namibia, head north from Swakop River to the Kunene River across the boarder in Angola. It is as sandy and as inhospitable a place as you’ll find. But it is stunningly beautiful, with endless surf rolling in from Atlantic swells.
Despite a serious lack of rainfall you’ll spot Gemsbok (oryx), springbok, steenbok, scrub hare, and inquisitive ground squirrels. The Skeleton Coast also hosts Cape fur seals in their thousands along with black-backed jackals and brown hyena. Easily one of the best adventure safaris in Namibia if you fancy some 4×4 overlanding.
Damaraland is one of Namibia’s most dramatic and beautiful wilderness areas. It is a harsh land of stark plains and ancient mountains. Full of geological wonders and vistas that turn from rust coloured to purple as the sun sets. In Tywfelfontein you can view San rock art dating back 6000 years.
Home to fascinating desert-adapted wildlife, Damaraland is perfect for walking safaris, 4×4 drives and can be viewed from a hot air balloon. Track rhinos, spot desert-adapted elephants and learn of their survival skills in this arid place. A guided scorpion night walk using a UV spotlighting is as unique a safari experience as you’ll find.
One of the top 7 Namibian wildlife experiences is an ocean safari from Walvis Bay, Namibia’s second largest city. View the stunning African coast from the water. Enjoy fresh oysters and a glass of wine as you watch dolphins and seals. With luck you’ll also encounter humpback and southern right whales.
We hope you found this guide to the top 7 wildlife experiences in Namibia inspirational! Please check out our Namibia adventure travel page for more ideas.
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