Take part in an unforgettable hands-on giraffe conservation journey across north-western Namibia, embarking on a remarkable 9-day safari and staying at three exceptional luxury lodges, where you can find fascinating desert-adapted wildlife.
Travelling through some of Namibia’s most beautiful and rugged landscapes alongside your two guides, both giraffe experts with numerous years of field experience, you can witness first-hand how your contribution can make a meaningful difference. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) is an international science-based conservation organisation providing innovative approaches to save giraffe in the wild.
On this trip, you work alongside their incredible team and conservation partners, aiding their efforts to ensure the long term survival of these majestic ungulates.
Through their extensive work on the ground and partnerships with governments, NGOs and universities, the GCF team discovered that there are four distinct species of giraffe (Masai, northern, reticulated, and southern) in Africa, whereas previously there was thought to be only one. The Angolan giraffe that's the focus of this trip is a subspecies of the southern giraffe. The four species are geographically isolated and each have unique characteristics which allow them to survive in their varied environments.
Approximately only 117,000 giraffe remain in the wild, and so understanding these differences is crucial to effective conservation efforts. This finding has elevated the conservation importance towards certain species as some populations have dwindled so significantly in the wild that they are classified as Critically Endangered, in the case of Kordofan and Nubian giraffes (both subspecies of the northern giraffe).
On arrival in Windhoek, after passing immigration and customs, you're collected from the airport and transported to the AM Weinberg Hotel. Once you've settled into your new surroundings, there's a welcome dinner where you meet the Executive Director and co-founder of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
Accommodation: Am Weinberg Hotel, 1-night
Following a good night's sleep, you drive north from Windhoek to your next accommodation, Etosha Mountain Lodge within the Etosha Heights Private Reserve. Over the next few days you learn about the conservation research carried out by GCF and their partners in the larger Etosha landscape from Martina Küsters, GCF’s Etosha Heights Conservation Centre Coordinator.
Fittingly for this itinerary, the reserve is a conservation success story itself, transforming from a hunting concession into a wildlife haven with free movement for the animals between Etosha Heights and the national park.
Accommodation: Etosha Mountain Lodge, 2-nights
During your time here, Martina and the team will show you how to check camera traps, assist with giraffe identification through their unique individual spot patterns, and how to track giraffe. Time is also spent exploring the reserve, observing the wide variety of game that includes lion, cheetah, elephant and many of Namibia’s fascinating desert species, not to mention the abundance of birdlife, but the reserve is probably most famous for its population of both black and white rhino.
Make sure your camera batteries are charged, as opportunities to view these powerful megaherbivores and various other species on game drives are very possible, whilst learning first hand how the conservation taking place here assists their long term survival.
This morning, you wake early to begin your drive to Kaokoland, passing through remote villages and driving through the mountains. A highlight of this journey is the picturesque route known as Grootberg Pass, where you encounter deep canyons, dramatic rock formations, and expansive vistas at every turn.
As you arrive in the Hoanib Valley, you're greeted by a unique environment that not many will ever have the chance to experience in a lifetime, consisting of imposing mountains, sand dunes and huge expanses of desert. Amongst this harsh landscape, species such as springbok, oryx and giraffe can be spotted roaming the barren plains.
Accommodation: Hoanib Valley Camp, 3-nights
The next two days are when the hands-on experience beings alongside Dr Julian Fennessy (GCF Co-founder and Director of Conservation) and the GCF team. During your time in Kaokoland, you observe desert-adapted giraffe as they navigate their challenging environment with the privilege to assist in tagging operations where you fit GPS satellite tags to the giraffe. Once fitted with these devices, their movements can be monitored, giving the research team a greater insight into how they utilise their habitat for survival.
The activities you assist in are part of the longest running giraffe monitoring and research programme in Africa, and help the GCF to determine their next conservation actions across the continent. Following each day of field work, reward yourself with a game drive, a refreshing soak in the camp’s swimming pool and enjoy a well-deserved sundowner or two!
Today you experience one of the best drives on the African continent as you make your way to the Skeleton Coast, passing through remarkable rock formations and with luck, desert elephants digging for water prior to arriving to the crashing waves and rolling dunes of your destination.
Accommodation: Shipwreck Lodge, 2-nights
A full day is spent exploring the remote Skeleton Coast and it’s unforgiving terrain. Spending time in this concession is a naturalists dream, searching for the miraculous tapestry of flora and fauna that has adapted to thrive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Notorious for its rough seas, rocky shallows and thick fog, this is an area renowned for its isolation, however there's much to experience.
You encounter astonishing vistas, the largest colonies of Cape fur seals in the world, and if you're lucky enough desert lion, brown hyena and Angolan giraffe traversing the sand dunes amongst many other wonders.
Please note: Starting prices based on sharing a twin or double room with a group size of five or six. Prices will reduce if additional places are filled, with a maximum group size of eight.
The pleasant, relatively modern city of Windhoek is Namibia’s capital, and is the starting point of most wildlife safaris. A small city of contrasts, it combines modern Europe with modern Africa, together with a sprinkling of attractive old buildings of German architecture. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Etosha is considered to be one of the finest sanctuaries in southern Africa. It is famous for its vast, dazzling saltpan with permanent waterholes, which attract a multitude of wildlife particularly during the dry winter. The neighbouring Ongava Private Game Reserve offers the attraction of tracking rhino on foot. Find Out More about {acc:title}
The Skeleton Coast is one of the most beautiful places on earth, with soaring dunes and plains to deep canyons, mountains, saltpans and freshwater springs. Wildlife includes huge colonies of Cape fur seals, and travelling by light aircraft provides stunning views of the coastline and its remarkable natural features. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Kaokoland in north-western Namibia is one of the most wild and remote areas in the country, consisting of rolling dunes, jagged mountains, semi-nomadic Himba settlements and vast desert plains intersected by ancient, dry riverbeds. A plethora of desert-adapted wildlife survive in this harsh wilderness. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Positioned on the side of a dolomite hill with sprawling vistas of the surrounding landscape and wildlife, Etosha Mountain Lodge is a stunning luxury property situated on the exclusive Etosha Heights Private Reserve in the Kamanjab Region of Namibia and shares a border with neighbouring Etosha National Park. Find Out More about Etosha Mountain Lodge
Hoanib Valley Camp is a luxury tented camp set within a hidden valley and surrounded by rugged mountains in the remote Kaokoland region of northern Namibia. The eco-conscious camp enjoys views of the Hoanib River and is a prime location to search for the area’s fascinating desert-adapted wildlife. Find Out More about Hoanib Valley Camp
Situated along the mesmerising Skeleton Coast, this lodge’s distinctive architecture takes inspiration from the mysterious shipwrecks that line its beaches. The property provides luxury accommodation in an area of significant conservation importance for incredible desert-adapted species. Find Out More about Shipwreck Lodge
British Travel Awards
Awarded Silver in Favourite Tour Operator for Nature & Wildlife 2024 & 2025
Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards
Awarded Bronze in Best Travel Company for Wildlife & Nature Holidays 2024
