Namibia is a friendly and hugely diverse country with a bird-rich coast, rocky central uplands, some of the world’s most dramatic coastal dunes, and Etosha, one of Africa’s finest wildlife reserves.
Beginning in the Waterberg Plateau National Park you look for birds such as rosy-faced lovebird, Monteiro’s hornbill and pririt batis. Next you spend five nights in Etosha National Park, in three different camps, which allows you plenty of time to explore this wonderful park. You then head to Erongo Mountain Range, which has some of the best bushveld birding in Namibia, before concluding on the Skeleton Coast at Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, and with a trip to the Namib-Naukluft National Park.
Depart the UK on an overnight flight via Johannesburg.
On arrival at Windhoek you travel to your guesthouse in the city. There will be time to visit Windhoek Botanical Gardens in the afternoon.
Accommodation: Utopia Boutique Guesthouse, 1-night
After a leisurely breakfast you leave Windhoek and head north towards the bushveld area of the Waterberg Plateau. These woodlands are a magnet for a variety of bird species otherwise not found in the drier parts of the country.
You spend the best part of the afternoon walking some of the many trails, birdwatching and botanising.
The following morning you go for a pre-breakfast birdwatching walk on one of the many trails through the forest below the cliff face. Chacma baboons, Damara dik-dik, kudu, banded mongoose and slender mongoose can be seen on these trails, along with local endemic birds such as Rüppell's parrot and the white-tailed shrike. After lunch, you take a 4WD to the top of the plateau, where you will be able to visit a few hides, hopefully seeing sable and roan antelope, Cape buffalo, eland, common duiker and white rhino. After dark, lesser galago (bushbaby), porcupine, and spotted genet can be seen with a torch.
Accommodation: Waterberg National Park Camp, 2-nights
After breakfast you enjoy a morning walk amongst the fig forests and reedbeds around the main accommodation. These are usually excellent for most of the bird specialities, especially Rüppell’s parrot and Bradfield’s hornbill.
After a leisurely breakfast you head north to Etosha National Park, one of Africa’s greatest wildlife parks and home to some 380 species of bird. You enjoy a late afternoon safari around Namutoni Camp, which has a large floodlit waterhole that should attract a steady procession of wildlife during the course of the night.
Accommodation: Namutoni Camp, 2-nights
This morning you start the day looking for birds and mammals at sunrise on a two-hour-long local drive. Birds that you will be searching for include secretarybird, red-necked falcon, kori bustard and Ludwig’s bustard.
After breakfast you go for a wildlife safari around the local area, with a view to finding more mammal and bird species such as rhino, elephant, African wild cat, Burchell’s zebra and many buck species.
You will be heading west to Halali Camp for lunch, following the edge of the pan. The huge Etosha Pan is dry for most of the year, but in exceptional years when wet, it is spectacular and abounds with birds. Halali Camp is the best place in Etosha for bare-cheeked babbler and violet wood-hoopoe.
Many mammals use the cool of the night to come to the camp’s floodlit waterhole, including rhino, elephant, lion and leopard.
Accommodation: Halali Camp, 1-night
You start the day with an early morning birdwatching walk around the camp, before continuing west towards your next camp in Etosha National Park. After arriving at Okaukuejo Camp, the late afternoon sees you enjoying another safari drive, this time exploring the area south of the camp and hopefully chalking up some new sightings.
Your full day at Okaukuejo sees you following a similar pattern to that of your previous days. Hornbills, coursers, larks, raptors and finches are well represented in this area of the park and you will be looking to fill the gaps in your sightings list.
Accommodation: Okaukuejo Camp, 2-nights
You start the day with an early morning birdwatching walk. Birds here could include secretarybird, red-necked falcon, Ludwig’s bustard, yellow-throated sandgrouse and Bennett’s woodpecker.
Your destination this afternoon is the Erongo Mountains, a range that stretches across the plains between the towns of Omaruru and Karibib, and which is home to a remarkably rich natural heritage. This expanse of rugged wilderness is one of Namibia’s most spectacularly scenic landscapes, with magnificent caves and rock painting sites, along with an impressive array of wildlife species.
Accommodation: Ai-Aiba Lodge, 2-nights
During your full day here you take one of the numerous walking trails from the property. The San people, who lived in the rocky hills of the Erongo, left many rock paintings here. Dating back thousands of years, these paintings can still be seen. You will also hope to see some of the more than 200 species of bird recorded here.
Early this morning you enjoy a walk around the grounds of your accommodation. Hartlaub’s spurfowl, Orange River francolin, Carp’s tit, rockrunner, violet wood-hoopoe, Monteiro’s hornbill, rosy-faced lovebird, Bradfield’s swift, chestnut weaver, white-tailed shrike and Rüppell’s parrot are all possible.
After breakfast, you drive to the coast and Swakopmund. This afternoon you spend time birdwatching around Walvis Bay Lagoon, which is regarded as one of the most important wetlands along the west coast of southern Africa. Flamingos by the thousands can be observed and the area around the lagoon holds 90-95% of the world’s population of chestnut-banded plover.
Accommodation: Walvis Bay Lagoon Lodge, 2-nights
Leaving Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, you head inland, into a unique ecosystem of gravel plains, sweeping dunes and river valleys. The first part of today focuses on a variety of classic dune formations – you should get a fascinating insight into a world of reptiles, birds and insects living amongst the sand dunes, all uniquely adapted to desert survival.
You then venture deeper into the desert and the massive Namib-Naukluft National Park – its 1,500-year-old welwitschias, aloes, euphorbias, hoodias and mist-gathering lichens are all unforgettably strange. It addition, its geological formations are stunningly beautiful, with marble, mica, spider-web dolorite and granite cliffs making for interesting walks and climbs.
There will be time to return to Walvis Bay Lagoon for a final morning of birdwatching, looking for any species that have so far given you the slip from your lists. You then transfer to Walvis Bay for your overnight flight back to the UK via Johannesburg.
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}
As the Waterberg Plateau is largely inaccessible, several of Namibia’s endangered species have been relocated here to protect them from illegal hunting. These reintroductions have been so successful that other Namibian parks have been supplied with rare animals from Waterberg. 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}
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 area around the Erongo Mountains is crossed by two important westbound rivers, the Omaruru and the Khan, whose riparian forests are a magnet for bird species not found in drier habitat. The region is also home to an exciting range of mammals including black rhino and black-faced impala. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Swakopmund is a charming Germanic seaside town, from where there are many excursions. In particular, Walvis Bay has huge colonies of Cape fur seals and is a world-renowned sanctuary for over 160,000 resident birds, as well as a feeding station for around 200,000 waders and terns on their migration routes. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Walvis Bay is located on Namibia’s western coast, just to the south of Swakopmund. It is protected by the natural sand spit at Pelican Point and it also has a tidal lagoon which is home a wealth of exciting birdlife including pelicans, vast flocks of flamingos and countless other wetland birds. Find Out More about {acc:title}
The Namib Desert is the oldest in the world and the wildlife to be found here is extremely interesting and often totally unique, having adapted itself to the harsh environment. However, the most remarkable sight is at Sossusvlei, where the world’s highest sand dunes tower more than 300 metres. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Ai-Aiba Lodge offers 20 rooms in African chalets providing comfortable accommodation that makes the most of a unique setting. Large windows frame the rocky outcrops all around. Each air-conditioned room has a small shaded terrace with a table and chairs where you can relax and listen to the birds. Find Out More about Ai Aiba Lodge
Halali Camp in Etosha National Park lies halfway between Namutoni and Okaukeujo Camps at the foot of a dolomite hill, typical of this part of Namibia. It is just a short walk from an elevated vantage point where you have a perfect view of the animals coming to drink in the nearby waterhole. Find Out More about Halali Camp
Accessible via the Von Lindequist Gate, Namutoni Camp’s close proximity to Fisher’s Pan makes it a hotspot for birders. Two restaurants, a craft shop, a pool and a viewing deck overlooking King Nehale Waterhole make the camp a great place to relax at lunchtime or after evening game drives. Find Out More about Namutoni Campsite
Situated 17 kilometres from the southern entrance to Etosha National Park, known as Anderson's Gate, Okaukuejo currently functions as the administrative hub of the park, and the home of the Etosha Ecological Institute. Facilities include a restaurant, bar, shop, swimming pool and camp site. Find Out More about Okaukuejo Rest Camp
Lagoon Lodge offers a warm welcome to guests, and its facilities include a swimming pool and a roof deck facing the lagoon. The spacious rooms are all individually decorated with care, and the lodge’s gardens provide a homely setting on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, by Walvis Bay. Find Out More about Walvis Bay Lagoon Lodge
All the bush chalets and rooms are fully furnished and feature en suite bathrooms, comfortable beds in different configurations and large windows allowing plenty of natural light to shine in. Other facilities available at this camp include a bar, restaurant, swimming pool and curio shop. Find Out More about Waterberg Camp
