Namibia

Why choose Namibia?

At nearly four times the size of Great Britain, Namibia is one of the world’s most sparsely populated countries. Shaped by varied cultural influences in its past, Namibia has its own unique feel and is ideal for a honeymoon, family holiday, riding safari or joining a group safari for the adventure of a lifetime. Namibia is visually “stunning”, a photographers paradise. Dynamic landscapes of multi-coloured desert and shifting dunes, vast oceans and shattered wrecks offer endless opportunities for incredible backdrops, whether you are a professional or amateur photographer.

Namibia has so much to offer the traveller. It is steeped in history, geological and natural wonders, big game viewing, fascinating cultures and adventure activities, all topped and tailed by the majestic Fish River Canyon bordering with South Africa and the Caprivi Strip to the east running into Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

Namibia is a brilliant choice of location for a family holiday which offers something for everyone and a true wilderness experience for the ‘adventurers’ of all ages in your family!

With a safe and ordered infrastructure across the whole nation, a self-drive holiday is a viable option as too is self-catered camping. There are other accommodation choices too; B & B’s are extremely comfortable and affordable and the high-end safari lodges offer a sumptuous, luxurious African experience.

There is nothing as exciting as seeing Africa through the eyes of your children when there is so much all around that inspires the senses! You’ll share in their wonder, watch as they digest every little detail, savouring it and storing it for life. Travel Africa is here to help you create life-long memories for your children of precious times spent together as a family in Africa.

REASONS TO VISIT

There are many reasons for choosing Namibia for your family’s African adventure holiday:

• The time difference to the UK is minimal which helps children adjust and sleep.
• The weather! Namibia has more days of sunshine than almost anywhere and without the humidity.
• There are many areas that have NO dangerous animals, not even snakes or mosquitoes as it’s too dry.
• When travelling with younger children there are many areas in Namibia that are malaria free.
• Self-Drive and Self-Catered Camping help to keep costs down, perfect for large families! If you want to be adventurous you can hire a 4x4 all kitted out for proper camping. There are good campsites in most of the national parks where you can stay whilst going on safari and lots of adventure activities to make your holiday unforgettable.

FAMILY ADVENTURE

With so much to ‘see and do’ for everyone in the family, you can combine so much of interest and keep active in Namibia. Namibia is home to some of the most diverse activities of any country in Africa. Children don’t have to be stuck on a game vehicle every morning and afternoon but can enjoy all sorts of things such as climbing dunes, kayaking amongst seals, meeting Bushmen, viewing flamingos, tracking elephant, bartering for wooden animals in markets and of course time on safari.

The coastal wetlands at Walvis Bay has a huge array of sea birds and colonies of Cape Fur seals. Its coastal dunes are ideal for adventure activities such as sandboarding, parasailing and quadbiking, fun for all the family!

Namibia is a superb riding safari destination boasting wonderful wildlife and vast tranquil wildness with dramatic desert scenery. Namibia offers you the chance to explore unique and spectacular landscapes across areas many people never get to see. The country caters for most levels of riders and also offers fascinating programmes for non-riders, especially for the avid photographer.

The incredible panoramic views across vast open landscapes are some of the best in Africa. For novices, professional riding lessons will teach you everything that you need to know about horses covering the basics of ‘English riding’ gradually building up to the final goal of hacking in the Namibian bush. Professional guides will assist you onto the tracks and it won’t take long before your bush adventure begins!

Sure-footed trekking horses and Namibia’s wild and romantic landscapes offer a true riding safari adventure not for the faint-hearted. Explore this country on horseback for a truly unforgettable experience.

For further ideas please contact us. We are always happy to chat to you about your riding experience and recommend options that would best suit you.

Enjoy wonderful birds and wildlife (for the naturalist), beautiful and immensely contrasting landscapes (for the photographer), natural geological wonders (for the geologist), adventure for the active, as well as the immense constellations (for the astronomer). The country’s history (for the historian) is an eclectic mix of German, Afrikaans and African cultures making both the architecture and cuisine an adventure and journey of discovery in itself.

Namibia is a vast country dominated by the Namib Desert, an extensive inland plateau and stunning geological mountain ranges. From the lush, northern Caprivi Strip and the wildlife of Etosha National Park to the vast and unforgettable Namib Desert and the desolate Skeleton Coast, Namibia has something to offer everyone.

If you’re looking for an adventure holiday but would prefer not to self-drive, a guided tour or safari would offer the ideal solution. We have a range of scheduled tours with set departure dates available throughout the year. These are based on a minimum number of participants (usually 2 or 4 people depending on the tour). Alternatively, we can offer a tailor-made option for each tour and design the itinerary around your preferred dates and interests. We have a range of accommodated and camping tours available or a combination of the two.

Namibia is one of the best self-drive destinations in Africa allowing you to enjoy the highlights of the country at your own pace. It has an excellent infrastructure with a network of good paved and gravel roads combined with a wide choice of accommodation options from campsites and guesthouses to safari lodges.

Self-drive safaris are one of our most popular options in Namibia. You can travel as a couple, with your family or a group of friends offering a cost-effective way of exploring the country. Alternatively, you could join an excellent guided set itinerary safari enabling you to join a Namibian adventure with others.

A fly-in safari is an exclusive way to see Namibia. The truly wild areas such as the renowned Skeleton Coast, Damaraland and Kaokoland in the far North West where the ancient nomadic Himba Tribes still live, are more remote and best accessed by light aircraft. Fly-in safaris offer an alternative to long journeys on the road and allows you to enjoy many of Namibia’s highlights in a relaxed atmosphere.

Consider combining flying with self-drive so you can make your holiday both encompassing and affordable. All our example itineraries can be tailored to suit you so please contact us with your interests and we can design your tailor-made holiday to Namibia.

Namibia is not merely a safari destination, but an experience where you can be yourself, be alone or just be …

ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS IN NAMIBIA
Whether you choose to travel ‘on’ or ‘off’ the beaten track, do a self-drive safari or be guided, there is accommodation to suit all. From luxury lodges to fully-serviced mobile camps, from bed and breakfast accommodation to self-catering campsites, Namibia welcomes the traveller with a sense of adventure.

At Outposts Travel Africa we know many of the lodge and accommodation owners personally and we entrust them with providing our guests with a wonderful, memorable African holiday experience.

You can also trust us to recommend both the type of accommodation that we think is best suited to you and your itinerary and also which offers the best value for money and quality of experience for your budget.

LODGES AND TENTED CAMPS
These camps enable a heavenly glimpse into spectacularly beautiful areas of Namibia and can often only be reached by light aircraft. If you are looking for a luxury safari where you can combine the best wilderness areas with very comfortable accommodation, excellent food and wine and experienced guides, there are some great choices.

As in many countries in Africa these top-end camps and lodges are built with imagination using natural local building materials and art in order to blend in and harmonise with the environment; encouraging the animals to walk surprisingly close when all is quiet.

HOTELS, B&B’S AND GUESTHOUSES
Hotels in Namibia are very well regulated and every medium-sized town will have at least one small hotel. This is often the only bar and restaurant in town too! Usually family-run, they offer clean, basic rooms at sensible prices. In the bigger towns like Windhoek and Swakopmund there is a much greater choice.

Bed & Breakfast accommodation is comfortable with en-suite rooms and friendly, welcoming owners. Many B & B’s will have a small swimming pool and you get a great big breakfast! Dinner can often be arranged with prior notice.

Travel Africa’s DD Kingscote says: “I love B & B’s and always recommend them as the best way of getting a true feel of a country and to meet the locals.”

Guest Houses are creeping in, some are more upmarket – like boutique hotels; all are a real treat. Namibia also offers lots of Guest Farms and like B & B’s they are a great way of meeting the locals, getting a true feel for the country and its wide open spaces. Often they offer excellent hiking; sometimes horse riding and many farms have wild plains game living on their land.

SELF-CATERING CAMPSITES
There are 23 declared game reserves and parks in Namibia managed by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. Most of these parks have some kind of self-catering accommodation or well serviced campsites which are brilliant for a guided tented safari exploration for all the family.

With so much choice and variety it really is important that you receive the right advice and guidance about your holiday accommodation. So, contact us today to start planning your unforgettable African adventure!